IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS AND OTHER VENTILATORS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Mechan of Glasgow in the County of Lanark
North Britain, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS AND OTHER
VENTILATORS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Mechan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1883.
ARTHUR MECHAN of Glasgow in the County of Lanark, North Britain
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS AND OTHER VENTILATORS
"
This Invention, which consists in improvements in ventilators for ships, relates
to that class of such ventilators which have an open or bell mouthed upper end or
cowl and which end requires to be turned partially round from time to time so as
to promote or effect the admission of currents of fresh air to the stoke holds, engine
rooms or other parts of ships or vessels. Hitherto the upper parts or cowls of such
ventilators have been turned by hand, to effect which it is necessary to employ
some person on the deck of the ship. This Invention has for its object to provide
cans whereby such turning is or may be effected by the persons in the stoke
holds, engine rooms or other parts of the ship in conjunction with which the
ventilator is employed without the necessity of going on deck or passing
instructions to the deck for that purpose. With this object the upper part or
cowl of the ventilator is provided near the deck or at other convenient part with a
-horizontal pulley or drum surrounding the ventilating pipe and secured thereto.
To the said pulley or drum the two ends of a chain, cord, wire or other rope are
attached these ends being led round the pulley or drum to the point of attachment
in opposite directions. From the pulley or drum the chain cord or rope passes
over two other pulleys placed vertically or at an angle and from these pulleys the
loop of the chain, cord or rope hangs down into the stoke hold, engine room or
other part of the ship having the ventilator in conjunction therewith, or instead of
hanging in a loop the chain cord or rope may be passed one or more times round a

page_text: pulley, drum or winch having a handle or other equivalent apparatus for turning
it and so haul on the chain, cord or rope. Thus when it is desired to shift the
mouth of the cowl round in either direction the chain, cord or rope is hauled
either by hand or by turning the pulley, drum or winch and the two ends of the
chain, cord or rope being fast to the horizontal pulley or drum first referred to, the
open mouth of the cowl is shifted round in the required direction without the
necessity of coming on deck or passing instructions to the deck for that purpose.
By means of this Invention two or more ventilators may be connected together
so that their cowls shall turn in unison and the Invention besides being adapted
to ships ventilators is also applicable to other ventilators having open or bell
mouthed cowls or upper ends requiring to be turned round at intervals.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Arthur Mechan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th September 1883.
ARTHUR MECHAN, of Glasgow in the County of Lanark, North Britain
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP'S AND OTHER VENTILATORS."
My said Invention, which consists in improvements in ventilators for ships,
relates to that class of such ventilators which have an open or bell-mouthed upper
end or cowl requiring to be turned round from time to time so as to promote or
effect the admission of currents of fresh air to the stoke holds, engine rooms or
other parts of ship's or vessels.
Hitherto the upper parts or cowls of such ventilators have been turned by
hand, to effect which it is necessary to employ some person on the deck of the
ship.
My said Invention has for its object to provide means whereby such turning of
the cowls of ventilators is or may be effected by the persons in the stoke holds,
engine rooms or other parts of the ship in conjunction with which the ventilator
is employed, without the necessity of going on deck or passing instructions to the
deck for that purpose.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now
proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode or manner in, or under
which it is or may be used or carried out in practice, reference being had to the
accompanying sheet of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1, of the drawings is a front elevation and figure 2, a side elevation of
part of a ship's ventilator shewing the improvements constituting my said
Invention applied thereto. As shewn by these figures the upper part or cowl a of
the ventilator has an endless chain, cord wire or other rope b, or the two ends of a
chain cord or rope b, attached to it at a point at or near its lower end that is to
say at or near the junction of the turning or movable cowl a, with the stationary
ventilating shaft or pipe c. From the point of attachment the chain, cord or
rope b, is led horizontally round the cowl a, (which may at that part be either
formed as shewn or have a horizontal pulley or drum for the chain or rope to
work in) to vertical pulleys d, revolving on bearings fixed or carried in a
bracket formed on or secured to the stationary ventilating shaft or pipe c, and
from the said pulleys d, the chain, cord or rope may hang down in a loop outside
of the said stationary shaft or pipe. It is however preferred that the chain cord
or rope should pass down the inside of the said stationary shaft or pipe c, and to
enable this to be done the chain cord or rope, after leaving the pulleys d, is led
partly round two other vertical pulleys, also carried on a bracket or brackets g,
formed on or secured to the stationary ventilating shaft or pipe c. In the said
shaft or pipe and opposite the pulleys f, a hole or opening is made and the
peripheries of the pulleys f, being partly situated in the said hole or opening the
chain cord or rope is led through to the interior of the shaft c, of the ventilator.
The loop h, of the chain, cord or rope b, hangs down into the stoke hold, engine
room or other part of the ship, below the bottom end of the air shaft c, of the
ventilator, and when it is desired to turn the mouth of tho cowl a, to port or star-
board the chain cord or rope b, is hauled accordingly and being fast to the cowl the
said cowl is shifted round in the required direction without the necessity of coming
on deck or passing instructions to the deck for that purpose.
By means of my said Invention two or more ventilators may be connected
together so that their cowls shall turn in unison.

page_text: Figure 3, of the appended drawings shews in front elevation and figure 4, in
plan the adaptation of my said Invention to so turn in unison the cowls a, of two
ventilators. Under this arrangement the endless chain cord or rope is connected
to any point in the circumference of each cowl a, or to a pulley or drum
surrounding the cowl-the connection in each case being preferably near the
lower end of the cowl. The chain cord or rope b is led over guide pulleys situated
one adjacent to each cowl a, as seen at i, figure 4 and over and under guide
pulleys k, l, figure 3, to a wheel or pulley m, over which the loop of the chain cord
or rope is passed the pulleys L, serving to stent it. The wheel or pulley m, is
carried on bearings in a bracket n, bolted to the side of the stoke hold, engine
room or other part of the ship as indicated at figure 5, or it may be otherwise
conveniently supported. When it is desired to turn the open mouths of the
ventilator cowls a, in unison, either to port or starboard the wheel or pulley m, is
rotated, and to prevent the cowls from being turned round too far a chain cord or
rope o, having a length equal to the maximum of rotation it is desired to give to
the cowls is employed the two ends of the said length of chain, cord or rope being
attached to the endless chain cord or rope b, as indicated at figure 3, or in lieu of
this arrangement a stop or stops of any other suitable construction may be used to
prevent the cowls a, from being turned too far either way.
In lieu of the wheel m, a drum p, figure 6, actuated by a hand wheel or crank s,
may be used for turning the ventilator cowls from the stoke-hold, engine room, or
other part of the ship, the loop of the chain cord or rope being wound round the
said drum or as shown at figures 1, and 2, of the drawings the lower part of the
endless chain cord or rope may hang in a loop and the ventilator cowls be hauled
round by hand. The wheel m, figures 3 and 5 or the drum p, figure 6 may be used
with the arrangement shewn at figures 1 and 2.
Besides being adapted to ships ventilators the Invention hereinbefore described
is also applicable to other ventilators having open or bell mouthed cowls requiring
to be turned round at intervals.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the system mode or manner in or under which it is or may be used
or carried into practical effect I would observo in conclusion that 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.
The turning apparatus for open or bell mouthed cowls of ships and other
ventilators and consisting of an endless or other chain cord or rope secured to the
cowl or cowls and hanging down in a loop or conducted around a wheel or drum
substantially as and for the objects herein before described with reference to the
several figures on the appended sheet of drawings.
In Witness Whereof, I, the said Arthur Mechan have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty-ninth day of August One thousand eight hundred and
eighty-three
ADONTID MAANT
ܠܩܫܐ
Witness
GEO. M. CRUIKSHANK
Patent Agent
Glasgow
DOOD AAN
RJAKK
(3.C.)