IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Davis Wake, of Cornhill, in the City of London,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SHIPS AND VESSELS."
Sealed the 9th December 1862, and dated the 11th June 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Davis Wake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1862.
I, JOHN DAVIS WAKE, of Cornhill, in the City of London, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in constructing ships with double wooden floors
or bottoms and with iron ribs and frames of T-iron or double angle iron.
Second, in uniting the iron ribs to the wooden floor by inserting into the floor
the double angle or T-iron rib, the flange of the rib being let into and rivetted
or bolted to the timber, or the iron rib may be placed on one side of the floor
and rivetted or bolted to it. And, third, in the employment of a longitudinal
iron plate as a shear streak outside of the frames from stem to stern and an
iron plate along the floor heads outside to connect the diagonal bracing.
By means of my Invention I entirely dispense with all vertical timbers'
between the skins of the vessel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Davis Wake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN DAVIS
WAKE, of Cornhill, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Davis Wake, Her special licence that I, the said
John Davis Wake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Davis Wake, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Davis Wake, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands 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 John Davis Wake, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say. :-
My Invention consists, first, in constructing ships with double or single
wooden floors and with iron ribs or frames of T-iron or double angle iron
rivetted back to back to form T-iron, also with reverse angle iron when
required for ceiling. Second, in uniting the iron ribs to the' wooden floors by
either inserting them underneath the bottom of the floor of the double angle
or T-iron rib or by bringing the ribs alongside of the floor, one side being
underneath the floor and acting as a shoe at floor heads, bolting the rib or
frame to the floors either up and down or sideways as convenient. The ribs or
frames extending underneath the floor- and meeting in the centre line and

page_text: joining the two ribs or frames by a plank rivetted together. And, third, in
the employment of a longitudinal iron plate as a sheer streak outside the frames
from stem to stern, and an iron plate along the floor heads outside to connect
the diagonal bracing.
By means of my Invention I entirely dispense with all vertical timbers
between the skins of the vessel.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a midship section of so much
of a wood and iron vessel as will be necessary to shew the manner in which
my Invention is carried into effect. A is the frame or rib coming underneath
the floor ends and meeting at the centre line and fastened to the frame or rib
on the other side by a plate B, to which it is rivetted; C, C, is another
arrangement with the frames or ribs coming underneath and let into the floors.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal view showing the frame inserted in or grooved into
the middle of the floor. Figure 3 is a longitudinal view of the frame on the
side of the floor, one flange of the angle iron being still underneath the floor.
Figure 4 is a section taken through Figure 2,' shewing the manner in which
the frame or rib is inserted into the middle of the floor. Figure 5 is a section
taken through Figure 3, shewing how the frame or rib is let into one angle
under the floor. Figure 6 is a section of the frame or rib with screw bolts
for fastening planks to the ribs. Figure 7 is a view of a bulwark and
stanchions, showing the mode of fastening the bulwark to same. Figure 8 is
a sectional view of same with the groove in the facing piece of wood for the
insertion of a flat plate of iron, which is screwed to the wood by iron or other
metal screws. The plate of iron is first securely attached to the iron sheer
streak by rivets, and also by a knee or stay on to deck plank, thus doing
away with the necessity of cutting through the iron waterway. D, Figure 1,
shows where the iron stanchion is rivetted to the sheer streak.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in the Construction of Ships and Vessels,"-
-
First, constructing ships with double or single wooden floors or bottoms
and with iron ribs or frames of T-iron or double angle iron, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second, uniting the iron ribs to the wooden floor by inserting into the floor
the double angle iron or T-iron rib, substantially in manner herein-before
described.
Third, the employment of a longitudinal iron plate as a sheer streak
outside the frames from stem to stern and an iron plate along the floor heads

page_text: outside to connect the diagonal bracing, substantially in manner herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Davis Wake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN DAVIS WAKE. (L.S.).