IMPROVEMENTS IN SAVING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FROM -SINKING
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Queen's Grove, in the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAVING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FROM
-SINKING."
Sealed the 3rd March 1865, and dated the 6th September 1864. ****
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
September 1864.
I, JOHN SMITH, of Queen's Grove, in the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer; do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAVING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FROM.
SINKING," to be as follows:-
These improvements have for object the saving of ships or other vessels
from sinking when their bottoms have been damaged by a heavy sea or other
cause, and the improvements refer more particularly to ships or other vessels
having two decks, the lower deck about the water line having divisions
according to the size of the ship or vessel. There are one or more hatchways
to each division, which hatchway or hatchways are constructed differently to
those heretofore used. The outer framing of the hatchway is made broader
than hitherto and is also lower, and it is rendered air-tight and water-tight.
Between the framing of the hatchway and the hatchway itself or the lid, I

page_text: splace a layer of vulcanized india-rubber or equivalent material, and press the
lid on the framing by screws or similar contrivances. This lid is screwed
down or otherwise secured, and rendered air-tight and water-tight. I employ
one, two, or more air forced pumps according to the size of the ship or other
vessel, with requisite piping to conduct air to different parts of the ship or
vessel. I also employ indicators and safety valves of ordinary arrangement,
and I make the windows or other outlets of the ship or vessel air-tight and
water-tight, and underlay the framing thereof with vulcanized india-rubber or
equivalent material to render the same air-tight and water-tight. Although
ships and vessels having two decks and divisions are best adapted for my
Invention, my Invention is also applicable to ships and vessels of other
construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the. Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
March 1865.
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, of Queen's Grove, in the Town and County, of the Town of Not-
tingham, Lace Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Smith, Her special licence that I, the said John
Smith, my executors, 'administrators, and assigns, or such other's as I, the
said John Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAVING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS FROM SINKING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Smith, my executors or administra-
tors, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per;
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:-
These improvements have for object the saving of ships or other vessels
from sinking when their bottoms have become leaky or damaged by a heavy
sea or other cause, and the Invention has reference more particularly to ships
or other vessels having two decks, the lower deck about the water line having
divisions according to the size of the ship or vessel. There is one or more
hatchways to each division, which hatchway or hatchways is or are con-
structed differently to those heretofore used. The outer framing of the
hatchway is made broader than hitherto and also lower, and is rendered air-
tight and water-tight. Between the framing of the hatchway and the
hatchway itself or the lid, I place a layer of vulcanized india-rubber or
equivalent material, and press the lid on the framing by screws or similar
contrivances. This lid is screwed down or otherwise secured, and rendered.
air-tight and water-tight. I employ one, two, or more pumps for forcing air,
the number of pumps varying according to the size of the ship or other vessel,
with requisite piping to conduct air to different parts of the ship or vessel. I
also employ indicators and safety valves of ordinary arrangement. I make
the windows or other outlets of the ship or vessel air-tight and water-tight,
and underlay the framing thereof with vulcanized india-rubber or equivalent
material, so as to render the same air-tight and water-tight. Although ships
and vessels having two decks and divisions are best adapted for my Invention,
my Invention is also applicable to ships or other vessels of other construction..
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing it with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings.

page_text: full size of the whole three Figures will be more particularly referred to
hereafter); Figures 11 and 12 represent in section (the full size) two
methods which I employ for making stairways, hatchways, scuttles, or other
similar openings leading into the hold of a ship or vessel air-tight; Figures
13 and 14 shew respectively in plan and section my method of making air-
tight the funnel of a steam vessel, where such funnel cannot conveniently be
lowered on to deck.
In Figure 1, A represents the fore division B the aft division, and C the
central division of an one-decked ship or vessel, which divisions are reached
from deck by the three ladderways shewn in the plan, Figure 2; D are pipes,
through which air is forced into each division at the same time, or air may be
forced into the divisions separately by turning the cocks or valves E, E', and.
E2, by a key or wrench on the deck, as shown at Figures 2 and 4, where the
pipes are laid under the deck, as shown at Figures 1 and 3; the stems of the
plugs of the cocks or valves must be passed through stuffing boxes let into
the top side of the deck, and flush with it, the top of the box having a hole
in it to let a key or wrench be placed upon the stem of the cock or valve
plug, such hole to be screwed on the inside to receive a cap or plug to fill it
Air is forced
level with the deck when the key or wrench is not in use.
through the pipes D into one or more divisions of the ship or vessel by means
of an air pump or pumps F, more particularly referred to hereafter.
In Figure 2, A represents the fore division, B the aft division, and C the
centre division, and A', B, and C, the corresponding divisions in the lower hold
of a two-decked' ship or vessel; D are the air pipes, and F the air pump or
pumps. Air is forced into the divisions A, C, B, by opening the cocks or
valves E, E, and E2, and into the divisions A', C', and B¹, by opening the cocks
or valves E³, E, and E³. For forcing air through the pipes D, one or more air
pumps of ordinary construction may be employed worked by hand or power.
In the arrangement shown at Figure 5, three pumps F are mounted upon
a wrought-iron reservoir G, in Figures 5 and 6; the air is expelled from the
three cylinders F twice at each revolution of a crank shaft H connected to
three piston rods I by forked connecting links K; each rod slides in a
bearing L supported by or forming part of a bracket, which may be bolted to
the deck or to the lowest plate of the reservoir G; each rod also passes
through and slides in two stuffing boxes M, one àt each end of the cylinder.
On each rod is secured a piston N of the form shewn, or of any other con-
venient arrangement. In the section, Figure 6, of one of the pumps, the
piston N is shewn as having made half a stroke forwards, air being supplied
to the back end of the piston by the valve O, and being forced into the

page_text: reservoir, and thence into the pipes D through the valve P; there is an inlet
valve O and an outlet valve P at each end of the cylinder. The standards R,
which support the bearings for the crank shaft H, are bolted to the deck, or
they and the reservoir and pumps may be bolted down to a strong platform
on stout trucks to enable the whole to be moved to any part of the vessel
required. In Figures 2 and 4 the pumps are in the vicinity of the forehatch
or ladderway, but they may be on other parts of the deck. I prefer to place
them so that they may be driven by a belt passing through an opened' scuttle
or other opening from the engines in the division C until such time as it is
necessary to close such opening and the funnel way, in which case the pumps
would have to be driven by hand. Near one end of the crank shaft are the
two pullies required for the belt from the engine, and near the other end is a
fly wheel; the ends of the shaft are squared, so that a pair of winch handles
may be slipped on when necessary to drive the pumps by hand; the valves P
to each cylinder may be readily got at by taking off the cover P, shewn in
Figure 7. The air in the reservoir passes into the pipes D through one or
more short pipes G³, flanged to correspond with the flanges of the pipes D:
By means of the pumps and pipes I can readily force air into any or all of
the divisions of the vessel, but unless the entrances into the hold are closed
and made air-tight the air would easily escape; to prevent this I employ the
means shewn in Figures 8 to 14:
'
Figure 8 is an inboard view of a one-paned light; Figure 9, section of
same; and Figure 10, a section of part of same. In these Figures, A is the
frame rabbitted to receive a pane of glass B inserted therein; after the rabbit
has been lined with a strip of thin vulcanized india-rubber or equivalent
material, which, before insertion in the rabbit, is covered on both sides with
marine glue or equivalent material, the glass is pressed home in the rabbit
by the frame D, which is secured to the frame A by screws, the said two
frames being secured together form the opening pane or part of a light for
the side or other part of a ship or vessel; every separate pane of glass for
admitting light should be in the same or in an equivalent manner made air
and water tight, and when such frame is intended to open should be hinged
on the inboard side of the ship or vessel; when such pane is closed the frame
may be secured to an outer frame F (which is fitted air and water tight to
the side of the vessel) by the screws F¹; a strip of vulcanized india-rubber or
equivalent material of the shape of the frames is placed upon the frame F
In a similar manner I secure the covers of ladderways, hatchways, scuttles,"
and all other openings into the upper, or lower, or central (centrals if any) holds
of ships or vessels, as shewn at Figure 11, which represents in section a

page_text: portion of such cover, which if of wood should be lined with lead or other
metal. A is the wood cover; B, the lead or other metal; and C, the vulcanized
india-rubber, which may be simply laid between the frame of the cover A
and the frame D of the hatchway or other opening, the cover A being then
screwed down unto the frame D by the screws E, of which there are as many
to each frame as required. But I prefer that the frame D should have a
cap F screwed on to it of the form shewn, and that a groove be cut or
otherwise formed in the lower side of the frame of the cover A, into which
groove the vulcanized rubber or equivalent material should be forced, in
which position it would be protected by the frame. Figure 12 shows a similar
arrangement of parts to that before described, but the parts are reversed, the
rubber being forced into a groove in a metal cap screwed upon or let into
the upper side of the frame of the hatchway or other opening. And for the
purpose of making air-tight the funnel of a steam ship or vessel, I propose
that at any convenient height above the deck a hole be cut in the side of
the funnel of about the length of a third of the circumference of the funnel
in width, and a little less than a third of the circumference in height, such
arrangement is shown in plan at Figure 13, and in section at Figure 14, and
about the position of such hole is shown at W on Figure 3. In Figure 13,
A represents the flange which attaches the funnel to the top of the steam
chest, furnace, or deck of a ship or vessel; B is the funnel with a hole cut in
its side, round which hole the plates are strengthened, as shewn; through the
thickened part of these plates holes are cut and tapped to receive the
screws E, which are passed through the framing D of a plate C, which just
fits into the hole cut in the side of the funnel; this hole will, upon the plate
being removed, admit of a circular or otherwise shaped plate (according to
the shape of the funnel) being passed into the interior of the funnel, such
plate being screwed down upon a flange II rivetted to. the funnel; a piece of
vulcanized india-rubber or the like is placed all round such flange, and is
perforated to admit of the passage of the screws, all the openings to the hold
or holds of a ship or other vessel being secured as above shewn, and made
air and water tight elsewhere. When air is pumped into a division or divisions,
any water which may have entered through a hole formed by the vessel
striking upon a rock, or being otherwise damaged, will be forced out of such
hole by the superior pressure of the air in such division or divisions. The
reservoir to the air pumps is provided with an indicator T, Figures 5 and 6,
by which the pressure of the air in the hold is indicated (in pounds); the
reservoir is also supplied with a safety valve, which may be weighted to let
the air escape when it has attained the number of pounds' pressure required

page_text: in the hold of the ship or vessel. And where vessels or ships are composed
of more than one division, an indicator can be supplied to shew the pressure
of air in each such division separately.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the mode of preventing
ships or other vessels from sinking, herein-before described, in which such
ships or vessels are rendered air-tight and water-tight, and one or more air
pumps employed with piping for forcing air into such ships or vessels,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOHN SMITH. (L.S.)