IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND IN THE MODE OF ATTACHING OR CONNECTING AND FIXING WOOD PLANKS TO THE SIDES AND BOTTOMS THEREOF TO RECEIVE THE METAL SHEATHING AND OTHER EXTERNAL AND ALSO INTERNAL FITTINGS OF IRON AND STEEL SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Taylor at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th May
1868.
I, WILLIAM TAYLOR, of Woodstock Road, Poplar, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL SHIPS AND OTHER
FLOATING BODIES, AND IN THE MODE OF ATTACHING OR CONNECTING AND FIXING
WOOD PLANKS TO THE SIDES AND BOTTOMS THEREOF TO RECEIVE THE METAL
SHEATHING AND OTHER EXTERNAL AND ALSO INTERNAL FITTINGS OF IRON AND STEEL
SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES," to be as follows:-
The object and intention of this Invention is to dispense with the
necessity for making holes in the bottom of iron or steel ships or using
bolts, nuts, washers, and filling pieces for securing wood planking to the
sides and bottoms, thus the inside of the ship is left perfectly flush and
smooth to receive the frames, stringers, intercostal keelson, and other
tie plates that are to be fayed thereto, thereby avoiding the expense of
joggling and upsetting the said stringers, intercostal keelson, and other
tie plates as at present practised in the construction of iron and steel

page_text: ships, the whole of the rivetting by these improvements being effected
from the inside of the vessel and made flush, the heads of the rivets
being on the outside. I propose to make straps of a ribbed dovetail
shape, or of a double T shape in cross section. I use the aforesaid straps
either longitudinally or vertically, and fit them on to the outside of the
vessel, and rivet them by preference at the inside of the vessel, and by
fitting the ends of the planking to the sides of the dovetail or the
double T shape, and fitting and fixing the planks by their ends between
each pair of one or the other of such said straps, the planks will thus be
securely held and connected to the sides and bottoms of ships and other
floating bodies without the aid of fastenings passed through the bottom
and sides of the ship. The wood planking may be placed either hori-
zontally or diagonally over the bottom and sides of the ship or other
floating body and one or two thicknesses of planks be employed, and
when a second thickness of planks is required I connect them to the
inner planks by suitable external fastenings. I also propose to make the
vertical and horizontal joints jump-jointed by preference, and when
the planking is placed diagonally and in two thicknesses I place and fix
the outer planks either horizontally or in a reverse position diagonally
to the inner planking. The spaces between the wood planking and
bottom and sides of the ship or other floating body I propose if desirable
to fill with Portland cement or other suitable composition or materials
to preserve the iron plating between the aforesaid straps. The aforesaid
dovetail or double T shape straps may be fixed either horizontally or
vertically to the bottom and sides of the ship or other floating body, but
when placed horizontally the inside planking must be placed diagonally,
when fixed vertically the said planking may be placed either hori-
zontally, vertically, or diagonally. I propose also to form the keel and
stem and stern posts of iron and steel ships and other floating bodies
upon the above principle, filling in between the aforesaid ribbed straps
with wood to receive the keel and stem and stern posts. I also propose
to rivet the aforesaid straps to reverse angle iron of the frames on the
inside of the ship or other floating body to receive wood. Foot lining
and ceiling to be fixed in the same manner as the outside planking above
.described.
To adapt these improvements to iron and steel ships and other floating
bodies already built in the ordinary way, the dovetail or double T shape
straps may be fixed to the sides and bottom thereof from the outside by

page_text: screw bolts or rivets to receive the wood planking and metal sheathing.
And in constructing new iron and steel ships and other floating bodies
intended to receive wood sheathing I propose to fix some of the ribs
outside of the vessel instead of wholly inside of the same, as heretofore
practised, and sheath with wood and metal as above described.