Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1893-Accepted, 24th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels and
the like.
A communication by ERNEST NIEHOFF, of 605, North L. Street, Tacoma, in
the County of Pierce and State of Washington, United States of America,
Gentleman.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool & 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster & 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 certain improvements in apparatus for raising sunken
vessels and it consists in a novel bag and in combination with suitable bags which
are adapted to be placed in or on a sunken vessel and filled with air, of certain
novel means for filling the bags and regulating the internal pressure of the air
on the inside of the bags as the external pressure on the outside of the bag is
decreased, by reason of the sunken vessel "lifting" or rising and coming nearer
the surface of the body of water, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a transverse section through a portion of a sunken vessel and a
broken rear end view of a portion of a floating vessel, the latter being supplied with
an air receiver and piping leading from the receiver to air bags placed in the sunken
vessel.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the air receiver having
attached to it suitable pipes and cocks for letting air into a bag from the receiver
and permitting an escape of the air from a bag when desired, and
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the side of a bag with a pipe secured
in the same, and provided with suitable cocks and a gauge for indicating and
regulating the internal pressure of air on the inside of the bag.
The object of this invention is to provide means for indicating and regulating the
pressure of air on the inside of the bag as the vessel rises either by an attendant on
the floating vessel operating an escape cock or valve located near the air receiver,
or by a diver opening one of the cocks near the mouth of the bag. It is well
known that, at a depth of one hundred feet, the pressure of the water is eighty
pounds to the square inch, and it has been found by practical tests that, in order
to make the apparatus operate satisfactorily, a gauge must be employed to indicate
the internal pressure of air on the inside of the bag at different depths, so that, as
the sunken vessel rises, the escape valves connected with the bag will be employed
to lessen the pressure.
A in the drawings represents an air bag which is made of rubber or any other
suitable material and made air tight. The bag is preferably cylindrical in form
and of considerably greater length than width. It is provided with a mouth which
is very strongly reinforced around its edges, and in addition is provided on its
inner surface around the periphery of the mouth with a metal plate a having a
screw threaded opening, into which opening is screwed a coupling tube B and
strengthened at its ends by metal plates a². This coupling tube is preferably made
T-shape in formation and consists of an outwardly extending portion 6 having
branching portions 61, 63, each of which latter is provided with a cock C. A gauge D
is secured onto one of the branches for the purpose of indicating to the diver the
pressure of the air in the bag. This is of great importance as heretofore stated.
and being located at this point avoids any liability of the bags bursting if proper
attention is paid to the gauge, and the coupling tube being provided with an escape

page_text: cock, enables the diver to let out a portion of the air without the necessity of
disturbing the position of the bags or himself cuming to the surface of the
water. The tube coupling is also provided on its inner end with a collar 6,
which, together with the metal plate secured on the inside of the mouth of the
bag, renders the bag air and water tight. A rubber pipe E provided at its
lower end with a screw nozzle and a cut-off cock e is screwed onto the end of
one of the branches of the tube coupling, and is provided at its upper end; with
a T-coupling tube F somewhat similar in construction to the T-coupling tube B,
only that a gauge may be dispensed with at this point and placed on the air
receiver G, to which latter the upper end of the piping is attached. In Figure 2,
the tube coupling F is shown provided with three cocks f,f, f, and the pipe E
connected to one of the branches of the coupling tube, while the other end of the
branch is provided with a spigot nozzle for a purpose presently described. The
cock is employed to cut off all air from the reservoir, the cock f to cut off all air
entering the branch in which said cock is located and the cock f' when the spigot
is employed, can be opened, and, by properly opening the cocks on the coupling
tube on the bag, a portion of the air from said bag can escape at this point, if
desired. If the air receiver G and the bag A were of the same size, the gauge g
on the receiver would register with the gauge on the tube coupling B, so that if
the pipe E connected the bag and receiver, and the cocks on the tube coupling on
the bag properly arranged, an attendant on the floating vessel could regulate the
pressure of air in the bags as the sunken vessel rises. Instead of having a pipe for
every bag and leaving the pipe always connected with the same, there are usually
employed only one or two pipes, but every bag is provided with a tube coupling B.
The air receiver G is kept supplied by an ordinary air pump which it is not thought
necessary to show.
It is contemplated to join several bags by short pipes, as shown, and to attach
the pipe E to one of the bags, so that a number of bags can be filled at one
operation, and the air from one or more bags allowed to escape at the same time,
thus saving considerable time and labor.
In use, the air bag is placed in the vessel in a vertical position with its lower end
resting on the bottom of the vessel or other support and its upper end against a
beam or other support. This causes a pressure on the ends of the bag which, if the
bag was not reinforced by the metal end plates, would burst the same, consequently
these end plates are regarded as of great importance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for raising sunken vessels, comprising a suitable air bag
provided with a T-coupling, one of its branches provided with a cut-off and a
means of attachment to the supply pipe E, and its other branch provided with a
pressure gauge, whereby the attendant under water is enabled to regulate the
pressure of the air in the bag; an air receiver B provided with a T-coupling, the
branch of which is provided with a cut-off, the branch f¹ with a cut-off and means
of attachment to the supply pipe E, and the branch f with a cut-off and an escape
passage to the atmosphere, a pipe E connecting the air receiver and bag and
provided with a cut-off near its lower end which can be operated by an attendant
under water to prevent water entering the said pipe when it is disconnected from
the bag, substantially as described.
2. An air bag for use in raising sunken vessels provided with a suitable mouth,
end strengthening plates and means for attaching the bag to a pipe, substantially as
described.
ليم
1
35