Improved Means connected with the Automatic Indication of Fire on Board Ship, and in Apparatus or Means for Extinguishing such Fire.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 15th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means connected with the Automatic Indication of Fire
on Board Ship, and in Apparatus or Means for Extinguishing
such Fire.
I THOMAS RALPH DOUSE, of 8, Holborn Viaduct, City of London, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for object a rapid and automatic indication of outbreak of fire on
board ship, and apparatus or means for discharging or locating a fire subdueing
liquid or gas at the part so indicated.
For the purpose of my invention I fit a series of thermostats in different parts of the
hold or holds or other part of a vessel, each thermostat being set to a predetermined
temperature. These are in connection with indicator tablets or sound producers in
the chart room.
In the hold or holds or other desired part of a vessel 1 arrange perforated tubes,
preferably vertical, the ships staunchions for instance, with a nozzle or cap on the
deck to close cach tube up.
At convenient parts of the ship I have a store of appliances ready charged for use.
Each of these appliances consists of a vessel and kind of stand pipe screw threaded
at the lower end to screw into the deck nozzle on the removal of the deck cap.
The
appliance is otherwise preferably of globular form and has a central tube rising to
near the top and is temporarily covered by a membrane. Above the membrane in
the chamber of the globe I arrange horizontally or otherwise a glass bottle or an india
rubber bag which can be broken or punctured by sharp instruments when a spring
pressure button is struck.
The bottle or bag contains an acid and the globe an alkali which are kept separate
from each other under ordinary circumstances but the instant one mixes with the
other a powerful gas is generated which if the appliances be fitted to the nozzle as
before explained will spread and extinguish the fire.
I purpose arranging the alarm signals that they shall speak or indicate continuously
while the fire lasts and to stop when the fire has been sufficiently subdued.
The appliances and the nozzles are interchangeable so that on one appliance
becoming empty it can be removed and another put into its place.
Dated this 14th day of March 1890.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said T. R. Douse.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means connected with the Automatic Indication of Fire
on Board Ship, and in Apparatus or Means for Extinguishing
such Fire.
I, THOMAS RALPH DOUSE, of 8 Holborn Viaduct, City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
he performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
:-
This invention has for object, a rapid and automatic indication of outbreak of fire
in board ship, and apparatus or means for discharging, or locating a fire subduing
liquid or gas at the part so indicated.
The inaccessible places of an ordinary cargo ship when an outbreak of fire occurs

page_text: are the holds-fore, main, and after hold-and these are protected in the following
manner :-
Two or more specially designed thermostats (which can he set to act at any pre-
determined degree of heat) are fixed in each hold--one on the starboard, and one on
the port side each thermostat to be protected with a strong wrought iron guard.
From each thermostat, electric wires are run in strong wood casings to an indicator
in the chart room, that being the most suitable part of the vessel.
A powerful fire bell is supplied which can be fitted either inside the chart room, or
close to the flying bridge, so as to alarm the officers of the watch immediately an
outbreak of fire occurs.
Close to each of the thermostats is fitted a suitable inlet from the deck to the hold.
This inlet is a substantial gun-metal ring with screwed cap lettered and numbered to
correspond with the indicator in the chart room.
The chemical fire extinguisher and chemical charges should be kept in a properly
fitted locker on deck, accessible at all times to the officer of the watch.
For the purpose of my invention, such as I show in the annexed drawings, I fit a
series of thermostats, see Figure 1, in different parts of the hold, or holds, or other
part of a vessel, the expansion chamber of each thermostat being set to a pre-
determined temperature, such as described in the Specification of British Letters
Patent No. 15741 of 1890. These are in connection with indicator tablets, or sound
producers in the chart room.
In the hold or holds, or other desired part of a vessel, I arrange perforated
tubes A, A, see Figures 2 and 3, with a nozzle B screwed into a bushing C let into
the deck D, the space above the nozzle being closed by a cap E, see Figure 4.
At convenient parts of the ship, I have a store of appliances ready charged
for use.
Each of these appliances consists of a vessel F and kind of stand pipe G screw
threaded at the lower end to screw into the deck bushing Con-the-removal-of-the-
deck cap E. The appliance is otherwise preferably of globular form and has a central
tube H rising to near the top, and its end I is temporarily covered by a membrane.
Within the chamber of the globe, I arrange horizontally, or otherwise, a glass bottle J,
or it may be an india rubber bag, which can be broken, or punctured by sharp instru-
ment K when a button L is struck.
The bottle or bag 3 contains an acid, and the globe Fan alkali which are kept
separate from each other under ordinary circumstances but the instant the bottle is
broken, one liquid mixes with the other, and a powerful gas is generated, which if the
appliance he fitted to the bushing, as before explained, will be forced through the
pipes B, A, and spread to extinguish the fire.
I purpose arranging the alarm signals from the thermostats that they shall speak or
indicate continuously while the fire lasts and to stop when the fire has been sufficiently
subdued.
The appliances and the bushings are interchangeable, so that on one appliance
becoming empty, it can be removed and another put into its place.
In the event of a fire occurring, the heat arising therefrom will immediately act
upon the thermostat and close the circuit. The bell would immediately commence
ringing, and the officer at the watch by examining the indicator could tell at a glance
in which hold the fire was located, and whether starboard or portside.
Having ascertained the position of the fire from the indicator an attendant would
unscrew the cap of the deck plate covering that particular part of the hold, and screw
the chemical fire extinguisher in. Instead of the distributing pipes being fixed as
stated, they may be attached to the bottoms of the pipes G, G, to be inserted into the
hold when the articles are fixed.
By this means, large volumes of carbon-di-oxide and other gases are forced into the
holds, with a pressure of 2011 lb. per square inch, by which a fire, if combatted at its
early stage, would be instantly extinguished.
For a large fire, charge after charge can be delivered by the chemical extinguishers,
which will deliver over 3000 cubic feet of carbon-di-oxide per hour.
(It has

page_text: frequently been proved that fire cannot live in an atmosphere charged with 10 per cent.
of carbonic acid gas.)
In addition to the extinguishing power of the gases generated, the chemical
solution renders everything non-inflammable with which it comes in contact, with
little or no damage to property.
When the fire is extinguished, the bell ceases to ring, but should it break out again
the alarm will be given as before, and the action can be repeated.
The views, Figures 5 and 6, which are plan and longitudinal sections of a steam
vessel show at M the position of the deck bushings, N the positions of the thermostats,
P the conducting wires, Q the chart room, R the store for containing the charged
appliances ready to be conveyed to the bushings and fixed in place after the caps are
removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. Providing decks of the holds or cabins of a ship or vessel, with bushings in
apertures temporarily closeable by caps, and ready for appliances in which an alkali
and an acid are kept in reserve, and caused to mix and produce a spray or sprinkling of
fire subduing liquid, as described.
2. The hereinbefore described arranged appliances, containing gas generating and
fire extinguishing agents, as articles affixable to any bushing having pipes attached
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
The 15th day of December 1890.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said T. R. Douse.