IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WATER-TIGHT BULKHEAD DOORS, AND IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THEM
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wallace Bartley, of Rainhill, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO WATER-TIGHT
BULKHEAD DOORS, AND IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING
THEM."
Sealed the 6th September 1878, and dated the 27th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wallace Bartley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th June 1878.
WALLACE BARTLEY, of Rainhill, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO WATER-TIGHT BULKHEAD DOORS, AND IN THE METHOD of and
APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THEM."
For the safety of a ship its water-tight bulkheads and compartments are of the
greatest importance, but when for convenience sake (say for the purpose of easy
communication) these bulkheads are provided with openings it is equally important
to use means by which these openings may be instantly and effectually closed.
Now my Invention is designed to cause this closing to be accomplished instantly
and automatically by the water itself, or by being disconnected by hand. There
are various ways in which I propose to do this.
1st. In ordinary doors of the sluice valve kind, by making the suspension
mechanism capable of being acted upon by floats, heavier than air but lighter than
water, placed in some position lower than the doors, and well protected from being
tampered with, yet accessible to the water, so that the moment the effluent water
lifts the said floats they cause the sliding doors to drop into place instead of waiting
till they can be screwed down in the ordinary manner.
2nd. In doors that work on hinges I counterbalance them so that they can be
moved easily in all positions, and make them to spring naturally into the closed
position. The handles are also spring fastened, so as to fasten the door whenever
the hand is not on them, one handle if necessary working several locks. I also
fasten in the door or other part of the compartment plates, floats, or the like,

page_text: capable of being acted on by a sudden rush or rising of water, so that they shall
slide other bolts into the frames of the door, and so hold the door absolutely rigidly
in case of a compartment getting filled..
3rd. Instead of a counterweighted door I sometimes make it a sort of equilibrium
valve by hanging it on joints or hinges at the top and bottom, so as to work like a
turnstyle. The same appliances and safeguards can be used in this case as in the
last-mentioned case.
4th. In the cases alluded to in part one the suspension of the doors can be so
arranged upon two clutches kept hooked into an eye or point d'appui on the door and
kept in place by a wedge armed with friction rollers being forced in between them.
The moment the bar is withdrawn by the float the two catches fly apart, and the
door falls down, the moment however the lifting apparatus is screwed down to the
door and the float is no longer kept up by the water the wedge goes back into
position, and the doors can be raised as usual.. This plan is specially applicable for
doors of vessels now afloat, and can be manipulated by hand so as to instantly let
fall the door if desirable. Of course other modes of releasing or disconnecting the
door from the usual slow-moving tackle can be adopted, such for instance as sus-
pending them by ropes or cords, which could be cut automatically or by hand.
The apparatus could be arranged so as to closo all the doors of a compartment
simultaneously if desired. Man-hole doors can be arranged to be hinged and
automatically closed in a similar manner.
5th. I sometimes counterweight the sluice doors by springs, and in such case
arrange the floats so that the instant the water floats them they shall release the
springs..
In working the doors on the sluice valve plan I propose to connect the piston of
a cylinder to the door; by allowing air, water, or steam, or vacuum to act upon the
piston the door will open; but as soon as the hand is left off the cock or valve
which regulated this movement of the piston, this cock or valve will be forced
automatically into its original position, according to which the door is kept closed,.
this self-acting motion of the cock being if desirable effected by a spring.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Wallace Bartley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
December 1878.
WALLACE BARTLEY, of Rainhill, in the County of Lancaster.
• "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO WATER-TIGHT BULKHEAD DOORS, AND IN THE METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING THEM."
It is generally acknowledged, I believe, that there is no real safety in water-tight
bulkheads except when there are no doors in them, or where the doors can be
instantaneously or very speedily closed in an emergency. When danger is expected,
for example, a ship of war going into action, the ordinary mechanical means which
hitherto have been in use for closing the bulkhead doors may be found sufficient, but
this will not be the case in any sudden accident, as collision or running aground; then
the time required for shutting the doors would often be far too long to prevent the
water from filling the vessel to such degree as to cause it to founder, and even the
best drilled crew in the confusion usually incidental in such cases cannot be depended
upon, nor can such arrangements be relied upon as connect the different doors to a
central position from which it is intended to work the closing mechanism.
I propose to close the doors on board ship automatically by the water which
enters the ship in consequence of the accident. When this water attains a certain
height, say level with the top of the floors, it acts upon bodies capable of floating,
and which rising with the inflow effect the closing of the doors, and so by simple
means all the available space on board may be made use of to keep the ship afloat.
By this means the ship may be saved or kept floating long enough to save the
nasson war and anAW
Fig. 1 shows a sluice valve door, suspended in this case from a swivel C, which
can turn round a fixed pin C. The other end of this swivel is supported in a
recess C² of spindle B, Fig. 3. This spindle lies in bracket C. A crank D fixed on
this spindle is connected to lever f' of float F. It will be seen that by the raising
of float F spindle B turns in the bracket, so that swivel Cslips out of recess C, and
the door A is allowed to fall into its seat. This is only one way of sustaining and
releasing the door, but it is obvious that many modifications may be adopted for
supporting the door when open and allowing the same to drop by the action of
float F.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show a modification of my Invention for hinged doors, and
arrangement for holding and loosing the same. H is the door; L, a bar which can
turn round a fixed pin in R. This bar is at ordinary times in the position shown
in Fig. 4 above the door, and its other end held up in this caso by a similar arrange-
ment to that shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. N are screws moving in holes n', which
screws when turned the reversed way will tighten up spiral springs P, Fig. 5, attached
to the projecting end of each screw, and which are then held in such position by
guard plate M, Figs. 5 and 6. The action of the float and rope, rod, or chain e will
disconnect swivel C from its support in b and allow bar L to swing round R so as
to come into the position shown in Fig. 7, jamming its lower end into a recess in
the deck below the door. As soon as L is in this position guard M is made to fall
off; the springs are in consequence released, and turn the screws so that they press
against the door.
It is not necessary to use springs and screw pegs, as in place thereof the plain
bar can fly back into inclined planes in the door.
Having now described my Invention, and the best modes known to me of
carrying it into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not bind myself to

page_text: the exact details herein set forth; but that what I believe to be new, and desire to
protect under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The mode described of closing water-tight doors in ships by the agency of
the inflowing water acting on a float or its mechanical equivalent directly or
indirectly, and thereby releasing a weight spring in compression, or other source of
stored-up energy, which coming into action causes the door to close and remain
fast.
Second. The apparatus for self-closing bulkhead and other doors, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wallace Bartley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WALLACE BARTLEY. (L.S.)