A LIFE PRESERVER
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Antoine Léopold Chéradame, Picture Appraiser,
and Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert, of No. 2, Rue Ste. Appoline, Paris,
France, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, for the Invention of
"A LIFE PRESERVER."
Sealed the 19th April 1861, and dated the 31st October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Antoine Léopold Chéra-
dame and Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 31st October 1860.
We, ANTOINE LÉOPOLD CHÉRADAME, Picture Appraiser, and JEAN BAPTISTE
ACHILLE LAMBERT, of No. 2, Rue Ste. Appoline, Paris, France, and of 4, South
Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention
of "A LIPE PRESERVER," to be as follows, that is to say:-
The Invention consists in the construction of a safety apparatus for saving
persons shipwrecked at sea, or for carrying a rope or other article from shore
to a ship in distress.
The apparatus consists of a spherical, conical, or lenticular formed hollow
or solid body of metal, or other suitable material of sufficient buoyancy to
enable the apparatus to float and support the weight of the person to be saved.
This apparatus is surrounded with an armature (iron bars) which is fixed to it
in such wise as to allow it to turn freely on its axis. This armature serves to
support at its lower part a counterweight, and at its upper part it forms a

page_text: seat for the shipwrecked person to sit on, who for greater safety may be
fastened thereto by straps, braces, or other mode of fastening.
The apparatus may also be formed of tubes rolled unto a circular form of
any suitable material, and made hollow or solid as herein-before stated, and
placed concentrically one in the other, being held by pivots set perpendicularly;
an armature is provided underneath for receiving the counterweight, and one
above for fixing the seat. The armatures are placed so as to allow each of
the circular bodies to yield to the action of the waves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Antoine Léopold Chéradame and Jean Baptiste Achille
Lambert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ANTOINE
LEOPOLD CHERADAME, Picture Appraiser, and JEAN BAPTISTE ACHILLE
LAMBERT, of No. 2, Rue Ste. Appoline, Paris, France, and of 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto we,
the said Antoine Léopold Chéradame, and Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert,
Her special licence that we, the said Antoine Leopold Cheradame and
Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Antoine Leopold Cheradame, and Jean
Baptiste Achille Lambert, our 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 of "A
LIFE PRESERVER," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Antoine Leopold Cheradame and Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert, our execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Antoine Leopold Cheradame,
and Jean Baptiste Achille Lambert, do hereby declare the nature of our
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, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in the construction of an apparatus for saving persons
shipwrecked at sea, on rivers or lakes, or for carrying a rope to the shore or a
rope or other object to a vessel in distress. The apparatus consists of a hollow
or solid ball, or spherical body, either of metal or other porous material capable
of floatting. This ball is surrounded by a casing which allows the ball to turn
freely on its axis. The casing carries at its lower extremity a counterweight,
and its upper surface forms a seat on which sits the person to be saved, who
can be kept steady on it by means of straps, bauds, or any other suitable
means.
We can form the apparatus of several pipes rolled into concentric circles,
and placed one in the other on perpendicular pivots and provided with a casing
underneath to carry the counterweight, and one at top for the seat. These
casings are so disposed that each circular body may yield to the motion
of the wave, and keep at the same time the shipwrecked person steady.
These apparatuses can be provided with organs of motion made of metal or
other materials. The ball and circular bodies may be hollow or solid, provided
they possess sufficient buoyancy to swim and to support the weight of the
person to be saved.
To make our Invention better understood, we will now describe the same
in reference to the annexed Drawing, which shows the different forms of
construction. The ball a, which may be made of metal or other material,
is firmly surrounded by a casing made of metal or other material sufficiently
strong. It is provided at its lower part with a weight d, and at its upper part
with a seat c, affording the necessary strength and convenience.
It is easy to understand that if a person places himself on the seat; and if
necessary he be fixed on it by braces or other suitable means, the apparatus:
may be thrown overboard without any fear, for supposing the person should
first enter the water, which is almost impossble, the apparatus will right itself
immediately by the action of its counterweight, however rough the sea may be.
The apparatus may be used even during a tempest, and will always float, the
person being either in part or wholly out of water and preserved from suffoca-
tion or the attacks of sea animals.

page_text: The person may be provided with a pouch containing biscuit and a bottle
containing water to last several days. The apparatus should also carry
provisions.
Although only three forms of constructing are shewn, the apparatus may be
made of a variety of other forms. In the apparatus shewn at Fig. 1 the ball
a is supposed to be made of brass or other suitable metal. It is formed of two
semispheres joined together by a screw thread which closes them hermetically.
The casing is made of brass wire. The branch is provided with a hinge at
its lower part to allow the introduction of the ball, and at its upper part this
branch may be closed by a key, and a counter key having the form of a hook
spring, or any other suitable contrivance for fastening. The counterweight d
consists of iron ball, or of a cast iron block, and is kept in its casing in the
same way as the metal sphere. The seat jointed at c¹ forms part of the said
casing.
The Fig. 2 shows the same apparatus with a wooden sphere fixed to the
casing by means of spring hooks.
Fig. 3 an apparatus in cast iron, the seat being cast with the sphere or
joined to it. The various thicknesses of the ball should be calculated so as to
keep always the centre of gravity well equilibrated. This form of apparatus
is the most simple; but it has this objection, that the ball would follow the
movement of the wave, and the person placed upon it would suffer from the
oscillation, whereas by allowing the ball to turn freely within its casing it
only will turn, and the casing, as well as the person sitting on it, would not be
inconvenienced by the oscillation. These apparatuses may be furnished with
paddle wheels turning by hand by means of levers similar to those used in
veloscipedes, and would allow, according as the lever is moved on the right
or left, to direct the apparatus to any required spot; one or two ores may be
employed, or the apparatus might be furnished with a helm to make currents
available.
The ball, which may be constructed of various dimensions, according to the
material of which it is composed, may be painted with two distinct colors, white
and black, for instance, to serve as as a mark and to facilitate the joining of
the cups. To stow on ships more conveniently the apparatus the cups are
separated and placed one in the other. The parts of the casings are folded
up, and the counterweights piled up, the whole being disposed so as to occupy
as little room as possible.
These apparatuses may also be made of hollow or solid rings or of body having
a lenticular or any other suitable form with counterweight. The whole being

page_text: of the necessary density to keep a person out of the water, however rough the
state of the sea, and enable him to wait the arrival of assistance, or to proceed
towards a given direction.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the best manner
to put the same into execution, we wish it to be understood that what we
claim is the peculiar arrangement and construction of apparatus for saving
life, as herein-before described and shewn in the annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said Antoine Léopold Chéradame, and Jean
Baptiste Achille Lambert, have hereunto set our hands and scals,
this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
A. L. CHERADAME. (L.S.)
J. B. A. LAMBERT.
(L.S.)
A. L. CHERADAME. (L.S.)
J. B. A. LAMBERT. (L.S.)