Improvements in or connected with the Rose Boxes or Strainers.of Ships' and other Pumps.
Year: 1891

page_text: 'Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 20th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Rose Boxes or Strainers.of
Ships' and other Pumps.
We JAMES EZRA SYKES and GEORGE THOMAS CHAPMAN of the Post Office,
Ferns in the County of Wexford, Marine Engineer and Post Master respectively,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our improvements have for their object certain appliances whereby the rose
boxes or strainers of ships' and other pumps can be readily and thoroughly freed
or cleaned of any impediments or substances which would choke the boxes and
prevent the pumps performing their duty. It is a common thing, as is well known,
for the rose boxes or strainers applied to the bottom of the suction pipes of ships'
pumps to become choked or fouled by such loose matters as branches, pieces of
wood, and the like, being carried up to and becoming jammed in the openings of
the boxes, when such is the case, the pumps of course, no longer work, and the
water, which should be cleared, collects and rises, causing great injury to the cargo,
if nothing more serious.
Now our invention consists in constructing the casing or walls of the rose boxes
so as to form a suitable guard having openings, and we apply to the casing or walls
so formed. any suitable cleaners or clearers, means are provided for moving either
the cleaners or clearers, or else the casing or walls, so that, as any matter may
accumulate which would choke the boxes, the boxes may be easily freed or cleaned
by causing either the cleaners or clearers to move over the openings in the casing
or walls of the boxes or else by causing the casing or walls to move against the
cleaners or clearers. For moving the cleaners or clearers or else the casing or
walls, one or the other is fastened to one or more shafts and these shafts are caused
to revolve, entirely or partially, by means of cranks, gear wheels, wires or otherwise;
where the rose boxes are situated in.inconvenient or inaccessible. places, the shaft or
shafts for moving the cleaners or clearers or else the casing or walls can be extended
and brought to a point from where they can be conveniently revolved.
The casing or walls of the rose boxes could, for instance, be formed .circular
with a series of horizontal slots, and into these slots the ends of a series of cleaning
or clearing arms would extend, the other ends of such arms being fixed round and to
a vertical shaft in and extending from the interior of the rose box; when at any
time the openings in the casing or walls of the box become obstructed and the pump
will not work, it is only necessary to cause the vertical shaft to give a portion of a
turn, when the arms, moving through the slots, will clear away any obstruction and
will allow the water to flow in to the bottom of the suction pipe. The shaft, in this
case, is not caused to revolve completely round, as, if it did, the cleaning or clearing
arms would interfere with the bottom of suction pipe of the pump which extends into
the rose box, besides which, for the purposes of construction, the slots cannot extend
entirely round the casing, but must cease at certain intervals.
In a modification, the cleaners or clearers could be a series of brushes or combs
arranged in one, two or more vertical. stationary boxes; and the casing or walls of
the rose boxes be formed of a series of vertical rods with suitable spacest between
them fixed into a head and a base plate, the base plate would be fixed to the vertical
shaft or shafts and the stationary boxes with their cleaners or clearers be placed up
against the vertical rods, should any obstruction get in between or on to the vertical
rods, the base plate is caused to revolve, the vertical rods would then rub up against
the cleaners or clearers in the stationary boxes, and so any obstructions between or
on the rods would be removed, allowing the water to flow in through the spaces

page_text: between the vertical rods to the bottom of the suction pipe which extends into the
interior of the rose box.
Dated this 10th day of August 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Rose Boxes or Strainers of
Ships' and other Pumps.
We, JAMES EZRA SYKES and GEORGE THOMAS CHAPMAN of the Post Office,
Ferns in the County of Wexford, Marine Engineer and Post Master respectively,
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 :-
Our improvements have for their object certain appliances whereby the rose
boxes or strainers of ships' and other pumps can be readily and thoroughly freed or
cleaned of any impediments or substances which would choke the boxes and prevent
the pumps performing their duty. It is a common thing, as is well known, for the
rose boxes or strainers applied to the bottom of the suction pipes of ships' pumps
to become choked or fouled by such loose matters as branches, pieces of wood, and
the like being carried up to and becoming jammed in the openings of the boxes,
when such is the case, the pumps, of course, no longer work, and the water, which
should be cleared, collects and rises, causing great injury to the cargo, or even
loss of the ship.
Now our invention consists in constructing the walls of the rose box and applying
cleaners to the openings in the same in such a manner that any dirt sticking in
the openings in those walls shall be immediately, or when desired, knocked out or
crushed out of the same. I form the rose box of a cage of preferably round wires
and arrange a brushing or combing mechanism and a handle rotating device in such
manner that, at any moment by turning a handle, the outside, inside, or both of the
cage can be brushed or combed.
have, in the drawings, shown three variations :-
Figures 1 and 2 show an elevation and plan (both partly in section) of such a
device:
Figures 3 and 4 similar views of another slightly different arrangement, and
Figures 5 and 6 similar views of yet another modification.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 :-
C is a cage, the rose box proper having horizontal slots D. F is a shaft having
a handle, not shown, moved from any particular point. G is a spider keyed thereon
carrying vertical posts H having projecting studs I projecting into each of the
slots D, Ja pipe leading to the pump. In this, if ever the slots D get clogged,
the handle is moved by hand or otherwise with a revolving reciprocating motion,
and the studs I clean out the slots D.
In Figures 3 and 4, a modification is shown, in which there is a cage formed of
two plates L and M and a series of vertical bars A. The cage C and spider G
are omitted, and a series of brushes J¹ or combs on standards fixed to the bottom
plate K project against the bars A. The plate L is keyed or otherwise fastened to
the shaft F. The remaining letters in these figures refer to similar parts in
Figures 1 and 2, except N and O. N N are studs holding the brushes in place,
O are side plates protecting the brushes.
In Figures 5 and 6, a simpler form is shown, in which there are large vertical.
slots in the pump suction pipe J and a series of studs H sweeping narrow hori
zontal slots D in outside cage A. Either the pipe or the cage, preferably the
latter, is, in this case, given a reciprocating rotary motion through nearly a quarter
of a circle.

page_text: The power (whether hand, steam, etcetera) for working the cleaners may be
applied in any suitable way, and varies according to the position in which the rose
boxes are situated, or the size and description of the ship to which the invention
is fitted. Where the rose boxes are situated in inconvenient or inaccessible places,
the shaft or shafts for moving the cleaners or else the casing or walls can be
extended and brought to a point from where they can be conveniently revolved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A rose box formed with bars or slotted walls A or C, a brushing or combing
device I, H, or J', a device for producing a relative motion between the walls of
the rose box and the brushing or combing movement, and the pump suction pipe
entering the central chamber of the rose box, substantially as described.
2. The several combined arrangements and construction of parts forming the
improved rose boxes or strainers for ships' pumps, substantially as set forth.
D10 JA 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.