IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EM- FOR REMOVING SUBMERGED BANKS OF SAND OR OTHER LOOSE PLOYED MATERIAL
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Russell Crampton, of 4, Victoria Street, in the
City of Westminster, and Charles Bergeron, of 2, Edinburgh Mansion; Victoria
Street aforesaid, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EM-
FOR REMOVING SUBMERGED BANKS OF SAND OR OTHER LOOSE
PLOYED
MATERIAL"
Sealed the 18th November 1879, and dated the 26th May 1879.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Russell Crampton
and Charles Bergeron at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
26th May 1879.
THOMAS RUSSELL CRAMPTON, of 4, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
and CHARLES BERGERON, of 2, Edinburgh Mansion, Victoria Street aforesaid.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR REMOVING SUBMERGED BANKS of
SAND OR OTHER LOOSE MATERIAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the means employed for
removing submerged banks of sand or other loose material.
For this purpose we place on board a vessel apparatus for pumping water similar
to that ordinarily employed in extinguishing fire, so arranged that any number of
flexible pipes with nozzles in connection with pumps may be made to hang over
the sides or end of the vessel at any convenient part and fall to within a short
distance of the sand to be displaced, or so that one large flexible pipe may conduct
water under a high pressure from the vessel to a metal pipe supported by jibs or
cranes capable of raising or lowering such pipe to any required height; along the
bottom of this metal pipe union joints are fixed, to which are attached flexible
pipes or hose with nozzles hanging vertically, these hose pipes to be of such length
that as the vessel rolls or pitches the pipes on striking the bottom may readily bend
or give way without injury, sufficient weight being applied to the nozzles at their
lower end to prevent them when in operation from being injuriously deflected from
a vertical line or lifted by the reaction of the water escaping from the pipes or
otherwise. When each jet pipe is attached direct to the pumping apparatus in the
vessel, they may be so situated that any one pipe may be taken out of the water
Paine 71

page_text: separately and replaced by another with facility, or all may be withdrawn together,
but when all the flexible jet pipes are attached to one pipe under the water line
the whole will require to be lifted out when repairs are necessary. The flexible
pipes may be kept at even distances apart at their bottom by light distance pieces.
If desired, a series of rigid metal pipes may be arranged to hang down from the
vessel, capable of being raised or lowered to the required height, each having
attached to it at the bottom a sufficient length of flexible pipe or hose, with its
nozzle weighted at the end; care should be taken to have a sufficient length of
flexible pipes or hose at the bottom that it will not be injured on striking the
ground through any disturbance or movement of the boat. The operation will be
to place the vessel at or near the bar to be removed, when the pumps will be set
at work, the jets of water striking vertically or nearly so the sand or other mate-
rial composing the bar; the particles of sand or other material will be disturbed
and raised upwards and be carried away to a distance by the passing current, the
vessel being at the same time moved gradually over that part of the bar to be
operated upon by power placed in the vessel for the purpose, or it may be drawn
along by other means. The pipes may be passed through the vessel instead of over
the sides.
The jet pipes may be attached to apparatus for giving them lateral motion to an
extent, say, of the distance between the jets, to insure the sand or inud being
disturbed along the entire length of the row of jets.
It is not necessary in all cases that the nozzles of the jets should enter the water;
the means adopted to enable the jets of water to be directed vertically or approxi-
mately so against the surface of submerged banks from nozzles maintained at a
short distance above the bank may be varied.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Russell Crampton and Charles Bergeron in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th November 1879.
THOMAS RUSSELL CRAMPTON, of 4, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
and CHARLES BERGERON, of 2, Edinburgh Mansion, Victoria Street aforesaid.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS EMPLOYED FOR REMOVING SUBMERGED BANKS OF
SAND OR OTHER LOOSE MATERIAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the means employed for
removing submerged banks of sand or other loose material in rivers, tideways, or
other moving streams of water.
For this purpose we place on board a vessel apparatus for pumping water similar
if desired to that ordinarily employed in extinguishing fire, but other convenient
means for pumping or forcing water under high pressure may be used, and in con-
junction with such pumping or forcing apparatus we employ any number of
discharging jets, so held or controlled that the streams of water issuing from them
are directed downwards vertically or approximately so through the water in which
the vessel is floating and against the sand or mud at the bottom which it is desired
to remove.
By this means the sand or mud at the bottom will be disturbed and raised
upwards, and be carried away to a distance by the current.
Any desired number of flexible pipes with nozzles may be led from the pumping
or forcing apparatus and be hung over the sides or end of the vessel at any conve-
nient part and allowed to fall to within a short distance of the sand and to be
displaced, sufficient weight being attached to the end of each pipe to keep it hanging
vertically or nearly so; or one large flexible pipe may conduct water under a high
pressure from the vessel to a metal pipe supported by jibs or cranes capable of
raising or lowering such pipe to any required height; along the bottom of this
metal pipe union joints are fixed, to which are attached flexible pipes or hose with
nozzles hanging vertically, these hose pipes to be of such length that as the vessel
rolls or pitches the pipes on striking the bottom may readily bend or give way
without injury, sufficient weight being applied to the nozzles at their lower end to
prevent them when in operation from being injuriously deflected from a vertical
line, or lifted by the reaction of the water escaping from the pipes or otherwise.
When each jet pipe is attached direct to the pumping apparatus in the vessel they
may be so situated that any one pipe may be taken out of the water separately and
replaced by another with facility, or all may be withdrawn together, but when all
the flexible jet pipes are attached to one pipe under the water line the whole will
require to be lifted out when repairs are necessary. The flexible pipes may be kept
at even distances apart at their bottom by light distance pieces.
If desired, a series of rigid metal pipes may be arranged to hang down from the
vessel capable of being raised or lowered to the required height, each having
attached to it at the bottom a sufficient length of flexible pipe or hose, with its
nozzle weighted at the end; care should be taken to have a sufficient length of
flexible pipes or hose at the bottom that it shall not be injured on striking the
ground through any disturbance or movement of the boat.
The operation will be to place the vessel at or near the bar to be removed, when
the pumps or other water forcing apparatus will be set at work, the jets of water
striking vertically or nearly so the sand or other material composing the bar, the
particles of sand or other material will be disturbed and raised upwards and be
carried away to a distance by the passing current, the vessel being at the same time
moved gradually over that part of the bar to be operated upon by power placed in
the vessel for the purpose, or it may be drawn along by other means.
The pipes
may be passed through the vessel instead of over the sides.

page_text: The jet pipes may be attached to apparatus for giving them lateral motion to an
extent, say, of the distance between the jets, to insure the sand or mud being
disturbed along the entire length of the row of jets, but in most cases this will be
unnecessary.
It is not necessary in all cases that the nozzles of the jets should' enter the water;
they may be, say, some inches out of the water, in which case the action of the
water jet will be to draw in with it a quantity of air, which will be carried to the
bottom, and this by its ascending will lift a certain quantity of the sand with it.
In a similar manner, when the jets or nozzles pass down below the surface of the
water they may be made to pass down through a pipe of larger diameter, open at
its upper end to the air above the water level, and at its lower end made similar to
the well known injector, so that the jet of water issuing from the nozzle shall draw
air down with it through the outer pipe. The means adopted to enable the jets of
water to be directed vertically or approximately so against the surface of sub-
merged banks from nozzles, maintained at a short distance above the bank may be
varied.
And in some cases it will be of great advantage to fix the jet pipes to the vessel
a certain distance below the water line, say, to about the level of the bottom of the
boat, the water from the jets being sent with sufficient force so as to project the
water from. the nozzle through the mass of water into the sand or mud composing
the bar by this means the vessel may pitch and roll without the jet pipes coming
in contact with the bottom, thereby preventing them being injured, and, enabling
the operations to be proceeded with in bad weather.
We have ascertained that a stream of water from a 7/8inch jet supplied with.
water at a pressure of 100 lbs. to the square inch will, when the jet: is: inserted a
few, inches below. the surface of the water, pierce. through the water. to a depth of.
22.feet or even more, and sufficiently disturb the sand: or mud; the pressure to be
used in, the jets. will depend upon the depth of the water to be pierced before
reaching the bottom, but when the operation is being conducted in water of con-
siderable depth below the bottom of the boat the pipes or jets may be fixed at such
depth below the vessel and at such distance from the sand as that in the pitching
of the vessel these jets shall not come in contact with the bottom to injure them.
The apparatus may be constructed so that the distance of the jets from the bottom
may be varied according to circumstances.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we would have it understood that we claim the means for removing sub-
merged banks of sand or other loose material in rivers, tideways, or moving streams
of water, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Russell Crampton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.