Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1887
Complete Left, 14th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 27th July, 1888
RES
I, JAMES BROADFOOT, of 55 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to improve and simplify the construction of
ships ventilators of a kind for admitting air through a port or aperture in the ship's
side into saloons, cabins, state rooms, holds, or other internal parts, and which are
provided with automatic closing apparatus to prevent the ingress of water.
In carrying out my Invention I construct a short vertical passage in connection
with the top of the space between the port or aperture in the skin of the ship and a
glazed casement or door; and at the top of the vertical passage I fit a door or hinged
valve opening into the interior and which can be entirely closed or opened to a greater
or less extent as required. In the vertical passage I place a float consisting by
preference of a hollow copper vessel, with its top shaped to act as a valve and to close
up against a valve seat consisting by preference of a rubber flange fixed round the
inside of the vertical passage near the top. The float is of an oblong form in plan and
ordinarily rests upon a diaphragm of metal which is made with one or more
comparatively large apertures immediately under the float, and with small perforations
at the parts between the float and the sides of the passage. There may be two or
more perforated diaphragms and the float may work through one or more of them. The
perforated diaphragms will allow air to pass with sufficient freedom, but will retard
the ascent of water should it enter the port, and they will cause the water to act with
its main force on the bottom of the float valve, thus ensuring the closing of the passage
before any water can get through it into the interior.
Dated this Sovantoonth day of December 1887.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent

page_text: I, JAMES BROADFOOT, of 55 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to improve and simplify the construction of
ships ventilators, of a kind for admitting air throngh a port or aperture in the ship's
side into saloons, cabins, state rooms, holds, or other internal parts, and which aro
provided with automatic closing apparatus to prevent the ingress of water.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings showing
a simple and convenient modification of my improved ventilator.
Figures, 1, and 2, on the accompanying sheet of drawings are, respectively, a
sectional plan and a vertical section of the ventilator and figures, 3, and 4, are similar
views but at right angles to figures, 1, and 2.
In carrying out my Invention I construct a short vertical passage consisting of
lower and upper parts, 5, 6, formed in a casing fixed to the top of a casing, 7,
communicating between it and the port, S, in the side of the ship this lower casing, 7,
being fitted with a casement or door, 9, which may be glazed if desired. At the top
of the vertical passage, 6, I fit a hood, 10, made with a screw spindle, 11, working in
a bridge piece, 12, so that the passage can be entirely closed or opened to a greater or
less extent as required, by screwing the hood up or down. In the vertical passage, 5,
I place a float, 13, consisting, by preference, of a hollow copper vessel with its top
shaped to act as a valve and to close up against a valve seat consisting by preference
of a rubber ring, 14, fixed in a groove in a contracted part in the passage, 5. Or the
rubber may be fixed on the top of the float, 13, to close up against a metal seat. The
float, 13, is of an oblong form in plan and ordinarily rests upon a diaphragm, 15, of
metal which is made with a coniparatively large aperture immediately under the
float, 13, and with small perforations at the parts between the float, 13, and the sides
of the passage. There may be two or more perforated diaphragms (15) and the
float, 13, may work through one or more of them, being guided by a spindle, 16, fixed
to its top and passing through a bridge, 17, in the passage, 6, and by feathers, 18, on
its underside working in the aperture in the diaphragm, 15. A baffle plate, 19, is
attached to brackets, 20, on the bottom of the diaphragm, 15, so as to leave a space
between the baffle plate, 19, and the bottom of the float, 13. The baffle plate, 19, and
the perforated diaphragm, 15, will allow air to pass with sufficient freedom, but will
retard the ascent of water should it enter the port, 8, and they will cause the water to
act with its main force on the bottom of the float valve, 13, thus insuring the closing
of the passage, 5, before any water can get up through it into the interior.
A door or hinged valve or any suitable known arrangement of louvre boards may
be substituted for the adjustable hood (10) at the top of the passage, 5, and where two

page_text: or more perforated diaphragms, 15, are used the baffle plate, 19, may be dispensed
with, the float valve, 13, in this case resting, by preference, on the rounded upper edge
of a short tubular piece extending up from the aperture in the uppermost of the
diaphragms. The baffling action for preventing the passage of water up past the float
valve, 13, is increased by making the lower wider part, 5, of the passage to extend
higher than the valve seat so as to form an air space, 21, as shown, which air space
may even be made deeper than as shown.
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 I
claim is :-
1-Constructing or combining the parts of ships' ventilators in the improved
manner substantially as herein before described and as shown in the accompanying
drawings.
2-In a ship's ventilator made with a vertical air passage combining a float valve
with perforated or other baffling plates substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.