IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING SLIME AND SAND FROM THE RIVER OR SEA, FROM FOUNDERED VESSELS, AND FOR CLEANSING PORTS, HARBOURS, PONDS, OR CANALS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest Bazin, Civil Engineer, of No. 73, Rue
Taitbout, Paris, France, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING SLIME AND SAND FROM THE RIVER OR SEA,
FROM FOUNDERED VESSELS, AND FOR CLEANSING PORTS, HARBOURS, PONDS, OR
CANALS."
;
Sealed the 3rd November 1871; and dated the 31st August 1871.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Ernest Bazin at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 31st August 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Paten
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNEST
BAZIN, Oivil Engineer, of No. 73, Rue Taitbout, Paris, France, send
greeting.
=
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING SLIME AND SAND FROM THE RIVER OR SEA, FROM
-FOUNDERED-VESSELS,-AND-FOR-CLEANSING-PORTS,-HARBOURS, PONDS,-OR-CANALS,"
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and

page_text: have made solemn Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor
thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ernest Bazin, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is the rapid and economical extraction
of sand, slime, or mud from waters of any depth; this is effected by a
natural principle, which will be explained hereafter. The water charged
with sand, slime, or mud is drawn up into a recipient placed in the
bottom of a boat or vessel, and from thence is conducted to another
vessel, where it is filtered, and the sand, slime, or mud removed to any
desired spot. The level of the liquid drawn into the recipient should
always be below the water line of the vessel, otherwise the equilibrium
would be re-established and would arrest the ascension of the liquid
current. For instance, supposing a current of water established on a
vessel by means of a tube, and at about 2 metres 50 centimètres (or
between 6 and 7 feet) below its water line, when an admitting tap is
opened the water enters the vessel clear and rapid. If to this tube
another is attached long enough to reach the bottom of the sea or other
water, and that the bottom is composed of sand, slime, or mud, the
current established in the interior of the tube will be less rapid as the
length of tube is increased, and the water, instead of being clear, will
be charged with sand, slime, or mud, as the case may be. The rapidity
of ascension of the current will be regulated by the height and diameter
of the tube, as well as the difference of the levels of the water line of
the vessel and the orifice of entrance of the liquid into the interior
of the vessel. The water charged with sand or otherwise is poured
into a recipient placed at the bottom of the vessel, and the level of this
liquid should, as already explained, be below the water line of the
vessel. Below the level of the water contained in the recipient a
centrifugal apparatus directly receives the mixture and conveys the
sand or slime either to a vessel in which it is filtered, or through a tube
with floats when there is only a short transport for it.
The filtering boat is provided with air-tight compartments, which
float it, although open, to the sea; the filtering is carried on whilst the

page_text: This method of extracting sand, slime, or mud is not only applicable
to foundered vessels, that is to say, the apparatus in question is destined
to remove the sand or other substance from wrecks, the cleansing of
ponds, straits, harbours, and all places where it is desired to remove
the sand and slime.
Having now explained the nature of the Invention I will proceed to
describe it more fully by aid of the accompanying Drawings.
In Fig. 1, a is a long tube drawing up the water, and reaching to the
bed of the sea or other water charged with mud, slime, or sand; 6 is
the admitting tap connected to the tube a; c is the recipient placed
in the boat N, into which the water containing the sand is poured; dis
a centrifugal apparatus in communication with the recipient c, and
conducting the liquid by means of the pipe m into the filter for in the
floating tube g; f is the filter boat for separating the sand and slime
and conveying it in any desired place. The section of this vessel shows
the part destined for charging, supposing that the two ends thereof
conjointly with the air-tight compartments 1, 1, are sufficient for the
support of the weight of the matter withdrawn from the water.
h, h, are divisions in the filter boat, forming an apparatus for separating
the denser matter from the water whilst being supplied; i, i, are valves
admitting of emptying the filter boat f, and are worked by means of
fly wheels j,j, and racks K, K. Perforations made in the bottom of
the boat ƒ allow the filtered water to pass. If not desired that there
should be an open communication with the water these apertures are
not employed; in this case the water having passed through the
filter h, h, is drawn up the pipe and conveyed in any suitable direction.
The recipient c of the vessel N may be substituted by branching
the long tube a directly on the centrifugal apparatus d, as shown by
the dotted lines a¹. In cleansing the mouth p of the tube a on the
conduit m a tap r is arranged, from whence a pipe plunges into the
clear water. When the key of the tap r is opened the clear water flows
through the pipe n by aid of a pump, and is driven through the tube a
and mouth p; this latter part is manœuvred by the plunger by aid of
the handles 8, 8.
The dispositions of the mouth pieces to the tube a are as follows :—
The Figs. 2 and 3 show one in two positions adapted for raising slime
or mud, and as consisting of a simple tube A with double openings
with cloth or metallic grating to each. Fig. 4 represents one as applied

page_text: to sand, and having a rack agitator and separator R. Figs. 5 and 6
represent one in a vertical position and a plan. The lower part of the
tube A is pierced with three or more openings t, t, t, and is supplied
with a like number of sweeps or wings u, u, u, facilitating the entry
of the matters. The form shown in Fig. 7 with metallic grating is 6
applicable to drawing up liquid mud or slime, as well as that shown in
Fig. 8, where the introduction occurs by one or more openings of a
helical section. It will be observed that all these arrangements are
furnished, with a support S of a circular form to prevent a too great
imbedding of the organs in the sand or slime.
Finally, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the
apparatus herein described and illustrated, and the principle of which
consists in the employment of a long drawing tube a admitting of
the free raising of the mixture of mud, slime, or sand by means of
the difference of level existing between the entry of the liquid into the 1
extracting boat N and its water line, such line not varying, for as the
liquid is delivered it is received through a tube m, which raising it a
convenient height deposits it in the filter boat f, where the water is
separated from the mud, slime, or sand, and the latter is then conveyed
away to any suitable place, either by the filter boat or by aid of a
floating pipe g, the filtering being carried on as rapidly as the filter is
The water line
supplied, and the clear water being returned to the sea.
of this filter apparatus varies only according to the density of the matter
with which it is loaded.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest Bazin, have hereunto set my a
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year