CERTAIN IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF DRAWING UP SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FROM THE WATER ON LAND, AND FOR TRANSPORTING, OR MOVING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER BODIES ON LAND FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BROWN, of Billiter Square, in the City of London, Commander in the Royal
Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Sixth day of December, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty, in the first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Brown, His special licence, that I, the said Samuel Brown, my
exors, adiňors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Samuel Brown, my
exors, adñññors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, (and no others,) from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF DRAWING UP SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS FROM THE
WATER ON LAND, AND FOR TRANSPORTING, OR MOVING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER
BODIES ON LAND FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that I, the said Samuel Brown, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (reference being
thereunto had), will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Brown, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention
is to be performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
That my said Invention consists in certain improvements (herein-after
described) in the means of drawing up ships and other vessels along slips or
inclined planes or ways, in order to transfer them from the water on to the dry
land; and also in other improvements (herein-after described) for transporting
or moving ships or vessels (which have been so drawn up out of the water on
land) or other bodies along stone tracks or level or inclined planes or ways,
which I propose to be extended from one place to another across the country
in the manner of railroads, for the purpose of, conveying ships, vessels, and
other bodies on land from one place to another, and the ships or vessels so
conveyed being afterwards let down suitable slips or inclined planes or ways,
may be again launched and returned into the water when required. The said
slips or inclined planes or ways, along which ships or other vessels are to be
drawn up from the water as aforesaid by the aid of my improvements, must be
laid out (like the slips commonly used, for building..ships) by the side of the
water, with a gentle slope down into the water, and extending, low enough
therein to permit a ship or other vessel to be floated over a suitable cradle or
carriage, which is let down the inclined slip under water, in order to receive
a ship or vessel upon it, see Figures 1 and 2 of Sheet 1 of the Drawings
hereunto annexed. Three parallel lines of stone tracks or ways are to be laid
at A, A, A, along the said inclined slip for the said carriage.d, d, to move
upon the upper surfaces of the said ways A, A, A, being dressed very
smooth, and each way being a correct line of regular slope, so that the three
will form a true inclined plane, which is raised a few inches higher than the
general level of the slip. The stones, of which the ways are composed, must
be very large blocks, and in as great lengths as can be readily procured, very
solidly bedded on the foundation of the slip, with their ends very accurately
jointed end to end, having dowels interposed, or birds-mouth interlockings,.or
lovetails, or other suitable junctions, which will retain the stones from sinking
at the joints by the weight they have to bear; and also those adjoining ends
must be supported by lodging them on under bearing. blocks of large size.
Granite, such as is brought from Cornwall or from Aberdeen, is a very suitable
material for the ways, but any other hard stone which can be procured in long
lengths-may-be-used. The carriage-d, d, to receive the ship or vessel D, with
the blockings to support its keel and bottom, may be constructed in the usual

page_text: manuer of those used in launching ships, or of those used for drawing up
ships out of the water for repairing; and so of the purchase tackles Q, Q, for
drawing up the said carriage; for in respect to the above-mentioned parts of:
the said slip or inclined way, I make no claim to invention; but one of my
improvements on what has been hitherto used in such slips or inclined way's
consists in applying systems or chains of moveable rollers to roll along the said
stone ways, and to bear the said carriage or cradle, in lieu of wheels or trucks
moveable upon axles. The said rollers may be made of cast iron from one to
two feet diameter, and made double, each one being composed of two rollers,
one at the end of the other, united by a central axis, leaving a narrow space
between their adjacent ends, in order to admit the joining link of the con-
necting chain between them; also an iron rail, which is fixed edgeways.
upwards along the middle of the centre stone way, and which keeps the pair
of double rollers in its place on the stone: A series of these double rollers
are laid on each of the three stone ways in a row; at distances of about eight-
or ten feet apart, and reaching from the commencement of the slip below low
water to half the distance up the inclined ways: The axles of all the double
rollers are retained at their intended distances apart by iron rods or links,
which unite them into thrée continuous chains of rollers. The timber work
of the carriage or cradle on which the ship or vessel is to be placed is framed
upon three very strong beams, which extend all the length of the carriage,
and are exactly over the three stone ways. The under sides of the said
beams are made very straight, and are plated with iron to bear upon the
rollers aforesaid which sustain the weight of the carriage and of the ship or
vessel upon the upper parts of their circumferences, whilst the lower parts
of the same circumferences rest upon the stone ways; and the axles of the
rollers bear no weight, being only for tlie purpose of connecting the rollers
one to another by the links as aforesaid; to form the chains or rollers.
When the carriage is drawn up the inclined ways by purchase capstans or
other suitable machinery at Q (in the usual manner of drawing up ships);
the rollers move or roll along the stone ways half as fast as the carriage
movės over the tops of the rollers; and the chains of rollers being balf
the length of the inclined ways, the carriage in travelling over them
will arrive at the top of the inclined ways at the same time that the foremost
end of the carriage comes upon the uppermost rollers of each chain. By my
said application of travelling chains of rollers; the motion of the carriage is
rendered easy on the stone ways; and I avoid the great friction which would be
occasioned if wheels or trucks moveable on axles were used as heretofore; to
support heavy ships or vessels:

page_text: The said parallel
eight or ten feet
Another of my improvements in the means of drawing up ships and other
vessels from the water on land, consists in moving the vessel laterally to one
side of the inclined plane, in the manner shewn in Figure 5, after it has been
drawn up the same from the water on land. For this purpose, a transverse
plane B, B, Figures 5 and 4, is formed across the top of the inclined plane A, A,
with a number of parallel horizontal stone ways b, b, b, b, laid along the same in
a direction at right angles to the stone ways A, A, on the inclined plane, and
extending each way to any distance that may be required from the head or top
of the inclined plane, like the cross head at top of the letter T (or it may
extend only one way, like the letter L inverted, thus T).
transverse ways b, b, should be laid at distances of about
apart, the surfaces of the stones across their breadth being level, and also every
other of the ways may be laid on a lovel with its neighbour, so that the rise
across the breadth of the transverse plane B, B, in continuation of the stone
ways up the inclined plane A, A, will be in the manner of steps, whereby all
the surfaces on which the rollers bear will be horizontal, and that will prevent
any tendency in the rollers to slide downwards, (that is, endways in the direction
of their axles, or across the width of the transverse plane B, B,) so as to work
off their stone ways b, b; the said stone ways b, b, of the transverse plane B, B,
must be laid so much lower than those at the upper end of the inclined plane
A, A, as to admit a carriage P, P, G, G, which lays upon chains of rollers on
the parallel transverse ways b, b, b. The cross beams P, P, of that carriage
which lie upon the said rollers having three longitudinal beams G, G, fixed
over them at proper distances apart, and with their upper surfaces at a proper
height, and with a proper inclination to correspond with the three stone ways
A, A, of the inclined plane, when the said transverse carriage P, G, is moved
laterally along its transverse ways b, b, so as to bring the three longitudinal
inclined beams G, G, thereof to join exactly end to end to the three stone ways
A, A, of the inclined plane in continuation thereof, after the carriage d, d,
with the ship or vessel Dupon it, has been drawn up to the top of the inclined
plane A, A, as before described, by continuing to heave up by the purchase
capstans Q, then by other suitable capstans fixed on the said transverse carriage
P, G; the ship or vessel on its carriage d, d, is drawn upon the inclined
beams G, G, of the transverse carriage P, G, suitable chains of rollers like
those before described being laid upon the upper inclined surfaces of those
beams G, G, to receive the carriage d, d, of the ship or vessel as it ascends
and passes off from the upper end of the stone ways of the inclined plane A, A,
on to the inclined beams G, G, of the transverse carriage, and when the
carriage d, d, with the ship or vessel is completely settled thereon, and securely

page_text: fastened from running down again (by chains or shores, and by fastening the
purchases by which it was drawn up), the transverse carriage P, G, with the
carriage d, d, containing the ship or vessel upon it, may be moved on its rollers
along the transverse ways b, b, to carry the ship or vessel sideways out of the
line of the inclined plane A, A, as far as is required, either for merely removing
the ship or vessel out of the way, in order to allow others to be drawn up or
let down the inclined plane, or else to dispose of the ship or vessel, or any
number of ships or vessels along any convenient part of the transverso plane.
B, B, for the purpose of repairing them, or for laying them up out of use.
And by means of this part of my said improvements (which consists in the
application of the said transverse plane B, B, b, b, and its carriages P, G,
across the upper end of an inclined slip, or across the upper ends of a row of
such inclined slips,) ships or vessels may with the greatest ease be transferred
from one slip to another, or laid up or launched again, and by these means a
largo building and repairing establishment may be formed. Note. The three
inclined beams G, G, of my transverse carriage are united by the transverse
beams P, P, which lie across under them, and are further united by end cross
beams p, p, which are strongly braced at the angles by knees. The under sides
of the transverse beams P, P, are plated with iron bars to bear upon the
rollers, which roll along the stone ways b, b. Those rollers are connected in
chains as before stated, extending to suitable lengths, and when the carriage
P, P, G, G, has been moved or rolled over about double the length to
which the said chains extend beyond the length of the bearing beams P, P,
of the transverse carriage, other such chains of rollers must be presented
beneath the foremost ends of the transverse beams P, P, to receive the
carriage as it rolls off from the rollers of the former chains, in the same
manner as detached rollers are commonly presented beneath the foremost
end of any piece of timber or stone which is required to be advanced on
rollers; but by my mode of assembling a lot of rollers together in chains, they
will advance the carriage a considerable distance before a fresh chain of rollers
is wanted, and then it must be presented; a sufficient number of such chains of
rollers must be provided on the transverse plane, according to the number of
ships intended to be taken upon it, and to the distance they are to be conveyed
along the same. And note. Instead of making the rollers double, as before
described, with a guide rail projecting along the middle of the stone ways, to go
between the two parts of each roller, they may be made in one piece, of a
proper length to reach all across the breadth of the stone way along which they
are to roll, and to keep them in place laterally on that way, a projecting ring
or belt of wrought iron may be applied hot, and fastened by shrinking it round

page_text: the cast-iron roller in the middle of its length, and a groove or channel being
cut out along the middle of the stone to receive the projecting belt on the
middle of the roller, it will not be liable to run off laterally. In this case,
two sets or links or chains will be required to unite the two ends of each of
the axles or centre pins of the rollers, and keep them parallel as well as at
equal distances. This way of guiding the rollers is most convenient, because
the two iron bars with which the surfaces of each of the beams are plated to
form the surfaces for the rollers to roll upon, may be fixed at a sufficient distance
apart to leave the required groove or vacancy between them to receive the said
projected belts around the rollers, and guide them in rolling, or the chains of
rollers may be united to form endless chains of rollers, which can be applied to
circulate over and under the transverse beams P, P, beneath the transverse
carriage P, G; the ends of those beams being rounded to semicircles, with
grooves therein to guide the rollers as they pass in succession, and one half of
the length of the endless chain being extended beneath the said beams to bear
the weight thercof on the stone ways, whilst the other half of that length is
extended over the top of the same beams, that it may return the rollers as
they come out of use from behind the ends of the beams, and present other
rollers in succession beneath the foremost end of the beams as they are
required. The transverse beams P, P, may be made of cast iron, and hollow
within, like square trunks, and then the upper or returning parts of the chains
of rollers may be conducted through the hollow trunks without interfering with
the connection of the transverse beams P, P, with the long inclined beams G, G,
which lie across over the former.
And that part of my Invention which relates to the transporting or moving
ships, vessels, or other bodies on land from one place to another consists in
transferring the ships or vessels which bave been drawn up out of water on
inclined slips or planes, as before described, or other bodies, (such as large
trees, blocks of stone, boilers of steam engines, statues, bells, anchors), together
with the carriages whereon the same are placed, to another suitable carriage
for travelling along suitable level roads laid with stono ways, such as before
described, but laid across the country in the manner of railroads between the
places from which it is desired to transport ships or vessels, either with or
without their cargoes or other bodies.
This improvement is represented in Figures 6 and 7 of Sheet I., and also in
the perspective views, Sheets II. and III. The transverse way D, B, may be
used along with the latter system, but it may be omitted if two lines of level
stone ways are provided for ships which are going in opposite directions, not
then being ossential thereto, and carriages turning horizontally on center pins

page_text: (as herein-after mentioned) will be better. If there is only one line of level
stone ways, and the transverse way is required to be used for merely laying up
ships (as herein-before stated), the transverse carriage thereof must be made
fast in the line of the inclined plane A, A, its beams G, G, then merely forming
an inclined timber bridge (in continuation of the inclined stone ways A, A,) up
which beams G, G, the ship or vessel on its carriage d, d, is conveyed, in order
to transfer the same to the top of a reclined carriage r, r. f, f; Figures 6 and'7;
which is adapted to travel along a level road way o, o, laid with stone ways, as
before described, that is to say, the upper beams r, r, of the reclining carriage
f. f. are inclined ways, which form continuations of the inclined plane b, b, G, G,
so that the carriage d, d, with the ship or vessel upon it, can be drawn up
thereon by tackles (as before described for drawing the same up the ways G, G,
of the transverse carriage), and then it must be made fast from going back;
but the lower beams f, f, of the said reclining carriage are horizontal to corre-
spond to the level stone ways o, o, which pass across the country from one place
to another; endless chains of rollers, such as before described, are applied over
and under the lower beams f. f, to roll along those level stone ways, and
facilitate the transport of the great weight which is to be moved thereon. The
ship or other vessel is therefore mounted on its two carriages d; d; and,r,r, f; f;
the upper one d; d; being the cradle, which is adapted to block up its keel and
bottom, and support it securely without straining or ultering its form; and the
lower or reclining carriage'r, r, fi f, being inclined at top, in order to support
and retain the upper carriage d, d; in the inclined position which it derives
from the inclined plane A, A, when it was drawn up the same out of the water,
and also to adapt it to the corresponding inclined plane at the other end of the
level railway, down which it must be launched again to return to the water.
If two lines of stone ways are used, those descending inclined planes or
launches will be at the farthest end of each line. An important part of my
Invention or improvements. consists in making the same inclined' planes serve
for ascending and for descending, by placing the transporting carriager, r, f, f,
over a lower circular carriage, which is situated in the place of the transverse
carriage P, G, at the upper ends of the slips or inclined planes A', A', at both
ends of the railway. This lower carriage is mounted in the manner of a
turning bridge on conical rollers, corresponding to the radius of their respective
circles; as shewn in the Drawing, Figures 5 and 8, and the outer part of the
circular carriage is provided with a rack wheel or toothed circle, which receives
the cogs or teeth of a wheel of suitable diameter, which is worked by a crank
handle or by another wheel or pinion, according to the power or velocity that
may be required: The motion of this. wheel turns tlie lower carriage by

page_text: rotatory motion half round, and reverses the transporting or reclining carriage
,, f. f, so that the low end (which was next to the inclined plane or slip
when the ship was drawn up) will be placed in correspondence with the summit
end of the inclined plane or slip down which it is to be launched, and the
cradle carriage d, d, on which the ship rests can then be let down off from the
top rails r, r, of the reclining carriage, and be moved on to the stone ways of
the inclined plane A, A, and launched under water to float off the ship or
vessel; and in order to movo ships or vessels or other bodies along my ship
railroad, horses may be employed, but steam engines will be better. For this
purpose a toothed rack of cast iron may be laid along the side of the middle
stone way, the teeth of a cog wheel being adapted to work therein, the axis of
that wheel being supported in bearings affixed to the carriage, and that being
turned by the power of a locomotive steam engine, which is also fixed on the
carriage, the whole will be advanced along the level railroad in the same
manner as has been practised for drawing coal waggons on railways. The said
wheel may be turned by a direct action of the crank rods of the steam engine,
or by application of toothed wheelwork, to give the engine greater power to
impel the carriage with a slower motion.
The dimensions of the level stone ways and their distances asunder may be
adapted for the carriages of any class of ships or vessels, or other ponderous
bodies which it may be required to convey. The following are the dimensions
proper for the conveyance of the largest ships, and the proportions of others of
smaller dimensions may be therefrom deduced. The stones best calculated for my
ship railway is either Aberdeen or Cornish granite, as this material requires a
pressure equal to nine thousand pounds to a square inch to crush it. The stones
Leing three feet wile and eighteen inches thick, will be capable of supporting
more than one hundred times the weight that they can ever by any possibility be
subjected to. It is only necessary therefore to give a sufficient area in the beds
or foundations of the stones to prevent their sinking. I have proved by many
experiments that a stone presenting a surface of one foot square will bear from
two to thrce tons on unprepared alluvial soil without sinking or making the
smallest impression; and if each of the stone ways are made three feet wido
and eighteen inches thick, as aforesaid, they will be quite solid. The stones
being as long as they can be conveniently procured, and as the method of pre-
paring the beds or foundations of the stone railways is so generally known, and
as the same forms no part of my Invention, it is not necessary for me to enter
further into detail of the mode of construction. I have merely to suggest an
improvement which is not adopted in any other stone railway that I know of,
that a stone long enough to reach beyond the breadth of the railway, one foot

page_text: in width and six inches in thickness, should be laid 'under every point, to pre-
serve the level of the railway. It has been already shewn that the transverse:
ways B, B, for moving the ship carriages sideways, having the frame of their
carriage G, G, in the line of the ascending inclined plane A, A, and of the level
railway o, o, are sunk sufficiently low to bring the oak frame G, G, of the
transverse carriages down to the same level with the upper end of the stone.
ways in continuation of the slope thereof, so that the ship carriage d, d, may
be drawn up from the inclined plane A, A, on to the lateral carriage, and bo
moved sideways thereby; also the level stone ways o, o, for the ship railway.
must be lowered so much as to bring the lower ends of the inclined sleepers or
oak ways r, r, of the reclining or transporting carriage f,f, r, r, on a level with
the upper ends of the oak ways or sleepers G, G, of the lateral transverse.
carriage. But if the lateral inclined plane, which are chiefly designed for
moving the ships clear of the passage, in order that they may undergo repair
or remain for better preservation, is not required, then the revolving carriage
above mentioned may be connected at once with the ascending inclined plane
A, A.
With regard to the construction of the slip and transfer carriages, it could
not be specified or described so as to form a part of the Invention; the form
and principle being shewn by the Drawings, it is sufficient to state that they
must be built on the most approved principles of carpentry or ship-building,
and of sufficient strength to support the weight of the largest ships. The
ways or sleepers of the reclining or transporting carriage f,f, r, r, correspond
with the ways of the ascending inclined plane, so that the ship, which is moved
forward on its own carriage d, d, to get upon the reclining or transporting
carriage r, r, ff, remains supported on the keel and bilge chocks in the
same position when travelling along the ship railway as she did when ascending
the inclined plane.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-one.

page_text: This is the Specification referred to in the affidavit of William Carpmael,
sworn the 6th day of June 1831, before me,
JAB TROWER.
William Carpmael, of the Patent Office, Lincoln's Inn, maketh oath, that
he bas received the Specification of Captain S. Brown's Patent, for inrolment,
which has been acknowledged before J. D. Boswall, a Justice of the Peace in
Edinburgh; and this deponent further saith, that he is acquainted with the
handwriting of the said Captain S. Brown, and that the signature to the
accompanying Specification is in the handwriting of the said Capt" S. Brown;
and this deponent further saith that to the best of his knowledge and belief
the signature to the acknowledgement is the signature of J. D. Boswall, and
that he was a Justice of the Peace at the time of reciving such acknowledgo-
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the oath of William Carpmael the
Specification aforesaid was inrolled, word for word, as above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose.