IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE DEPTH OF WATER, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY " APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th June 1882. Communicated to him
from abroad by Léon Gabriel Coffinières de Nordeck, of Paris, France,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL APPARATUS
FOR ASCERTAINING THE DEPTH OF WATER, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY
"
APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES [A communication to him from abroad by
Léon Gabriel Coffinières de Nordeck, of Paris, France,]
The advantages gained by sounding or ascertaining the depth of water without
necessitating the stoppage of a ship or vessel will be apparent, but in doing this it
becomes necessary for the person who effects the operation to ascertain the results
thereof as rapidly as possible.
My improved sounding apparatus may be employed without diminishing the
speed of the vessel. It indicates the depth as soon as the lead touches the bottom
and gives the sounding even if the sounding line should break. The said apparatus
contains three principal or main parts, namely, the part of the apparatus which is
dropped into the water, the cable which serves as the sounding line, and the device
for registering or denoting the depth.
The part of the apparatus which is dropped into the water is constructed as
follows that is to say :-A weight of sufficient size draws along at the bottom of the
water & gauge or manometer whose needle communicates by a metallic circuit with
the sea.
This needle moves in proportion to the increase in the pressure and
comes successively into contact, during its movement, with metallic pins or pieces
fixed in a plate or piece of metal. The said metallic plate and pins are connected
to the sounding line or cable by an insulated conducting wire and are insulated
from the needle and from the sea. The sea and the said insulated conducting wire
are included in an electrical circuit when the pressure rises in the gauge or
manometer and its needle comes in contact with one of the aforesaid metallic pins;
but when such pressure decreases, the said pins, in the return movement of the
needle, are only touched by a piece or part of insulating material which prevents
the passage of the electrical current. The manometer thus constructed is protected
from the water by a water-tight case, its orifice only communicates with the sea
whoso pressure influences it. The upper part of this apparatus which is dropped
into the water has a thin pointed form and is pierced with holes arranged in such

page_text: a manner as to permit the water to give barometrical pressures only, so that as the
apparatus is drawn along in the water its speed will not influence or affect the
manometer. The conducting wiro passes through the lower part of the said
apparatus and is fixed in a metallic piece upon which is screwed the extremity or
end of the cable. This cable is composed of a metallic core surrounded by
insulating material. Its end is screwed upon the said part of the apparatus in
such a manner that the cores of the cable and the insulated conductor of the said
part of the apparatus will be in close contact, whilst at the same time the water
will be prevented from entering at this joint. The said cable is wound up-on
board the vessel upon a reel provided with a brake and with a crank handle. The
end of the core of the said cable communicates by an insulated conducting wire
with the apparatus for recording the depths. This apparatus is provided with one
or two needles or pointers which move over a scale graduated in metres, yards, or
otherwise. The said needles are actuated by clockwork mechanism having an
anchor escapement. The anchor is provided on one of its arms or extremities with
a small piece of soft iron adjacent to which is an electro-magnet one of the wires
of which communicates with the sea through a battery whilst the other wire
communicates with the cable leading to the part of the apparatus which is dropped
into the water.
The operation of my improved sounding apparatus is as follows, that is to say.
The part of the apparatus designed to be dropped into the water is screwed upon
the end of the cable with its needle at the zero point and is thrown into the sea;
as it descends, the pressure in the gauge or manometer rises and each time the said
needle in the manometer comes in contact with one of the metallic pins the current
passes through the sea, the manometer, the conducting wire, the cable, the electro-
magnet and the battery and to the sea, the small piece of soft iron upon the
anchor is attracted, and one tooth of the clockwork movement is allowed to pass,
and the needle or pointer in the registering apparatus moves to the extent of one
division upon the scale.
When the said part of the apparatus reaches the bottom, the pointer upon the
scale in the registering apparatus will remain at rest for the reason that as above
stated when the part of the apparatus dropped into the water is drawn upward the
pressure upon the manometer will decrease and in its retrogrado movement the
needlo of the said manometer does not permit any current to pass notwithstanding
its contact with the pins. The captain of a vessel is therefore enabled to ascertain
directly, the depth or sounding even without quitting his cabin or leaving his
chart.
The registering apparatus may be arranged in various parts of a vessel as
desired.
From the above description it will be readily understood that the result of the
sounding will be obtained even if by accident the cable is broken in drawing up
the part of the apparatus in the water
The apparatus is regulated by transforming the atmospheric pressures into
depths of sea water.
The registering apparatus above described will serve for other applications in
which it will serve to register the number of revolutions effected in any space
travelled over.