CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO TIMBER-LOADED AND OTHER VESSELS LADEN WITH MATERIALS THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF WHICH IS LIGHTER THAN WATER, PREVENTING THE NECESSITY OF ABANDONING THEM AT SEA BY RIDDING THEM OF THE SUPERINCUMBENT WATER, AND ENABLING THEM THEREBY TO CARRY SAIL
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PURNELL, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Dock Master, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eighteenth day of July, in the twelfth year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Purnell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Charles Purnell, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said Charles Purnell, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and also within all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO TIMBER-LOADED AND
OTHER VESSELS LADEN WITH MATERIALS THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF WHICH IS LIGHTER
THAN WATER, PREVENTING THE NECESSITY OF ABANDONING THEM AT SEA BY RIDDING
THEM OF THE SUPERINCUMBENT WATER, AND ENABLING THEM THEREBY TO CARRY SAIL;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Charles
Purnell, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,

page_text: Tu and by the same, titrence being creato nad, will more runy and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Purnell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following explana-
tion thereof (that is to say) :-
My Invention of an Improved Apparatus to be applied to Timber-loaded and
other Vessels laden with Materials the Specific Gravity of which is lighter than
Water, preventing the necessity of abandoning them at Sea by ridding them
of the Superincumbent Water, and enabling them thereby to carry Sail, con-
sists in placing two or more tanks or cisterns on each side of the interior of
the vessel containing from fifty to a hundred gallons cach, (or thereabouts,
according to the size of the vessel,) say two at the fore part of the cabin and
two at the after. part. of the forecastle, and between the lower deck beams, as
may be most convenient to prevent interference with the stowage of the cargo.
In the interior of these tanks or cisterns, and near to the bottom of the same,
is placed a self-acting valve opening to any pressure from within, and closing
against any pressure without; and from each of the said valves-a-pipe leads to
an aperture in the side of the vessel. It will be evident that by the use of
this apparatus in the event of the vessel leaking, the rolling or motion of the
vessel will keep the water below a certain level, for as the vessel rolls to star-
board, the cisterns-or-tanks-upon-that side will be filled with the water in the
interior of the vessel, and as the vessel rolls over to larboard, as soon as the
pipes leading from the valves of the starboard tanks rise above the level of the
water on the outside of the vessel, the pressure of the water against the
outside of the valves being removed, the water in the said tanks will, by its
own gravity, open the valves and flow-off-by-means-of_the_pipes leading
through the side of the vessel, the larboard tanks at the same time filling, and
so on alternately as long as the level of the water in the interior of the vessel
is higher than the lowest point to which the motion or rolling of the vessel
will cause the tanks to dip; thus, in the event of the vessel leaking, the water
in the interior of the vessel is prevented from rising above a certain level by
the motion of the vessel itself. Supposing now the vessel to be laden. with
timber, or any other material the specific gravity of which is lighter than
water, the vessel may thus be kept in sailing condition, and the necessity of
abandoning her at sea will be obviated, and the crew will be enabled to work
her into port, thereby causing a very considerable saving of both life and
property

page_text: Such being the nature and object of my. Invention, I will now proceed to
describe more in detail the method of carrying the same into practical effect,
which will be readily understood by referring to the Drawing accompanying
these Presents, in which Fig. 1 is a transverse section of a vessel, shewing the
application of my Invention thereto; Fig. 2 is a transverse section, and Fig. 3
a longitudinal section of one of the tanks or cisterns.
a, a, represents part of
the vessel, to the inner side of which are fixed the tanks b, b; c, c', are the
valves, and d, d, are the pipes leading from the valves to the outside of the
vessel. When the vessel rolls to larboard, as represented in Fig. 1, the lar-
board tank b will fill, and the starboard tank 6' will discharge itself, the water
flowing out in the direction of the >, and when she rolls to starboard the
reverse will be the case, thus gradually diminishing the quantity of water in
the hold as long as the motion or rolling of the vessel causes either of the
tanks to dip below the level of the water.
Fig. 4 represents a transverse section of a vessel, shewing a modification
of the above, in which plugs e, e', are substituted in place of the valves c, c'.
Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse and longitudinal sections of one of the tanks.
The plugs e, e', are connected to levers f, f, by the rods g, g¹. The levers
ff, are keyed upon shafts h, h', upon each of which is keyed a weighted
lever or pendulum i, i¹. The action of this arrangement is as follows:-When
the vessel rolls to starboard, as represented in Figure 4, the weighted lever or
pendulum will keep the plug e' closed whilst the tank 6' is filling; and the
weighted lever or pendulum i will raise the plug e and discharge the water
from the tank 6 through the pipe d on the outside of the vessel, and vice
versâ.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the method of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in
conclusion, that I claim as my Invention the employment or use of the
apparatus above described, and shewn in the Drawings (or any modification
thereof), whereby the rolling or motion of the vessel discharges the water
from the interior thereof by self-acting means, to be applied to timber-loaded
or other vessels laden with materials the specific gravity of which is lighter
than water, preventing the necessity of abandoning them at sea by ridding
them of the superincumbent water, and enabling them to carry sail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Purnell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-nine.
CHA (L.S.) PURNELL.

page_text: BIRKETT, Extra.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Charles Purnell came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.