Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 31st Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 10th Feb., 1888
I, JOHN WILLIAM SHEPHERD, of Partickhill, Lanarkshire, Shipbuilder, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
:-
My Invention has reference to and comprises an improved mode of, and new
constructions of mechanism for the closing and opening of water tight doors in a
more simple, expeditious, and automatic manner than heretofore; the improvements.
being specially applicable to all the usual or common doors as fitted in the bulkheads
of ships of the naval and mercantile marine service, also suitable for other purposes;
which doors work and are tightened up in tapered grooves at their edges, and traverse
horizontally on metal rollers at their lower edge and seat, and do not alter or interfere
with the water tight fittings of the doors, but refer essentially to the mode, and
means of expeditiously and efficiently closing and opening, and locking and unlocking
such doors.
The nature and novelty of my invention and improved mechanism, consist all as
follows: In the use of an arrangement of quick acting levers with heavy weights
for automatically closing the doors, instead of using screws or ratchets and pinion
wheels with their turning spindles and wheels or gearing, which are complicated and
slow in their action.
One modification or arrangement and combination of the improved levers for
opening and closing the said doors, consists of toggle or link levers having their lower
free ends jointed to studs or stud plates, the one to the moving door, preferably near
the centre of its height, and the other at the same horizontal height or level to a stud
plate secured to the bulkhead; and jointed together at their upper ends by a strong
pin, so that when the door was quite open, the levers would be so proportioned as to
form an acute isosceles triangle, of which the base would be an imaginary horizontal line
through the moving and fixed stud centres. A shackle would be attached to the
joint pin at the apex above, for pulling up the levers to this position by a hook and
rope or chain and tackle or a screw purchase; while a weight of lead or other heavy
metal would be attached to the said pin, or to one of the limb joints at the apex, the
weight in this raised position fitting into the angle at the top and forming the stop

page_text: for the raising of the levers and the opening of the door. Angled kneed or slotted
straps would preferably be fitted over each moving toggle lever, the one riveted to the
moving door, and the other to the fixed bulkhead, so as to guide the central parts of
the levers, and the weight between them in their falling motion. For securing the
door thus in its open position with the weight and levers up, a simple falling gripping
catch lever or tumbling latch would be fitted on a stud or spindle actuated on both
side of the bulkhead, taking on to a pin or stud in the front edge of the door; or
otherwise, a screw gripping stud might be fitted on a shackle plate, similarly secured
to the bulkhead, so that the steel point of the screw may be actuated from either side
and by a quarter turn or so would enter a slight recess in the front edge and secure
the door in its open position. A light wire or rod or other equivalent would be
attached to either the catch lever or the screw lever, whichever was used, carried or
led up to the platforms or decks above, so as to be turned sufficiently to free the door.
which would then allow the heavy weight and toggle links to act by gravitation, and
by their increased momentum close the door with great force against their acting
inclined planes or wedges. The toggle links or levers would be so proportioned in
length between their stud centres that when the door was closed, they would form a
very obtuse angle between their stud centres and maintain the door shut with great
force; and a hand screw would also preferably be fitted in the front groove of the
door, so as to start it back from the wedges when it had to be opened, which would
then be easily and fully done by hooking on the tackle on to the shackle above, at the
apex of the levers, and pulling these and the weight up to their highest and open
position of the door as first described, where the screw or falling catch would be
turned on to retain the door in this open position, the tackle hook being thrown off to
leave it all ready for being instantaneously closed as before stated. A hinged plate
would be fitted on the lower sliding grooved bar, so as to fall down over the groove
and prevent any dirt or obstructing matter getting into the groove; and the end of
this plate would be so angled or curved as to be automatically tilted up by the front
edge of the door, or a plate riveted on to it for the purpose, by the motion of the door
in closing, thus ensuring the instantaneous closing of the door even in the case of its
not being possible for a person to go down below and lift the plate and the latch and
see that all was clear.
Where, through other fittings or cause, there was not room above or in advance of
the outer edge of the open door to work the said double or toggle lever arrangement;
under another modification of my improved lover mechanism, the door may be closed
by a simple bell-crank lever fulcrumed on a stud plate secured to the bulkhead close
to the edge of the open door and considerably higher up than the centre of the door,
and have the longer arm of the lever projecting down, and have a stud and roller at
its outer extremity working in a slotted plate or plates secured on the outer face of
the door, with a shorter armed lever angled upwards at 45° or so, with a lead or other
heavy weight. In this arrangement the door would be closed when the lever of the
securing catch or screw was lifted by the gravitation of the falling weight on the
horizontal acting lever, causing the long arm and roller to run up the groove and
shut the door with great force, closing the door before the lever reaches a horizontal
position with its centre, thus giving an increasing power and lever action to tighten
the wedges of the door as closed, in the same manner as in the former arrangement.
These lever arrangements are susceptible of considerable variation without departing
from the main novel features of the Invention, namely the angular and quick lever
action obtained by said lever arrangements.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Water-tight Doors.
I, JOHN WILLIAM SHEPHERD, of Partickhill, Lanarkshire, Shipbuilder, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and. by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Three Sheets of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My Invention has reference to and comprises an improved mode of, and new
constructions of mechanism for the closing and opening of water-tight doors in a more
simple, expeditions, and automatic manner than heretofore; the improvements being
specially applicable to all the usual or common doors as fitted in the bulkheads of
ships of the naval and mercantile marine service, also suitable for other purposes;
which doors work and are tightened up in tapered grooves at their upper and lower
edges, and traversed horizontally on metal rollers at their lower edge and seat, and do
not alter or interfere with the water-tight fittings of the doors, but refer essentially to
the mode and means of expeditiously and efficiently ciosing and opening, and locking
and unlocking, such doors.
The nature and novelty of my invention and improved mechanism, consist all as
follows In the use of an arrangement of quick acting levers with heavy weights for.
automatically closing the doors, instead of as heretofore using screws or ratchets and
pinion-wheels with their turning spindles and wheels or gearing, which are complicated
and slow in their action.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice, may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended Three explanatory Sheets of Drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 are a front elevation and sectional plan respectively,
and Figure 3 an end elevation, all illustrating one arrangement of my improvements
as applied for closing the bulkhead water-tight door A of a ship, with its actuating
toggle levers B, B', drawn up, and the door in its open locked position, ready for
automatically closing on being released from its locking catch d. Figure 4 on Sheet 2
is a front elevation of the same, but showing the door A in its closed position, after
being detached from the retaining catch d, and the actuating toggle levers B, B¹,
in their extended out position. Figure 5 on Sheet 3 shows a front elevation of a
modified arrangement of my improvements, in which a simple weighted bell-crank
lever B, B', b, is employed to automatically close the bulkhead door A, instead of
the toggle link lever mechanism B, B', ', shown in Figures 1 to 4, for application
where there is no room for such levers; the door A in this Figure being shown in its
open position as in Figure 1.
Referring to the modification or arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 of these
Drawings-The invention consists all as follows: In the application of two toggle

page_text: '
or link levers B, B', having their lower free ends B2 B₁₁ jointed to studs C, C₁,
secured by their plates, the one C to the outside of the moving door A, preferably
near the centre of its height, and the other C, at the same horizontal height or level
to bulkhead plates D; and jointed together at their upper ends by a strong pin B³,
so that when the door was quite open, the levers B B¹ would be so proportioned as to
form an isosceles triangle as B2, B3, B", in Figure 1, for which the base B2, B¹¹,
would be an imaginary horizontal line through the moving and fixed stud centres C, C'
A shackle b would be attached to the joint pin B3 at the apex above, for pulling up
the levers B, B¹, to this position by a hook and rope, or chains and tackle, or a screw
purchase; while a weight of lead 6', or other heavy metal, is attached to one of the
limbs B, near the joint B³ at the apex, the weight in this raised position fitting into
the angle at the top and forming the stop for the raising of the levers B, B', to their
highest position, and the door A in its open position. The levers B, B¹, are preferably
made of tubes for strength and lightness, with solid welded joint ends at B2, B", B³
and are guided in two angled kneed or slotted straps 62, 63, preferably fitted over
each moving toggle lever B and B₁, the one 62 being screwed at its ends to the
outside of the moving door A, and the other 63 to the fixed bulkhead D, so as to
guide the central parts of the levers B, B1, and the weight between them, in their
raising and falling motion. For securing the door A thus in its open position, with
the weight band levers B B¹ up as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a simple falling gripping
catch lever or locking latch d is fulcrumed on a strong stud or spindle d¹ secured to
the bulkhead D on the outside, or it might be with actuating handle on the inside,
taking on to a pin or stud d2 in the front edge of the door A. Instead of this
automatic locking latch, a screw gripping stud might be fitted on a shackle plate,
similarly secured to the bulkhead, so that the steel point of the screw may be actuated
from either side, and by a quarter turn or so would enter a slight recess in the front
edge and secure the door A in its open position. A light wire or rod, or other
equivalent, would be attached to either the catch lever d or the screw lever, which-
ever was used, carried or led up to the platforms or decks above, as indicated by the
dotted line at d³, so as to be raised sufficiently to free the door A, which would then
allow the heavy weight 6' and toggle links B, B¹, to act automatically by gravitation,
and by the increased momentum of the weight b¹ and leverage of the toggle
links B, B¹, in falling, close the door A with great force against their acting
inclined planes or wedges a, a, acting on their inclined grooved slide frame A¹,
strongly secured to the outside of the bulkhead D; buffers a² all on the front edge of
the door A and its frame A¹, preventing the door A from jamming too tight, the back
edge of the door being fitted with wedge grippers a³ to catch into corresponding
grooves at a of the water-tight seat A2 of the door frame A¹, seen particularly in
Figure 2. The toggle links or levers B, B', are so proportioned in length between
their stud centres C, C¹, that when the door A is closed, they form a very obtuse
angle B2, B3, B, between their stud centres, as shown in Figure 4, and maintain the
door A, shut or locked with great force against its watertight facing A². A hand
screw a¹ is fitted in the front edge groove of the frame A¹ of the door A, so as to
start it back from the wedges a, a, when it had to be opened and the toggle links B B₁
drawn up, which would then be easily and fully done by lifting the weight. 1 and
lever B, B¹, by manual labour or by hooking on the tackle on to the shackle above.
at the apex of the levers B, B', and pulling these and the weight b¹ up, as indicated
by the dotted line 64, to their highest and open position of the door A, as first
described, and as shown in Figures 1 to 3, where the falling catch d would auto-
matically act. to retain the door A in this open position, the tackle hook at the
shackle b, being thrown off to leave it all ready for being instantaneously closed as
before stated. A hinged plate E is fitted and hinged at E¹ on the lower sliding
grooved bar of the frame A', A', so as to fall down over the groove when the door A
is open, and prevent any dirt or obstruction getting into the groove; and the end of
this plate E is so angled or curved at e as to be automatically tilted up by the front
edge of the door A or by a plough plate e secured on to it for the purpose, by the
forward motion of the door. A in closing, thus ensuring the instantaneous closing of

page_text: the door even in the case of its not being possible for a person to go down below
and lift the plate E and the latch d, and see that all was clear. This plate E is shown
down over the groove in Figures 1, 2, and 5, but indicated as tilted up in Figures 3
and 4. This plate E in its tilted up position clears the rollers F, and their brackets F¹,
secured to the outside of the doors A, which carry the doors by rolling on the outer
edge of the lower frame A, A¹, as a carrying rail.
Where, through other fittings or cause, there was no room above or in advance of
the outer edge of the open door A to work the said double or toggle lever arrange-
ment B B under another modification of my improved lever mechanism, shown in
Figure 5, Sheet 3, the door A is closed by a simple bell-crank lever B B' fulcrumed
on a stud plate C2 secured to the bulkhead D close to the edge of the open door A
and considerably higher up than the centre of the door, and has the longer arm B of
the lever projecting down, when the door A is in its open position, and have a stud
and roller C3 at its outer extremity working in a vertical arrangement of slotted plate
or plates C4, secured on the outer face of the door A, with a shorter armed lever B¹
angled upwards at 45° or so, with a lead or other heavy weight 6' on its outer end.
In this arrangement the door A would be closed when the lever d of the securing
catch was lifted by the gravitation of the falling weight on the horizontal acting
lever B', causing the long arm B and roller C³ to run up the groove c and shut the
door A with great force, closing the door A before the lever B₁ reaches a horizontal
position with its centre, as indicated by the dotted arc and radial line at c¹, c², thus
giving an increasing power and lever action to tighten the wedges a a of the door A
as closed, in the same manner as in the former arrangement Figures 1 to 4, and the
other fittings of the arrangement are all substantially the same, and lettered to
correspond to these Figures."
These lever arrangements are susceptible of considerable variation without departing
from the main novel features of the invention, namely the angular and quick power-
increasing lever action obtained by said lever arrangements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
First. The construction, or arrangement and combination of levers and their fittings
for closing and opening water-tight doors, substantially as and for the advantages
herein distinguished in reference to and shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 5 respectively of
the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The fitting of angled levers or toggle links B B' and weight 61 for
instantaneously and automatically closing water-tight doors with increasing force,
substantially as and for the advantages herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Third. The fitting of bell-crank levers B, B1, and weights b', and slide fittings C³, C4, c,
for instantaneously and automatically closing water-tight doors with increasing force,
substantially as and for the advantages herein described in reference to and shown in
the accompanying Drawings.
Did this 21st day of Decemben 1007