IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BUOYS BOATS OR FLOATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR BEING EMPLOYED FOR RESCUING PERSONS IN CASE OF SHIPWRECK OR DISASTER AT SEA, OR AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO VESSELS OR THE SHORE, OR FOR CONVEYING STONE OR OTHER MATERIALS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIERS, LIGHTHOUSES, BREAKWATERS, SEA WALLS AND OTHER HARBOUR WORKS, OR AS AN ANCHOR BOAT APPLICABLE ALSO FOR LANDING TROOPS HORSES GUNS AND STORES OR AS DECK SEATS FOR PASSENGER VESSELS WHICH CAN BE USED AS LIFE RAFTS ORS TO THEPS
Year: 1882

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Joseph Ray Hodgson of Limehouse in the County of
Middlesex Wood Carver for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BUOYS
BOATS OR FLOATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR BEING EMPLOYED FOR
RESCUING PERSONS IN CASE OF SHIPWRECK OR DISASTER AT SEA, OR AS A
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO VESSELS OR THE SHORE, OR FOR
CONVEYING STONE OR OTHER MATERIALS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
PIERS, LIGHTHOUSES, BREAKWATERS, SEA WALLS AND OTHER HARBOUR WORKS,
OR AS AN ANCHOR BOAT APPLICABLE ALSO FOR LANDING TROOPS HORSES
GUNS AND STORES OR AS DECK SEATS FOR PASSENGER VESSELS WHICH CAN
BE USED AS LIFE RAFTS OR AS LIFE BUOYS TO HANG OVER THE SHIP'S SIDE
OR STERN, AND FOR OTHER LIKE USEFUL PURPOSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Ray Hodgson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th May 1882.
JOSEPH RAY HODGSON of Limehouse in the County of Middlesex Wood Carver
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BUOYS BOATS OR FLOATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR
BEING EMPLOYED FOR RESCUING PERSONS IN CASE OF SHIPWRECK OR DISASTER
AT SEA, OR AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO VESSELS OR THE
SHORE, OR FOR CONVEYING STONE OR OTHER MATERIALS USED IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF PIERS, LIGHTHOUSES BREAKWATERS SEA WALLS AND OTHER HARBOUR
WORKS, OR AS AN ANCHOR BOAT APPLICABLE ALSO FOR LANDING TROOPS HORSES
GUNS AND STORES OR AS DECK SEATS FOR PASSENGER VESSELS WHICH CAN BE
USED AS LIFE RAFTS OR AS LIFE BUOYS TO HANG OVER THE SHIPS SIDE OR
STERN AND FOR OTHER LIKE USEFUL PURPOSES.'
"
My Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and construction of
buoys boats or floating apparatus suitable for being used in case of ship wreck or
disaster at sea, or as a means of communication between two vessels or the shore,
or for conveying stone or other materials or articles used in the construction of
piers light houses, sea walls and other harbour works or other like purpose in

page_text: which case they might be fitted with travelling cranes or winches or other lifting
tackle or for landing troops, horses, guns and stores. In this case it is self evident
that they are superior to ordinary pontoons as they can be handled and put
together with much greater ease and certainty and can be used separately whereas
pontoons cannot. Or as an anchor boat as the anchor can be stowed in the
centre of the boat and lowered through the centre and the anchor chain can be
hauled up and shackled to the anchor before it is let go. Or as deck seats for
passenger vessels which can be used as life rafts or as life buoys to hang over the
ships side or stern or for other like useful purposes. I construct the upper and
lower halves of my improved boat or raft of exactly the same form, likewise the
forward and after ends are exactly similar, this feature in the boat permits its
being launched into the water in any position as whichever side is uppermost the
deck is always above the water line and any water shipped into the boat runs
away through valves or holes in the deck. Strong keels are arranged at top and
These keels
bottom of either side of the boat connected together by through bolts.
add great longitudinal strength to the boat its strength being further increased by
the tapering form of each side towards the ends, thus giving a camber to both top
and bottom of the boat.
Strong wales are formed round the outside of the boat which are also connected
together by through bolts.
Each side of the boat and each half of each side if necessary is divided into
* several compartments by transverse watertight bulkheads, one or more of these
compartments being reserved for provisions and water, any or all of these compart-
ments may be fitted with an air tight cask or case occupying nearly the whole of
the compartment or they may be filled with cork or any other buoyant substance
so that in the event of any one compartment or the whole of them being stove in
the boat is still buoyant and safe.
I make the bulkheads if the boat be built of wood with an outside rim of cork
or other elastic material so that when the hoops are tightened the bulkheads are
made secure and water and air tight.
The deck is formed by means of a strong netting fitted in sections and supported
by jackstays on the inside of the boat, this arrangement enables any person who
may be under the boat to slide the netting immediately above him and thus enter
the boat, or the deck may be of wood worked in a for and aft direction or
diagonally across the boat, or may be made of strong canvas, or of steel, iron or
other suitable material and form part of the boat.
Thwarts are fitted and also stretchers for the use of oarsmen.
The rudder is fitted on a centre pintle so as to be reversible with locking pintle
at bottom.
The skin of the boat is formed by wood of a tough and elastic nature worked
in one or more thicknesses in a fore and aft direction and bound by hoops of iron
or other metal, or the planking may be worked diagonally in two thicknesses with
prepared canvas between.
The boats may also be constructed of steel iron or any other suitable material
combined with angle irons arranged longitudinally around both inside and outside.
These improved boats may also be constructed in sections and bolted together
through corresponding angle irons or by other means in which case the sections
could be used as deck seats for vessels.
The boat may also be surrounded by a rope or chain, or be fitted with eye bolts
at intervals for the purpose of towing or hoisting the boat, and to such rope chain
or eyebolts would be attached loops, belts, or life lines to aid in the rescue of
persons in the water.
The boat may be slung from the davits in an ordinary way or slung sideways
or be placed across the vessel to form a bridge or life raft or in a smaller form be
slung over the stern or side of the vessel to be used as a life buoy in case of persons
falling overboard.
These boats may be stowed ath wartships on girders with rollers and launched

page_text: end on, on either side of the ship without any davits from the girders by means of
the travelling rollers and a rope (endless or other-wise) and worked by means of a
windlass, winch capstan or other mechanical or hand power. In which case the
keels act as steadying skids and keep the boat from canting on one side till she is
well in the water.
The girders may be made to hinge or swivel at the centre so that they may be
slewed fore and aft or ath wartships and they may be made to fall at either end so
as to make the boat self launching.
The boat can he built in four distinct parts bolted together so that they may be
separated when required to form pontoon bridges or for stowing away or for
painting and repairs when required.
The great features in this improved life boat are its buoyancy and reversibility,
its enormous carrying power, the impossibility of capsizing it, and its perfect
rowing and sailing qualities-it is moreover unsinkable and can be launched in
any position into the water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Ray Hodgson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th November 1882.
JOSEPH RAY HODGSON of Limehouse in the County of Middlesex Wood Carver
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BUOYS BOATS OR FLOATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR
BEING EMPLOYED FOR RESCUING PERSONS IN CASE OF SHIPWRECK OR DISASTER
AT SEA OR AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO VESSELS OR THE
SHORE, OR FOR CONVEYING STONE OR OTHER MATERIALS USED IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF PIERS, LIGHTHOUSES BREAKWATERS, SEA WALLS AND OTHER HARBOUR
WORKS OR AS AN ANCHOR BOAT APPLICABLE ALSO FOR LANDING TROOPS, HORSES,
GUNS AND STORES OR AS DECK SEATS FOR PASSENGER VESSELS WHICH CAN BE
USED AS LIFE RAFTS OR AS LIFE BUOYS TO HANG OVER THE SHIPS SIDE OR
STERN AND FOR OTHER LIKE USEFUL PURPOSES."
My Invention relates to improvements in the arrangement and construction of
buoys, boats or floating apparatus suitable for being used in case of shipwreck or
disaster at sea or as a means of communication between two vessels or the shore
or for conveying stone or other materials or articles used in the construction of
piers, lighthouses, sea walls and other harbour works or other like purpose in
which case they might be fitted with travelling cranes or winches or other lifting
tackle or for landing troops, horses, guns and stores. In this case it is self evident
that they are superior to ordinary pontoons, as they can be handled and put
together with much greater ease and certainty and can be used separately whereas
pontoons cannot. Or as an anchor boat as the anchor can be stowed in the centre
of the boat and lowered through the centre and the anchor chain can be hauled up
and shackled to the anchor before it is let go.

page_text: Or as deck seats for passenger vessels which can be used as life rafts or as life
buoys to hang over the ships side or stern or for other like useful purposes.
I construct the upper and lower halves of iny improved boat or raft of exactly
the same form likewise the forward and after ends are exactly similar, this feature
in the boat permits of it being launched into the water in any position as
whichever side is uppermost the deck is always above the water line and any
water shipped into the boat runs away through valves or holes in the deck.
Strong keels are arranged at top and bottom of either side of the boat connected
together by through bolts. These keels add great longitudinal strength to the boat
its strength being further increased by the tapering form of each side towards the
ends, thus giving a camber to both top and bottom of the boat.
Strong wales are formed round the outside and inside of the boat which are also
connected together by through bolts.
Each side of the boat and each half of each side if necessary is divided into
several compartments by transverse water tight bulkheads one or more of these
compartments being reserved for provisions and water. Any or all of these
compartments may be fitted with an air tight cask or case occupying nearly the
whole of the compartment or they may be filled with cork or any other buoyant
substance so that in the event of any one compartment or the whole of them being
stove in the boat is still buoyant and safe. I make these bulkheads if the boat be
built of wood with an outside rim of cork or other elastic material so that when
the hoops are tightened the bulkheads are made secure and water and air tight.
The deck is formed by means of strong netting fitted in sections and supported
by jackstays on the inside of the boat, this arrangement enables any person who
may be underneath the boat to slide the netting immediately above him and thus
enter the boat, or the deck may be of wood, worked in a fore and aft direction, or
diagonally across the boat or may be made of strong canvas or of steel, iron, or
other suitable material and form part of the boat.
Thwarts are fitted and also stretchers for the use of oarsmen.
The rudder is fitted on a centre pintle so as to be reversible with locking pintle.
The skin of the boat is formed by wood of a tough and elastic nature worked in
one or more thicknesses in a fore and aft direction and bound by hoops of iron or
other metal or the planking may be worked diagonally in two thicknesses with
prepared canvas between.
The boats may also be constructed of steel, iron, or any other suitable material
combined with angle irons arranged longitudinally around both inside and outside.
These improved boats may also be constructed in sections and bolted together
through corresponding angle irons or by other means in which case the sections
could be used as deck seats for vessels.
The boat may also be surrounded by a rope or chain or be fitted with eye bolts
at intervals for the purpose of towing or hoisting the boat and to such rope chain
or eyebolts would be attached loops, belts or life lines in combination with rocket
apparatus to aid in the rescue of persons in the water as shown in Figure 7.
The boat may be slung from the davits in the ordinary way or slung sideways
or be placed across the vessel to form a bridge or life raft or in a smaller form be
slung over the stern or side of the vessel to be used as a life buoy in case of persons
falling overboard.
These boats may be stowed athwart ships on girders with rollers and launched
end on either side of the ship (as represented in Figure 5 of the drawings) without
any davits from the girders by means of the travelling rollers and a rope (endless
or otherwise) and worked by means of a windlass winch, capstain or other mechanical
or hand power, in which case the keels act as steadying skids and keep the boat from
canting on one side till she is well in the water.
The girders may be made to hinge or swivel at the centre so that they may be
slewed fore and aft or athwartships and they may be made to fall at either end so
as to make the boat self launching.
The boat can be built in four or other number of distinct parts bolted together

page_text: (as shown by Figure 4 of the drawings) so that they may be separated when
required to form pontoon bridges or for stowing away or for painting & repairs
when required.
The great features in this improved life boat are its buoyancy and reversibility
its enormous carrying power, the impossibility of capsizing it and its perfect rowing
and sailing qualities it is morever unsinkable and can be launched in any position
into the water.
My improved boat may be built in two longitudinal halves hinged or jointed
together at the ends the parts being so constructed that they can be allowed to fill
with water and sunk into position for raising sunken vessels and by pumping out
the water the parts will become buoyant so as to raise a vessel attached or secured
thereto.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into practice, I will proceed to describe the drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION
THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows an elevation of the boat from which it will be seen that the top
and bottom halves are alike and that the water line is below the middle or deck
line, so that whichever way the boat is put into the water it is always right
way up.
This will be equally apparent by referring to Figure 3 which is a transverse
section of Figure 1. The thwarts are moveable and in case they are below (under
the water) they can be readily removed as the deck is moveable in parts This deck
is shown in plan at Figure 2. Part is of wood and part of rope network. In
Figures 1 and 2 B B are watertight bulkheads K K, keels, T, thwarts, P deck
planking and N deck netting. The wood deck (which may also be made of steel
plates) is shown to illustrate the kind of deck put in when the boat is made in
two halves as in Figure 4 which is a cross section, showing the top half thrown
back. Each half has a deck and the whole is stiffened by beams run across, and
the centre wood decks serve as a gangway to land troops artillery or any materials
across.
A number of these boats can be readily fitted together and serve to cross rivers
and then by putting axles and wheels under them they make very convenient
baggage waggons. In this figure T. T, are the thwarts which can be removed
E. strong iron links, R, R, strong beams held by iron eyes S, S. to keep the raft
stiff.
The rope network deck serves two purposes. Firstly, it enables all the water
which may be shipped in a rough sea to run through. It may not generally be
known, but it is a proved fact that however rough the sea may be, no water ever
rises up in the middle under the deck and if no water is shipped over the sides, the
deck never gets wet.
Secondly in case children have to be thrown in, in the event of shipwreck, the
rope netting is good for the purpose and moreover it does not hurt scamens feet.
The boat can be made of any light material such as wood, cork or thin steel plates
with bulkhead partitions.
The compartments formed by these bulkheads serve to put provisions water and
stores in. The two ends of the boat are alike and the rudder R¹ and mast M can
be fitted so that she can move through the water either end first.
The boat can be stowed away on chocks on her side or otherwise at the davits
and lowered in the ordinary way. But one strong point is that she can be stowed
in any position and can be run out on rollers, end on, into the sea as shown by
Figure 6 and so be always available to be launched on the lee side of a ship or the
stern. The boat is also specially designed to serve as an anchor boat for the
conveyance of stones, blocks or other materials to be dropped through the deck in
making breakwaters marine and harbour works.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and the manner of performing

page_text: or carrying the same into effect I would have it understood that I make no claim
to any of the parts separately which are well known and in common use, But
what I claim is :-First-The improved arrangement and construction of life
buoys, boats or floating apparatus formed with curved lines fore and aft aboveand
below in such manner that it will sail or row either end first substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the drawing hereto
annexed.
Secondly I claim the improved arrangement and construction of life boats
the top and bottom halves of which are duplicates of each other and so made that
the top half shall turn back and the two halves form a double raft substantially in
the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in
Figure 4 of the drawings.
Third I claim the use and application of a platform or girders on rollers or
skids on which the life boat is mounted the platform being made so as to run out
astern or athwartships and tilt the two keels acting as guides in launching the
boat substantially in the manner herein before described and represented in
Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
Fourth I claim the use and application of my improved life boat in com-
bination with rocket and life line apparatus for landing and rescuing persons in a
stranded or wrecked vessel hereinbefore described and represented in Figure 7 of
the drawings.
Fifth I clain the improved general arrangement and construction of life buoys,
boats or floating apparatus substantially in the manner and for the purposes
herein before fully described and represented in the drawings hereto annexed.
•
In witness whereof I the Joseph Ray Hodgson have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eleventh day of November in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eightytwo
Witness
J G TONGUE
34 Southampton Buildings
W C
JR HODGSON (L.S.)