IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS USED IN SOUNDING THE HOLDS OF SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis William Wymer, Engineer, of 7, St. Ann's
Row, Newcastle-on-Tyne, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS USED IN SOUNDING THE HOLDS OF SHIPS OR VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis William Wymer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th September 1861.
I, FRANCIS WILLIAM WYNER, Engineer, of 7, St. Ann's Row, Newcastle-
on-Tyne, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS USED IN SOUNDING THE HOLDS OF SHIPS OR VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used in sounding
the holds of ships or vessels.
Heretofore a sounding pipe or tube descending through the deck above the
hold for the passage of a sounding rod has been employed, and a rod for
opening and closing the bulkhead cock or valve has been used, which also
passed through the deck. Now, according to my Invention, the tube or pipe
for the passage of the sounding rod is combined with the bulkhead cock or
valve in such manner as to enable the cock or valve to be opened and closed

page_text: therewith, whilst at the same time such tube or pipe admits of the sounding
rod being, as heretofore, passed down through it, by which combination and
arrangement only one opening through the deck and one plate will be required,
at the same time the keeping of the apparatus clear and in a condition for use
will be rendered more certain than when the sounding pipe or tube and the
rod or handle of the cock or valve were separate and had two distinct openings
and deck plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis William Wymer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
WILLIAM WYMER, Engineer, of 7, St. Ann's Row, Newcastle-on-Tyne, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis William Wymer, IIer special licence that I, the said Francis
William Wymer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Francis William Wymer, 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
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN SOUNDING THE HOLDS OF SHIPS OR VESSELS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis William Wymer, my exe-
cutors 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 manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Fraucis William Wymer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus used in sounding
the holds of ships or vessels.
Heretofore for sounding the holds of ships or vessels a sounding pipe or tube
descending through the deck for the passage of a sounding rod has been
employed, and in vessels fitted with water-tight bulkheads a rod which also
passed through the deck has been used for opening and closing the bulkhead
cock or valve, to allow the bilge water to pass from one compartment to
another. Now, according to my Invention, the tube or pipe for the passage of
the sounding rod is combined with the bulkhead cock or valve in such manner
as to enable the cock or valve to be opened and closed therewith, whilst at the
same time such tube or pipe admits of the sounding rod being as heretofore
passed down through it, by which combination and arrangement only one
opening through the deck and one plate or cover will be required, and at the
same time the keeping of the apparatus clear and in a condition for use will
be rendered more certain than when the sounding pipe or tube and the rod or
handle of the cock or valve were separate and had two distinct openings and
deck plates.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of apparatus arranged according to my Inven-
tion, together with the parts in connection therewith; Figure 2 is an elevation
of the same apparatus.. a is the deck of the ship; 6, the bulkhead; c, the
bottom of the ship; d is the bulkhead cock, it is made with a hollow plug, the
water passage being through the bottom thereof; e is a tube serving as a
passage for the sounding rod, and also as a key for working the plug of the
cock d; this tube is notched at its lower end, and fits into a hole formed for it
in the head of the plug, and the notches drop over projections formed on each
side of the passage through the head of the plug. The tube e at its upper end
is supported and is capable of turning freely in the socket or deck plate f, let
into a hole in the deck; the tube is thickened at the top by a ring, and is
notched to receive the key g, by means of which it may be turned to open or
close the cock d, as may be required; the tube e also, when the key g is
removed, serves as a passage for the sounding rod, which is employed in
the usual manner, and passes down through the plug of the cock until it is
stopped by the bottom of the vessel.
Figure 3 is a plan of the cock d; Figure 4 is a plan of the deck plate; it
bas, as the Drawing shews, a screw thread cut within it, so that when the

page_text: apparatus is out of use, the cover, shewn in side view at Fig. 5, may be screwed
into it to keep the tube e from becoming choked.
Figure 6 is a cross section of the key g, taken at the line 1, 1, Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a vertical section of a similar arrangement of apparatus, differ-
ing, however, in some of its details from the apparatus before described.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the apparatus shewn at Figure 7. In this case
it will be seen that the deck plate is formed with a lid hinged to it, in place of
with a screw cover; the cock also and the key are somewhat modified in form.
A plan of the cock is shewn at Figure 9.
Figure 10 is a vertical section, and Figure 11 an elevation, of an arrange-
ment in which a valve is employed in place of a cock. In this case the tube e
terminates under the deck, and is attached by a clip (shewn in plan at Figure
12) to the hollow screw e¹; this screw works with a screw thread cut within
the socket or deck plate f. A plan of the socket or deck plate is shewn at
Figure 13. The upper end of the screw e¹ receives the key g, and by turn-
ing the key, the tube e may be raised or lowered; to its lower end a valve is
attached; this valve is a flat plate and works against a corresponding face;
the back of the valve is made inclined or wedge-shape, and there are corre-
sponding guides in connection with the face, as is clearly shewn also at Figure 14,
which is a horizontal section taken at the line 1, 1, Figures 10 and 11. When
the tube e is raised, the valve is allowed by its guides to recede from its seat,
and it is also raised above the aperture therein. When the tube is lowered,
the aperture is again covered and the valve pressed against its seat. The tube e
is used in sounding, in the manner already described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis William Wymer, bave hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
FRANCIS W. WYMER. (L.S.)