Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1887
Specification Accepted. 11th Nov., 1887
A communication from abroad by HENRY CHAMBERLIN, of Auckland, New
Zealand, Member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand.
FREDERICK CHAMBERLIN Gentleman, Gun House, Hamble, Southampton 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 :-
(1.) This is an Invention for giving warning in one or more parts of a steam-ship
or sailing vessel, to persons on board, that the vessel is approaching shallow water, or
in other words, a method of and apparatus for indicating when a vessel is approaching
shallow water, applicable also for approximately estimating the depth.
(2.) This is effected by the conveyance of sound, or noise, through the bottom and
forward part of the vessel, and through the water to the bottom of the ocean or river,
which sound or noise will reverberate to ship, when the noise sufficiently loud and
the water under the ship sufficiently shallow, the greater the noise and the shallower
the water the quicker & more distinct will be the reverberations.
(3.) The reverberating noise will ascend through a wide mouth tube, placed as near
the stern of the vessel as possible, not in any way projecting beyond the bottom of
the vessel, it can either be placed inside and through the ship, or be placed outside
quite at the stern, so as not to be the slightest drawback to the vessels progress, the
greater the distance between the producer of the sound and the receiver of the
reverberations the better, and while it is desireable to send the noise forward as well
as down, so that there may be more time for the reverberations to be caught up at
the stern of the vessel, it is also an advantage to have the producer of the noise as
low as possible to give strength to the noise.
(4.) The producer of the noise may consist of a large bell, or gong, suspended in a
small air-tight and strong chamber of sufficient size, at the bottom of the vessel and

page_text: open on the lower side to the water either of them to be worked by connecting them
by a strong wire to some portion of the steamers machinery or better by the use of
either a steam or forced air whistle, horn, or fog-horn. This invention is of no use
when the water is very deep, but if it is desired to ascertain, approximately, the
depth of the water, the ship should be stopped and the reverberations would then
have time to ascend into the ship before she has passed over them, the time taken for
the noise to re-enter the ship will be somewhat of a guide as to the depth of the
water.
(5.) The drawing shows the position of the apparatus in the hull of a ship.
A represents a strong air-tight chamber made of iron, or other metal or of wood
fixed over a hole in the bottom of the ship, alongside or near the keel, the chamber
may be square or round, either with flat or concave top. P is a metal pipe with a tap
fixed into the top of the chamber A, and connected with a high pressure steam boiler,
or compressed-air reservoir for the purpose of conveying steam or air to either a fog-
horn or whistle fixed in the chamber marked A.
B represents a metal tube fixed on the outside of the stern of the vessel for the
purpose of conveying the reverberated noises to any part of the ship as desired, the
lower end of the tube may be covered with some thin strong waterproof substance,
the ear or upper end of the tube would be best placed very near to the man at
the wheel.
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 ;
My claim is the application of sound or noise, forced or sent forth from the bottom
of a ship to create reverberations from the bed of the ocean or river, and application
of means by which the reverberations may be heard in the ship for the purpose of
indicating the approach to shallow water.
Dated this 28th day of July 1887
FREDERICK CHAMBERLIN,
Applicant.