IMPROVEMENTS IN CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, THE MODE OF TOWING AND HAULING VESSELS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Pieper, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of
Saxony, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, THE MODE OF TOWING AND HAULING VESSELS, AND
IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN.
"
Sealed the 16th July 1872, and dated the 18th January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Pieper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th January 1872.
I, CARL PIEPER, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, THE MODE OF TOWING AND
HAULING VESSELS, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows:-
The main object of this Invention is to prevent or greatly lessen the
rolling and pitching of vessels (used as ferry or tow boats) while running

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Carl Pieper in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CARL
PIEPER, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Carl Pieper, Her special licence
that I, the said Carl Pieper, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Carl Pieper, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS, THE MODE OF TOWING AND HAULING VESSELS, AND
IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Carl Pieper, 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.
""

page_text: The main object of this Invention is to prevent or greatly lessen the
rolling and pitching of vessels (used as ferry or tow boats or for other
purposes) while running across or along channels, rivers, or seas, and for
this purpose two chains or ropes of wire, hemp, or other material are
employed, one on each side of such vessels, such chains or ropes being
used for the purpose of hauling the said vessels or simply as guides to
the same, in which latter case a central hauling chain or rope is
employed. These chains or ropes are passed over guide wheels or pullies
at the head and stern of the vessels, or fore and aft of their centres, or of
the apparatus employed for towing and hauling upon the said chains or
ropes, which latter may be either flat or round.
The hauling machinery may be such as is described in the Specification
of my former Letters Patent, dated 9th January 1872, No. 67, or may
consist of the arrangement known to engineers as the "clip drum,"
or it may consist of ordinary drums around which the chains or ropes
make one or more revolutions, as in machines at present in usc.
The object of this part of my Invention is the use of the two side
chains or ropes used either simply as guides or anchors or also as
hauling chains or ropes, by means of which the vessels will be as it were
anchored or tied down at or near the four quarters, and will be
greatly steadied while crossing or travelling along channels or rivers in
rough water, the rising and falling of the waves thus affecting the said
vessels. but in a slight degree.
The second part of my Invention consists in the application of an
apparatus to chains or wire ropes, used as above described, for preventing
the loss of the ends of such chains or ropes in the event of their breakage
at or near the drums or hauling machinery. For this purpose I arrange
levers carrying pullies at their ends, and over or under these pullies
the chains or ropes pass, holding the said levers in any required position.
When the chains or ropes break and the strain is consequently removed
from the said pullies the levers immediately alter their position, and in
so doing bring into gear clips or breaks which act upon the free ends of
the broken chain or rope and so prevent their escape, the hauling
machinery being at the same time stopped and the progress of the
vessel retarded. These levers may either be weighted or actuated by
springs.

page_text: will now proceed to describe the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect.
In the Drawing annexed Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent a vessel with
the arrangement for propelling the same by means of two ropes or chains
laid along the bottom of the river or other watercourse on which the
vessel is to travel. These ropes or chains may be conducted along and
crossed on the deck as shown in the Drawing, or they may be led
parallel with the deck without crossing, or they may be guided over the
pullies, and the propelling machinery placed on the two sides of the boat
as may be found most convenient.
By reference to the Drawing it will seen that the ropes or chains
A and A¹ pass over the guide wheels B, B', placed at the fore or other
suitable part of the vessel. They are thence conducted over the
horizontal guide wheels C, C³, to the horizontal clip drums D, D', actuated
by the steam engines. Thence they run over other guide wheels E, E',
and F, F, at the after part of the vessel into the water. Instead of the
clip drums D and D¹ in combination with the pulleys C and C¹any
other suitable propelling apparatus may be applied, as for instance
those described in my former Specification above referred to.
In the Drawing are shewn several arrangements of the guide wheels
at the two ends of the vessel, either of which arrangements may be
adapted as found most suitable or convenient, but in any case it is
preferred that the construction of the guide wheels at the four points
should be alike, especially if the vessel is intended to be propelled in
either direction, as has been presumed in the Drawing.
The main or outer guide wheels B, B¹, or F, F³, have their centres or
axles fixed in swivel frames to allow of any necessary lateral deviation of
the ropes or chains, so as to permit the vessel to steer freely. To
increase the steering power of the rudder either of the clip drums D or D¹
may be stopped, so that it serves for the time being only as a guide
wheel, whilst the power transmitted through the other clip drum acting
on one rope only causes the vessel to turn to a certain extent. To lead
the ropes or chains properly on the guide wheels B, B', and F, F', other
wheels G, G, and E, E¹, are arranged, the object of which will be fully
understood by reference to the Drawing.
The second part of my Invention is shown in Figures 5 and 6, where
Figure 5 is a side elevation and Figure 6 a transverse section of the

page_text: same at x, x, Figure 5. A is a lever carrying a pulley or jockey wheel B,
which by means of a second lever and weight C is pressed on the rope.
On the shaft H carrying these two levers are fixed two other levers
D and E, the former of which is in connection with a lever F on the
break apparatus or stopper, the other acting upon the throttle valve of
the steam pipe. In the event of the breakage of the rope or chain,
the weighted lever O not being retained in position by means of the
jockey wheel B (which may be placed on the opposite side of the
shaft H, and above the rope) will fall down into the position shewn by
red lines in the Drawing, and thereby turn the levers D and E around
the same angle and into the positions also shown by red lines. Any
slight alteration in the position of the levers or the shaft H caused by
inequalities or vibrations of the rope will not affect either the lever of
the steam throttle valve or the arresting gear, as will be seen by
reference to the Drawing, but in case the rope should break the lever D
pulling on the rod or wire rope I will act on the lever F, which by
means of a hook holds the weighted lever K in the position shewn in
the Drawing. The release of the weighted lever causes the two sectors L
(which have eccentric grooves on their surface, through which the rope
or chain passes,) to close on the same, and an adequate pressure
having been brought to bear on the said lever the pull of the rope or
chain will have a tendency to still further close the two sectors. If
preferred the grooves may be fitted with wood or other material, or they
may be indented if necessary. Where a chain is used the shape of the
grooves must be moulded to correspond therewith, as in the case of
common chain stoppers, which latter may also be employed in the present
case. By this means the escape of the one end of the rope will be
prevented or at least the probability of its escape greatly lessened.
To secure the other end of the rope a similar arresting apparatus may
be arranged at the other end of the boat, but as in stopping the engines
the rope or chain will also be arrested the connection between the
lever E and the throttle valve lever G has been designed, which arrange-
ment may also be brought to bear on the injection gear, so as to slacken
the speed of if not altogether to stop the engines, or at least afford the
engineer time to throw the slide valve motion out of gear.
Having now described the nature of this Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details described and represented, as the

page_text: c. The ropes and the machinery acting on the same placed on the two
sides of the vessel.
Second. The application of an apparatus, as described, for the purpose
of preventing the escape of the two ends of the rope or chain in case of
breakage, combined with means for simultaneously stopping or con-
siderably slackening the speed of the propelling steam engines, which
apparatus is brought into action by the breaking of the rope itself.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Pieper, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two.