CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP BUILDING, SOME OR ALL OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAMBOATS AND BOATS AND VESSELS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JOSEPH DITCHBURN, of Orchard House, Blackwall, in the County of Middlesex,
Ship Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighth day of March, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for.
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Joseph Ditchburn, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Thomas Joseph Ditchburn, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Joseph Ditchburn, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHIP BUILDING, SOME OR ALL OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO STEAMBOATS AND BOATS
AND VESSELS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said 'Thomas Joseph Ditchburn, should cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of.
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Joseph Ditchburn, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained, in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, and which is to be taken and considered as part of this my
Specification of my said Invention (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention relates to certain modes of ship and boat building, by
planking with wood on frames composed of iron bars, the most convenient
form of which are angle iron bars, as they are technically called by engineers,
and as represented in the Drawing; but bars, wrought in the form of a T,
called Tirou bars, might also be used, but are much less convenient and
simple. And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed, in each of the Figures of which the same letters of reference are
used to indicate similar parts. The strength of the iron bars to be employed
will, of course, vary according to the description of ship, vessel, or boat.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The framing of angle iron bars for a ship or a vessel, or steam or other boat,
-is to be constructed similarly to a framing for a like ship or vessel or steam or
other boat, when according to my Invention, as if such framing of angle iron
bars were about to be planked with plates of iron in the usual mode of
building what are termed "iron ships" and "iron boats," there being only
slight variations in order to render such framing fit for being planked with
wood; all which will readily be understood on a careful examination of the
Drawing, aided by the description herein given.
Figure 1 shows an inside view of part of the side of a ship or vessel con-
structed according to my Invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of Figure 1, by the aid of which, and the
other Figures hereafter mentioned, I shall be enabled fully to describe the
nature of my Invention, and in such manner that a workman may readily
work therefrom, and apply my Invention to the building of any class of ship,
vessel, or steam or other boat. a, a, is the angle iron, of which the frame is t
composed or constructed; b is the outside planking of wood; and c is the,
inner planking of wood, the angle iron bars being let into the inner lining or
planking c, so that the outer and inner planking will come together, as is
shown by the section Figure 2, and more clearly by the enlarged section of a
portion of a ship's side, shewn in Figure 3; and the inner and outer planking

page_text: with the angle iron bars, are all secured by screw bolts and nuts d, d, as is
shewn. And in order to secure the ends of the outside planking there are
short lengths of angle iron bars e, e, affixed to the angle iron bars or ribs a, as
is shewn in Figure 4, the short portion of the angle iron bars being affixed by
rivets or screw bolts or nuts h, h, h. And it should be remarked, that I prefer
to use hair felt between the inner and outer planking b and c, and the seams
of the planking are to be caulked as usual. By this mode of planking on
angle iron bars or frames of a ship, vessel, or boat, great strength and lightness
may be obtained. And in order that the ship, vessel, or steamboat may keep
its figure, particularly when of considerable length, I apply truss plates of
iron f, f, (Figure 1,) or diagonal plank or ceiling, as it is called; and I prefer
that such truss plates of iron and diagonal plank should be at an angle of
And I also
forty-five degrees to the vertical position of the angle iron bars.
apply other iron plates 9, 9, which I call suspension plates, let in flush in the
outer planking, as is shown in Figure 1; and I prefer that these suspension
plates g, g, should at the stem and stern be at an angle of about seventy-five
degrees to the vertical position of the angle iron bars, and as they come
towards the midships to approach to fifty degrees. These truss plates and
suspension plates may have screw bolts passed through them, secured with
nuts where they cross each other, and also at the points where they cross the
angle iron frame a, a, as at k (Figure 1); but these screw bolts and nuts are
not absolutely necessary, as such points of crossing do not often occur.
The description above given of a mode of constructing ships and vessels
and steamboats is intended for larger classes of vessels, and where great
strength is required; but for smaller vessels and steamboats, and also
for other boats where lightness is required, I omit the inner planking,
as is shown by the section of a vessel, Figure 5, where only the outside
planking 6 is used. And the same is secured to the angle iron bar framing
a, a, by means of screw bolt and nuts; such screw bolts passing through
the planking, and through the angle iron bars; and short portions of
angle iron bars are used where two planks come together, as was described
in Figure 4; or the two ends may lap or scarpt over each other, as is
usual in boat building. The scams of a vessel so planked by single outside
planking on angle iron bars is to be caulked in the usual way. I would
remark, that when the planking, particularly the inside planking, is several
inches thick, in place of using screw bolts with nuts as fastenings, bolts may
be used and fastened by rivetting on washers. But I do not consider such
mode of fastening to be so good and secure as screw bolts and nuts, especially
in steam vessels, near the boilers; and in order to retain the nuts securely on

page_text: the bolts, when the nuts have been screwed up tight, I upset the end of the
screw by hammering.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim as part of
my Invention the angle iron bars or the T iron bars, or any of the parts singly
used or employed in constructing a ship, vessel, or boat, according to my plan
of building; and although I prefer the use of single angle iron bars, as shewn
and described, double angle iron, called T iron, may be used for the framing.
In such case the short lengths e, e, where the ends of planks come together,
will be dispensed with. But I claim,-
First, the mode herein-before described of outer and inner planking with
wood upon angle iron bars, whether such bars be angle iron bars or T iron
bars; and,
Secondly, the mode of outer planking with wood upon angle iron bars, and
secured by screw bolt fastenings, as above specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Joseph Ditchburn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.