IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE-BOATS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Gunner, of Lucas Road, Kennington,
in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LIFE-BOATS."
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 20th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Gunner at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th March 1868.
I, CHARLES GUNNER, of Lucas Road, Kennington, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN LIFE-BOATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction
of life-boats, the object being to provide a self-righting boat and to
secure the sailors and persons rescued from being lost.
I propose to form the boat with a cabin at each end and central
part of its length for the reception of persons rescued, air tubes being
applied for ventilation; these cabins are below the level of the gunwale,
and above them the air chambers are arranged for buoyancy, the
seats for the rowers are to be placed at intervals between the cabins,

page_text: and the men are to be strapped or secured to the seats. I also propose
to apply a ball or receptacle of any suitable material to the central
part of the boat by means of a rod and pivoted joint; this ball
or receptacle is filled with air and is secured upright or nearly
so while the boat is in proper position by means of a flexible or
elastic band on each side attached to each gunwale, but when the
boat is capsized the air ball or receptacle rises against either of the
gunwales and lifts them up out of the water, when the boat by
the motion of gravity instantly rights itself; the elastic band then
brings the air ball to its, vertical position in the centre of the boat.
The top of the air ball or receptacle only reaches to about the level
of the top of the gunwales, so as to be free from the action of the
wind, and the receptacle may be of an angular section with pointed
sides so as to break the force of the wind. The bottom of the boat
is provided with a series of tubes for self-bailing, so that all water
shipped may be easily got rid of. The boat may be worked with
oars or by use of sails; if sails are used and the boat capsizes, she
will be righted immediately by means of the air vessel acting on
the under surface of one or other of the gunwales, and the application
of the ball or receptacle of air attached to a rod and joint and controlled
while the boat is in proper position by the elastic attachments
constitutes the chief principle of my Invention. Any form of jointed
air vessel may be used according to the size of the boat, and if
convenient more than one such air vessel or receptacle may be used
in the same boat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Gunner in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GUNNER, of Lucas Road, Kennington, in the County of Surroy,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Charles Gunner, Her special
licence that I, the said Charles Gunner, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Gunner, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LIFE-BOATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Charles Gunner, 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 within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Gunner, 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 relates to certain improvements in the construction
of life-boats, the object being to provide a self-righting boat, and to
secure the sailors and persons rescued from any situation of danger from
being afterwards lost by the upsetting of the life-boat.
I propose to form the boat with a cabin at each end and central
part of its length for the reception of persons rescued, air tubes being
applied for ventilation. These cabins are below the level of the
gunwale, and above them the air chambers are arranged for buoyancy.
The seats for the rowers are to be placed at intervals between the cabins,
and the men are to be strapped or secured to the seats. I also propose
to apply a ball or receptacle of any suitable material to the central part
of the boat by means of a rod and pivoted joint; this ball or receptacle
is filled with air, and is secured upright or nearly so while the boat
is in proper position by means of a flexible or elastic band on each side
attached to each gunwale, but when the boat is capsized the air ball
or receptacle rises against either of the gunwales and lifts them up
and out of the water when the boat by the motion of gravity instantly

page_text: rights itself; the elastic band then brings the air ball to its vertical
position in the centre of the boat. The top of the air ball or receptacle
only reaches to about the level of the top of the gunwales so as to
be free from the action of the wind, and the receptacle may be of an
angular section with pointed sides in order to break the force of the
wind. The bottom of the boat is provided with a series of tubes for
self-bailing, so that all water shipped may be easily got rid of. The
boat may be worked with oars or by use of sails; if sails are used and
the boat capsizes she will be righted immediately by means of the air
vessel acting on the under surface of one or other of the gunwales; and
the application of the ball or receptacle of air attached to a rod and
joint and controlled while the boat is in proper position by the clastic
attachments constitutes the chief principle of my Invention. Any form
of jointed air vessel may be used according to the size of the boat, and
if convenient more than one such air vessel or receptacle may be used
in the same boat.
In order that my said Invention may be completely understood I
annex the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a plan
view; Fig. 2 a side elevation; and Fig. 3 a section of the boat, similar
letters denoting the same parts in each Figure.
a, a, is the body of the boat, and b, b, b, the cabins; c, c, show the
situations of two air tubes, which are also to be applied to the centre
cabin; d, d, are the air chambers; e, e, the seats for the rowers; fis
the central air ball or receptacle supported by a stem on a pivoted
joint g; and h is a flexible or clastic band uniting the central vessel to
the two air chambers d, d; i, i, are tubes to render the boat self-
bailing.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, I would remark
in conclusion that I do not limit myself to the exact details or
configuration of parts which I have expressed and shewn, as the same
may obviously be varied or modified without departing from the
principles of my Invention, but what I claim and desire to be secured
to me by the herein in part recited Letters Patent are the "I
"Improve-
ments in Life-boats" with special reference to the application of the
central air vessel or receptacle f in conjunction with the flexible or

page_text: elastic band or connection h for the purpose of rendering the life-boat
self-righting, substantially as herein specified and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Gunner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
CHARLES GUNNER. (L.S.)