A New or Improved Material for Automatically Stopping Leakages in Ships and other Floating Vessels and for like purposes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES STIRRAT COCHRAN, of Columbia Avenue,
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Engineer]
A New or Improved Material for Automatically Stopping Leakages
in Ships and other Floating Vessels and for like purposes.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON, of 29, Newstead Road, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
"
This invention relates to the employment of a certain absorbent and highly
expansive vegetable material as a filling " "for the space between the outer and
inner shells of the hulls of vessels generally: as a "backing" for, or a filling
for the coffer dams behind the armour in war-ships or for use in other cases where
it is desirable that any aperture or fracture resulting from accident or intent
should be automatically and quickly closed and the ingress or egress of water
therethrough stopped.
The invention consists in the employment of the pith of the sugar cane after the
juice has been expressed therefrom-as the said filling material My correspondent
having discovered that the pithy part or constituent of the spent sugar cane or
"bagasse" is of a highly absorbent nature and that when wetted possesses the
property of expansion to a considerable extent
Previous to this discovery bagasse has to the best of my knowledge and belief,
only been employed as fuel but by this said invention a new and valuable use
has been found for such material or the pithy part thereof.
In carrying this invention into effect the bagasse is subjected to a process of
disintegration similar to that technically termed "pickering" and the pith--
which is the lighter part-is separated from the fibrous portion by sifting and
aspirating or winnowing.
The said pith may be used in its loose condition by nacking tightly in the spacer
in the hulls or coffer-dams of ships or other place, or it may be pressed and moulded
into bricks, slabs or blocks of various forms suitable for fitting into the places
required.
Where the said filling material is likely to be exposed to the wash or other
action of water, a binding material consisting of peat or other suitable fibre may be
mixed with the said nith which enables the same to better withstand such washing
action and its dislodgement is prevented.
The advantages of bagasse pith as a material for the filling of coffer dams and for
like purposes and stopping leakages in ships are due to its extreme lightness and
property of expansion when wetted When in that condition it becomes a compact
and homogeneous mass effectually filling apertures and practically impervious to
water
BALL: 4 of 180R

page_text: A New or Improved Material for Automatically Stopping Leakages
in Ships and other Floating Vessels and for like purposes.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON, of 20, Lombard Chambers, Bixteth Street
(formerly of 29, Newstead Road), Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, 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 the employment of the pith of the sugar cane-after
the juice has been expressed therefiom-as a filling for the space between the
outer and inner shells of the hulls of vessels generally; as a backing for, or a
filling for the coffer dams behind the armour in wai-ships or for use in other cases
where it is desirable that any aperture or fracture resulting from accident or intent
should be automatically and quickly closed and the ingress or egress of water there-
through stopped
My correspondent has discovered that the pithy part or constituent of the spent
sugar cane o "bagasse" 18 of a lughly absorbent nature and that when wetted
possesses the property of expansion to a considerable extent
Previous to this discovery bagasse has to the best of my knowledge and belief
only been employed as fuel but by this invention a new and valuable use has been
found for such material on the pithy part thereof
In carving this invention into effect the bagasse is subjected to a process of
disintegration analagous to that technically termed "pickering" and the pith-
which is the lighter part is separated from the fibrous portion by sifting and
aspirating on winnowing
The said pith may be used in its loose condition by packing tightly in the
snares between the outer and inner shell of the hulls or in the coffer-dams of
ships or in other places or it may be pressed and moulded into brichs, slabs or
blocks of various forms suitable for fitting into the places required
Where the said filling material is likely to be exposed to the wash or other
action of water a binding material consisting of peat or other suitable fibie is or
may be mixed with the said pith which enables the same the better to withstand
such washing action and its dislodgement is prevented.
The said pith is o may be rendered antiseptic and uninflammable at ordinary
fire temperatures by saturation with a solution of alum and/or borax or other
metallic salts on then equivalent and afterwards diving at a high temperature
before or after admixture with peat or other fibre and before being moulded or
otherwise prepared for use or packed in place
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim 18.
1 The utilization and employment of the pith of the sugar cane from which the
juice has been expressed as a filling material for the spaces between the outer and
inner shells of the hulls or walls of floating and other vessels and as a packing or
filling material for the cofferdam behind the armour plating or in other position
in war and other ships for the purpose of automatically closing any breach or
aperture therein and eventing the ingress or egress of water therethrough, sub-
stantially as herein described
2 A filling material for automatically stopping leakages in floating or other
vessels consisting of the pith of the sugar cane from which the juice has been
expressed, rendered antiseptic and uninflammable by the combination therewith

page_text: or saturation thereof with one or more metallic salts or equivalent substances
having like properties, substantially as herein described
3. A filling material for automatically stopping leakages as above, consisting of
the pith of the sugar cane, from which the juice has been expressed, moulded or
pressed into slabs or masses of suitable shape adapted to be readily inserted and
to fit the places required, substantially as herein described
4 A filling material for automatically stopping leakages as above, consisting
of sugar cane pith, from which the juice has been expressed, combined with peat
fibre or other light inorganic or antiseptic fibrous material, saturated or not
saturated with metallic salts on then equivalent and used in bulk or moulded and
compressed into slabs on blocks of suitable shape substantially as herein described
Dated this 6th day of March 1899
GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON.