Improvements in the Construction of Life Boats.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1887
Complete Left, 11th Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Life Boats.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PATER of 21 Victoria Street Fleetwood in the County of
Lancaster Master Mariner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to construct a life boat which shall be self-righting,
shall hold a number of passengers without exposing them or the crew to the sea or
weather, shall be easily transported from place to place, and start in shallow water or .
surf, and shall dispense with the present system of oars.
To this end I construct the boat with a "whale backed " deck so as to be entirely
(or nearly) closed in when the crew are embarked, and I make the boat cigar
or barrel shaped with a double casing containing a series of air chambers to
increase its buoyancy and to prevent serious effects from any accident to one or more
planks.
The keel of the boat can be raised or lowered and is made double i.e. with a longi-
tudinal space of say fourteen inches in which works an endless chain of blades or
propellers. These blades or propellers work outside the boat in an inverted trough
containing the keel space above named, and are actuated by a pulley at or near each
end thereof, these pulleys are driven from the inside of the boat (their shaft running
through water tight holes) by means of a pair of winches which are worked by
handles at each side thereof.
Air is admitted into the boat by a tube projecting from the deck and bent downward
so as to prevent ingress of water. A valve being arranged therein so that should the
boat be temporarily capsized the said valve will close and will not admit water into
the said boat.
These blades or propellers are so made as to yield to back pressure but to stiffen
out automatically when propelling the boat they may however be turned in when

page_text: not in use and may be locked rigid when required to "back" the boat, and being
worked by a winch, skilled oarsmen are not essential for manning the boat. A greater
amount of canvas can be employed with this construction of boat as (the keel being
low and the weight of the propelling machinery being therein, the air chambers also
being in the upper part of the boat) it cannot capsize and will not ship water to any
great extent when it heels over.
The keel being capable of rising will allow the boat to start through surf with extra-
ordinary facility.
The boat will also run against head-wind and sea direct to a wreck or other object.
Dated this 10th day of May 1887.
CHARLES A. DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Life-boats.
I CHARLES WILLIAM PATER of 21 Victoria Street Fleetwood in the County of
Lancaster Master Mariner do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to construct a life-boat which shall be self righting,
shall hold a number of passengers without exposing them or the crew to the sea or
weather shall be easily transported from place to place, shall be able to start in shallow
water or surf and shall dispense with the present system of oars.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed will be readily understood on reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawings is a partial elevation and longitudinal section of a life boat
constructed according to my invention with the spars and sails removed. Fig. 2 is a
plan view and Fig. 3 a transverse section of the same.
ני
For the purposes of my invention I construct the boat so as to be entirely, or nearly,
closed in when the crew are embarked, and I make the boat of a "cigar or long
barrel shape, the sides above the water line curving rapidly inwards (see Fig. 3) so as
to form what may be termed a "whale-backed" deck with the exception of a narrow
portion a from end to end which is flat at the top to enable the crew or others to
stand or walk thereon in getting to and from the hatchways a* and for raising and
lowering the masts and arranging the sails &c.
The passengers and crew are entirely enclosed when the hatches are down, and air
is admitted to the boat by means of tubes 6 projecting from the deck a and bent
downwards so as to prevent the ingress of water a valve being arranged therein so
that should the boat be temporarily capsized the said valvò will close and will not admit
water into the boat.
•
The boat is or may be built with a double casing and a series of air chambers b*, to
increase its buoyancy, to assist it in righting itself and to prevent serious effects
from the accidental staving in of one or more planks.
The central portion c of the keel of the boat may be fixed as shown on the drawings
or it may be made so that it can be raised and lowered.
In either case it is made double that is to say there are two keels in the centre
(see Fig. 3) with a longitudinal space between them of (say) fourteen inches in which
works an endless chain d fitted with blades or propellers e. These blades or propellers
work outside the boat in an inverted trough which is open beneath to the space
between the two keels c and the chain of propellers passes round two barrels or
pulleys g which are driven from the inside of the boat, their shafts passing through
water tight holes and being turned by means of a pair of winches or wheels on
each side (see Fig. 3.) the handles h of which are to be worked by the crew or
passengers.

page_text: I would here remark that a life boat thus constructed and propelled will carry many
more passengers besides the crew than an open boat of the same length and breadth
propelled by oars could possibly contain. About one half of the blades or propellers e
are so jointed to the chain as to yield to back pressure (see dotted curved lines, on
Fig. 1.) but to stiffen automatically when propelling the boat; means are also provided
whereby they can be turned in flush with the bottom when not in use, and the rest of
the blades being rigid may be used when it is required to "back" the boat.
The jointed blades or propellers may be locked flush (or nearly so) with the bottom
of the lifeboat by being connected together, the last one being locked by attaching it
to a chain e¹ (or equivalent means) depending from the trough and bringing the
blades to the position shown dotted on Fig. 1. I prefer to make the central keels o
of plate metal, hollow, with a small number of perforations therein on the outside of
the keels. When afloat these keels will become filled with water. and being then
practically solid will help to keep the boat steady and prevent her from heeling over
and from going off to leeward when under canvas, and will also assist her in righting if
capsized.
When the boat is beached or being conveyed on shore from one place to another the
water will run out of these perforations and considerably lighten the weight. A
greater amount of canvas may be employed with a life boat of this construction, the
keels being heavy and deep and the principal weight of the crew, passengers and
propelling machinery being all below the water line; and the deck being entirely
enclosed no water can be shipped, and it will be evident that for the same reasons she
is almost instantly self-righting when capsized.
To assist the rudder i in steering I propose to make an opening in the sternpost in
which I fit a spar of wood k of a square section, and pivotted on a central shaft 1, at
the other end of which is a wheel m by means of which it can be made to project from
either side of the stern-post and will act in the same manner as an oar in steering. It
will also partially serve as a drogue to diminish the "way" of the boat when
required.
"
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
An enclosed life-boat propelled by means of an endless chain of paddles actuated by
winch handles turned by the crew or passengers, such boat being constructed fitted,
and managed substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and illustrated by the
drawings annexed.