An Improved Life Saving Ladder.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb.,. 1891
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Life Saving Ladder.
WILLIAM BLACK Master Mariner residing at Heathfield Villa Ardross Place
Inverness and GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT Marine Engineer residing at 45 Great
Junction Street Leith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
The sides of the life saving ladder are made of wood with wooden spars about
16 inches apart the inside of the ladder being lined with solid cork and thoroughly
protected with canvas.
Life lines are attached on the outside. Lanyards are fastened to each spar for the
purpose of perfectly securing the person on it while in the water.
The ladder can be made in sizes to support from one to ten persons or more.
DL 1f 1901
WILLIAM BLACK.
GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT.
An Improved Life-saving Ladder.
We, WILLIAM BLACK, Master Mariner, residing at Heathfield Villa, Ardross
Place, Inverness, and GEORGE LOGAN BURNETT, Marine Engineer, residing at
45, Great Junction Street, Leith, 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, that is to say.:-
-
Our said invention has for its object the construction of an improved life-saving
ladder so as to render it extremely light and durable also very serviceable in case
of accident a large number of the ladders being capable of being stowed, without
inconvenience, along the ship's rails and in other positions on board ship where they
are very accessible so that they can be put to use at a moments's notice.
In carrying out cur invention the sides of the life saving ladder are each made
double and by preference of wood a space being left between each pair of boards
forming a side. The inside or space between the boards is filled with cork
thoroughly protected with canvas on back and front. Wooden spars extend across
from side to side of the ladder about 16 inches apart. Life lines are attached on
the outside; and lanyards are fastened to each spar for the purpose of securing the
person or persons on the ladder when in the water. The ladder can be made in
sizes to support from one to ten persons or more.
A simple and convenient modification of our improved life-saving ladder is shown
on the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings Figure, 1, being a sectional
plan, Figure, 2, an end elevation and Figure, 3, a side elevation. In these drawings
the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they
are repeated.
As shown on the drawings the sides, A, of the life-saving ladder are each made
double and by preference of wood a space being left between each pair of boards
forming a side and the boards being connected together by cross pieces, B, of wood
at each end. The inside or space between each pair of boards forming a side, A,
is filled with, by preference, layers of cork, C, pinned or otherwise fastened
together so as to form a solid piece; and strips of canvas, D, are nailed on both
back and front to protect the cork, C. Wooden spars, E, connect the two double
sides, A, being fixed in sockets formed for them in the wooden sides, A, and through

page_text: the cork, C. Life lines, G, are attached on the outside, and lanyards, H, are
fastened to each spar, E, to serve for securing a person or persons to the ladder
while in the water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
As a means of saving life at sea a so-called ladder the parts of which are
constructed and combined substantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of July 1891.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
Per Pro D. Ferguson.