AN IMPROVED LIFE BOAT
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED LIFE BOAT."-A communication.
Sealed the 6th October 1857, and dated the 9th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
9th June 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED LIFE BOAT," to be as follows:-
This Invention of an improved life boat consists in a car, vessel, or boat
for receiving goods and passengers, and which is supported upon two hollow
closed air-tight floats with elevated prow-shaped ends. This vessel is sup-
ported at the ends and at various points in the length of the said floats, which
are placed parallel to each other. The car, vessel, or boat is raised on supports
high above the general surface of the water, and therefore forms a safe and
comparatively dry place for the conveyance of passengers and goods from.
vessels to the shore. Between the parallel floats is placed a paddle wheel,
which is covered in at top with a water-tight casing, so as to keep out water
from the boat. This paddle wheel may be driven by gearing actuated by
manual labor. A rudder mounted in a suitable rudder frame is also adapted

page_text: to one end of the vessel, and pumps communicating with the interior of the
hollow floats are provided for the purpose of pumping out any waste water
that may leak into the hollow floats.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William. Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Edward Newton, 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 "AN IMPROVED LIFE BOAT," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my land and seal, 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 J, the said William Edward Newton; do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
This Invention of "An Improved Life Boat" consists in a car, vessel, or
boat for receiving goods and passengers, and which is supported. upon the
elevated prow-shaped ends of two hollow closed air-tight floats. This vessel
is supported at the ends and at various points in the length of the said floats,

page_text: which are placed parallel to each other. The car, vessel, or boat is raised on
-supports high above the general surface of. the water, and therefore forms a safe
and comparatively dry place for the conveyance of passengers and goods from
vessels to the shore. Between the parallel floats is placed. a paddle wheel
which is covered in at top with a water-tight casing, so as to keep out water
from the boat. This paddle wheel may be driven by gearing. actuated by
manual labour. A rudder mounted in a suitable rudder frame is also adapted
to one end of the vessel, and pumps communicating with the interior of the
hollow floats are provided. for the purpose of pumping out any water that may
leak into the hollow floats.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a trans-
verse section of the boat. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in both Figures. A, A, are two parallel. hollow tubular air-tight floats,
made of boiler iron or other suitable material, with prow-shaped ends f, f.
and with keels b, b. The tubular floats A are placed at some distance apart,
and upon them is mounted a boat-shaped car B for the reception of passengers.
This car B is made to rest on the prow-shaped ends of the floats A, A, and is
supported on the floats at various points between the ends by standards or
struts a, a, and is further stayed thereto by stays c, c. The car B is placed at
a considerable elevation above the floats A, so as to keep it generally some
distance above the surface of the water, and to prevent: the passengers from
being washed overboard or continually overwhelmed by the breaking of the
waves over it. This car has seats. arranged. in any convenient manner, and
has lockers i, i, Fig. 2, arranged along within the sides, for the purpose of
containing provisions, clothing, and other articles, and tanks are arranged in
a similar manner within the ends to hold water: The lockers and tanks are
kept ready filled for use, and serve for seats when the boat is in the water.
C is a paddle wheel arranged to work in an opening made in the bottom of
the car B, and having its upper part enclosed in a water-tight casing D to
exclude the water from the interior of the car. The shaft d of this wheel is
geared with another shaft e which is to be turned by hand by means. of cranks.
E, E, Fig. 2, are pumps placed within the car B, and are provided with pipes
leading to the floats A, A, and furnished with arms I to be worked by persons
in the car, for the purpose of pumping out any water that may leak into the
floats; F is a rudder suspended below the car in a suitable framing midway
between the floats; G, G, are two awning posts, fitted to slide up and down
in hollow standards H, H, arranged in the centre of the car.
These posts
carry a horizontal bar K, and are provided with racks g, g, whereby the bar K
may be raised and lowered by turning or actuating the pinions h, h, on the

page_text: horizontal shaft M. J, J, are smaller awning posts attached to the sides of the
The awning L is put up by attaching it to the bar K after lowering the
posts G, G, then attaching it to the posts J, J, by hooks and eyes or similar
fastenings, and afterwards raising the posts G, G, by means of the racks and
pinions till the awning is tightened.
This life boat may be used on coasts for the purpose of saving life from
shipwreck, or may be carried by ships. or other vessels.. It may be launched
in the same way as any other boat, or when on board another vessel, the latter
if in a sinking state, may be allowed to go down without launching the life
boat, the passengers having all previously got into the life boat, which will be
left floating.
This life boat possesses the advantage over other life boats of keeping the
passengers high out of the water and protected from the waves; it has great
buoyancy, and will stand any sea without capsizing.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not
claim the construction of vessels by placing a deck on two or more floats; but
what I claim as new in the present Invention, and desire to secure by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, is, constructing a life boat or vessel of a car, supported as
herein shewn and described on the elevated ends of two or more floats, pro-
vided with such intermediate supports as may be necessary, such car being thus
raised high above the general surface of the water for the purpose of keeping
the passengers protected from the waves.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)