IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn,
in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City
of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS."-A communication from Mortimer M..
Camp, of Newhaven, U.S.A.
Sealed the 14th August 1858, and dated the 11th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th March 1858.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS," (a communication from Mortimer
M. Camp, of Newhaven, U.S.A.,) to be as follows:-
The objects of this Invention are to make a life boat more secure from
being swamped or overturned by or in the water, and therefore safer and more
comfortable for passengers and occupants, and to propel it with greater facility
and celerity than those at present in use, which objects are accomplished by
constructing the boat and arranging the propelling apparatus in the manner
herein-after mentioned.
The hull of the boat is constructed either of wood or sheet metal in the

page_text: ordinary form and manner, excepting that the deck points of the stem and
stern are elevated to a considerable degree above the same point amidships for
the purpose herein-after set forth, the deck of the boat enclosing the hold
perfectly tight when the hatches and ventilator are closed. There is a bulk-
head dividing the hold into two compartments having an aperture therein,
forming a means of communication between the fore and after hold.
There is an air chamber at the stem and stern of the boat which serve to
buoy the boat in case of injury to the hull, and also to preserve the boat
upright in the water (or to restore it to that position when capsized) by their
projecting above the amidships part of the deck.
There is a hatchway in the forward part of the deck through which persons
I can pass into the fore hold, and one of the hatches when opened falls down
upon a hinge and acts as a valve so as to close the aperture in the bulkhead
to prevent the water which may enter the fore hold (when the hatches are
opened in a heavy sea) from passing into the after hold; the boat is fitted
with a water tank and a bread locker.
The boat is propelled by means of a screw or propeller. wheel placed in the
dead wood astern, which is driven by the occupants of the boat by means of
bevil gearing, cranks, and levers, which latter are furnished with several pro-
jecting arms to enable several persons to assist in propelling at one time.
Raised above the deck about amidships there is a "look out," the sides of
which have plate glass inserted, through which the steersman can observe the
course and direction of the boat, at the same time steering by means of lines
attached to the rudder.
.
There is also a ventilator which is kept open by a spring, but closes by the
L
CHOODS ovon the dook
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Enginer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term. therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN
LIFE BOATS," being a communication from Mortimer M. Camp, of, New-
haven; U.S.A., upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Davies, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the said 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, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:
The objects of this Invention are to make a life boat more secure from
being swamped "or overturned by or in the water, and therefore safer and
more.comfortable for passengers and occupants, and to propel it with greater
facility and celerity than those at present in use, which objects are accomplished
by constructing the boat and arranging the propelling apparatus in the
manner herein-after mentioned.
The hull of the boat is constructed either of wood or sheet metal in the
ordinary form and manner, excepting that the deck points of the stem and
stern are elevated to a considerable degree above the same point amidships
for the purpose herein-after set forth, the deck of the boat enclosing the hold
perfectly tight when the hatches and ventilator are closed. There is a bulk-
head dividing the hold into two compartments, having an aperture therein
forming a means of communication between the fore and after hold. There
is an air chamber at the stem and stern of the boat, which serve to buoy the
boat in case of injury to the hull, and also to preserve the boat upright in
the water (or to restore it to that position when capsized) by their projecting
above the amidships part of the deck. There is a hatchway in the forward
part of the deck through which persons can pass into the fore hold, and one of
the hatches when opened falls down upon a hinge and acts as a valve, so as

page_text: to close the aperture in the bulkhead, to prevent the water which may enter
the fore hold (when the hatches are opened in a heavy sea) from passing
into the after hold. The boat is fitted with a water tank and a bread locker.
The boat is propelled by means of a screw or propeller wheel (placed in the
dead wood astern), which is driven by the occupants of the boat by means of
bevil gearing, cranks, and levers, which latter are furnished with numerous
projecting arms, to enable several persons to assist in propelling the boat at
one time. Raised above the deck about midships there is a "look out," the
sides of which have plate glass inserted, through which the steersman can
observe the course and direction of the
by means of lines attached to the rudder.
kept open by a spring, but closes by the
sweeps over the deck.
boat, at the same time steering]
There is also a ventilator, which is
pressure of the water when a sea
In the annexed Drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the boat;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same through the centre of its width;
Figure 3 is a horizontal section, and Figure 4 a transverse section, of the
same taken through about the line × ×, in Figure 2..
A, A, is the hull of the boat, constructed either of wood or sheet metal in
the ordinary form and manner, excepting that the deck points of the stem
and stern are elevated to a considerable degree above the same point amidships,
for the purpose herein-after set forth; B, B, is the deck of the boat, enclosing
the hold perfectly tight when the hatches and ventilator are closed; C, C, is
a bulkhead, dividing the hold of the boat into two compartments, and having
an aperture D-in it, by which a communication is made from the fore to the.
after hold; E; E, are air chambers at the stem and stern of the hold, which
serve to buoy the boat in case it should be injured by a concussion which
should break through the hull, and which tend to preserve the boat upright
in the water or to restore it to that position (in case it should be overturned
by their projecting above the amidship part of the deck; F is a hatchway
-made-in-the-forward-part-of-the-deck,-which-is-covered-and-enclosed-by-the-
hatches G, G¹, and through which when the hatches are opened, persons can
pass to the forward hold H. The hatch G is made to slide to and fro upon
the coamings I, and has a lip or projection upon its after edge, which slides
upon and over the hatch G', to hold it securely in position. The hatch G¹ is.
supported upon the coamings I' (which are hinged to the deck so as to be
moved outwards when required), and is hinged at its after end to the after.
coaming, so that it can be turned down to form a valve to close the aperture D:
(as shown in Figure 2) to prevent the water which may be thrown into the
forward hold, when the hatches are opened during the running of a heavy sea,

page_text: from entering the after hold J. K is a water tank placed in the forward
hold, and L is a bread locker placed in the after hold, in which supplies of
water and bread for the use of the occupants of the boat are placed; M is a
propeller wheel, operated by the occupants of the boat by means of the levers.
N, N', and the gearing 0, 0, 0, by which the boat is propelled and moved.
The levers N, N', have arms projecting from them at suitable distances, by
which they can be operated by persons on either or both sides of them.. P is
the rudder, operated from the after hold. by the steering lines Q, Q', (leading.
into the hold) through the "look out" R. This "look out" is elevated above
the line of the deck, and has plate glass inserted in each of its sides, through
which the course and direction of the boat may be observed by the steersman:
S is a ventilator in the deck, through which fresh air is supplied to the
occupants of the boat; it is kept open by a spring, so that it can close when
the deck is covered with water by the sweep of a heavy sea.
In case of shipwreck or other disaster to a ship at sea, or in case of a shore
boat for wrecking purposes when its services are called into requisition, the
boat is launched or put into the water (the water tank and bread locker being
kept supplied and filled at all times in view of such emergencies), the hatch G,
is moved back and the hatch G¹ allowed to fall down to cover the aperture D
in the bulkhead, to allow the persons who are to be saved or those who are
to work the boat to enter the hold H, the hatches G and G¹ are then restored
to their original position, and the passengers or crew can pass from the hold H
into the hold J; and this operation is repeated until the requisite number of
persons are received into the boat. The water which may be thrown into the
hold I can be pumped out by a force pump placed in the after hold, if it is in
such quantity as to make it a hindrance to the navigation of the boat or to
the comfort of the occupants of the hold.
After the hold is filled by the requisite number of persons, the propeller
wheel is operated by the occupants of the boat, suitable seats being provided
for them, and the boat is propelled towards the land or towards a vessel or
wreck, and is guided by the steersman operating the rudder by means of the
steering lines before named. The air chambers at the ends of the boat,
by reaching to a point further above the line of flotation than that line is
above the bottom of the hull, constitutes a leverage which tends to keep the
boat upright in the water, or to restore it to that position in case it should be
overturned by the wash or sweep of a heavy sea, so that a perfect protection
is afforded against the liabilities to swamping, overturning, or sinking incident
to life boats of the ordinary construction, and shipwrecks and other disasters
at sea can by the use of this boat be divested of most of their dangers,.as the

page_text: boat can be navigated with celerity and safety to shore (at the same time that
its inmates are preserved dry and safe, and are supplied with fresh air, water,
and provisions,) or until they are rescued by a passing vessel, or, in case it is
used as a shore boat, until the wrecked passengers have been safely taken
from the vessel to the shore.
The Inventor does not claim enclosing a life boat so that the inmates shall
be protected from the water, nor increasing the buoyancy of a boat by the use
of air chambers; but what he claims as his Invention, and desires to secure
by Letters Patent, is,-
Firstly, dividing the hold of an enclosed life boat into compartments by a
bulkhead, and forming an aperture in the bulkhead as a means of communi-
cation between the two compartments, which aperture is closed by a section of
the hatch or other suitable means to enclose the after hold or compartment
and make it water-tight, when the forward hold is opened, as herein set
forth.
Secondly, the use of the air chambers E, E, in an enclosed life boat, for the
purpose of aiding to restore the boat to proper position in case it should be
overturned in the water, as described.
And, thirdly, the propulsion of an enclosed life boat by manual labor applied.
in the hold of the boat, in the manner herein set forth or by any equivalent
means to effect the same purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
GEORGE DAVIES.
(L.S.)