IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING DOCKS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stanislas Janicki, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire
of Russia, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLOATING DOCKS."
Sealed the 8th August 1871, and dated the 12th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stanislas Janicki at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1871.
I, STANISLAS JANICKI, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING Docks," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to an improved construction of floating
docks, for which I have applied for Letters Patent on the 23rd March
1871, No. 788.
My present improvements have reference, firstly, to an improved
arrangement of the lateral floats for imparting stability to the dock.
For this purpose I fix to each side of the hollow metal pontoon or

page_text: pontoons (which support the vessel to be raised, and are constructed
and operate as described in the Specification to my aforesaid application
for Letters Patent) vertical frames of such a height as to project beyond
the surface of the water when the dock is immersed in its lowest
position; these frames serve as guides to a series of hollow rectangular
metal floats which are always situated at the surface of the water, and
which work up and down between the said guide frames as these rise
and fall with the pontoon. These floats are connected at the ends to
endless vertical chains passing over toothed or indented pullies fixed
on shafts carried in bearings at the upper and lower ends of the vertical
guide frames, so that in moving up and down in the latter the floats
impart rotary motion to the said pullies and shafts. Either the upper
or the lower shafts on each side of the dock are made to extend the
entire length of the dock, and have at one end or at both ends or at
other points in their length other indented pullies fixed thereon, and an
endless crossed chain passes either above or below the pontoon from the
pulley on the shaft on the one side of the dock to the pulley on the shaft
on the other side of the dock so as to gear these two shafts together in
such manner that the rotation of the one shaft on the one side of the
dock necessitates a corresponding rotation of the shaft on the other
side of the dock. Or the pullies with the crossed chain may be on
separate shafts on the pontoon of the dock, which pulleys are connected
to pullies on the upper shafts on the guide frames by other endless
chains. Or again in place of a crossed endless chain for gearing together
the said shafts on the opposite sides of the dock a transverse shaft may
be employed having bevil wheels in gear with other bevil wheels on the
two opposite longitudinal shafts.
From the above-described arrangement it will be seen that as the
pontoon together with the lateral guide frames is caused to rise or
descend in the water by the forcing of air into or out of the pontoon
(as described in my said previous Specification) the said floats on each
side of the dock will in every position of the latter be caused to remain
parallel to each other and to the deck of the pontoon on account of the
before-described gearing together of the longitudinal shafts to which
they are connected by the first-named endless chains, and thus the
stability of the dock in every position will be insured.
.
When the dock is in its lowest immersed position the side floats will
be situated at the top of the guide frames, and when the dock is in

page_text: its highest position they will be situated at the bottom of the guide
frames.
Another improvement consists in a modified construction and arrange-
ment of the hollow pontoons to be employed in cases where only a
partial raising of the vessel out of the water is required for the purpose
of diminishing its draught. For this purpose instead of supporting the
vessel upon one central pontoon as described in my aforesaid Specification
I construct two separate pontoons secured together at a certain distance
apart by strong transverse bearers, and the vessel to be raised is caused
to pass on to such bearers in the space between the pontoons. The
pontoons are open at the lower side in the same manner as the pontoons
described in my said Specification, and the sides and ends thereof are
extended upwards above the upper closed surface of the pontoon so
as to form a water-tight enclosure or tank above such surface. In the
sides of such enclosures are fixed valves opening outwards, so that by
opening such valves more or less of the surrounding water in which the
dock floats may be admitted into the enclosures, and thus the sinking of
the dock to a greater or less extent may be effected in order to bring it
under the vessel to be raised. When the vessel is in position over the
bearers the dock is raised by forcing air into and expelling the water
from the pontoons as described in my said Specification, the water
contained in the said enclosures being allowed to pass out freely through
the aforesaid valves as the dock rises with the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stanislas Janicki in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STANISLAS
JANICKI, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, bv Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Stanislas Janicki, Her special licence
that I, the said Stanislas Janicki, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, or such others as I, the said Stanislas Janicki, 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 Ircland, the Channel 5
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING
Docks," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Stanislas
Janicki, 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 1
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 Stanislas Janicki, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same 1
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:
My Invention has reference to an improved construction of floating 2
docks, for which I have obtained Letters Patent on the 23rd March
1871, No. 788.
My present improvements have reference, firstly, to an improved
arrangement of the lateral floats for imparting stability to the dock.
For this purpose I fix to cach side of the hollow metal pontoon or a
pontoons (which support the vessel to be raised and are constructed
and operate as described in the Specification to my aforesaid Letters
Patent) vertical frames of such a height as to project beyond the surface
of the water when the dock is immersed in its lowest position, these
frames serve as guides to a series of hollow rectangular metal floats, 3
which are always situated at the surface of the water, and which work
up and down between the said guide frames as these rise and fall with
the pontoon. These floats are connected at the ends to endless vertical
chains passing over toothed or indented pulleys fixed on shafts carried
in bearings at the upper and lower ends of the vertical guide frames, so
that in moving up and down in the latter the floats impart rotary motion
to the said pullies and shafts. Either the upper or the lower shafts
on each side of the dock are made to extend the entire length of the

page_text: dock, and have at one end or at both ends or at other points in their
length other indented pulleys fixed thereon, and an endless crossed chain
passes either above or below the pontoon from the pulley on the shaft
on the one side of the dock to the pulley on the shaft on the other side
of the dock, so as to gear these two shafts together in such manner that
the rotation of the one shaft on the one side of the dock necessitates a
corresponding rotation of the shaft on the other side of the dock. Or
the pullics with the crossed chain may be on separate shafts on the
pontoon of the dock, which pulleys are connected to pulleys on the upper
shafts on the guide frames by other endless chains. Or again in place
of a crossed endless chain for gearing together the said shafts on the.
opposite sides of the dock a transverse shaft may be employed having
bevil wheels in gear with other bevil wheels on the two opposite
longitudinal shafts.
From the above, described arrangement it will seen that as the
pontoon together with the lateral guide frames is caused to rise or
descend in the water by the forcing of air into or out of the pontoon (as
described in my said previous Patent) the said floats on each side of the
dock will in every position of the latter be caused to remain parallel to
cach other and to the deck of the pontoon on account of the before-
described gearing together of the longitudinal shafts to which they are
connected by the first-named endless chains, and thus the stability of
the dock in every position will be insured. When the dock is in its
lowest immersed position the side floats will be situated at the top of
the guide frames, and when the dock is in its highest position they will
be situated at the bottom of the guide frames.
Another improvement consists in a modified construction and arrange-
ment of the hollow pontoons to be employed in cases where only
a partial raising of the vessel out of the water is required for the
purpose of diminishing its draught. For this purpose instead of sup-
porting the vessel upon one central pontoon, as described in my aforesaid
Specification, I construct two separate pontoons secured together at a
certain distance apart by strong transverse bearers, and the vessel to be
raised is caused to pass on to such bearers in the space between the
pontoons. The pontoons are open at the lower side in the same manner as
the pontoons described in my said Specification, and the sides and ends
thereof are extended upwards above the upper closed surface of the
pontoon, so as to form a water-tight enclosure or tank above such

page_text: surface. In the sides of such enclosures are fixed valves, opening
outwards, so that by opening such valves more or less of the surrounding
water in which the dock floats may be admitted into the enclosures, and
thus the sinking of the dock to a greater or less extent may be effected
in order to bring it under the vessel to be raised. When the vessel is
in position over the bearers the dock is raised by forcing air into and
expelling the water from the pontoons as described in my said Speci-
fication, the water contained in the said enclosures being allowed to
pass out freely through the aforesaid valves as the dock rises with the
vessel.
-
Having thus set forth the nature of my Invention, I will now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, for
which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying Drawings, on which
Figure 1, Sheet I., shews a side elevation of my improved construction
of floating dock; Figure 2 shews a plan of the same; Figure 3, Sheet II.,
shews an enlarged part end elevation and part transverse section;
Figure 4 shews an enlarged part longitudinal section; and Figure 5
shews an enlarged part plan. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in each of the Figures.
A, A, is the longitudinal pontoon of the dock formed of one or more
air-tight chambers open at their under sides provided with air escape
pipes B, B, and constructed and operated for receiving and raising the
vessel X in a similar manner to that described in the Specification to
my before mentioned previous Patent. To each side of the pontoon A
are fixed the vertical guide frames C, C', between which the lateral
floats D, D', work vertically up and down as the dock descends or
ascends in the water, the floats being always situated at the water line.
These floats consist of rectangular hollow metallic vessels closed in an
air-tight manner, there being by preference several such floats on cach
side in the length of the dock as shewn. Each of the floats D, D', is
attached at both ends to endless pitch chains (or ordinary chains) E, E,
E', E', passing over pitch wheels or indented pulleys F, G, F¹, G',
fixed on shafts H, I, H', I', carried in bearings at the upper and lower
ends of the guide frames C, O¹. The upper shafts H, H', extend the
whole length of the dock and carry at one end or at both ends.or
at intermediate points one or more other pitch wheels or indented
pulleys J, J¹, over which as also over other pitch wheels or pulleys K, K',
pass other pitch chains L, L. The pitch wheels K, K³, are fixed on

page_text: shafts M, M', carried in bearings on stays N, N', on the deck of the
pontoon A and they are geared together by a crossed pitch chain O.
passing transversely across the pontoon and over a second groove on the
pitch wheels K, K', (or separate pitch wheels may be provided.)
From this arrangement it will be seen that the floats D on one side
of the dock are geared to the floats D' on the other side in such manner
that no vertical motion of the floats D can take place without a cor-
responding vertical motion in the same direction of the floats D¹, so
that whatever position the floats may assume in the guide frames C, C¹,
consequent upon the ascending or descending of the dock they will
always remain parallel to each other and to the floor of the pontoon A,
thus insuring the stability of the dock in whatever position it may be
in the water. Assuming the dock to be at its lowest point of immersion
the floats D, D', will be situated at their highest position in the guide
frames as shewn in dotted lines at Figure 3. For raising the dock air
is forced into the pontoon A by means of air pumps, by preference
placed on a separate vessel as described in my said previous Specification
and as the dock is thus caused to ascend in the water carrying the
vessel X with it the floats D, D', which always remain at water line
cause the pitch wheels or pullies F, F', J, J¹, K, K¹, to revolve by means
of the chains E, E', L, 'L', and O, the wheels or pullies on the one sido
of the dock turning in a contrary direction to those on the other side,
which is permitted by the crossing of the chain O connecting the wheels
or pullies on either side. This motion continues until the dock has
ascended to its highest position, when the floats D, D', will be in the
position shewn in full lincs in Figure 3. The action of the floats on
the descent of the dock takes place in the same manner, the motion of
the wheels or pullies and chains being reversed.
By this arrangement in whatever position the dock may be its stability
both transversely and longitudinally is insured by the fixed relative,
position of the floats which obliges them always to remain in a plane
parallel with that of the floor of the pontoon A. Instead of gearing tho
pitch wheels or pullies K, K', together by a crossed chain O as described
they may be geared together by means of a transverse shaft P with
bevil wheels Q, Q, in gear with bevil wheels R, R', on the shafts of
the pullies K, K¹, as shewn at the part transverse section at Figure 6.
Or again the pitch wheels or pullies K, K', and chains L, L', may be
dispensed with by fixing the pitch wheels or pullies J, J', on the shafts

page_text: of the lower pitch wheels or pullies G, G¹, and by gearing them directly
together by a crossed chain S, as shewn in red lines at Figures 3, 4,
and 5, the said pitch wheels J, J¹, being for this purpose made to over-
hang the ends of the dock. By this latter arrangement the deck of the
pontoon A is left perfectly clear for the docking of the vessel. Figure 7
shews the before described modified construction and arrangement of the
hollow pontoons for partially raising vessels out of the water in order
to diminish their draught. A, A, are the two hollow pontoons connected
together at a certain distance apart (sufficient to admit the vessel X
between them) by means of strong transverse bearers T. The pontoons
are open at their under surfaces in the same manner as the pontoons of
the before described construction of dock. The sides and ends thereof
are extended upwards beyond the closed deck as shewn, so as to form
water-tight enclosures or tanks U, U, above the decks. In the sides
of these enclosures are fixed valves opening outwards so that by opening
these valves more or less of the surrounding water may be admitted
into the tanks, and thus the sinking of the dock to a greater or loss
extent may be effected in order to bring the bearers T beneath the
vessel X. When the vessel is in position over the bearers the dock is
raised together with the vessel by forcing air into and thus expelling
the water from the pontoons in the same manner as was described with
reference to the other form of dock, the water contained in the tanks U
being allowed to flow out through the before mentioned valves as the
deck rises.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, what I claim is,―
First. The construction of floating docks with open bottomed
pontoons wherein the lateral floats are arranged to work vertically up
and down in guide frames fixed to the sides of the pontoon or pontoons,
the floats on the one side of the dock being geared to those on the
other side in such manner that they shall in every position of the dock
be situated in a plane parallel or nearly so to the floor of the dock
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The peculiar before described arrangements of gearing to
the lateral floats for insuring their parallel position as aforesaid.
Third. The arrangement of two open bottomed pontoons connected
together at a certain distance apart by means of transverse bearers and

page_text: provided with upper tanks or enclosures constructed and operating for
the partial raising of vessels out of the water, substantially as herein-
before described.
-
In witness whercof, I, the said Stanislas Janicki, have hercúnto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
STANISLAS JANICKI. (L.S.)