A NEW OR IMPROVED CAPTAIN'S BRIDGE, CONSTRUCTED AS A SELF-LAUNCHING LIFE RAFT
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Roper, of No. 4, Albert Place, Lewisham
High Road, New Cross, in the County of Kent, Contractor, for
the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED CAPTAIN'S BRIDGE, CONSTRUCTED
AS A SELF-LAUNCHING LIFE RAFT."
Sealed the 28th October 1873, and dated the 30th April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Roper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th April 1873.
I, RICHARD ROPER, of No. 4, Albert Place, Lewisham High Road,
New Cross, in the County of Kent, Contractor, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED CAPTAIN'S BRIDGE,
CONSTRUCTED AS A SELF-LAUNCHING LIFE RAFT," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide the crews and passengers
of ships with a ready and reliable means, available at any moment, of
escape from such perils as wreck and fire.
My Invention consists in forming the captain's bridge of steel or
other light metal plates, or of wood or other suitable material, arranged
on the cellular principle, so as thereby to give it great buoyancy, and

page_text: thus render it available as a life raft. The cells may be filled, if
desirable, with cork or other light buoyant material.
The bridge or raft thus constructed has a deck of wood, and is provided
with the usual bridge fittings. The bridge rests upon iron beams, which
iron beams form the launch for it when wanted for use as a raft. The
bridge or raft is fitted with a rudder and water-tight seats, which seats
may contain provisions, sails, rockets, signal flags, compass, masts, and
oars lashed to the staunchions ready for use, also life lines for fastening
across the raft.
The iron beams herein-before mentioned upon which the bridge or
raft rests are provided with friction rollers to facilitate the launching of
the bridge or raft.
By any simple appliance, such as rack and pinion or friction gear,
I lower either end of the bridge or raft, so as to give it an incline, and
the same lowering apparatus may be made to open the bulwarks to the
extent of the width of the raft. The part of the bulwarks thus opened
(provided if necessary with friction rollers) forms an extension of the
launching ways, and will thus bring the raft very near to the water,
where the simple action of a lever releases the fastenings, and the raft
thus glides into the water, the passengers being already on the raft, and
their weight giving an impetus to the same, which assists it in clearing
the wreck.
I propose fitting one or more of these bridges, according to the size of
the ships, and where ships have poop and forecastle cabins I propose to
fit rafts upon the same principle in front of them. In this way a ready
means is supplied of saving every individual on board, even in the case
of crowded emigrant or troop ships.
These rafts can also be placed between the ship's side and midship
fittings and would be there calf floating in case of foundering.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Roper in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 30th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ROPER, of No. 4, Albert Place, Lewisham High Road, New Cross, in
the County of Kent, Contractor, send greeting.

page_text: '
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirticth day of April, 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 Richard Roper, Her special
licence that I, the said Richard Roper, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Roper, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED
CAPTAIN'S BRIDGE, CONSTRUCTED AS A SELF-LAUNCHING LIFE RAFT," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Roper, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the dato
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Roper, 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 :-
My Invention has for its object to provide the crews and passengers
of ships with a ready and reliable means, available at any moment, of
escape from such perils as wreck and fire.
My Invention consists in forming the captain's bridge of steel, or of
other light metal plates, or of wood, or of other suitable material,
arranged on the cellular principle, so as thereby to give it great buoyancy,
and thus render it available as a life raft. The cells may be filled, if
desirable, with cork or other light buoyant material.
The bridge or raft thus constructed has a deck of wood, and is
provided with the usual bridge fittings. The bridge rests upon iron
beams, which iron beams form the launch for it when wanted for use
as a raft. The bridge or raft is fitted with a rudder and with water-
tight scats, which seats may contain provisions, sails, rockets, sigual

page_text: flags, compass, masts, and oars lashed to the stanchions. ready for use,
also life lines for fastening across the raft.
The iron beams herein-before mentioned upon which the bridge or
raft rests are provided with friction rollers to facilitate the launching of
the bridge or raft.
By any simple appliance, such as rack and pinion or friction gear, I
lower either end of the bridge or raft, so as to give it an incline, and
the same lowering apparatus may be made to open the bulwarks to the
extent of the width of the raft. The part of the bulwarks thus opened
(provided if necessary with friction rollers) forms an extension of the
launching ways, and will thus bring the raft very near to the water,
where the simple action of a lever releases the fastenings, and the raft
thus glides into the water, the passengers being already on the raft, and
their weight giving an impetus to the same, which assists it in clearing
the wreck.
I propose fitting one or more of these bridges, according to the size of
the ships, and where ships have poop and forecastle cabins I propose
to fit rafts. upon the same principle in front of them. In this way a
ready means is supplied of saving every individual on board, .even in the
case of crowded emigrant or troop ships.
These rafts can also be placed between the ship's side and midship
fittings, and would be thus self-floating in case of foundering.
In order that the nature of my Invention and the means by which
the same is effected may be clearly described and ascertained, I append
to this Specification three Sheets of Drawings, numbered I., II., and III.,
having numbers and letters of reference marked thereupon.
In these Drawings in Sheet I., No. 1 is a fore and aft elevation shewing
the position of the various rafts hercin-before alluded to with the
exception of those placed between the ship's side and midship fittings.
(No. 2) in the Drawings is a fore and aft elevation shewing the hollow
cells A; No. 2 is another elevation in which one of the cells B is shewn,
as lined or fitted with cork or other buoyant material; d, d, are brackets
for supporting the stanchions 6; a is the friction roller, the beam, and
e the bolt. No. 3 is a view shewing one mode in which the raft may
be supported. The stanchions 6 carry a sliding block c containing a
shackle & for fastening a chain passing over the wheel c; a is the beam
passing from side to side of the ship and forming the launching ways.

page_text: In this beam are the friction rollers.f; g is a drum round which the
chain passes. No. 4 shews another mode of supporting or carrying the
raft. In this view c is the sliding block, a the beam, f the friction
roller, e is the lever of the break with the eye g to receive the end of a
chain which passes round the drum d.
In Sheet II., No. 1 shews part elevation and plan of a steel raft
having a deck in two thicknesses, and shewing the lockers, and the
general mode of construction. No. 2 shews a raft composed of a series
of thin steel cylinders. No. 3 is an elevation and plan of a raft con-
structed also in cells, but of wood. No. 4 shews the raft equipped for
service.
In Sheet III. is shewn some methods of lowering the raft. No. 1
shews one method, a is the beam, h is the stanchion, c is the bolt
through stanchion to beam, and d is a pin which by being knocked out
lowers one end of the raft. No. 2 is the method as herein-before
described of lowering as shewn in No. 4, Sheet I. In No. 3 is shewn
another method; a is the beam, 6 the stanchion, c the sliding block,
d is a plate fitting round the stanchion on deck, e is a piston or end of
stanchion, and f is a hydraulic cylinder supplied from the pump, as
shewn, and g is the outlet for the water when the raft is to be lowered.
No. 4 shews a worm and pinion arrangement, the worm is worked by
the lever fand hand wheel h, c is the sliding block, e is the pinion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the means by which the same is effected, what I
claim is the construction and use of self-launching rafts for ships in the
manner or manners, and for the purposes 'all as described in this Specifi-
cation, and in the accompanying Drawings illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Roper, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.