Improvements in Instruments for Taking Soundings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Oct., 1892--Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Taking Soundings.
We, ALFRED JOPLING COOPER, Captain and EUSTACE ERNEST WIGZELL,
Engineer, both of Billiter House, Billiter Street, in the City of London, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to instruments for taking soundings at sea, such as
has been already patented to us under No. 2715 February 19th 1890, and our'
present improvement consists in utilising compressed air for the purpose of obtaining
shallow soundings.
The interior mechanism of the sounder herein described, is of the same description
as that already patented to us under No. 2715 of 1890, viz. a water pressed piston,
sliding water tight in a small cylinder open at the end towards which the piston
travels under pressure into an air chamber.
A self locking marker is fitted to a rectangular piston rod provided with a locking
rack on one side, as therein described, but in place of the piston travelling against
the reaction of a spiral spring, it travels against the compression of air in the
cylinder & air chamber. The self locking marker when placed at zero is released
from its catch with the rod, or is released when the piston begins to travel, & thus
allows the piston rod to travel upwards without carrying the marker with it, but on
the return of the rod by the expansion of the air, it brings the marker down with it.
the marker being mechanically locked to the bar. Our improved instrument can be
made either separately or combined with the instrument patented to us under
No. 2715 of 1890, in the former case one scale only is required, but in the latter
case we mark a scale on each side of the slot through which the marker appears.
When it is required to use the combined instrument for shallow depths, all that
it is necessary to do, is to unhook or disconnect the spring from the bottom of the
racked bar, or piston rod, to which it is attached, as described in above mentioned
Patent No. 2715 of 1890, and the instrument will then form a compressed air
sounder, and can be used as such.
Dated this 7th day of July 1892.
ALFRED JOPLING COOPER.
E. E. WIGZELL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Instruments for Taking Soundings.
We, ALFRED JOPLING COOPER Captain, and EUSTACE ERNEST WIGZELL,
Engineer, both of Billiter House, Billiter Street, London E.C. do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention has reference to instruments for taking soundings at sea, such as
has been already patented to us under No. 2715 February 19th 1890, and our
present improvement consists in utilising compressed air for the purpose of obtaining
shallow soundings.
The interior mechanism of the sounder herein described, is of the same description
as that already patented to us under No. 2715 of 1890, viz.: a water pressed piston
sliding watertight in a small cylinder open at the end towards which the piston
travels under pressure into an air chamber. A self-locking marker is fitted to a
rectangular piston rod provided with a locking rack on one side, as therein described,

page_text: but in place of the piston travelling against the reaction of a spiral spring, it travels
against the compression of air in the cylinder and air chamber. The self-locking
marker when placed at zero is released from its catch with the rod, or is released
when the piston begins to travel, & thus allows the piston rod to travel upwards
without carrying the marker with it, but on the return of the rod by the expansion
of the air, it brings the marker down with it, the marker being mechanically locked
to the bar. Our improved instrument can be made either separately or combined
with the instrument patented to us under No. 2715 of 1890, in the former case one
scale only is required, but in the latter case we mark a scale on each side of the slot
through which the marker appears. When it is required to use the combined
instrument for shallow depths, all that it is necessary to do, is to unhook or dis-
connect the spring from the bottom of the racked bar, or piston rod, to which it is
attached, as described in above mentioned Patent No. 2715 of 1890, and the instru-
ment will then form a compressed air sounder and can be used as such.
Instead of disconnecting the spring in the manner described above we can let go
the spring at its bottom end as described below and shown in drawings, so that it is
free to travel up with the racked bar and piston without resistance.
In the drawings annexed hereto
Fig. 1. shows a part section of our instrument with the spring C. hooked on the
bottom end of the bar at A. and so made that it may be easily unhooked after
drawing out the racked bar and piston and spring from the bottom end B.
Fig. 2 shows the instrument as used with compressed air without the spring
shown C. in Fig. 1 and having a scale D. of shallow depths only on one side of the
opening or slot in the tube through which the self-locking marker appears.
This instrument is fitted with a water-tight piston as shown in Fig. 3. at letter M.
having a washer N. made of dermatine or some other suitable material and which
works inside a tube or cylinder O. made bell mouthed on the outer end P. and
having an air chamber at its top end Q. Attached to this piston there is a rod or
bar R. having a rack on one side, this racked bar R. is fitted with a self locking
marker S. as described more fully in Letters Patent granted to us and numbered
2715 of 1890.
To insure that the apparatus is brought home to its starting position when a cast
has been taken a pin or button W. is inserted in a block V. on the bottom of the
racked bar so as to project into the slot O' in the tube Fig. 2.
The block V. also serves to keep the racked bar central. The said pin W.
should be home on the bottom of the slot before the recorded depth is read off.
To avoid the inconvenience of this projecting button being a separate part, such
as a screw head which must be taken out to allow the interior mechanism to be
removed, we construct it in the form of a spring button which can be pushed by
finger pressure within the case when it is desired to withdraw the bar from the
tube. When the self-locking marker S. is pushed up to zero, T. Fig. 2, it enters
the bell mouth P of the piston tube O. Fig. 3. and is released from the rack,
allowing the piston and the rod or racked bar, being actuated by hydrostatic
pressure, to travel into the cylinder O. against the compression of air without
carrying the marker with it, and as the water pressure is taken off from the piston
the compressed air inside the tube 0. forces back the piston and rod to its normal
position carrying the marker S. Fig. 3. locked into the rack, and the marker
thus registers the distance which the piston has travelled and shows on the
shallow scale marked on the side of the tube the depth to which the instrument
has been.
Fig. 3 shows a section of the instrument with the spring attached to the bottom
of the rod at E. and with a cap F. on the bottom end for letting go the spring.
This cap is shown enlarged in Fig. 4. At the bottom end of the spring there is a
piece G. having two flanges H. and I. The end of the spring passes through
these flanges & is riveted or screwed into the bottom flange I. A portion of this
latter flange, I, is taken away as shown in the end views Figs. 5 and 6, at J. In
the end of the tube there is a diagonal slot K. Fig. 4, and the cap F. has a pin or

page_text: projection L. Fig. 5. which passes through this slot so that when the cap F.
in Fig. 7 is twisted until that part lettered A. in drawing comes opposite the arrow,
the pin L. is opposite the piece taken out of the flange I at J., and will not hold
the bottom of the spring; but when the cap F. is twisted round so that B. is
opposite the arrow, the pin L. will then be in the position shown in Fig. 6 holding
the bottom of the spring and drawing it into tension by means of the diagonal
slot K. already referred to, at the bottom of the case Fig. 4. Thus when shallow
soundings are wanted, A. Fig. 7, should be opposite the arrow, the bottom end of
the spring being then released as shown in Fig. 5, and being then free to travel up
with the racked bar and piston, thus compressing the air in the tube; but when
deep soundings are required B should be opposite the arrow and the bottom end of
the spring will then be drawn into tension by means of the diagonal slot in the tube
and will be held in position as shown in Fig. 6, the racked bar and piston, being
actuated by hydrostatic pressure, then travelling upwards against the reaction of
the spring as described in Letters Patent granted to us numbered 2715 of 1890.
We can use either of these arrangements in separate instruments, or we can
combine both in one instrument by placing a shallow scale on one side as at D. Fig. 7,
and a deep scale e on the opposite side of the slot in the tube, in which case we
disconnect the spring as already described and shown in Fig. 1., or by the use of
the cap as described and shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7.
Fig. 8 shows the outer protecting case A¹ into which the recording instrument
already described is placed. This outer casing is attached by a sling to the
sounding line, or to the line itself, or to the wire already patented to us for
sounding purposes, see Letters Patent already referred to, in the following manner.
B' is a piece shaped like part of a corkscrew; the sounding line, D₁ or wire,
or the sling, is passed through this, twisted round the case two or three times,
then into the slot C' at the bottom, and secured by means of lashing.
Our improved instrument is used preferably in conjunction with the sounding
wire, winch, and other accessories already patented to us under Letters Patent
No. 2715 of 1890.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a compressed air sea sounding instrument the use of a water-tight piston
fitted with a racked bar and self locking spring marker.
2. A compressed air sea sounding instrument fitted with a water-tight piston,
racked bar and self locking spring marker combined with a mechanical spring
sounder such as is patented to us under Letters Patent No. 2715 of February 19th
1890, both forming one instrument.
3. The use of a water tight piston, racked bar, and self locking spring marker in
a sea sounding instrument furnished with both a deep and shallow scale of depths,
such scales appearing on either side of a slotted opening in a tube substantially as
described.
5. In a
4. In a sea sounding instrument the method of disconnecting the spring from
5 the end of the racked bar substantially as described and shown in drawing Fig. 1.
sea sounding instrument the method of holding the bottom of the
spring and putting it in tension substantially as described and shown in drawings.
6. In a sea sounding instrument the method of letting go the bottom of the
spring when it is required to use the instrument for taking shallow soundings by
means of compressed air only, as described and shown in drawings.
7. For sea sounding purposes an outer protecting case made with corkscrew
shaped attachments, the method of twisting the sling, or wire, or line round this
outer casing, and the lashing at the bottom end.
8. The use of an improved sea sounding instrument substantially as described,
5 combined with the winch, wire, and accessories, patented to us under Letters
Patent No. 2715 of 1890.

page_text: 9. The general construction and combination of parts of an improved sea
sounding instrument substantially as described and shown in drawings.
Dated this 21st day of October 1892.
ALFRED J. COOPER.
E. E. WIGZELL.