Im- PROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE DOCKING OF SHIPS OR THE GETTING OF THEM OUT OF WATER FOR CLEANING OR REPAIRS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUCH PURPOSE."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Gray Lawrie, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Shipbuilder, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE DOCKING OF SHIPS OR THE GETTING OF
THEM OUT OF WATER FOR CLEANING OR REPAIRS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
SUCH PURPOSE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Gray Lawrie
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th March 1873.
I, JAMES GRAY LAWRIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Shipbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE DOCKING OF SHIPS OR THE GETTING OF
THEM OUT OF WATER FOR CLEANING OR REPAIRS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUCH
PURPOSE," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention comprises a system of operations conducted with a
new combination of apparatus whereby a number of ships may be got
out of water for the purpose of cleaning or repairing them at a com.

page_text: paratively very moderate cost, and without the large outlay required
with existing systems to accomodate a similar number of ships.
In carrying out the Invention a number of saucers or pontoons, such
as have already been used for floating ships out of water are provided,
but instead of raising these saucers or pontoons by means of the ex-
pensive and complicated machinery hitherto used for that purpose, and
of which an example is described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to Edwin Clark, and dated 19 January 1857 (No. 159), they are
used in combination with a basin, lock, or dock, of the ordinary ex-
cavated kind. The basin, lock, or dock, has fitted in connection with
it pumping machinery such as is in use in connection with ordinary
graving docks, and the operations for each ship consist in (1) floating
in and sinking the saucer or pontoon to the bottom of the dock; (2)
floating in the ship over the saucer or pontoon; (3) withdrawing the
water gradually to let the ship settle down on the saucer or pontoon, on
which she is secured; (4) further withdrawing the water to empty the
saucer or pontoon; (5) re-admitting water to float the saucer or pontoon
with the ship on it; and (6) moving the saucer or pontoon with the
ship on it out of the basin, lock, or dock to any convenient station
whereat the cleaning or repairing operations are to be carried out.
By these means a large number of ships may be floated out of water
in succession without loss of time, and they may be relaunched when
cleaned or repaired by the following operations, namely, by (1) taking
each ship on its saucer or pontoon into the basin, lock, or dock; (2)
withdrawing sufficient water for the saucer or pontoon to rest on the
bottom; (3) admitting water again into the basin, lock, or dock, and
simultaneously into the saucer or pontoon so as to float the ship of the
saucer or pontoon; and (4) taking out the ship when the saucer or pontoon
may be left in the basin, lock, or dock, ready to receive another ship.
In some cases a ship may be re-launched without being taken into the
basin, lock, or dock, on simply admitting water gradually into the
pontoon.
The terms saucer and pontoon are herein-before used to signify, the
former a simple tray or single shelled structure, and the latter a
structure of the same general form, but made or fitted with air-tight
casings.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said James.
Gray Lawrie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th October
1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GRAY LAWRIE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Shipbuilder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Gray Lawrie, Her
special licence that I, the said James Gray Lawrie, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Gray
Lawrie, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE DOCKING OF SHIPS OR THE GETTING OF THEM
OUT OF WATER FOR CLEANING OR REPAIRS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SUCH PURPOSE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Gray Lawrie,
my executors 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 performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on or before the Fourteenth day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Gray Lawrie, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say:
My said Invention comprises a system of operations conducted with
a new combination of apparatus, whereby a number of ships may be
got out of water for the purpose of cleaning or repairing them, at a

page_text: comparatively very moderate cost, and without the large outlay required.
with existing systems for accomodating a similar large number of
ships.
In practically carrying out my Invention a number of saucers or
pontoons, such as are herein-after more particularly described, are pro-
vided, but instead of raising these saucers or pontoons by means of the
expensive and complicated machinery hitherto used for that purpose,
and of which an example is described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to Edwin Clark, and dated 19th January 1857 (No. 159),
they are used in combination with a basin, lock, or dock, of the ordinary
excavated kind. This basin, lock, or dock, has fitted in connection with
it pumping machinery, such as is in use in connection with ordinary
graving docks; and the operations constituting my improved system
consist in the case of each ship in, 1, floating in and sinking the saucer
or pontoon to the bottom of the dock; 2, floating in the ship over the
saucer or pontoon; 3, withdrawing the water gradually to let the ship
settle down on the saucer or pontoon on which she is secured in the
usual way; 4, further withdrawing the water to empty the saucer or
pontoon; 5, readmitting water to float the saucer or pontoon with the
ship on it; and 6, moving the saucer or pontoon with the ship on it out
of the basin, lock, or dock, to any convenient station whereat the cleaning
or repairing operations are to be carried out.
By the herein-before described operations or means, a large number
of ships may be floated out of water in succession, without loss of time,
and they may be re-launched when cleaned or repaired by the following
operations, namely, by 1, taking each ship on its saucer or pontoon into
the basin, lock, or dock; 2, withdrawing sufficient water to make the
saucer or pontoon rest on the bottom; 3, admitting water again into the
basin, lock, or dock, and simultaneously into the saucer or pontoon so as
to float the ship off the saucer or pontoon; and 4, taking out the ship
when the saucer or pontoon may be left in the basin, lock, or dock, ready
to receive another ship.
In some cases a ship may be re-launched without being taken into
the basin, dock, or lock, on simply admitting water gradually into the
saucer or pontoon.
I have herein-before used the terms saucer and pontoon to signify, the
former a simple tray or single shelled structure, and the latter a structure
of the same general form, but made or fitted with air-tight casings.

page_text: The saucers or pontoons may be such as have already been used for
floating ships out of water, a convenient construction being shown on
the accompanying Sheet of illustrative Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of a
saucer suitable for floating a ship of about 3000 tons (Custom House
register). It may be rectangular in plan, or with the corners taken off
as indicated by the dotted lines A, Figure 1. The structure is con-
verted into a pontoon by fitting air-tight casings along the sides as
indicated by the dotted lines B, Figure 2. For the purpose of admitting
a ship without it being necessary to float it entirely above the top edge of
the saucer or pontoon, a door C is provided at the end for the ship's keel
to enter at.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein-before described or referred to, and that I do not
make any claim to the construction of saucers or pontoons, or of basins,
locks, or docks, or of pumping or other machinery connected with such
saucers, pontoons, basins, locks, or docks; but that what I believe to be
novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letter Patent is, the using of saucers or
pontoons in combination with basins, locks, or docks, in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Gray Lawrie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
J. G. LAWRIE. (L.S.)