Improvements in Life Saving Appliances.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Life Saving Appliances.
WILLIAM JARVIE ORR, of Ashburton House, Custom House, London, E.,
Mariner, and JAMES THOMAS, of 1, Rectory Road, Neath, South Wales, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in life saving appliances, and has
for its object the provision of means whereby the appliance may be, when
necessary so to do, propelled to the person, or persons, to be rescued, or by which
means it may be propelled by the rescued person to a place of safety, or the
appliance may of course be employed as a means for conveying a line or otherwise
establishing communication between ship and ship, or ship and shore.
In carrying the invention into effect the appliance is constructed of such a
size and in such a manner as to allow of its being stowed away in any convenient
place, in much the same manner as obtains in the ordinary life-buoy, portability
being attained by articulating the several parts as hereafter described, while to
ensure the necessary strength and lightness the several parts may be formed as
hollow metallic structures, or they may be made of wood or cork or other buoyant
material and covered with waterproof material, or any suitable combination of
such materials may be used in the structure of the appliance either as a whole
or for any of the parts.
The apparatus consists, primarily, of a " centre" beam, preferably of wood and
of about the following dimensions, viz., 7 feet 4 inches long 4 inches wide, and
3 inches deep. At one end of this beam, namely, the "forward" end, is mounted a
short cross beam, while a central aperture extending nearly the whole length
of the centre beam has mounted within it a metallic shaft, to the after and pro-
jecting end of which is fixed a suitably proportioned screw propeller. At its
forward end the shaft carries a bevel pinion which is keyed onto the shaft and
is driven by a bevel wheel keyed onto, and actuated by, a short horizontal shaft
suitably mounted on the forward end of the centre beam, so as to allow of its
being rotated by two handles, keyed one on each end of the short shaft, which,
together with the propeller shaft, may be tubular.
A suitable form of propeller guard is fixed to the central beam at a
point a little forward of the propeller itself, and forward of this guard
are a series of horizontal "stirrup" pieces, projecting from each side of the
beam, and sufficiently so to afford a foothold for the person working the handles.
The short cross beam, herein before referred to, is constructed, preferably of wood
and carries ahead of it a semi-circular piece of canvas-covered cork, whose contour
is such as to cause it to act as a cut-water, and at the same time to break down
the surf, or the crest of a wave, that would otherwise strike the face or head of
the person using the appliance.
Hinged to each end of the cross beam are cigar-shaped pieces of cork, somewhat
curved, in plan, and covered with canvas. These pieces, or arms, lie snug to the
centre beam when the appliance is stowed away and the outward movement of

page_text: their free ends is controlled by stout cords attached to the ends and to the centre
beam.
It is obvious that if any of the parts are made hollow they may have formed in
them suitable receptacles, provided with lids, in which may be carried flares, or
signals, or other requisites, these receptacles being formed, preferably, in the
forward parts such as the head of the cross beam, or in the cigar shaped arms.
It will be understood that when thrown into the water the weight of the
centre beam and the propeller causes the after end of the appliance to sink suffi-
ciently to submerge the propeller, while the cross beam and the arms afford
sufficient buoyancy to float the person working it and one or two others, the
person manipulating the appliance laying, face downwards, along the centre beam
and placing his feet against the most suitable of the "stirrups," in which position
he can work the handles with the best effect, the outward movement of one, or
other, of the feet giving the required steering effect.
Dated this 25th day of May 1899.
WILLIAM J. ORR.
JAS. THOMAS.
We, WILLIAM JARVIE ORR, of Ashburton House, Custom House, London, E.,
Mariner, and JAMES THOMAS, of 1, Rectory Road, Neath, S. Wales, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
This invention relates to improvements in lite saving appliances, and has
for its object the provision of means whereby the appliance may be, when
necessary so to do, propelled to the person or persons to be rescued, or conversely
it may be propelled by the rescued person to a place of safety, while further its
construction is such that it may be employed as the means for conveying a line
or otherwise establishing communication between ship and ship, or
ship and shore.
In carrying the invention into effect the appliance is constructed of such a
size and in such a manner as to allow of its being stowed away in any convenient
place, in much the same manner as obtains in the case of the ordinary life-buoy,
portability being attained by articulating the several parts in the manner herein-
atter shown and described with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings.
To ensure lightness the several parts may be formed as hollow metallic structures.
or they may be made of wood or cork or any other buoyant material and covered
with waterproof material, or any suitable combination of such materials may be
used in the structure of the appliance either as a whole or for any of its parts.
In constructing the apparatu's a light beam, preferably of wood and
about 7 ft. 4 in. long, 44 in. wide and 3 in. deep is taken to form the
centre beam. At one end of this beam, namely the forward end, is mounted a
short cross beam, while a central aperture extending nearly the whole length
of the beam, has mounted within it a metallic shaft, to the after and pro-
jecting end of which is fixed a suitably proportioned screw propeller. At its
forward end the shaft carries a small bevel pinion which is keyed onto the shaft
and is driven by a bevel wheel keyed onto and actuated by a short horizontal cross
shaft suitably mounted in the centre beam, so as to be axially at right angles to
the axis of the propeller shaft and so as to allow of its being rotated by two handles,
keyed one on each end of the short shaft, which, together with the propeller shaft
may be hollow or tubular. A suitable form of propeller guard is fixed to the central

page_text: beam at a point a little forward of the propeller itself, and forward of the guard
are a series of horizontal "stirrup" pieces projecting from each side of the beam
and sufficiently far as to afford a foothold for the person working the handles.
At the forward end of the beam is mounted the short cross beam before referred
to, this is constructed preferably of wood and carries ahead of it a semi-circular
piece of canvas covered cork whose contour is such as to cause it to act as a cut
water and at the same time to break down the surf or the crest of a wave, that
would otherwise strike the face or head of the person using the appliance.
Hinged to each end of the cross piece or beam are cigar shaped pieces of cork,
somewhat curved in plan, and also covered with waterproof canvas
These pieces
or arms lie snug to the centre beam when the appliance is stowed away, and the
outward movement of their ends is controlled by stout cords attached to the centre
beam.
It is obvious that if they be made hollow any of the parts suitable for the
purpose, such as the short cross beam, or the semi-circular piece ahead of it, or
the cigar shaped arms may be formed with suitable receptacles provided with
covers for containing "flares" or signals or other requisites.
In the accompanying drawings the upper figure represents a side elevation of
the appliance as it would appear when in the water, and the lower figure a plan
of the same. In these figures A represents the centre beam to which the cross
piece B is firmly secured, the head piece C being in turn firmly attached to the
cross piece B. The cigar shaped arms 1), D, are hinged at a, a, to the cross
piece B, either by metallic hinges, or by the canvas surrounding. them and the
cross and head pieces, and are shown in their fully extended position, their outward
movement being controlled by the cords b, b, b, b, secured to the arms and to the
centre beam at about the relative positions indicated by the figure in plan. The
beam A carries at its forward end the pinion gearing e driven by the handles H, H,
by which motion is imparted to the shaft d and serew propeller S. The stirrup ·
pieces 1. P, are provided as foot holds for the person working the appliance, and
who lies face downwards along the centre beam, gripping it between his knees
and placing his feet against the appropriate stirrup pieces, and so obtaining the
necessary position on, and control of, the appliance to enable him to work the
handles H, H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1
The construction of a maritime life saving appliance fitted with the arrange
ment for propelling the same in the manner substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown on the accompanying drawing.