IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE COSTUMES, AND IN THE APPLIANCES TO BE USED, THEREWITH, SUCH IMPROVED COSTUMES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Horsfall Watson and Samuel Joseph Woodhouse,
both of Leeds, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SUBMARINE COSTUMES, AND IN THE APPLIANCES TO BE USED, THEREWITH,
SUCH IMPROVED COSTUMES BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Horsfall Watson and
Samuel Joseph Woodhouse at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 27th Juno 1878.
THOMAS HORSFALL WATSON and SAMUEL JOSEPH WOODHOUSE, both of Leeds, in
the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE COSTUMES, AND IN THE
APPLIANCES TO BE USED THEREWITH, SUCH IMPROVED COSTUMES BEING ALSO
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in submarine costumes, and in the
appliances to be used therewith, which improved costumes may be used with great
advantage for protection in cases of fire on land or for descending into pits, sewers,
and other subterraneous places where poisonous gases exist.
Our improvements consist in attaching to the helmet of the costume a suitably
shaped reservoir or air holder for the purpose of affording the necessary breathing
supply to the interior of the helmet. Such reservoir or air holder is filled with air,
which is pumped in by means of an air pump to any desired pressure, and is con-
nected with the helmet by means of a suitable elastic or gas tubing of any convenient
dimensions, and provided internally with a spiral wire to prevent it being rendered
inoperative by the pressure of the water.
The helmet is made perfectly water-tight, and furnished preferably with three
lights, one in front, and one on either side thereof, and is secured to the body of the
costume of the neck or collar by means of suitable screws provided with male and
female threads.
In order to provide for the escape of the vitiated air from the interior of the mask
or helmet, we make a suitable aperture in any convenient position therein, into

page_text: which we insert a suitable flexible tube provided with male and female couplings
and a regulating tap, and connected to a small case containing valves and a syphon
filled with water so as to reduce the pressure at any depth to which the miner or
diver may descend, in order to allow the air to escape.
Entire control over the supply of air is ensured to the wearer of the costume by a
suitable arrangement of taps, placed either at the inlet or outlet aperture of the air
holder or reservoir. Such inlet aperture is furnished with suitable couplings, so as
to permit the air holder to be effectually charged by the air pump, and the breast-
plate or front of the body of the costume is made either of copper or other suitable
material, and of an oval configuration, so as to afford sufficient freedom for the
proper action of the lungs of the wearer.
The entire upper portion of the dress acts as an ordinary jacket, and the same is
made water-tight at the waist by means of suitable metal belts or their equivalents
to which suitable appliances are affixed, to afford convenience to the diver for
carrying not only his ordinary implements but an electric lamp, and, if desired, a
suitable timepiece, the case whereof is made perfectly air-tight, and a glass affixed
in front thereof, so that the diver may ascertain and regulate the period during
which he remains submerged.
By this arrangement the hands of the diver are left perfectly free to perform his
work.
The trousers of the costume we make of india-rubber or any other suitable water-
tight material, and we connect the same with the jacket by suitable metal unions,
or in any other convenient manner, and at the lower extremities of such trousers,
.which fit around the ankles and constitute the boots, we affix suitable straps con-
nected with the feet or soles of the boots, and carrying sheets of lead so fitted and
arranged that several soles of lead can be attached if desired.
Our improved submarine costume will be found particularly adapted for use in
conjunction with our improved gunboat, Letters Patent for which, No. 930, of
7th March 1878, have been granted to us, as from the peculiar construction of
such dress the wearer can arrange his own buoyancy according as circumstances
may require.
The air holder or reservoir, as also the exhaustor, are strapped to the back of the
diver after the manner of a haversack, thus avoiding their being in any way
cumbersome or incommodious.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Horsfall Watson and Samuel Joseph Woodhouse in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 27th December 1878.
THOMAS HORSFALL WATSON and SAMUEL JOSEPH WOODHOUSE, both of Leeds, in
the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE COSTUMES, AND IN THE
APPLIANCES TO BE USED THEREWITH, SUCH IMPROVED COSTUMES BEING ALSO
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in submarine costumes, and in the
appliances to be used therewith, which improved costumes may be used with great
advantage for protection in cases of fire on land, on board ship, or for descending
into mines, pits, sewers, and other subterraneous places where poisonous gases
exist.
Our improvements consist in attaching to the helmet of the costume a suitably
shaped reservoir or air holder for the purpose of affording the necessary breathing
supply to the interior of the helmet. Such reservoir or air holder is filled with air
in the lower compartment first, as hereafter explained, which air is pumped in by
means of an air pump to any desired pressure, and is connected to the helmet by
means of a suitable elastic or metal gas tubing of any convenient dimensions,
encased for protection with suitable wire coil.
The helmet is made perfectly water-tight, and furnished with three, four, or any
other convenient number of lights placed in front and on either side thereof, and is
secured to the body of the costume at the neck or collar and breastplate downwards
by incans of suitable screws provided with male and female threads.
In order to provide for the escape of the vitiated air from the interior of the mask
or helmet, we make a suitable aperture in any convenient position therein, into
which we insert a suitable flexible or metal tube provided with male and female
couplings, and connected to a small case containing a syphon tap so as to reduce the
pressure at any depth to which the miner or diver may descend, in order to allow
the air to escape.
Entire control over the supply of air is ensured to the wearer of the costume by n
suitable arrangement of taps placed both at the inlet and outlet aperture of the air
holder or reservoir. Such inlet aperture is furnished with suitable couplings, so as to
permit the air holder to be effectually charged by the air pump, and the breastplate
or front of the body of the costume is mado either of copper or other suitable mate-
rial, and of an oval configuration, so as to afford sufficient freedom for the propor
action of the lungs of the wearer.
The entire upper portion of the dress acts as an ordinary jacket, and the same is
made water-tight at the waist by means of suitable metal belts or their equivalents,
to which suitable appliances are affixed to afford convenience to the diver for
carrying not only his ordinary implements, but an electric lamp, and, if desired, a
suitable timepiece, the case whereof is made perfectly air-tight, and a glass affixed
in front thereof, so that the diver may ascertain and regulate the period during
which he remains submerged.
By this arrangement the hands of the diver are left perfectly free to perform his
work.
The leggings of the costume we make of india-rubber or any other suitable water-
tight material, and at the lower extremities of such leggings, which fit around the
ankles, we affix suitable straps connected with the feet, and carrying sheets of
lead at the soles of the boots, so fitted and arranged that several soles of lead can
bo attached to the same if desired.
Our improved submarine costume will be found particularly adapted for use in
conjunction with our improved gunboat, Letters Patent for which, No. 930, of
7th March 1878, have been granted to us, as from the peculiar construction of such
dress the wearer can arrange his own buoyancy according as circumstances may
require.

page_text: The air holder or reservoir, as also the exhauster, are strapped to the back of the
diver after the manner of a haversack, thus avoiding their being in any way
: cumbersome or incommodious.
And in order that our said Invention may be better understood and readily carried
into effect, we will now, with the aid of the accompanying Drawings, proceed more
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 of such Drawings respectively show end and back views of our
improved diving apparatus. a, Figure 1, reservoir of compressed air for supplying
air to divers' helmet through pipe f, Figure 2; 6, upper chamber of same revervoir,
where air having passed through helmet from chamber a, and from helmet through
purifier, d, d, and receiver c, c, is reserved for re-use, whence it can be conveyed
through tube e of Figure 1, which is perforated purposely for outlet, and connected
with pipe, Figure 2, through which it passes again to the helmet, and may be
again and again sent through purifier, and used until completely vitiated, when it
may be allowed to escape from the helmet through the pipe and tap 6, Figure 3;
è, e, two feed pipes (perforated), one within the other, the outer one being open to
chamber a, and the inner one to chamber b, b; f, Figure 2, pipe for charging cham-
ber a with air before coupling unions, and for supplying pure air from chamber a to
helmet after unions are coupled as aliewn; g, outlet couplings from chamber c to
chamber b; h, h, throttle ball in shoe, or valve, to prevent back pressure; h¹, rocket
box or ballast regulator; i, i, i, wrought-iron shoulder straps, for securing apparatus
to body, to the lower end of which are attached pliable straps for encircling
the waist, there being straps also under the arm-pits and across the chest ;
m, m, Figure 1, two wrought-iron bands, which encircle and bind the reservoirs
together.
Figures 3 are views shewing the application of our improved diving apparatus;
a, safety-valve tap for reducing pressure of air if necessary; b, communication
between helmet and interior of dress, by which the space between inner and outer
dress may be filled with air when desired.
•
The sight openings in helmet will be occupied by two separate glasses, ench fitted
with india-rubber rings near the circumference, laid between for safety in the event
of the glass being injured by accident.
The dress so completed may be used with safety for any subaqueous operations
for the saving of life and property in case of fire on sea or land, in case of colliery
explosions, or in any place where foul gases are in existence.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood
that what we claim and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the attaching to the helmet of a diving costume a suitably shaped reser-
voir or airholder, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Horsfall Watson, on behalf of myself
_ and the said Samuel Joseph Woodhouse, have hereunto set my hand and
scal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
ELT & Co.,
British and Foreign Patent Office,
33, Southampton Buildings,.
Holborn, London, W.C.
T. H. WATSON. (L.S.)