AN IMPROVED MODE OF RAISING AND LOWERING VESSELS FROM ONE LEVEL TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF NAVIGABLE WATERS
Year: 1813

page_text: WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirty-first day of
May, in the fifty-third year of His reign, give and grant unto me, CHARLES
BRODERIP, of Great Portland Street, in the Parish of Saint Mary-le-bone,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
His said Majesty's special licence, full power and sole priviledge and authority,
that I, the said Charles Broderip, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, during
the term of fourteen years, to be computed from the date thereof, should and
might lawfully make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF RAISING AND LOWERING VESSELS FROM ONE LEVEL TO ANOTHER LEVEL OF
NAVIGABLE WATERS," within that part of His Majesty's said United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, and His Majesty's Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed; in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso that if I, the said Charles Broderip, should
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, then the said Letters Patent
should cease, determine, and become void, as in and by said Letters Patent,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW I, the said Charles Broderip, in compliance with the said proviso,
do, by this Instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly describe

page_text: the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, as follows (that is to say):-
In the Drawings hereunto annexed, the same parts or things are every-
where indicated by the same letters of the alphabet or numeral figures, and
my said mode of conveying vessels from one level to another is affected by
means of the machinery.therein represented. And in the Drawings Figure 1.
Figure 2, and Figure 3, the line A, B, denotes the upper level of a navigable
water or canal, and the line C, D, denotes the lower level of the same. E, E,
denotes a caisson or vessel or receptacle called the upper caisson, and is of
such dimensions that when brought to the same elevation as and immediately
opposite and close to the termination either of the upper or lower water or
canal respectively, the said caisson shall constitute and become or shall be
capable of being used as a prolongation of such and the said water or canal
in admitting or delivering or transferring coals or floating vessels therein, to,
or therefrom, as is herein-after more fully explained; and F, G, denote two
collateral vessels, or receptacles called the lower side troughs, which..are
fixed unto the said upper caisson, and have free communication with each
other (but not with the caisson) by means of the tube, pipe, or trunk M, M.
And the said lower side troughs are so placed that when the said upper caisson
is duly placed as to the upper level as aforesaid, then the said troughs, will be
below that level, and may be filled with water through the channel Q, R,
froin that level by means of a sluice or other equivalent contrivance at R.
HI, I, denote two similar vessels or receptacles called the upper side troughs,
placed above the lower side troughs, and at such a height that the bottom of
each of these upper side troughs is somewhat above the surface of the water
in the caisson E, E. These upper side troughs have free communication
with each other (but not with the caisson) by means of the tube, pipe, or
trunk N, N; and K, K, denote a floating piece or mass called the lower
caisson, so contrived, with regard to the structure or materials thereof, as that
the same when immersed in water shall always have a power or tendency to
rise and carry along with it the upper caisson, with the contents thereof, and
all the apparatus, matters, and things thereunto or therewith fixed or con-
nected, provided the side troughs be empty. L, L, is an additional piece to
the upper caisson, called the upper buoyant piece, and L is a like piece to
the lower caisson, called the lower buoyant piece. 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, are pillars
or pieces, of any convenient number or figure, by means whereof the upper
and lower caissons are joined and connected at such a distance from each
other as shall or may be adapted to the difference in height between the upper
and lower levels.. P, P, P, P, is a well or tank or space containing water, in

page_text: which the lower caisson is immersed, and can be submerged thro' a depth
equal to or exceeding the difference in height between the upper and lower
levels. Q, R, is the channel for filling the side troughs from the upper level.
S, T, is a like channel leading to the lower level, into which the side troughs
empty themselves by a sluice in each. V, W, shews the like on the other
side, if preferred. X, X, indicate the apparatus for adjusting the grooves in
the guides for conducting the caisson up and down, as is more amply shewn
in Figure 4. Y, Y, Z, Z, indicate the apparatus for lowering and raising the
gates, as is more amply shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
In Figure 4 the space A denotes the termination of the upper water, and
E the upper caisson in its place. The shaded part, 7, denotes a piece project-
ing from the said caisson, and sliding when moved in the groove formed
between the pieces 4 and 8, and the piece 4 is capable of being moved always
parallel to the piece 8, by means of the parallel rule joints at 5, 5, 5, 5,
connected with the 'fixed piece 1, 1; and 2, 3, is a lever moveable on its
center 1, and affixed to 4 by another center or joint, having a counterpoise at
2, and an adjusting rope at 3, 6, for placing and retaining the piece 4 in the
proper situation.
In Figure 5 the upper level and upper caisson' are 'seen as before. No. 9,
10, 11, denote the levers Y, Y, of the preceding Figures 1 and 2, moveable on'
the center 10; and the face 11, when pressed down by pulling the chain 29 of
the gallows-12, affixed to the levers Y, Y, (see Figure 7,) acts upon the tops
of the gates 16, 17, (Figure 5,) and carries them down, as shown in Figure 6,
into the cells 22, 23, and 23, 24, and thereby completes an open communi-
cation between the caisson and the canal. The counterweights at No. 9,
assisted by the buoyancy of the gates themselves and by means of the chains
27, do cause the said gates 17, 21, to rise and shut when left at liberty so to do.
Numbers 13, 14, 15, denote the levers Z, of the preceding Figures 1 and 2;1
moveable on the center 14. These levers are counterweiglited at 13, and are"
connected with the gates 18, 20, by the chains 28, and their office is to cause
the said gates to rise and shut when left at liberty, as has been described with
regard to the gates 17, 21. And in the said gates, numbers 18 and 19 shew
a middle joint, and 25, 26, are covering pieces which prevent the loss of water
when the gates are up. And lastly, the gates 16, 20, as is shown, belong to
the caisson, and the gates 17, 21, belong to the canal.
And I do further declare that the method or practice of raising and
lowering a caisson by means or by the assistance of a floating mass in a well
or cavity below the same is not separately and in itself new, although the
same, jointly with other novelties of structure and operation herein set forth,

page_text: doth constitute a part of my said improved mode; and further, that the
operation of my said mode of conveying vessels from one level to another of
navigable waters is performed as follows:-
Firstly, the upper caisson being supposed to be stopped and quiescent at the
upper level, open or depress the gates and admit the water and a boat (loaded
or empty makes no difference) into the caisson, and then allow the gates to
rise and closc.
Secondly, open the channel Q, R, and the lower side trouglis will be filled,
and will carry the caisson down till the lower buoyant piece L is completely
immersed; and at this period the reaction of L, by virtue of the respective
dimensions of the lower buoyant piece and of the lower troughs, will suspend
the descent at the point where the top of the upper troughs shall be on a
level with the bottom of the channel Q, R.
Thirdly, fill or charge the upper troughs with water from R, and the caisson
with all its connected parts or apparatus will descend to a regulating stop, at
which the said caisson with its contents will be at the same elevation as and
immediately opposite and close to the termination of the lower water or canal,
as shewn by the dotted lines, Figure 1.
Fourthly, open or depress the gates, and transfer the boat to the lower level,
and admit another boat (supposed to be ready) into the upper caisson, and then
allow the gates to rise and shut.
Fifthly, let off the water from the upper troughs into the channel leading
to the lower level, and the caisson will rise until the upper buoyant piece shall
have entirely quitted the water, and the lower troughs shall, by virtue of the
respective dimensions thereof, and of the said piece, have arrived at the
situation where the bottom of the said trough shall be level with the surface
of the water in the lower channel, and then let off the water in like manner
from the said troughs, and the caisson will ascend to its original situation,
where it will be stopped.
Sixthly, in this situation the machinery will be in readiness for the repe-
tition of the process firstly herein described, namely, by depressing the gates.
and causing the boat to pass into the upper level, and then receiving another
vessel and closing and descending as before, and in this manner my said mode
of conveying vessels may be continued and repeated without limit.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Broderip, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year
One thousand eight hundred and thirteen.
CHAS BRODERIP. (L.S,).

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of Novem-
ber, in the year of our Lord 1813, the aforesaid Charles Broderip came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
5 specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stampt according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
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