IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROAL
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Thomas Parlour, of Brooklyn, New York,..
United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
London, Shipwright, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Thomas Parlour
"
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th May 1874.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS PARLOUR, of Brooklyn, New York, United States
of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Shipwright,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED. THEREWITH," to be
as follows:
.
-
My Invention relates partly to a novel manner of constructing ships,
whereby the same are rendered unsinkable and shot-proof,

page_text: The said Invention is chiefly designed to be applied to armour-plated.
vessels to render the same safe and in all respects seaworthy, but may
also be applied to other ships or vessels.
In constructing a ship or vessel according to my Invention I build
within the same a water-tight compartment or chamber, which extends
centrally from a bulkhead forward to a bulkhead aft of the vessel. The
sides, ends, and bottom of the said compartment or chamber are built of
wood or iron or steel upon a suitable frame and properly caulked. The
said chamber extends up to the deck beams or main beams, and is pro-
vided with hatchways in the usual manner. In combination with these
hatchways I arrange a fan or worm, whereby air is introduced into the
said chamber when the batchways are closed and made water-tight.
Outside of this water-tight compartment or chamber I arrange adjustable
keels or bilge pieces, which can be made to project from the bilge or
sides so as to give stability to the vessel in rough weather, and can be
withdrawn inside the vessel or in boxes on the sides of the ship to permit
the navigation of the same in shallow water. These adjustable keels or
bilge pieces may be made of steel, iron, or wood, or other suitable
material in sections or picces of convenient length. The said sections
are fitted and supported to slide up and down within boxes formed of
strong timber or plates of iron or steel. These boxes are supported at
the bottom upon the ends of the floor timbers, and are secured at the
top to the deck beams. They are also supported by the main beams.
In some instances instead of having two adjustable side keels, as above
described, I may have one central keel or centre board or boards fitted
in a box extending up through the said water-tight chamber or compart-
ment. The said keels or bilge pieces are adjusted by steam, hydraulic,
or other suitable power.
My improved ship may have any desired sectional form, but I prefer
to make her sides semicircular, or nearly so, in transverse section. I use
frames of iron, steel, or wood, which are properly secured to the afore-
said main and deck beams and to the ends of the floor timbers. Upon
these frames I place the futtocks and top timbers, upon which the
planking is placed in the usual manner.
In applying my Invention to ships of war I place outside of the
planking armour plating of any desired thickness; and in one layer of
metal plates or any number of layers of such plates, outside and between

page_text: which I place compressed cotton. The armour plates are formed on the
inside with bosses or projections, and bolts passed through the inside
planking. The futtocks and top timbers and the outside planking aro
screwed or keyed in the said bosses. The cotton is quilted and secured
upon the armour plating by flanges or frames or by screws and bosses
or projections outside of the said armour plates.
:
:
Below the bottom of the aforesaid water-tight chamber or compart-
ment I place iron plates, under which is a bed or layer of compressed
cotton secured to the iron plates by screw bolts, which pass through the
said iron plates and the bottom of the said water-tight compartment.
Below the said layer of compressed cotton I place angle iron girders,
which rest upon the inside planking or framework formed upon the
bottom of the ship. This peculiar construction prevents the entrance
of torpedoes through the bottom of the ship into the. said water-tight
chamber.
}
I combine strength and elasticity in the decks of my improved vessels.
as follows: Upon the upper deck beams I place strong springs, upon
which rests a frame of timber, iron, or steel, made in sections.
form an upper deck by placing upon the top of this frame strong plates
of iron or steel, which may be covered with compressed cotton, over
which the deck planking is placed. The said upper deck has an elastic
support by means of the said springs, or the said deck may be made to
work upon ball-and-socket joints or other suitable joints, and be moved by
cams and levers or other suitable mechanism. At the joints between the
sections of this deck I fit india-rubber or other suitable elastic material,
which prevents the passage of water between the said joints. Guide
bolts or rods are fixed in the waterways of the lower part of the deck,
and pass through holes in the waterways of the upper or spring deck;
or other suitable guides are provided for preventing the jamming or
twisting of the said spring deck.
:
Instead of providing the ship or vessel with adjustable keels or bilge
pieces, as above described, I give her the required stability by making
the bottom with a hollow or concavity extending centrally throughout
the entire length of the vessel.. I may or may not provide the said
vessel with a keel in the centre of the said concave bottom.
In constructing vessels to serve as rams for naval warfare. I prevent
the injurious effects of the ramming upon the inmates of the said vessel

page_text: in the following manner:-Instead of having the beak or stem made
solid with the bows of the vessel, I make the same separate and con-
nected with the bows of the vessel by strong rods, bars, or cylinders,
arranged to slide in a longitudinal box or cylinder; and between the
said beak or stem and a bulkhead in the bows of the vessel I place
cotton or cork, which forms a cushion, whereby the shock of the con-
cussion in the act of ramming is absorbed, so that the inmates of the
vessel will not suffer or be injured as heretofore in such vessels; or,
instead of using cotton or cork for this purpose I may use hydraulic or
steam cylinders or a water cushion.
To protect a ship from ramming by an enemy's ship I provide the
same with a shield or fender, which consists of a frame of wood or metal
packed or filled with cotton or cork or other suitable elastic material.
This fender when not in use is kept on a frame above deck in such a
position that it can be quickly launched on the appearance of an enemy.
It is attached to an endless chain or chains or other suitable contrivances
running over pulleys fore and aft of the vessel and connected with a
steam or hydraulic engine, whereby the chains are moved to bring the
fender to any required position.
I provide the bows and sides of the vessel with adjustable overhanging
metal or wooden shields working in frames which may be raised or
lowered by hydraulic or other power. These shields prevent the shipping
of water in rough weather.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
: filed by the said Joseph Thomas Parlour in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
THOMAS PARLOUR, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America,
now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Shipwright, send greeting.
-
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour,

page_text: Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour, my exccu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Thomas Parlour, my exccutors, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND
IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE WITH," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings forming a part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates partly to a novel manner of constructing ships,
whereby the same are rendered unsinkable and shot-proof.
The said Invention is chiefly designed to be applied to armour-plated
vessels to render the same safe and in all respects scaworthy, but parts
of the said Invention may be applied to other ships and to boats, barges,
or other vessels for navigation.

page_text: .
L
Figures 7, 8, and 9 shew portions of the said Invention detached and
drawn to an enlarged scale.
• In constructing a ship or vessel according to my Invention I build
within the same a water-tight compartment a divided by bulkheads a*
into chambers, which extend centrally between bulkheads b, c, fore and
aft of the vessel. The sides, ends, and bottom of the said compartiment or
chambers are built of wood or iron or steel upon a suitable frame and
properly caulked. The said chambers extend up to the deck beams d or
main beams d', and are provided with hatchways in the usual manner.
In combination with these hatchways I arrange a fan or worm, whereby
air is introduced into the said chamber when the hatchways are closed
and made water-tight in bad weather. The compartment a constructed
with the sides, top, and bottom, and with the divisions as herein set
forth gives great strength, and is proof against torpedoes. In combina-
tion with this water-tight compartment a I arrange adjustable keels or
bilge pieces e, which can be made to project from the bilge, as shewn in
Figures 3, 4, and 5, or from the sides at f to give stability to the vessel
in rough weather. These bilge pieces or keels can be withdrawn into
vertical boxes e' inside the vessel, as shewn, or at the sides of the vessel
at f to permit the navigation of the same in shallow water. The
adjustable keels or bilge pieces e may be made of steel, iron, wood, or
other suitable material in sections or pieces of convenient length. In
Figure 1 I have shown them made in two pieces or sections. On the
inside of the lower part of these bilge pieces are fastened chains, stays,
or rods e* of iron or steel to prevent their spreading. The said sections
are fitted and supported to slide up and down within the said boxes,
which are formed of strong timber or plates of iron or steel. These
boxes are supported at the bottom upon the ends of the floor timbers g,
and they are also supported by the deck and main beams d, d', as
shewn in Figures 3, 4, and 5. The walls or sides of these boxes give
strength and stability to the vessel, the ends being fastened to the out-
side of the frame or timbers by strong bolts, rods, or angle iron plates.
On the inside of the lower part of these boxes is placed a rubber packing
to prevent the entrance of water when the bilge pieces are drawn up
into the vessel.
In some instances instead of having two adjustable side keels or bilge
pieces e, as above described, I may have one central keel or centre board
or boards fitted in a box extending up through the said water-tight

page_text: chambers or compartment. The said keels, whether arranged centrally
or at the bilge or sides, are adjusted or raised or lowered by steam,
hydraulic, or other suitable power. The steam or other engines are
arranged within the said water-tight compartments and connected by
suitable levers, beams, rods, or other mechanism with the said keels or
bilge pieces. In Figure 1 I have shewn a series of hydraulic engines e³
for adjusting the said keels or bilge pieces.
She may
My improved ship may have any desired sectional form.
have her sides semicircular, or nearly so, in transverse section, as shown
in Figure 4, but I prefer the improved sectional form shown in Figure 3.
I use frames or stays i of iron, steel, or wood, which are properly secured
to the aforesaid main and deck beams d', d. Upon these frames I place
the futtocks j and top timbers k, upon which the planking is fixed in
the usual manner.
In applying my Invention to ships of war I place outside of the
planking strong armour plating m, constructed as clearly shewn in
Figures 7, 8, and 9, which are transverse sections drawn to an enlarged
scale. This plating may be of any desired thickness, and in one layer
of metal plates or any number of layers of such plates, outside or
between which I place compressed cotton n. In Figure 3 I have shewn
the cotton between the planking and the armour plating, but in Figures
4 and 5 I have shewn the cotton outside of the armour plating. My
armour plates are in some instances formed on the inside with bosses or
projections m³, and bolts m² are passed through the inside planking, the
futtocks, and top timbers, and the outside planking, and are screwed or
keyed in the said bosses, as shewn in Figures 7 and 8. The cotton n is
quilted and secured upon the armour plating by flanges or frames.or.by
screws and bosses or projections outside of the said armour plates, as
shewn in Figure 8; or the cotton may be secured to both sides of a thin
metal plate n', which is attached to the armour plating:
Below the bottom of the aforesaid water-tight compartment a I place
iron plates o, under which is a bed or layer of compressed cotton o
secured to the iron plates o by screw bolts, which pass through the said
iron plates and the bottom of the said water-tight compartment. Below
the said layer of compressed cotton o' I place angle iron girders o³, which
rest upon the inside planking or framework at the bottom of the ship or
vessel. This peculiar construction prevents the entrance of torpedoes

page_text: through the bottom of the ship or vessel into the said water-tight com-
partment or chambers.
I combine strength and elasticity in the decks of my improved vessels
as follows:-Upon the upper deck beams d I place strong springs p,
upon which rest a frame g of timber, iron, or steel, made in sections.
I form an upper deck by placing upon the top of this frame strong plates
of iron or steel q¹ covered with compressed cotton, over which the deck
planking q² is placed. The said upper deck has an elastic support by
means of the said springs, or the said deck with or without the said
springs may be made to work upon ball-and-socket joints or other
suitable joints, and be moved by cams and levers or other suitable
mechanism. By this clastic construction of the deck any ball or pro-
jectile falling on the same will be thrown upward and away from tho
vessel, and the moving of the deck to and fro by the said cams will
divert the projectiles from their line of penetration. At the joints
between the sections of this deck I fit india-rubber or other suitable
elastic material, which prevents the passage of water between the said
joints. Guide bolts or rods are fixed in the waterways r of the lower
part of the deck and pass through holes in the waterways of the upper
or spring deck, or other suitable guides are provided for preventing the
twisting, jamming, or binding of the said spring deck.
Instead of providing the ship or vessel with adjustable keels or bilge
pieces, as above described, I give her the required stability by making
the bottom with a hollow or concavity extending centrally throughout
the entire length of the vessel, or I may combine this construction of
the vessel with the said bilge pieces or keels, as shewn in Figure 5.
The bulwarks of my improved vessel are made hollow and constructed
to form lifeboats in case of emergency. They are operated by levers or
other suitable means to disconnect them from the stanchions previous to
their being thrown overboard.
In constructing vessels to serve as rams for naval warfare I prevent
the injurious effects of the ramming upon the inmates of the said vessel
in the following manner:-Instead of having the beak or stem mado
solid with the bows of the vessel I use a beak or stemt separate and
connected with strong rods or bars, which slide in longitudinal boxes or
cylinders filled with water or compressed air or steam to form a cushion
or elastic resistance; or between the said beak or stem and a bulkhead

page_text: in the bows of the vessel I may place cotton, cork, or india-rubber, or ·
other elastic material, which forms a cushion. By these contrivances
the shock of the concussion in the act of ramming is absorbed so that
the inmates of the vessel will not suffer or be injured as heretofore in
such vessels.
To protect a ship from being rammed by an enemy I provide her with
a shield or fender u, a transverse section of which is shewn in Figure 6.
This fender consists of a frame u¹ of wood or metal packed outside with
cotton, cork, or other suitable elastic material u². This fender when not
in use is kept on a frame above deck in such a position that it can be
quickly launched on the appearance of an enemy. When used it is
attached to an endless chain or chains us running over pulleys a fore
and aft of the vessel, as shewn in Figure 2, and connected witli a steami
or hydraulic engine, whereby the chains are moved to bring the fender
to any required position, the said engine being provided with reversing
gear so arranged that the adjustment of the said fender can be rapidly
effected.
I provide the bows and sides of the vessel with adjustable overhanging
metal or wooden shields working in frames, which may be. raised or
lowered by hydraulic or other power. These shields afford protection
against torpedoes and prevent the shipping of water in rough weather.
I employ a tube v extending from a bulkhead in the bows of the ship
and through the stem for firing under water.
备
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shown how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I
wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of a ship or vessel with a strong central water-
tight compartment or portion divided into chambers by bulkheads placed
at suitable distances apart, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Second. The adjustable or sliding keels or bilge pieces working in
boxes arranged in combination with the said water-tight compartment, and
constructed, supported, and operated, and operating as herein described.
Third. Constructing a vessel with the peculiar form of the upper
external portions of the midship section, shewn in Figures 3 and 5 of
the Drawings.
..

page_text: .
Fourth. Constructing a vessel with the frames or stays i of cast iron
or other suitable material secured to the main and deck beams, and
arranged in combination with the said boxes and the futtocks and top
timbers, as shewn in Figures 4, 5, and as hercin set forth.
Fifth. Providing a ship or vessel with defensive armour composed of 5
metal plates with cotton or other like material secured upon or between
the same in the peculiar manner shewn in Figures 8 and 9 of the
Drawings.
Sixth. The metal plates and compressed cotton or other like material
in combination with the girders placed and secured at the bottom of the 10
said water-tight compartment, as herein set forth and for the purpose
specified.
:
Seventh. The construction of the deck with springs between the upper
and lower portions of the same, and with a covering of compressed
cotton or other like material, and with or without the ball-and-socket 15
joints, and means for giving the deck a to-and-fro motion, as herein set
forth and for the purposes specified.
Eighth. Tho peculiar formation of the bottom of a ship or other
vessel, shown in Figure 5 of the Drawings, for the purpose specified.
Ninth. The combination of this peculiar formation of the vessel's 20
bottom with the adjustable keel or keels or bilge pieces, for the purpose
specified.
Tenth. Providing a ship or vessel with
a ship or vessel with a beak or stem formed
separately from the bows of the said vessel and connected to the same
through the medium of steam, air, or water, or provided with cotton or 2
with other means for affording elastic resistance to compression, as hercin
set forth and for the purpose specified.
Eleventh. The shield or fender attached to chains or the like arranged
at the side of the vessel and extended over pulleys to an engine; whereby
the said chains are operated to adjust the said shield or fender, for the 30
purpose specified.
Twelfth. Providing the bows of the vessel with adjustable overhanging
shields, for the purpose specified.
Thirteenth. A ship or vessel with the peculiar formation of the sides
and upper portion, herein described and shown, and with the aforesaid 3

page_text: central water-tight compartment or chambers and with the adjustable
keels or bilge pieces sliding vertically in boxes, arranged in combination
with the said compartment or chambers, and with the frames or stays
and other portions of my improved ship or vessel, as herein set forth and
for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Thomas Parlour, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
HY. JAS. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
JOSEPH T. PARLOUR. (L.S.)