IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS FOR FACILITATING THE TOWING OF LIGHTERS AND SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS FOR FACILITATING THE
TOWING OF LIGHTERS AND SIMILAR VESSELS." A communication from abroad
by Heinrich Ressel, of Vienna, Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lako at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th December 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the Firm of Haseltine Lake and Co. Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS
FOR FACILITATING THE TOWING OF LIGHTERS AND SIMILAR VESSELS." [A com-
munication from abroad by Heinrich Ressel of Vienna Austria.]
The present Invention relates to the towing of lighters on rivers and canals, and
consists first in giving to the bottom of the tug-steamer and of the lighters tho
shape of a flat tray having its face downwards and in maintaining a layer of air
in these trays by the aid of air-pumps or other suitable means, so that a sheet of
air will be interposed between the bottom of each boat and the water beneath it
for the purpose of reducing the friction and adhesion of the water against the
bottom of the boat; secondly in giving to the stern of the tug-steamer, and of each
lighter a concave shape and to the bow of each lighter a correspondingly convex
shape, so that the tug-steamer and lighters can be closely jointed together and form
a continuous articulated body for the purpose of confining the shock of the water
to the bow of the tug-boat; and thirdly in a peculiar construction of steam-steering
gear connecting the tug steamer with the lighter immediately behind it for the
purpose of causing the said lighter to act as a rudder for the steainer.
In carrying the said Invention into practice the linked lighters are each provided
with two rudders and with steering gear for the said rudders; strong wrought iron
links are provided for coupling the lighters which are connected together in such
a mauner that they can be moved or turned on a pivot to the right or left at an
angle of about 60 degrees so that by steering with the right or left rudder the

page_text: lighters can pass around the curves in the stream. Each lighter is fitted with
such a steering apparatus except the last of the train which need only be fitted
with one rudder.
The pneumatic bottom or pneumatic tray is formed by rims built of angle iron
which prevent the escape of the air pumped under the flat bottom of the boat.
These rims are faced inside with hard wood. It is preferred to make the pneumatic
tray removable so that it can be taken off one lighter or steamer and fixed to the
bottom of another lighter or steamer. Pumps are provided for introducing the
air into these pneumatic trays and for replacing lost air, as well as for regulating
the pressure of the air.
The compressing of the air can also be effected by means of the ordinary engine
or the steamer or by a separate donkey-engine placed on the deck of the lighters.
In this case the said donkey engine can be also used for working the steering
gear.
I provide attachments which can be added to ordinary boats to give sterns
a concave, and their bows a correspondingly convex shape to enablo them when
joined together to form a continuous body according to the present Invention, and
to thus reduce the water-shock to a minimum on account of its being met only
by the bow of the towing-steamer and being avoided by the bows of the lighters
because of the mode in which they are coupled. These attachments are so
constructed that they can be removed and applied to other boats.
For the proper working of the above described system of towing lighters it is
indispensably necessary to have a powerful and simple steam-steering apparatus
between the tug boat and the lighter behind it.
The steering apparatus constructed according to my Invention consists essentially
of a steam.cylinder-rigidly-fixed-to-the-deck-of-the-tug-steamer and containing
fixed segments, also of a semi-rotary piston connected with the lighter by means
of a shaft fixed to the same and of a hand lever secured to a valve. By varying
the position of the said valve in the valve-box by means of the lever the steersman
can cause two spaces in the steam-cylinder to communicate through three steam
ports with a steam-pipe, and two other spaces in the cylinder to communicate with
an exhaust-pipe through three other ports, or vice versa put the first named spaces
into communication with the exhaust-pipe and the other spaces into communi-
cation with the steam-pipe. It is evident that in the first case the semi-rotary
piston and with it the lighter fixed thereto, will be forced round in one direction,
and in the second case in the other direction. By admitting more steam the power
exerted can be increased at will.
In order to adapt the steering gear to the oscillation and irregular motion of the
floating vessels the connection between the shaft and the piston is constructed
so as to allow a certain amount of play both vertically and sidewise. The hub
of the piston has a conical form, and the connection between the hub and the
shaft is effected by two pins each of which slides in a vertical groove in the
said shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on tho
30th June 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS
FOR FACILITATING THE TOWING OF LIGHTERS AND SIMILAR VESSELS." A com-
munication from abroad by Heinrich Ressel, of Vienna, Austria.
The present Invention relates to the towing of lighters, on rivers and canals,
and consists first in giving to the bottom of the tug-steamer, and lighters the shapo
of flat trays having their faces downwards, and in maintaining a layer of air in
these trays by the aid of air-pumps or other suitable means, so that a sheet of air
will be interposed between the bottom of each boat and the water beneath it, for
the purpose of reducing the friction and adhesion of the water against the bottom
of the boat; secondly in giving to the stern of the tug-steamer and of each
lighter a concave shape, and to the bow of each lighter a correspondingly convex
shape, so that the tug-steamer and lighters can be closely jointed together and
form a continuous articulated body, for the purpose of confining the shock of
the water to the bow of the tug-boat; and thirdly in a peculiar construction of
steam-steering gear for connecting the tug-steamer with the lighter immediately
behind it for the purpose of causing the said lighter to act as a rudder for the
steamer.
In the accompanying Drawings
Figure 1 is a view from above of a complete towing train connected together in
a straight line.
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating how a train of boats constructed according to
the present Invention will pass round a curve in a river.
Figure 3 is a vertical section and
Figure 4 is a plan or top view showing the connection between the stern of
a tug-steamer A and the bow of a lighter B according to the present Invention.
Figure 5 is a side view and
Figure 6 a plan or top view showing the connection between the stern of one
lighter and the bow of another.
Figure 7 is a side view and
Figure 8 a plan or top view of a modified form of this connection.
Figure shows how the present Invention may be adapted to boats of the old
construction.
Figure 10 is a section of a boat with the pneumatic tray bottom.
Figure 11 is a vertical section and
Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 are horizontal sections of steam steering gear made in
accordance with the said Invention.
A is the towing-boat or tug-steamer in which a is the new steam-steering
apparatus connected with the steamer and with the lighter behind it. The stern of
the steamer is of a concave shape to receive the correspondingly convex bow of the
lighter behind it. B B are the linked lighters, in which a¹ a are the two rudders
and bb the steering gear for the said rudders; c, c are strong wrought iron links
for coupling the lighters, which are connected together in such a manner that they
can be moved or turned on the pivot d to the right or left at an angle of about
60 degrees, so that by steering with the right or left rudder the lighters can pass
around the curves in the strean. Each lighter is fitted with such a steering
apparatus, except tho last of the train, which need only be fitted with one
rudder.

page_text: The pneumatic bottom or tray.e is formed by the rims c¹ built of angle iron,
which prevent the escape of the air pumped under the flat bottom of the boat.
These rims e' are faced inside with hard wood. It is preferred to make the
pneumatic tray removable so that it can be taken off one lighter or steamer and
fixed to the bottom of another lighter or steamer. ffare pumps for introducing
air into these pneumatic trays and for replacing lost air, as well as for regulating
the pressure of the air.
The compressing of the air can be effected by means of the ordinary engine of
the steamer or by a separate donkey-engine placed on the deck of the lighters.
In this case the said donkey-engine can be also used for working the steering
gear.
In Figure 9, p p are attachinents, which can be added to ordinary boats to give
their sterns a concave and their bows a correspondingly convex shape, to enable
them, when joined together, to form a continuous body according to the present
Invention, and to thus reduce the water shock to a minimum, on account of its
being met only by the bow of the towing-steamer and being avoided by the bows
of the lighters because of the mode in which they are coupled. These attachments
are so constructed that they can be removed and applied to other boats.
Figure 2 shows a complete towing-train, constructed according to the present
improvements and passing around a curve, of which the radius is only 180 metres.
This diagram shows that the new towing-train can pass very easily around the
sharpest curves in a river since the construction shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 67
and 8 allows of an angle of rotation of 60 degrees.
For the proper working of the above described system of towing lighters it is
indispensable to have a powerful and simple steam-steering apparatus between the
tug boat and the lighter_behind it.-The-steering-apparatus constructed according
to my Invention consists essentially of a steam cylinder g rigidly fixed to the deck of
the tug-steamer and containing the fixed segments gl, g, also of a semi-rotary
piston h connected with the lighter by means of the shaft d fixed to the same and
of a hand lever l secured to the valve i. By varying the position of the valve i¹
in the valve-box i by means of the lever it is evident that the steersman can cause
the spaces 1, 1, in the steam-cylinder to communicate through the steam ports 1, 1
and m¹ with the steam pipe m and the spaces 2, 2, in the cylinder to communicate
with the exhaust pipe n through the ports ¹² and n¹, or vice versa, put the
spaces 1, 1, into communication with the exhaust-pipe n, and the spaces 2, 2, into
communication with the steam-pipe m. It is evident that in the first case tho
semi-rotary piston h and with it the lighter fixed thereto will be forced round in
one direction, and in the second case in the other direction. By admitting more
steam the power exerted can be increased at will.
In order to adapt the steering gear to the oscillation and irregular motion of the
floating vessels, the connection between the shaft d and the piston h is constructed
so as to allow a certain amount of play both vertically and sidewise. The bub
of the piston has a conical form as shown and the connection between the hub h¹
and the shaft d is effected by two pins " each of which slides in a vertical groove
in the said shaft d.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim.
First. In a tug-boat or a lighter, a pneumatic tray-shaped bottom constructed so
as to keep a sheet of air between the bottom of the boat and the water beneath it,
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
Second. In a tug-beat or a lighter, the steering-gear connecting the tug-steamer
with the lighter immediately behind it in such a manner that the said lighter can
be made to act as a rudder for the steamer substantially as described.
Third. The steam-steering gear between the tug-steamer and the lighter
immediately behind it, the said gear comprising the steam-cylinder attached to the
stern of the tug-steamer in combination with the semi-rotary piston / having the

page_text: shaft d attached to the lighter, all substantially as, and for the purposes, set
forth.
Fourth. The construction of the connections between a tug and a lighter and
between one lighter and another in such a manner that a convex bow will fit into
a concave stern and thus a continuous articulated body will be formed, sub-
stantially as described and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Thirtieth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)