BUOYANT SEATS READILY CONVERTIBLE INTO LIFE BOATS AND LIFE BELTS
Year: 1885

page_text: I BENJAMIN JOSHUA GRIMES of 181 Whitechapel Road, London, E in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
BUOYANT SEATS READILY CONVERTIBLE INTO LIFE BOATS AND LIFE BELTS to be
as follows:-
The object of my invention is to produce a contrivance which under one
condition serves to form a portion of the ordinary equipment of a ship or boat,
namely the deck seats. While on the other hand in case of shipwreck or other
casualty arising which renders escape from the vessel necessary, said contrivance is
readily convertible into, and can be easily used as, life saving-devices or con-
trivances, in the forms of life boats and life belts respectively.
The main portion of said contrivance when arranged as forming the double seats
on deck of a ship or boat, has the backs of the seats hinged or jointed with a
central hinge; the hinged portion being made waterproof by the introduction of
india rubber strips or of other material suitable for the purpose. Said hinged
portion forms the back of the seat in the normal condition of the contrivance
according to my invention; and, when required to be utilised as a life boat, the
backs of the seats form the keel; the base of the seats forms the gunwales; and,
the ends or arus, form the bow and stern respectively. I use a clip catch or other
suitable fastening to secure together the two parts or leaves of the seat, (which
will now form two sections of a boat) and which at the same time compresses an
india rubber washer or a washer of other suitable material, adapted, when com-
pressed, to resist the penetration of water. The body of the boat between the
gunwale and the bilge, is either formed as an air casing or is filled with or
is externally covered with cork or equivalent substance capable of ensuring
buoyancy.
The seat cushions are arranged and disposed upon the seats (under the normal
condition or application of said contrivance) in sets, preferably four in each set, the
separate members of each set, being strapped or otherwise connected together, and
each of said members is constructed, by means of the application of cork or
otherwise, so as to have ample buoying properties and to allow, in cases of
emergency, of each of said sets of seat cushions being readily utilised as articulated
777

page_text: life belts which are secured round the person, similarly to an ordinary life belt, by
means of the straps or fastenings before mentioned.
The contrivance according to my invention when used in its normal application
is adapted to a suitable cradle or standard secured to the deck in the usual
manner and, in the event of said contrivance being precipitated into the water,
the method of construction I have herein described is such as to allow of said
contrivance closing automatically and to form a life boat having sufficient
buoyancy to float and sustain weight, even if waterlogged.
I need not necessarily adopt double seats only; as, with suitable modification to
the jointing and other parts, single seats may be adopted.

page_text: "
Buoyant Seats readily Convertible into Life Boats and Life Belts.
وو
I BENJAMIN JOSHUA GRIMES of 181 Whitechapel Road, London, E. in the
County of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
BUOYANT SEATS READILY CONVERTIBLE INTO LIFE BOATS AND LIFE BELTS and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to produce a contrivance which under one
condition serves to form a portion of the ordinary equipment of a ship, or boat; in
this application said contrivance serves as the deck seats, that is to say, either as
double seats back to back or as single seats, Whilst on the other hand in the
case of shipwreck, fire, or other casualty occurring which renders escape from the
vessel necessary said contrivance aforesaid is readily convertible into life saving
apparatus.
The main portion of said contrivance is designed to be readily utilised, as a life
boat; and the buoyant cushions of the seats, (which are easily detached) are
availed of as life belts.
When arranged double, the backs A of the seats are hinged with a central
hinge b made waterproof by india rubber strips c or other suitable material, the
seats can however be used singly and put together by means of a bolt through the
hinges. When said contrivance has to be converted into a life boat as will be
hereinafter more fully referred to, the hinged part b (Figure 1) becomes the keel of
the boat and the ends or arms d of the seat contrivance aforesaid become
respectively the bow and stern of the life boat.
prefer to use a clip catch or fastener to couple the two seats (which will now
form sections of the boat) together and this compresses the rubber washer c or a
washer formed of any other suitable material that will resist water when compressed.
The body of the boat between the gunwale and the bilge e is either filled with
air or cork, this part forming the seat portion of the deck seats when the contri-
vance according to my invention is used for the latter purpose.
The cushions a, a (Sheet 1) are constructed so that they may be separately
detached, or coupled together by means of a strap, or other coupling, and being
filled with cork, or air are buoyant and can be used as life buoys, or life belts.
When said contrivance is used as a deck seat and opened outwards, I prefer to
use a standard or cradle (Fig. 1 Sheet 1) of suitable shape, so that the apparatus
may rest thereon and be relieved of undue strain.
Referring to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, the views Figures 1, 2
and 3 of Sheet 1, represent the device or contrivance according to my Invention in
its nomal use or application as forming the deck seats of a vessel; and, Figures 4
to 8 inclusive of Sheet 2, the altered appearance and contour which said contri-
vance assumes when circumstances necessitate said contrivance being converted
into and used as, a life boat. In Sheet 1, Figure 1 shews, by a cross sectional view
the arrangement herein before described of double or back to back seats; and,
Figure 2, the arrangement in the case of single seats. Figure 3 is a plan view of
Figure 1.

page_text: The transition of the contrivance aforesaid into a life boat, is accomplished as
follows: Immediately upon the seat contrivance being precipitated into the water,
then, by the law of gravitation the sides B, B, (Fig. 1) and also the top and
bottom C, C (Fig. 2) tend to meet in the middle B (Fig. 7, Sheet 2) where they
are secured as at g, by any suitable fastening device; the base of the seat
Figure 1, is then allowed to fall into the position which it assumes as shewn at h,
Figures 5, 6 and 8 (Sheet 2), thus forming the longitudinal bearers across which
are laid the seats i, i (Sheet 2) for the rowers. Said seats i, i, being, in the normal
application described in reference to Sheet 1,-kept stowed away where provision
is made for reception of same as at f, Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The herein described device or contrivance which under one condition forms a
portion of the ordinary equipment of a ship namely the deck seats; and, on the
other hand under any of the contingencies arising as herein referred to, said device
or contrivance becomes readily convertible into life saving appliances substantially
as herein described and shewn in the accompanying two sheets of drawings. -
Dated this 22nd day of October 1885.
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers, 20, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.