Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 16th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
I JOSEPH ROWLEY of Barn Meadow Iron Works Dukinfield in the County of
Chester Iron Founder do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
11
The object of my invention is to provide a means for raising and lowering barges
and other vessels on canals from one level to another without the loss of water which
is inevitable with the ordinary system of locks.
Under the ordinary system where the difference of level to be overcome is. very
considerable a number of locks are often required in a very short distance and besides
the loss of water occasioned thereby much valuable time and trouble are consumed in
passing the various locks.
According to my invention one improved lock or lift would suffice for a very
considerable change of level.
My improved lock is constructed somewhat in the form of a hydraulic lift in
combination with a water tight vessel or caisson to contain the barge or boat.
I connect the two levels of the canal together by means of a vertical shaft which
may be built of masonry or excavated or otherwise conveniently constructed. This
shaft or lift must be of such a size as will contain and entirely enclose the largest
size of barge or vessel with which the canal is to be navigated, and will extend from
the bottom of the canal at the lowest level, up to such a distance above the water line
at the highest level as will admit of a loaded barge being floated into it.
There is an entrance into the vertical shaft or pit on one side at the highest level
and an exit therefrom on the other side at the lowest level.
This entrance and exit are closed by means of water tight sluices.
It will be evident therefore that, supposing the lower sluice to be closed and
the upper one opened, the water will fill the shaft or hoist up to the highest water
line.
In this shaft or pit I place a water-tight vessel or caisson which is capable of
travelling up and down in or on suitable guides; it is provided with suitable lifting
gear and is so weighted that when the lifting gear is released the vessel or caisson
[Price 8d 1

page_text: will descend to the bottom of the said shaft or pit. The caisson is provided with a
water tight door or doors at each side so that it can receive a barge at the highest
level and when the doors are closed it can be sunk to, and discharged at, the lowest
level.
Į
In order to prevent the escape of the whole of the water contained in the shaft or
pit which would occur on the opening of the lower sluice to discharge the barge or
vessel at the lowest level, I provide behind the sluice a strong rectangular or other
shaped frame which is bevilled on its inner edgo so as to form a kind of valve seating,
and make the side of the caisson next to this sluice of a corresponding bevilled form
so as to fit therein in the manner of a valve, and I provide means (by screws or
otherwise) for forcing the caisson forwards so as entirely to close the opening and
thus prevent the exit of the water before the lower sluice is opened to allow of the
discharge of the barge or boat at the lowest level.
It will be readily understood that by reversing the operation above described barges
or boats may be raised from a low to a higher level.
Dated thie 15th day of March, 1887

page_text: 1. JOSEPH ROWLEY of Barn Meadow Iron Works Dukinfield in the County of
Chester Iron Founder do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a means for raising and lowering barges
and other vessels on canals from one level to another without the loss of water which
is inevitable with the ordinary system of locks.
Under the ordinary system where the difference of level to be overcome is very
considerable a number of locks are often required in a very short distance and besides
the loss of water occasioned thereby much valuable time and trouble are consumed in
passing the various locks.
According to my invention one improved lock or lift would suffice for a very
considerable change of level.
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference
to the two sheets of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation
thereof.
Fig. 1. Sheet 1. is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved lock or lift, and
Fig. 2, Sheet. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same.
My improved lock is constructed somewhat in the form of a hydraulic lift in com-
bination with a watertight vessel. I connect the two levels of the canal a, a and b, b
Fig. 1. together by means of a vertical shaft or pit c, c which may be built of masonry,
or excavated or otherwise conveniently constructed.
This shaft or pit c, e must be of such a size as will contain a water tight caisson d, d
sufficiently large to entirely enclose the largest size of barge or vessel e, e with which
the canal is to be navigated, and will extend from the bottom of the canal at the
lowest level a, a up to such a distance above the water line at the highest level b, bas
will admit of the loaded barge e, e being floated into it.
There is an entrance or exit opening at finto this vertical shaft or pit c, c on one
side at the highest level b, and a similar opening at ", " on the other side at the
lowest level a, a.
These entrance and exit openings are closed by means of water tight
sluices g, g
It will be evident therefore that supposing the lower sluice to be closed and the
upper one gopened (as shown at Fig. 1.) the water will fill the shaft or pit c, e up to
the highest water line as shown.
In this shaft or pit c, c I place the watertight vessel or caisson d, d which is capable
of travelling up and down on or against suitable guides h, h, it is provided with
chains i, i and suitable lifting gear connected to the shaft k, kabove, and is so weighted

page_text: that when the lifting gear is released the vessel or cassion d, will descend to the
bottom of the shaft or pit c, c.
The caisson d, d is provided with a watertight door or doors l, at each end so that
it can receive a barge or vessel e, e at (say) the highest level and when the doors l, l
are closed it can be sunk and discharged at the lowest level or vice versa.
In order to prevent the escape of the whole of the water contained in the shaft or
pit c, c which would occur on the opening of the lower sluice g to discharge the barge
or vessel at the lowest level I provide behind the sluice ga strong rectangular or
other suitably shaped frame m, m which may be bevilled on its inner edge so as to
form a kind of valve seating, or it may he faced with india rubber, leather or other
suitable substance, and I make the end of the caisson d, d next to this sluice of a
corresponding bevilled form, or otherwise suitably faced so as to fit therein or thercon
in the manner of a valve, and at or near the centre of the caisson d, d I provide
rollers or wheels n, n which roll against sloping guide rails o, o so as to force the
caisson d, d forwards against the frame m, m and at the other end of the said cuisson
1 provide worm or other gearing for forcing the two bevilled or faced surfaces tightly
together so as to close the opening f, in a perfectly water-tight manner and thus
prevent the exit of the water before the lower sluice g is opened to allow of the
discharge of the vessel or barge e, e at the lowest level.
It will be readily understood that by reversing the operation above described
barges or boats may also be raised from the lower to the higher level.
In some cases I propose to fill the pit c, c with water above the higher level of the
canal up to or nearly to the top so as to dispense with lifting gear and providing the
caisson with counterbalance weights and chains p,p (as shown at Fig. 2).
In this case the cassion d, d is provided with means for admitting water into its
outer jacket at the higher level so as to sink the same (with the vessel or barge) when
required, and with similar means for letting this water out again at the lower level,
and admitting air thereinto so as to give it sufficient buoyancy to rise again to the
upper level as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.
1,9 are beams to arrest the movement of the caisson d, d at its highest and lowest
positions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvement in the construction of canal locks consisting principally of a
vertical shaft or pit connecting the higher and lower levels and fitted with sluices in
combination with a watertight caisson (to contain the barge or vessel) capable of
being raised and lowered from one level to the other and so fitted that it can be
attached in a watertight manner to the opening at the higher or lower level in the
pit, so as to receive the barge or vessel at one level and discharge it at the other
without much loss of water substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the drawings annexed.
Dated this 15th day of December 1887.
{