Improved Means of Indicating the Depth of Water in Rivers, Harbours, Lakes, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE DOITICATION,
Improved Means of Indicating the Depth of Water in Rivers,
Harbours, Lakes, and the like.
I JAMES DILLON of 36 Dawson Street Dublin in the County of Dublin Ireland
Civil Engineer 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 :-
My invention is designed to provide a simple and effective apparatus for indicating
at a glance the depth of water in rivers harbours lakes and the like and is intended to
simplify apparatus described by me in Letters Patents No. 3418 of 1881 and No. 9965
of 1885.
Referring to the accompanying drawings and to the Figures and letters of reference
marked thereon,
Figure 1 is an elevation of a part of a ship or boat fitted with my improved
apparatus. It will be seen that the apparatus is drawn out of proportion to the
ship for the sake of clearness.
Figure 2 shews a modification of my invention in which a pressure gauge Lin
conjunction with the triangularly arranged tubes indicates the depth of water by
means of a dial M.
In carrying out my said invention 1 pivot to the side of a vessel or boat A a
sounding rod B of iron steel or other suitable material and of convenient length.
To the top of this rod is fixed a triangular tube C D. E partly filled with water or
other liquid.
The part CD of the triangle may be of metal tube or the like, while the parts CE
and ED may be glass so that the liquid may be readily seen or the whole may be of
glass and encased in metal and having slots or openings therein where convenient for
observing the height of the liquid.
When the vessel A is propelled the sounding rod B is dragged over the river or
sea bed G and as the position of the rod B varies owing to the undulations of
the river or sea bed so forming different angles with the water line or line on
which it is pivotted, the height of the water or other liquid in the tubes CE
and ED will vary accordingly; thus when the rod B hangs vertically from the
vessel the tube CE will be full, but when the water becomes more shallow, the
sounding rod B will be forced nearer the surface of the water and the angle of the
triangularly arranged tubes will be altered causing the water or other liquid to
flow into the tube E. D. I may if desired fix on the side or sides of the triangularly
arranged tubes a scale or scales H H¹ of feet fathoms or other convenient measure
so that the depth of water or liquid may be read off at any time.
The sounding rod B may be made in lengths and fitted together if found
desirable.
In conjunction with the above described apparatus I may fix a semaphore I on
the mast I operated by wires and rods J K said semaphore shewing on a gratuated
quadrant the depth of water the vessel is in.
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. In apparatus for indicating the depth of water in rivers harbours lakes
and the like the use of a rod B pivotted to the side of a vessel and carrying at one
end suitably triangularly arranged tubes CDE said triangularly arranged tubes
being partly filled with water or other suitable liquid substantially as and for the
purpose herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Second. The combination with a sounding rod B of triangularly arranged
tubes CDE of rods and wires J K operating a semaphore signal substantially as
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting my
improved apparatus for indicating the depth of water in rivers harbours lakes and
the like substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1889.
POPPLEWELL & Co.,
17 & 18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.