IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO FISHING NETS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE
TO FISHING NETS."-A communication from abroad by Charles François
Lepage, Charles Jacques Pombla ainé, and Alexis Seguineau, of 33,
Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 24th.May 1861, and dated the 17th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th December 1860.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO FISHING NETS," communicated to me from abroad by Charles
François Lepage, Charles Jacques Pombia ainé, and Alexis Seguineau, of 33,
Boulevard Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The ordinary mode of drawing up fishing nets, when the fish is taken, is
attended with certain disadvantages. Now according to this Invention it is
proposed to raise the net and its contents by attaching to or combining with
the net buoyant agents as floats, or empty casks or vessels, or tubes, chambers,
or receivers, which are inflated or supplied as required with air or gases.
Various modes may be adopted for carrying the Invention into effect. For

page_text: When the
instance, amongst others, a tube or tubes, or a chamber or chambers of india-
rubber or other material may be attached to the net, extending to within the
fisherman's reach or communicating with him. When he has to raise the net,
he inflates the tube or chamber with air or gas by a pump or bellows, or from
compressed air or gas receivers, or by other contrivance, whereupon the net
and its contents will be at once raised to the surface of the water.
tubes or chambers are not inflated, they allow the net to descend to and remain
at the required depth, where it may be held down by a weight or otherwise.
Or flexible tubes or chambers may be used, which are weighted or filled with
water when the net is to be let down. The water is expelled from them when
it is to be raised, and they are then inflated with air or gas, so that they may
come up and bring the net with them; or casks or floats may be attached to the
net, which is held down by a removeable weight, which resists the buoyancy of
the casks or floats, but is so contrived that it may be detached or liberated,
in order to allow the net to rise to the surface. The-net may be suspended
(in the water) from and retained by a cork or other buoy or float; or tubes,
vessels, or chambers of india-rubber or other material, inflated with air or gas,
may be used for the purpose, the suspending cords or connecting agents being
longer or shorter to suit the depth. The mouth of the net may-be-kept distended
by an articulated hoop or collar or a band stretcher or frame, consisting of a
number of pieces or sections, each of which may be separately held to the net,
and all connected together by pins or otherwise, so that when fitted together
in place they compose a circular, oval, polygonal, or other suitable figure, and
lie around the mouth or edge of the net to hold it open. An extra net or
fabric, which may, for example, be shaped like a sort of fishing net open at
bottom, can be attached or furled round or near the mouth of the net, and so
arranged that it may be caused to unfurl and enclose or cover the said mouth,
to prevent the escape of the fish when the net is drawn up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30
17th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Henry, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said Michael
Henry, my executors, 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 APPLICABLE TO
FISHING NETS," communicated to me from abroad by Charles François Lepage,
Charles Jacques Pombla ainé, and Alexis Seguineau, of 33, Boulevard Saint
Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (aimongst others) that I, the said
Michael Henry, 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 Michael Henry, 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 thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
The ordinary mode of drawing up fishing nets, when the fish is taken, is
attended with certain disadvantages. Now according to this Invention the net
and its contents are raised by attaching to or combining with the net buoyant
agents, such as floats, or empty casks or vessels, or tubes, chambers, or receivers,
which are inflated or supplied as required with air or gases (and thereby.
rendered buoyant).
For this purpose a tube or tubes or a chamber or chambers of india-rubber
or other proper material is attached to the net and extend to within the
fisherman's reach, or be in communication with him, so that when he wishes
to raise the net, he inflates this tube or chamber with air or gas by a pump or
by bellows, or from compressed air or gas holders, or by other contrivance,
whereupon the net and its contents will be at once raised to the surface of the
water. When the tubes or chambers are not inflated they allow the net to
descend to and remain at the required depth, where it may be held down by a
weight. Or tubes or chambers may be connected to the net and weighted or

page_text: filled with water when the net is to be let down, but when the net is. to be
raised the water is expelled from them, and they are supplied with air or gas
so that they may come up and bring the net with them; or empty casks or
floats may be attached to the net, the net being held down when to be sub-
merged by means of a removable weight, which resists the buoyancy of the a
casks or floats, but is so contrived that it may be detached or liberated when
required in order to allow the net to rise to the surface. The net may be
sustained or held in the water by a cork or other buoy or float, as is usual,
but instead thereof the tubes, vessels, or chambers of india-rubber or other like
material, inflated with air or gas, may be used for this purpose. The suspend-
ing cords or agents used are of course longer or shorter, to suit the depth to
which the net is to be sunken. The mouth of the net may be kept distended
by an articulated hoop, collar, stretcher, or frame, consisting of a number of
pieces or sections, which may each be separately held to the net, and are all
connected together by pins or otherwise, so that when fitted together in place
they compose a circular, oval, polygonal, or other suitable figure surrounding
the mouth of the net and hold it open. An extra net, which may be shaped
like a fishing net open at bottom, can be attached or furled round or near the
mouth of the net, and so arranged-that-it-may-be-caused to unfurl and enclose
or cover the said mouth to prevent the escape of the fish when the net is being
drawn up.
I now proceed more particularly to describe in what manner the Invention-
may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a perspective view of a fishing net constructed
according to one arrangement for carrying out this Invention, and represented
submerged. C is the net, which differs from ordinary nets in respect of the
caoutchouc tube or the buoyant agents with which it is provided. A is a tube
of caoutchouc or similar elastic material. This tube is closed at one end, is
carried round and attached to the net, and communicates at the other end.
with an air pump or other apparatus for inflating it with air or gas, placed
within easy reach of the fisherman. At this end the tube is provided with a
valve, which in the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 consists of a caoutchouc
diaphragm B, attached at the end of a short wood pipe b, inserted in the end
of the tube A, the diaphragm opening inward, so that it remains open while
the tube A is being inflated, but when the tube is filled, this valve is kept
closed by the pressure of the air seeking to escape, and thereby retains the
air in the tube, whence it can be readily discharged just drawing out the
short wood pipe and its diaphragm. Other forms of valves or means may,
however, be used for opening and closing the end of the tube A. For sea

page_text: fishery I prefer to cover the tube A with a tarred canvas wrapping. The
tube may be rapidly inflated by filling it from compressed air apparatus. The
net is sunk by means of the weight X, which is attached to it at bottom, and
keeps it in a vertical position. It is retained at the required depth by ropes E,
attached to buoys or floats D, the tube A, which of course is not inflated until
the net is to be drawn up, extending upward through the water, so as to com-
municate at pleasure with the air pump or other apparatus for supplying air.
When the net is to be raised through the water, the tube A is inflated, and
thereby becoming buoyant, the net will at once rise to the surface with its
contents; its upward motion being easy and steady it will not be liable to be
shaken or overturned in its ascent, and the fish that it may contain will not be
likely to escape. The buoyancy of the inflated tubes will cause the net to
float at or near the surface of the water, and it may be hauled to the boat or
shore by a rope, or even by the tube itself if the take of fish is not too heavy..
The net thus arranged can be towed in the water like a boat. f is an
articulated wood frame composed of sections, which, when attached one by one
to loops on the mouth of the net, and rivetted or otherwise connected to one
another, form a polygonal or other shaped hoop, corresponding in circum-
ference to the mouth of the net, which it keeps open and distended when the
net is descending, and when it is at the required depth. This hoop can be
easily taken to pieces and unshipped for convenience of removal from place
to place. G, shown in the plan, Figure 2, is an extra net, which, when not
required for use, furls out of the way under the loop f, and leaves the mouth
of the net C free; but when the fish is taken, and the net is to be hauled up,
this net G is unfurled by means of cords K, which pass through rings on its
edge, and extend to within reach of the fisherman, whereby the net is opened.
out and drawn together at top like the mouth of a reticule, so as to close over.
the mouth of the net C, as shewn in Figure 2, and keep the fish from escaping..
This extra net is for use in deep sea fisheries.
Another mode of or second arrangement for performing the Invention is
also illustrated in the Drawings. H, H, shewn in red lines, are empty casks
attached to the net, so as to float round it. X is a weight, which is fastened
to the bottom of the net, and is sufficiently heavy to overcome the buoyant.
tendency of the casks. This weight is attached to the net by a hook J, which
may be opened at pleasure by a cord M, worked from the boat. When it is
opened, the weight can be detached from the net, and drawn up out of the
water by another cord N, fastened to it. When the net is to be sunk, the
hook J is closed so as to suspend the weight to the net, thereby drawing:
the net down, the weight overcoming the resistance of the casks H, and

page_text: keeping the net down as long as it is to be submerged. When the net is
to be raised, the hook is opened, the weight detached, and the net being
released to the buoyant action of the casks will immediately rise to the
surface.
According to a third arrangement, a tube or tubes of caoutchouc, thin
copper, or other convenient material may be attached to the net, and so con-
trived that when the net is to be submerged these tubes are filled with water
or liquid, and being thereby rendered heavy, sink the net, and keep it down
as far as the suspending cords allow. When the net is to be drawn up, the
water is pumped out or otherwise discharged from the tube, and the tube
filled with air (or kept exhausted to produce a vacuum therein), and thereby
becoming buoyant will at once raise the net to the surface.
Nets arranged according to this Invention are rendered suitable for
employment for certain fisheries hitherto performed by line, such as cod
fishery, for example.
When the nets are constructed, fitted, or combined with the buoyant agents,
or agents that may be rendered buoyant at pleasure, according to the three
-arrangements or modes of performing the Invention herein-before described,
I call the "buoyant agent fishing nets."
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, constructing, fitting, or arranging fishing nets with means for raising
the same, consisting of buoyant agents, or agents that may rendered buoyant
as required, as herein-before described.
Second, constructing, fitting, or arranging fishing nets with tubes, chambers,
or receivers so contrived that they may be filled with air or gas at pleasure,
and thereby rendered buoyant for the purpose of raising the nets to which they
are applied.
Third, constructing or fitting fishing nets with tubes or chambers of
caoutchouc or other material which may be inflated and rendered buoyant at
pleasure, in such manner as and in order to raise such nets when submerged.
Fourth, constructing or fitting fishing nets with tubes or chambers of
caoutchouc or other material which may be inflated and rendered buoyant at
pleasure, in such manner as and in order to float such nets, or sustain, hold,
or retain them in the water, instead of the cork or other floats hitherto used
for the purpose.
Fifth, the combination of fishing nets with empty casks, floats, or buoyant
agents, and with a weight so contrived that such weight when attached to the
net will resist the action of the casks, floats, or buoyant agents, but which

page_text: weight may be separated or disengaged from the net at pleasure, and allow
the net to be raised by the action of the casks, floats, or buoyant agents.
Sixth, the three arrangements of "buoyant agent fishing nets" berein-before
described, that is to say, each in so far as regards the arrangement and
combination of parts of which the same consists, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
S. E. A. NEWSOME, Patent Office,
84, Fleet Street, London.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)