Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS, AND OTHER SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henderson, of Leith, in the County of
Edinburgh, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS, AND OTHER SHIPS OR
VESSELS."
Sealed the 10th June 1873, and dated the 7th April 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henderson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th April 1878.
I, JAMES HENDERSON, of Leith, in the County of Edinburgh, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS, AND OTHER SHIPS OR
VESSELS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has reference to a new or improved mode and means
of making the decks, roofs, and floors, or the sides of steam or sailing
ships or other vessels, having the advantages of greater simplicity and
efficiency with a saving of manual labour over the modes and means
heretofore employed.

page_text: And the nature of this Invention. consists in making the said decks,
roofs, or sides of planks whose joints are formed by making a groove
either wholly in one of the adjacent edges of the said planks, or partly
in both edges, exactly opposite each other, and in inserting into the said
groove or grooves a bar, or strip, or band of vulcanized india-rubber, or
other like elastic material, of such a shape and size that in laying down,
tightening up, and fixing the said planks, the india-rubber would. be
compressed to nearly fill the groove, and this compression and its
inherent elasticity would make and maintain each joint so made fluid
and water tight.
It will be evident that these grooves may be formed in the edges of
the planks by ordinary grooving machinery of various shapes, as round,
elliptical, rectangular, or otherwise, and that the vulcanized india-rubber
bands would be made (in the usual manner, but) of an approximate or
suitable shape and size to require to be compressed within the groove 1
sufficiently to make and maintain the said tightness of the joints, and
these india-rubber bands might be either made solid or hollow, or have
cores of flexible material, such as a strand of wool or cotton within
them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Henderson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HENDERSON, of Leith, in the County of Edinburgh, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Henderson, Her special
licence that I, the said James Henderson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Henderson, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS, AND OTHER SHIPS OR VESSELS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Henderson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Henderson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
Bay :-
My said Invention has reference to a new or improved mode and
means of making the decks, roofs, and floors or the sides of steam or
sailing ships or other vessels, having the advantages of greater simplicity
and efficiency, with a saving of manual labour over the modes and
means heretofore employed.
And the nature of my said Invention consists in making the said
decks, roofs, or sides of planks whose joints are formed by making a
groove either wholly in one of the adjacent edges of the said planks, or
partially in both edges exactly opposite each other, and in inserting into
the said groove or grooves a bar, or strip, or band of vulcanized or pure
india-rubber or other like elastic material of such a shape and size that
in laying down, tightening up, and fixing the said planks the india-
rubber would be compressed to nearly fill the groove, and this
compression and its inherent elasticity would make and maintain each
joint so made fluid and water tight.
And in order that the nature and mode of performing my said
Invention may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe
the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto
5 appended for that purpose, the same reference letters being employed to
indicate the same or like parts in all the Figures.

page_text: -- no
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
1
Figure 1 is a transverse section, and Figures 2 and 3 are a side or
edge view, and a sectional plan respectively, taken on the lines 1
and 2 2 in Figure 1, all of three planks a shown full size of a ship's
deck (or it may be its side walls) constructed in accordance with and
illustrative of one modification of my said Invention or improvements,
sufficient to show the modes and means of performing the Invention and
applying the improvements to the decks and sides of ships.
Referring to these Figures 1, 2, and 3, my improvements are carried
out by forming a semi-oval or elliptical groove A in the adjacent
edges a¹, a¹, of each plank a opposite each other, so that when the two
edges and grooves are put together they will form an oval or elliptical
hole or groove with its major axis in the direction of the joint, and of
such a size that when the joints and planks are tightened up by wedges
or pressing cramps when laying and fixing them in the usual manner,
the bottom surface of the grooves across the minor axis will squeeze
or compress the band or strip of vulcanized india-rubber B close and
firm, so as to nearly fill the oval hole in the other or long direction; the
india-rubber band being made round or cylindrical, as shown full size
in the transverse section thereof, Figure 14, for being compressed, as
stated, after being inserted into the first half of the groove of the plank
or planks already laid and fixed. The grooves or the bands of india-
rubber before insertion are preferably coated with a thin layer of india-
rubber, gutta percha, or other equivalent adhesive solution, so as to hold
each band into the groove while laying the next plank against it to
compress it, as described, and thus form the joints. This compression,
and the inherent elasticity of the vulcanized india-rubber band or bands,
whether with or without the use of the coating of adhesive solution,
make and maintain a simple or improved tight joint between the
planks of ships' decks and sides, all as stated, without the necessity for
calking them with oakum or other equivalent, as heretofore.
It will be understood that the grooves A may be formed of various
other shapes than that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 (as approximately
round, rectangular, or polygonal), either all in the one edge a¹ of the
planks forming the joints, as shown in the transverse sections of the
deck planks to a small scale in Figures 4 and 5, or in both edges of
the planks, as shown in the similar sections, Figures 6 and 7, with their

page_text: bands B of vulcanized india-rubber made to correspond, as shown in
Figures 4, 5, 6ª, and 7ª.
Referring to Figure 4A, the band B is nearly round before being
inserted into the groove A which is of a U shape in section, as shown in
Figure 4, and having its one side pressed flat when compressed and laid,
as seen in the latter Figure. That at Figure 5A is shown square in
section, compressed into a rectangular groove, not so deep but wider
than the size of the square, as seen in Figure 5, compressed and laid ;
and that shown in Figure 6ª is also square, but compressed into an
oblong lozenge-shaped groove, as seen, formed by the obtuse V shaped
grooves in each edge of the planks forming the joints in Figure 6,
while that shown in Figure 7 is of a thin rectangular section,
compressed into a groove formed in each edge of the plank, of a wider
and shallower form than that of the band, so as thus to allow of sufficient
transverse compression in all these cases to insure the perfect tightness
of the joints by the elastic force of the india-rubber so compressed in
the grooves at some part of each joint either with or without the use of
the adhesive solution in the grooves, all as before explained in reference
to Figures 1, 2, and 3. The bands B of vulcanized india-rubber may be
manufactured in the usual manner that such like bands are made and
sold for other purposes, but they must be made of the approximate
suitable shape and size required, as shown in the several detached
sections, Figures 1ª, 4ª, 5ª, 6ª, and 7ª, in relation to the size and shape
of their respective grooves A, Figures 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7, for which they
are made, so as to be compressed within the groove sufficiently to make
and maintain the said tightness of the joints by the pressure and
elasticity of the bands. And although these elastic bands, as so far
described and shown, are made solid, yet still they may also when
desired be made hollow, or hollow with cores of flexible material, such
as with a strand or cord of wool, cotton, or other equivalent fibrous or
textile material within them, as shown in cross sections, Figures 8, 9,
and 10. That in Figure 8 shows an example of the hollow tubular
elastic band B of vulcanized india-rubber only, and that at Figure 9
shows the same with a core 6 of cotton or hemp cord within it, while
that shown in Figure 10 shows a nearly square form of the hollow
vulcanized india-rubber band with a cord 6 of cotton or hemp in it. The
grooves A, whatever may be their shape as described, are preferred to be
cut or formed nearer the top surface of the planks than the bottom, as

page_text: shown in the several Figures, but they may also be formed at any other
position across the face edges of the joints, or have two grooves, one
near the top edge and the other near the bottom when preferred,
although this I consider would be unnecessary in ordinary practice,
and these grooves A may be so cut or formed in the edges a¹ of the
planks a by the ordinary grooving and ploughing machinery, at the
same time the edges of the planks are being planed or dressed at
the mill, all ready for being laid down.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, I would observe in conclusion that 1
what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,—
First. The making and jointing of the planks forming the decks, roofs,
floors, or sides, of steam, sailing, or other ships or vessels, substantially 1
in the new or improved manner herein described and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. The making of the joints between the planks forming the
decks or walls of steam or sailing ships or vessels wind and water tight
by bands, bars, or strips of vulcanized india-rubber, substantially as 2
herein described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Henderson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
62, Buchanan Street,
Glasgow.
JA³. HENDERSON. (L.S.)