IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Scott Russell, of Great George Street, West-
minster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS AND
OTHER VESSELS.""
Scaled the 12th May 1859, and dated the 9th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Scott Russell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1859.
I, JOHN SCOTT RUSSELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, do hereby.
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS
AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships and other
vessels, and consists in constructing the framing of a ship or vessel of angle
and other bars made of yellow or Muntz's metal, and in plating such framing.
with sheets of like metal, and also in plating frames of ships or other vessels
constructed of angle iron or other bars of iron with sheets of yellow or Muntz's
metal. The sheets of such yellow or Muntz's metal are to be fastened to cach.
other and to the framing by rivets of the same metal. The cutwaters also
and the stern and rudder posts and other parts of the framing of ships and
vessels as well as the rudders are to be by preference of Muntz's or yellow
metal. For these purposes it is believed that the best compound or alloy.
consists of about 60 parts of the best copper, and 40 parts of the best spelter,
but such proportions may be varied, as is well known, within moderate limits.
It is preferred to construct the frame of a ship or vessel of the yellow inetal.

page_text: and to combine therewith shects of like metal, but I have by experiment
ascertained that in a galvanic point of view the particular alloy of copper and
zine above mentioned is so near iron as not to act largely thereon, and
therefore that in constructing a ship or vessel, a frame of iron may advan-
tageously be plated over with sheets of yellow or Muntz's metal, whilst sheets 5
of copper are wholly unsuited for the purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Scott Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Joun
SCOTT RUSSELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Scott Russell, Her special licence that I, the said John Scott Russell, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Scott
Russell, 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 IN
BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Scott Russell, 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 John Scott Russell, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
.
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships and other
vessels, and consists in constructing the framing of a ship or vessel of angle
and other bars made of yellow or Muntz's metal, and in.plating such framing

page_text: with sheets of like metal, and also in plating frames of ships or other vessels
constructed of angle iron or other bars of iron with sheets of yellow or Muntz's
metal. The sheets of such yellow or Muntz's metal are to be fastened to
each other and to the framing by rivets of the same metal. The cutwaters
also and the stern and rudder posts and other parts of the framing of ships
and vessels as well as the rudders are to be by preference of Muntz's or yellow
metal. For these purposes it is believed that the best compound or alloy
consists of about 60 parts of the best copper, and 40 parts of the best spelter,
but such proportions may be varied, as is well known, within moderate limits.
It is preferred to construct the frame of a ship or vessel of the yellow metal,
and to combine therewith sheets of like metal, but I have by experiment
ascertained that the particular alloy of copper and zinc above mentioned is so
near iron in its electrical character as not to act largely thereon when the two
are placed in contact in sea water, and therefore that in constructing a ship
or vessel, a frame of iron may advantageously be plated over with sheets of
yellow or Muntz's metal, whilst sheets of copper are wholly unsuited for the
purpose. The frame of a vessel when of yellow or Muntz's metal, I construct
any convenient form as when iron is employed, and employ a similar section
of metal both in form and size. The yellow or Muntz's metal is brought to
the section required by rolling, just as is the case with iron, and it is worked
in a similar manner. The stern post and other parts which in iron ships are
forged, I prefer, when yellow or Muntz's metal is used, to cast to form. Tho
plating of yellow or Muntz's metal I make of the same thickness as when iron
is used, and it is secured to the frame by rivets of yellow or Muntz's metal,
which are worked in a similar manner to iron rivets, but care should be taken
not to heat the rivets too highly, and not to keep them heated longer than is
necessary. When an iron frame is to be plated with yellow or Muntz's
metal, it is to be constructed as if an iron plating were to be employed. And
the yellow or Muntz's metal plates should be of a thickness such as is usual
for plating ships with iron. Either yellow or Muntz's metal or iron rivets
may be used, but yellow or Muntz's metal is preferred.
of
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scott Russell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. SCOTT RUSSELL. (L.S.)