IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CLEANING OF VESSELS' BOTTOMS WHILE AFLOAT
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Paine, of Liverpool, in the County of Lan-
caster, Master Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
FACILITATING THE CLEANING OF VESSELS' BOTTOMS WHILE AFLOAT."
Sealed the 21st August 1863, and dated the 28th February 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Paine at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
February 1863.
I, EDWARD PAINE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Master
Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CLEANING OF VESSELS' BOTTOMS WHILE AFLOAT,"
to be as follows (that is to say):-
-
This Invention has for its object a simple apparatus to facilitate the clean-
ing of the bottoms of navigable vessels when afloat in harbour or at sea, and
consists of an oval, compressed, egg-ended or other suitably shaped hollow
vessel, formed of iron or other suitable material, surrounded on the outside by
a series of brooms or brushes made from bristles, cocoa fibre, piassava, or other
suitable material, cocoa, india-rubber, or other suitable matting, alone or in
combination with brushes or brooms. The sides and ends are provided with
suitable eyes or other means for connecting guy ropes thereto, in such a way
that the said eyes or their mechanical equivalent will not come into immediate
contact with the ship's sides or bottom when in use, and thereby prevent injury
thereto. One of these guy ropes is connected to the front and another attached

page_text: to the rear end and one to each side of the hollow vessel. The end guy ropes
are connected to the side ropes by bridle ropes.
This apparatus may be used as follows:-Carry one of the end guy ropes
through a block attached to the under side of the bowsprit or jibboom
end, then pass one of the side guy ropes under the vessel's bottom and through
a block on the foreyard arm and on to the deck, after which carry the
rear guy rope outside of the vessel clear of the rigging, and through a block
attached to the end of the mizenboon or other spar projecting over the vessel's
stern, and carry it on to the deck. Then throw the hydraulic scrubber over-
board, and haul and let go alternately on the guy rope passed under the vessel's
bottom as often as may be found necessary; after which slack off the fore guy
rope a little and slightly brace up the yard, and repeat the operation all along
one side of the vessel, removing the guide blocks on the foreyard arm to the
mainyard arm, and so on, after which the same operation is to be performed
on the other side of the vessel. In some cases it is preferred to mount the
float on travelling wheels, to facilitate its action and keep the brushes from
being pressed too heavily against the sides and bottom of the vessel. The guy
ropes it is preferred should be of coir or other material of a light specific
gravity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Paine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
PAINE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Master Mariner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Edward Paine, Her special license that I, the said Edward
Paine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Paine, my executors, 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, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS

page_text: POR FACILITATING THE CLEANING OF VESSELS' BOTTOMS WHILE AFLOAT," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Paine, niy 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 Edward Paine, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement (that is to say):―
This my said Invention has for its object a simple apparatus to facilitate the
cleaning of the bottoms of navigable vessels when afloat in harbour or at sea,.
and consists of an oval, compressed, egg-ended or other suitably shaped hollow
vessel formed of iron or other suitable material, surrounded on the outside by
a series of brooms or brushes made from bristles, cocoa fibre, piassava, or other
suitable material, cocoa, india-rubber, or other suitable matting, alone or in
combination with brushes or brooms. The sides and ends I provide with suit-
able eyes or other means for connecting guy ropes thereto, in such a way that
the said eyes or their mechanical equivalent will not come into immediate
contact with the ship's sides or bottom when in, use, thereby preventing injury
thereto. One of these guy ropes I connect to the front, and another 1 attach
to the rear end, and one to each side of the hollow vessel. The end guy ropes
I prefer to connect to the side ropes by bridle ropes.
This my improved apparatus may be used as follows:-Carry one of the end
guy ropes through a block attached to the under side of the bowsprit or jibboom
end, then pass one of the side guy ropes under the vessel's bottom and through
a block on the foreyard arm and on to the deck; after which carry the rear
guy rope outside of the vessel clear of the rigging, and through a block
attached to the end of the mizenboom or other spar projecting over the vessel's
stern, and lead it on to the deck. Then throw the hydraulic scrubber over-
board, and haul and let go alternately on the guy rope passed under the vessel's
bottom as often as may be found necessary; after which slack off the fore
guy rope a little and slightly brace up the yard, and repeat the operation all
along one side of the vessel, removing the guide blocks on the foreyard arms to
the mainyard arm, and so on, after which the same operation is to be per-
formed on the other side of the vessel. In some cases I prefer to mount the
float or travelling wheels, to facilitate its action and keep the brushes from
being pressed too heavily against the sides and bottom of the vessel. The guy

page_text: ropes I prefer are those constructed of coiar or other material of a light specific
gravity.
Some objections having been raised as to the probability of the guy ropes
fretting in passing under vessels having deep and sharp-edged keels, I have
designed several modifications of a creeper to travel along the keel, which
creeper is provided with a "live" or "dead" sheeve or pulley, as well as an
antifriction chain or rope in lieu of the ordinary guy ropes.
And that this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and under-
stood, I have hereunto annexed Drawings in practical illustration of the
same.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the shell of one of my improved hollow
scrubbers, and Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same, seen with the
brushes applied thereto; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 4 is a
transverse section of another modification of my improved scrubber, which is
seen with brushes mounted on the exterior thereof; Figure 5 is an external
view of another of my improved hollow scrubbers, which is seen fitted with longi-
tudinal scraping ribs, but which scraping ribs may be applied vertically when
it is intended to work the scrubber fore and aft; Figure 6 is a side elevation of
one modification of my improved travelling creeper fitted with a "live" sheeve,
over which the broom rope travels; Figure 7 is an end view, and Figure 8 is
a top view or plan of the same; Figure 9 is a side elevation of another modi-
fication of my improved travelling creeper, and Figure 10 is an end view of
the same, and which last modification may be fitted with a "live" or "dead"
sheeve; Figure 11 is a side elevation, and Figure 12 is an end view of another
modification of a keel creeper constructed with a score or groove in lieu of the
"live" sheeye; Figure 13 is a top view or plan of an antifriction guy or
broom chain, and Figure 14 is a side elevation of the same; Figure 15 is a
plan of three antifriction rollers, which are to be connected together with ropes
in lieu of iron links, as seen in Figures 13 and 14, and Figure 16 is a side
elevation of the same; Figure 17 is a longitudinal elevation of the hull of a
vessel, shewing the mode of using my improved hollow floating scrubber, and
Figure 18 is a transverse section of a vessel shewing the application of my im-
proved scrubber, in which the broom or guy ropes are worked over a pair of
moveable "davits."
A is a hollow, oval, egg-ended vessel of iron or other suitable material,
which has attached thereto a, eyes for attaching the broom or guy ropes to it;
A' is an oval hollow vessel with slightly pointed ends, and which for the sake
of strength is divided into several chambers by b, diaphrams; c, tubes which
pass longitudinally and transversely through the body of the hollow scrubber

page_text: float, for the purpose of passing therethrough a longitudinal and transverse
rope with spliced eyes at each end, for the purpose of securing the broom or
guy ropes thereto; d, brush secured to the exterior of the float; e (Figure 5),
longitudinal scraping ribs, which may be used alone or in combination with the
brushes, brooms, or mats; f, the body of the keel creeper, which it is preferred
to form hollow or of a light material, so as to press towards the keel of the
vessel, and is constructed with g, two longitudinal flanges, which extend up the
side of the keel and keep the creeper in position when on the keel; h, trans-
verse rollers upon which the creeper travels over the keel; i, a "live" pulley
I over which the broom or guy rope travels; K, the keel of the vessel; m,
rings for attaching the hauling or guy ropes to the creeper; n, a sinking.
weight attached to the bottom and for sinking the creeper, to enable it to be
the more readily got on to the keel of the vessel, and which is secured to the
creeper by p, an oblique pin, which is attached to the broom or guy rope
· by a small line, and to which also is attached in like manner (n) the sinking
weight; when it is desired to detach this weight, when the creeper is in position
under the keel of the vessel, the guy or broom rope is hauled upon on the side
to which the bridles are secured, when they can be removed therefrom previous
to commencing operations with the scrubber; r, the transverse guy or broom
ropes. (Figure 17), the fore and aft guy or broom ropes; t (Figure 17),
creeper guy ropes; u (Figures 13 and 14) are antifriction rollers revolving on
their axes within bearings in v, a flat chain on each end of the rollers, which
in combination form an antifriction chain for working the scrubber in lieu of
an ordinary rope; u² (Figures 15 and 16) are rollers which are connected
together at their axles by a rope extending over and under their axles, and
which are secured together by seizings, thereby forming a series of eyes in
which the axles of the rollers revolve, and thus constituting an antifriction
rope.
When I use the creeper in connection with my improved floating scrubber,
I attach to it the four guy ropes (t) by the rings (m), and connect thereto the
weight (n) to facilitate the sinking thereof; I then reeve the broom or guy
rope on the side opposite to that which it is intended at that time to operate
upon; I then drop the creeper down over the fore foot or over the stern
of the vessel, and haul it into position by means of the guy ropes (t),
then I haul away on the broom or guy rope (r) to withdraw the pin (p) and
detach the sinking weight (n) from the creeper and haul it on board to detach
it from the guy or broom rope (r); I then take the scrubber float and attach
the reeved guy rope thereto, carrying my fore and aft broom ropes or guys
forward and aft on the outside of the vessel and clear of the rigging, as herein-

page_text: before described; I then pass the scrubber overboard and commence operations,
as herein-before explained.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine, myself to the precise
details, relative proportions or dimensions, or mode of operating the same, as it
will be readily seen that these may be considerably varied without departing
from the Invention; but what I do claim is, the construction, use, and mode
of operating my improved hollow floating scrubber in the manner and for
the object herein-before described and set forth, or any mere modification of
the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Paine, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, this Twenty-seventh day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
EDWARD (L.S.) PAINE.