Improvements in Means for Preventing the Sinking or Capsizing of Boats, Ships, and like Vessels or Floating Bodies.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 27th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 5th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preventing the Sinking or Capsizing of
Boats, Ships, and like Vessels or Floating Bodies.
We, WARSANOPHY ALEXANDROFF, Russian Peasant, and ALEXANDER Coumbary,
a subject of the Emperor of Russia, both residing at St. Petersburg, Palace
Quai, 10, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
From the introduction of iron instead of wood in the construction of boats, ships
and the like the need has very strongly been felt of means of security against
capsizing in case of damage and for ensuring as much as possible the unsink-
ability of such vessels. Recourse has been had to a system of water tight partitions,
but as this means did not afford sufficient security double broadsides and double
bottoms with a drainage system were proposed. But this construction necessi-
tated the employement of manholes the air-tight closing of which could not be
ensured. Therefore although the utility of these means is great they do not
afford complete security in case of damage.
The object of our Invention is to provide means such that although on the
occurrence of damage water may gain access to a compartment or compartments
the vessel or the like will not capsize or sink and further if a rupture be made
in the vessel no water, or no considerable amount of water, will pass thereinto..
Our Invention consists in providing in the interior of the vessel or floating body
to be protected containers for air or other gas such that the total contents of
these containers will be sufficient to keep the vessel afloat even if it become filled
with water. The said containers may be arranged so as not to allow water to enter
the vessel or the like through holes which may be made in the sides thereof.
Our Invention may be applied as follows:-
We attach to the walls, sides, bottoms, partitions or other parts of the vessel
or the like a series of containers or floats consisting of hollow bodies of any material
not permeable by water or air or other gases. They may be arranged in groups,
or connected series or they may be separate from each other. We attach them
preferably so that they can be readily removed and replaced. The said containers
or floats may be made of rigid material such for instance as sheet-iron or steel
or they may be made of pliable or elastic material such for intsance as textile
fabric or caoutchouc and these may be provided with means for inflating them
with air or gas when necessity arises, they remaining uninflated normally.
When inflated they can fill the whole of a compartment whose side may be
injured and thus stop the water from entering. Or the said containers
or floats may be constructed so as to be capable of being opened or shut after the
manner of bellaws. These can be suspended from the ceiling of the compartment
and be opened in case of necessity by the action of weights or otherwise.
The arrangements according to our Invention present the advantages that they
require no manholes or means for access to the interior, they are distinct from
the walls of the vessel or the like, and form no part of the sides or walls or of
the partitions and being loosely attached to the sides of the vessel or the like they

page_text: will be neither perforated nor injured in case of damage to the vessel or the like.
Their attachment should of course be sufficiently secure to prevent their being
accidentally detached in case of damage and their number and power of flotation
should be sufficient to maintain the vessel afloat even when filled with water.
If they be filled with a gas lighter than air, their power of flotation will of
course be enhanced.
1
1000
Improvements in Means for Preventing the Sinking or Capsizing of
Boats, Ships, and like Vessels or Floating Bodies.
We, WARSANOPHY ALEXANDROFF, Russian Peasant, and ALEXANDER COUMBARY,
a subject of the Emperor of Russia, both residing in St. Petersburg, Palace
Quai, 10, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
From the introduction of iron instead of wood in the construction of boats, ships,
and the like, the need has very greatly been felt of means of security against
capsizing in case of damage, and for ensuring, as much as possible, the unsink-
ability of such vessels. Recourse has been had to a system of water-tight partitions ;
but as this means did not afford sufficient security, double broadsides and double
bottoms with a drainage system, were proposed. But this construction necessi-
tated the employment of manholes, the airtight closing of which could not be
ensured. Therefore although the utility of these means is great they do not
afford complete security in case of damage.
The object of our invention is to provide means such that, although on the
occurrence of damage, water may gain access to a compartment or compartments,
the vessel, or the like will not capsize, or sink, and further, if a rupture be made
in the vessel, no water, or no considerable amount of water, will pass thereinto.
Our invention consists, in providing in the interior of the vessel, or floating body
to be protected, containers for air, or other gas, such that the total contents of
these containers will be sufficient to keep the vessel afloat even if it become filled
with, water. The said containers may be arranged so as not to allow water to enter
the vessel, or the like, through holes which may be made in the sides thereof.
Our invention may be applied as follows:-
We attach to the walls, sides, bottoms, partitions, or other parts of the vessel,
or the like, a series of containers or floats consisting of hollow bodies of any material
not permeable by water, or air, or other gases. They may be arranged in groups,
or connected series, or they may be separate, from each other. We attach them
preferably so that they can be readily removed and replaced. The said containers,
or floats, may be made of rigid material, such for instance, as sheet iron, or steel,
or they may be made of pliable, or elastic, material, such for instance as textile
fabric, or caoutchouc, and these may be provided with means for inflating them
with air, or other gas, when necessity arises, they remaining uninflated normally.
When inflated they can fill the whole of a compartment whose side
may be injured and thus stop the water from entering. Or the
said containers, or floats, may be constructed so as to be capable of being
opened, or shut, after the manner of bellows. These can be suspended from the

page_text: ceiling of the compartment and be opened in case of necessity by the action of
weights, or otherwise.
The arrangements according to our invention present the advantages that they
require no manholes, or means for access to the interior; they are distinct from
the walls of the vessel or the like, and form, no part of its sides, or walls, or of
the partitions, and being loosely attached to the sides of the vessel, or the like, they
will be neither perforated nor injured in case of damage to the vessel, or the like.
Their attachment should of course be sufficiently secure to prevent their being
accidentally detached in case of damage, and their number and power of floatation
should be sufficient to maintain the vessel afloat even when filled with water.
If they be filled with a gas, lighter than air, their power of flotation will of
course be enhanced.
The annexed drawings shew some examples of the application of our invention,
to a vessel.
Figures 1 and 2 shew in transverse section and in plan the arrangement of the
floats along the sides and the bottom of the boat or other vessel. The containers,
or floats, aa are shewn in the form of flat sided boxes, but their shape as well
as their mode of attachment, may be of any description.
Figure 3 shews the application of the containers, or floats, in the shape of
bags bb, suspeneded from the air, or gas, inlet pipes c. By admitting the air,
or gas, under pressure into the bags bb they are inflated and may fill the whole
of the interior volume of the compartment in which they are situated so as to
prevent the entry of the water there into in case of leakage.
Figure 4 shews the application of air, or gas, containers in the form of bellows,
suspended from the ceiling. In case of necessity the bellows d, can be instantly
lowered by the action of weights e, or otherwise; protecting from the water the
compartment in which they are situated.
It is evident that the means herein before described may be applied not only
to boats,, ships, and the like, but also to floating vessels, or bodies, generally
which it is desired to protect from damage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. In combination with boats, ships and other floating bodies, containers or
floats, situated in the interiors thereof and not forming part of the vessel, but
loosely attached to its sides, for the purpose of providing security against capsiz-
ing in case of damage, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In combination with the interiors of boats ships or other floating bodies, bags
or balloons and means for filling or inflating then with air or gas, substantially
as and for the purpose herein before described.
3. In combination with the interiors of boats ships and other floating bodies
bellows or extensible containers suspended from the ceiling or attached to the
walls of the compartment to be protected and capable of being extended, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before described, and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.