IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MONEY, BOOKS, PAPERS, AND OTHER PROPERTY, IN CASE OF DISASTER TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MONEY, BOOKS, PAPERS, AND OTHER
PROPERTY, IN CASE OF DISASTER TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."-A com-
munication from John Thomas Garlick, of the City, County, and State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 30th June 1857, and dated the 20th January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th January 1857.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MONEY, BOOKS, PAPERS,
AND OTHER PROPERTY IN CASE OF DISASTER TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," a com-
munication from John Thomas Garlick, of the City, County, and State of New
York, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in making case or a box of metal or other material,
to serve as that part of the safe to be used as the receptacle, and in so placing
this case or box within one of larger size as to obtain a space around it

page_text: between the two on all sides, except where the entrance to the said receptacle
and its doors are placed.
This space between the two cases, as berein described, may be used as one
continued chamber, but inasmuch as that security against external pressure
and leakage is increased by dividing this one chamber into sets of chambers of
smaller size, and as such security is still more increased in proportion as these
are again divided, the said space may be partitioned and cross-partitioned into
numerous small air-tight cells. As the object of this space is to obtain
buoyancy for the receptacle and its contents, the cells into which it is divided
are kept hollow or filled with cork or other floating substance; and where
extra security against fire as well as water is required, one set or more of of
these cells nearest the receptacle may be filled with matter not liable to be
effected by heat.
The frame or body of the safe being thus made, and the necessary buoyancy
to the same being acquired, the opening of the receptacle is supplied with
doors of cellular construction, so adjusted as to shut one over another, and
made so to act separately, cach in itself, as to be perfectly tight. This
necessary tightness at the doors may be effected by means of a projecting
packing made of india-rubber, asbestos, or their equivalents, in connection
with a set of grooves upon the inside of each door, the said grooves being
made to press into the packing by the use of screws, wedging bolts, or other-
wise; the requisite even bearing of the doors and grooves upon the packing
being regulated by the action of a suitable springe hinge made for the
purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of January, 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 John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry

page_text: Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
APPARATUS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF MONEY, BOOKS, PAPERS, AND OTHER PRO-
PERTY, IN CASE OF DISASTER TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," a communication from
John Thomas Garlick, of the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction & arrangement of safe
for preserving money, books, papers, and other valuable property, in case of
disaster to ships and other vessels at sea, or on lakes and rivers, and consists in
the application and use of a box or case, composed of metal or other suitable
material, to serve as that part of the safe to be used as the receptacle, and in
so placing or disposing this case or box within another of larger size as to
obtain a space between the inner and outer case on all sides excepting at the
place where the entrance to the receptacle and its doors are situated. This
space between the two cases may be used as one continued chamber, but as
the security against external pressure and leakage is increased by subdividing
this one chamber or space into a number of chambers of a smaller size, and as
such security is still further increased by increasing the number of separate
chambers or subdivisions, I prefer that it be subdivided into numerous air-tight
chambers or cells. Since the object of the space round the inner case is to
obtain buoyancy for the receptacle and its contents, the cells into which it is
subdivided are either kept empty or they may be filled with cork or other
light floating substance.
The frame or body of the safe is supplied with double doors, also of a
cellular construction, and so adjusted as to shut one over the other, each door

page_text: being made to act individually and rendered perfectly water-tight by the
application of a packing of india-rubber or other suitable material, such
material being pressed into grooves or channels made in the inner faces of
cach door, the two doors being pressed firmly into the packing by means of
screws, keys, or other suitable contrivance. The requisite even bearing of the
said doors on to the packing is obtained by the employment of suitable spring
hinges made for that purpose.
For the facility of removing the safe from one place to another, it may be
carried on a stand mounted on wheels or castors.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
I shall refer to the several figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a perspective elevation of a safe of my
construction with the two doors opened; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the
same shewing the air-tight cells and double doors closed; Figure 3 is an enlarged
detail of one of the spring binges for hanging the inner door of the safe; and
Figure 4 is a portion of the outer door, shewing the form of hinge employed
in banging the same.
A is the main body or receptacle of the safe, and a, a, are the surrounding
cells or air-tight cavities for giving buoyancy to the same, the whole being
enclosed in the outer box or casing B, B, which rests upon the stand and
castors B', for the facility of moving. The cells or cavities a may be sub-
divided into any number of compartments, and they may be fitted with
air-tight boxes or with cork or other buoyant materials. The inner box or
receptacle A is fitted with a door C, which is also made cellular, being
composed of a number of cells or cavities c, c, for the purpose herein-before
mentioned. This door is rendered perfectly water-tight when closed, by means
of the india-rubber or other packing d, d, which is attached either to the face
of the door itself or to the edge or frame of the receptacle A. A groove or
channel may be made in the inner face of the door, corresponding to the
position of the packing, so that when the door is closed and screwed up tight,
as I shall hereafter explain, the packing will enter the grooves and form a
perfectly water-tight joint. This door is hung upon spring hinges D, D, one
of which is shewn detached on a large scale at Figure 3, the object of which
is to admit of the door when closed being screwed up bodily and have an
even bearing against the packing d. The hinge itself may be of the ordinary
construction, but in place of being secured directly to the door a spring e is

page_text: interposed, the hinge being screwed to the spring and the spring attached to
the door. It will thus be obvious that a certain amount of play or movement
may be imparted to the door after it has been closed over the packing,
whereby it may be pressed evenly and forcibly thereon and render the
receptacle water-tight. By using a hinge of this construction the door is
thrown or drawn clear of the packing on being opened, and therefore, the
rubbing which would otherwise occur against the packing, and so cause
leakage, are avoided.
The triple-jointed hinge, herein-after described as
attached to the outer door, would also effect the same relief to the packing;
but as the-spring hinge is self-acting I prefer applying it to both doors.
In order to effect the tightening of the door I employ a set of cross bars or
arms E, which turn freely on the central tightening screw F, and when the
door is closed they are turned slightly on the centre F, and their four
extremities are thereby brought into four corresponding slots or recesses f, f.
made respectively in the top, bottom, and sides of the safe. The door will
thus be kept securely closed, and may be still further tightened up by means
of the central screw F. The outer door G of the safe is also composed of a
number of cells or compartments g, g, and is rendered water-tight by means
of india-rubber or other suitable packing h, h, fitting into grooves or channels
i, i, (Figure 1) in the inner face of the door, as described with reference to the
inner door. The outer door is represented as being hung upon double action
or triple jointed hinges H, H, (Figure 4,) so as to enable it to be drawn clear
of the packing when being opened, and have an even bearing upon it
when screwed up tight, thus avoiding wear and tear of the packing and
consequent leakage, as herein-before mentioned. When this door is closed
it is rendered perfectly water-tight by being screwed clear up to its packing,
through the agency of the several tightening screws I, I, placed at its top,
bottom, and sides, and screwing into corresponding tapped holes k, k, in the
body of the safe. These screws may either be fitted with permanent beads or
they may be turned by means of a key made to fit over them. It will thus
be obvious that when both doors have been tightened up in the manner
described the internal receptacle A will be perfectly water and air-tight, and
by reason of the buoyancy imparted to it by the surrounding air cells
a, a, c, c, and g, g, it will float freely on the water when thrown overboard,
which should always be done in case of shipwreck, the papers or other
valuable articles contained therein being kept perfectly dry and uninjured in
every respect. I propose making each safe with a socket in any convenient
part, for the insertion of a flag staff therein, so that the flag will serve to

page_text: attract attention and indicate the situation of the safe, and thus facilitate its.
recovery.
When security against fire as well as water is required I propose filling
those cavities or cells nearest to the safe or actual receptacle A, with any of
the well-known fire resisting or non-conducting material at present employed
in the manufacture of ordinary fire-proof safes; but I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I lay no claim to the use of fire-resisting materials, excepting
when combined with an air and water-tight buoyant safe, as described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that, I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to.
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without.
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and, therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of floating water and fire-
proof safes, as herein-before described.
Second, the construction of safes with cells or cavities on all sides, doors
included, for the purpose of rendering them buoyant, as herein-before
described.
Third, the introduction into such cells or cavities of fire-resisting materials,
as herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar construction, arrangement, and mode of rendering the
doors of safes water-tight, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the application and use of spring hinges to and in safe doors, in the
manner and for the purposes herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)