CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Clark at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th April
1864. A communication from abroad by Louis Vincent Hein, of New
York City, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of ships and boats of iron and
wood combined. The vessel is to be built of iron plates with the plates
rivetted outside the plating so that the interior is flush and clear, and the
frames are to be made of angle iron with flanges inside, or outside and inside,
so that the same can be conveniently secured to the plating by means of the
inside flanges, and that by the outside flanges the timbers used for filling
the spaces between the frames are firmly retained. The timbers used to fill
the spaces between the frames run in the same direction with them, and they
project outside the frames, and are caulked. In each seam will be cut a groove
about one inch deep and two inches wide leading down to a channel cut out
in the bottom of the timbers and in the keel as far as practicable, and from
this channel suitable pipes extend to a cistern placed in the bottom of the
ship, and connected to a pump; outside these timbers a planking is fastened

page_text: with composition, nails, and caulked. The ship is coppered in the usual manner
employed for wooden ships.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
represents a partial transverse vertical section of a vessel constructed according
to this Invention, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a portion of the side of
the vessel on a larger scale than the previous Figure, the plane of section
being indicated by the line x, x, Fig. 1. Similar letters of reference in the
two views indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the inner shell of the vessel, which is built of iron or steel
plates rivetted together in the usual manner. To the outside of these plates
are fastened the frames B, which are made of angle iron, as clearly shown in
Fig. 2 of the Drawing. Said frames may either be made with flanges on the
inside only or with flanges on the inside and outside, and, in practice, the latter
shape will be preferable. These frames are secured to the iron plating by
means of rivets passing through their inner flanges, and the spaces between
the frames are filled in with timbers C. Said timbers are fastened to each
other and to the frames by means of bolts a, and the outside flanges of the
frames assist materially in holding the timbers in place. It will be readily
'understood that the frames and timbers run in the same direction, and it is
obvious that the same have to be bent to accommodate themselves perfectly to
the shape of the vessel.
The open spaces left between the inner surface of the timbers and the outer
surface of the plating are filled with pitch, and the timbers are well caulked
to guard effectually against the water coming in contact with the plating.
Said timbers extend beyond the outer flanges or edges of the frames, and a
groove 6 is cut in each seam, as clearly shown in the Drawing; these grooves
will be made one inch deep and two inches wide (more or less according to
the size of the vessel,) and they lead down to a channel c cut out in the bottom
of, the timbers C and in the keel D as far as practicable, and extending
throughout the entire length of the vessel. From this channel pipes d of a
copper or any other suitable material extend to a cistern e placed in the bottom
of the ship, and having attached to it a pump, by the action of which the
water accumulating in said cistern can be removed whenever it may be
requisite.
To the outside of the timbers C a planking E is fastened by means of s
composition, nails, and caulked. Any water or moisture which may find its
way through the seams of the planking will pass through the grooves 6 down
to the channel c, and thence to the cistern e, whence it can be readily removed
by the pump. The planks which constitute the outside covering of the vessel

page_text: run in a direction transversely to the timbers C and frames B, giving to the
exterior of the new vessel the appearance of an ordinary wooden vessel, but
the interior is always perfectly dry, no water being permitted to find its way
through the timbers C. The vessel is coppered in the usual way for wooden
ships.