Year: 1885

page_text: We, THOMAS ARCHIBALD FISHER HALL of Kilmorz Hill, Southampton, in the
County of Hants, Civil Engineer, HENRY THOMAS CLANCHY of 71 Anglesea Road
in the County of Hants, Commander in the Royal Navy, and CHARLES HASTINGS
DENT, of Brym-y-môr Holyhead in the County of Anglesea, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the specification of a former Patent granted to two of us, namely, Thomas
Archibald Fisher Hall and Henry Thomas Clanchy, dated 11th November 1884,
No 14873, there is described a collapsible raft with central frame-work or structure
and flaps or wings, the flaps or wings serving when opened out as decks and
being furnished with air-tight vessels or chambers or buoyant parts to support
them in the water. Now, according to the present invention, the central frame-
work or structure is dispensed with and the buoyant flaps or air-tight vessels with
deck-like tops are hinged or jointed together in such a manner that when the
apparatus is suspended, centrally, it will be in its closed or collapsed condition, but
when its weight is thrown upon any suitable lowering gear, such as slings or
lowering ropes, connected to the flaps at a distance from their line of junction
or joint, the apparatus will open out automatically after the same manner as the
apparatus described in the previous specification hereinabove referred to. In
connection with the apparatus above described, means are provided whereby the
connected buoyant flaps or vessels are automatically locked in their extended
position as the apparatus is opened out, thereby rendering the apparatus rigid
when in its extended or open condition.
According to one arrangement, for this purpose each flap or equivalent is
provided with two or more locking contrivances of the following construction. At
the inner side or edge of each flap or equivalent is a bolt so arranged that as the
two flaps approach a common plane, the respective bolts engage simultaneously
ID 77

page_text: with an intermediate locking device constructed with jaws or locking plates that
are moved apart by the bolts in opposition to the action of a spring which serves
also as a means for raising and collapsing or closing the apparatus. Various
arrangements may, however, be employed for locking or .rendering the apparatus
rigid.
D
11
001
1
YOOR
T. A. F. HALL.
H. T. CLANCHY.
W. Lloyd Wise,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Rafts or Apparatus for Saving Life at Sea and
other Purposes.
We, THOMAS ARCHIBALD FISHER HALL, of Kilmorz Hill, Southampton, in the
county of Hants, Civil Engineer, HENRY THOMAS CLANCHY of 71 Anglesea Road,
in the county of Hants, Commander in the Royal Navy, and CHARLES HASTINGS
DENT, of Brym-y-môr, Holyhead, in the county of Anglesea, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and, by the following
statement:-
In the specification of a former patent granted to two of us namely Thomas
Archibald Fisher Hall and Henry Thomas Clanchy, dated 11th November 1884
No 14873, there is described a collapsible raft with central frame-work or structure
and flaps or wings, the flaps or wings serving when opened out as decks and being
furnished with air-tight vessels or chambers or buoyant parts to support them in
the water. Now, according to the present invention the central frame-work or
structure is dispensed with, and the buoyant flaps or air-tight vessels with deck
like tops are hinged or jointed together in such a manner that when the apparatus
is suspended centrally it will be in its closed or collapsed condition, but when its
weight is thrown upon any suitable lowering gear, such as slings or lowering ropes
connected to the flaps at a distance from their line of junction or joint, the
apparatus will open out automatically after the same manner as the apparatus
described in the previous specification hereinabove referred to. In connection
with the apparatus above described means are provided whereby the connected
buoyant flaps or vessels are automatically locked in their extended positions as the
apparatus is opened out thereby rendering the apparatus rigid when in its extended
or open condition.
Various arrangements may be employed for locking or rendering the apparatus
rigid,

page_text: Referring to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is an end
view partly in section of so much of a raft or apparatus for saving life at sea and
other purposes as is necessary to illustrate the application of this invention; the
buoyant flaps or vessels being shown partially open.
Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section showing the apparatus opened out, the
buoyant flaps or vessels being locked in their extended positions.
Fig. 3 is a partial plan showing the parts in the same positions.
Fig. 4 is a plan to a smaller scale showing the apparatus closed or folded.
Fig. 5 shows in plan to an enlarged scale one of the hinges with its link or
shackle.
Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of locking gear.
a and b are two buoyant flaps or air-tight vessels with deck-like tops a¹ b¹.
The construction of these buoyant flaps or air-tight vessels may be varied according
to requirement. The two buoyant flaps are hinged together by three or other
suitable number of hinges. In the example illustrated three hinges are shown
at c c c. On the pin d of each hinge there is a shackle e for attachment to
suspending tackle so that when the apparatus is suspended by these shackles it
will be in or will assume its closed or folded condition represented in plan in
Fig. 4. The part c¹ of each hinge is secured by a bolt that extends in the
example illustrated entirely across the buoyant flap. g g are eye bolts attached to
the flaps, and h h are ropes whereby they are connected to a bar i that can be
connected to any suitable lowering gear such as slings or lowering ropes. Two or
more sets of locking gear are provided. Each of these in the arrangement illus-
trated is as follows:-k is a bolt formed with a shoulder k and rounded or bevelled
at k. It is firmly attached to the buoyant flap a through which it extends and is
secured by nuts k³. To the other flap b is firmly attached (in the present case by
a bolt ) a box m formed with slots at its respective sides to serve as guides.
Through these slots extend portions n¹ n' of square section of a locking bolt n
that is bevelled or rounded so that as the buoyant flaps approach the relative
positions indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 the bevelled or rounded part of the bolt k
by pressing against the bevelled or rounded bolt n will cause it to retire in
opposition to the spring o until the enlarged end of the bolt k has passed the
bolt n which will then be caused by the action of the spring o to return in front
of the shoulder k¹ thus securely locking the apparatus in the extended or open
condition. p is a rod connected to the bolt n. By pulling this rod the bolt n can
be moved clear of the shoulder of the bolt thus effecting the unlocking.
To (1) prevent severe shocks on the opening of the apparatus (2) assist in keeping
the parts of the locking gear in contact when the apparatus is open, and (3)
commence the moving apart of the buoyant flaps when the unlocking is effected,
buffers are or may be provided at the inner sides of the flaps. The buffers illus-
trated are applied to the flap b¹ and operate in connection with abutment pieces rr
on the flap a. The buffers shown are constructed with short cylinders of india-
rubber with metallic beads q¹ and buffer rods q extending through one side of
the flap and provided with screwed ends and nuts q³, but other forms of buffer may
obviously be employed.
It will be obvious that when the weight of the raft is thrown upon the shackles e
it will as already indicated be folded or closed, and when the weight is thrown
upon the ropes hh it will be opened out, and on the opening out the buoyant flaps
will be automatically locked together in their extended state in readiness for use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A raft or pontoon comprising buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight vessels
hinged or jointed together and provided with automatic locking apparatus, the

page_text: arrangement being such that when the said buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight
vessels are opened out or extended they will be automatically locked together in
their extended condition:
2. A raft or apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claim in which
the hinges are provided with shackles and suitable tackle is connected to the
buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight vessels in such a manner that when the apparatus
hangs by the shackles applied to the hinges the buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight
vessels will be closed together, and when the apparatus hangs by the tackle applied
to the buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight vessels the apparatus will be opened out
and the buoyant flaps, wings, or air-tight vessels will be automatically locked
together substantially as described.
D
3. The raft or apparatus for saving life at sea and other purposes hereinabove
described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
ን