Improvements in and connected with Divers' Dresses.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 17th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
Improvements in and connected with Divers' Dresses.
We, JAMES BAXTER MURRAY, of 28 Herriet Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow,
Master Mariner, and JAMES STUART of 82 Gordon Street, Glasgow, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Numerous attempts have heretofore been made to provide means whereby a
diver can descend to and work at great depths under water. Such attempts have
not, however, up to the present time, been very successful owing to the almost
unsurmountable difficulties which it is necessary to overcome in order to enable the
diver to move without great effort under the enormous pressure of deep water and
to usefully employ his limbs, especially his hands, and generally to live, move, and
work at great depths in an almost normal manner whilst at the same time avoiding
the many dangers to which a diver is exposed.
Many armoured dresses have been devised capable of resisting the pressure of
the water at great depths and protecting the diver against such pressure, also
enabling him to live, breathe, and use his sight under the water, but this is not
enough as it is also essentially necessary that the diver should be able to walk,
move, and work without excessive effort and that his protecting armour should,
notwithstanding the pressure of water, be always supple and capable of easy
movement at the joints. The armour should also be simple in construction,
durable, and easily put together or taken asunder.
The unsatisfactory results of all previous attempts to solve this problem are
doubtless due to the exceedingly intricate and complicated construction of the
armour used combined with the laborious movements of the diver, at great depths,
when encased in heavy armour provided with water tight joints, the movement of
which, under the great pressure, would entail such effort that the diver would very
soon become exhausted."
The object of the present invention is, as far as possible, to overcome all the
aforesaid difficulties by a combination of old and new ideas in such manner that a
dress is provided which is not only simple and efficient but comparatively
inexpensive.
Our improved combination diving dress consists of steel or gun metal armour
made in sections to fit the body and limbs and these sections are, preferably, so
made that they can be snapped together by means of spring locking devices, more-
over the parts are jointed together, where necessary, by means of strong flexible
spiral spring joints or connections. The sectional armour only goes to the neck
and the ankles and wrists of the diver.
A tight fitting canvas suit is laced over this armour except at the joints where it
is so held as to be slack, in order not to retard the bending of them. The purpose
of this suit is to keep the various sections in place and also to prevent chafe to the
outer dress.
The outer dress or overall which consists of an ordinary diving dress made with
a double back part capable of being inflated with air, is put on over the canvas
dress and armour. The helmet is lined with steel of sufficient thickness to enable
it to withstand the necessary pressure. The feet are encased in iron boots with
leather ankles and lead soles. The hands are covered with stout hard rubber
gloves or mits which may be provided with spiral or other wire, resisting pieces
capable of resisting the water pressure without preventing movement of the
ingers.
+
"

page_text: The helmet is provided with flexible air supply and exhaust pipes, under the
control of the diver, both of which lead up to the surface. These pipes are secured
together and the cavities or spaces between them utilized for conducting insulated
telephone and electric light, wires. The whole forms one combination tube and
thereby prevents confusion and entanglement. Air is supplied to the diver at
atmospheric pressure. A telephonic transmitter and receiver is fitted in the
helmet within reach of the diver's mouth and ear. The air supply and exhaust
pipes can be adapted to serve as speaking tubes the supply pipe carrying the voice
from above and the exhaust the reply from below.
An incandescent electric lamp is supplied to be carried about by the diver or
.booked to his helmet or dress as required.
The outer waterproof dress is fitted with leather straps or equivalent at each
side of every joint for confining the slack cloth at these parts thereby enabling the
joints to move more freely under pressure.
The inflatable chamber at the back of the dress is under the control of the diver.
By its means the diver's weight can be regulated to suit the pressure or depth.
The chamber. may also be capable of inflation direct from the boat when the diver
is at the bottom and wishes to raise himself up over obstacles, etc. By means of a
suitable regulating valve air may at the same time be supplied to the diver so as
keep up a constant circulation. The whole arrangement can be under the diver's
control. When the chamber is fully inflated the diver can turn, if necessary; the
exhaust into the water until those at the pump above reduce the force to what is
necessary to maintain a circulation.
*
To simplify the movements of the diver below and prevent confusion above there
are only two attachments fitted to him, viz., a stout "life" liue round his waist and
the combined supply and exhaust pipes and electric light and telephone wires.
The weights and sinkers carried by the diver may be legging, shaped lead
weights, suitable for the desired depth, secured to the legs, below the knees, by
leather straps. A similar set of weights are fitted between the elbows and wrists,
It being necessary to keep the extremities down at great depths.
The necessary electric light plant, telephone transmitter, etc., are fitted up on
the vessel containing the air pump apparatus.
The combined air pipes and wires are wound on a reel so arranged as to supply
air at one side of the axle, which is hollow, and exhaust it at the other.
The parts may be modified if so desired.
Dated this 16th day of May 1895
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
We, JAMES BAXTER MURRAY, of 28 Herriet Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow,
Master Mariner, and JAMES STUART, of 82 Gordon Street, Glasgow, Engineer,
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:
Numerous attempts have heretofore been made to provide means whereby a
diver can descend to and work at great depths under water. Such attempts have
not, however, up to the present time, been very successful owing to the almost
unsurmountable difficulties which it is necessary to overcome in order to enable the
diver to move, without great effort under the enormous, pressure of deep water and
to usefully employ his limbs, especially his hands, and generally to live, move, and

page_text: work at great depths in an almost normal manner whilst at the same time avoiding
the many dangers to which a diver is exposed.
Many armoured dresses have been devised capable of resisting the pressure of
the water at great depths and protecting the diver against such pressure, also
enabling him to live, breathe, and use his sight under the water, but this is not
enough as it is also essentially necessary that the diver should be able to walk,
move, and work without excessive effort and that his protecting armour should,
notwithstanding the pressure of water, be always supple and capable of easy
movement at the joints. The armour should also be simple in construction,
durable, and easily put together or taken asunder.
The unsatisfactory results of all previous attempts to solve this problem are
doubtless due to the exceedingly intricate and complicated construction of the
artnour used combined with the laborious movements of the diver, at great depths,
when encased in heavy armour provided with water tight joints, the movement of
which, under the great pressure, would entail such effort that the diver would very
soon become exhausted.
The object of the present invention is, as far as possible, to overcome all the
aforesaid difficulties by a combination of old and new ideas in such manner that a
dress is provided which is not only simple and efficient but comparatively
inexpensive.
And in order that our said invention may be properly understood we have
hereunto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon;
Fig. 1 is a view showing the diver as he appears completely dressed.
Fig. 2 is a view of the protecting armour.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, to an enlarged scale, of the diver's helmet.
Fig. 4 is a view, partly sectioned, of the air chamber of the outer dress or
overall.
Fig. 5 is a side view of the helmet showing pipe connection y¹.
Fig. 6 is a front view and Fig. 7 a section of the supply and exhaust pipes.
Fig. 8 is a section of a cock.
Fig. 9 is a front view and Fig. 10 a side view of a winding reel for the pipes.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same or similar parts.
The improved combination diving dress consists of steel or gun metal armour
made in section a, b, c, d, e, f, to fit the different parts of the body and limbs and
all these sections, except the parts a and h, are connected together by means of
strong flexible spiral spring joints g so as to permit of a comparatively free move-
ment of the arms and legs. The sectional armour only goes to the neck and the
ankles and wrists of the diver. The parts a and b can be jointed together by
means of one or more bayonet joints consisting of a slot a¹ in the upper part a and
a pin a² in the lower part b. By merely fitting the one part on the other so that
the pin a³ enters the slot and then giving the upper or lower part a slight turn the
two parts are locked together. A pinching screw a³ can be used to retain the parts
in the locked position.
g
A tight fitting canvas suit is laced over this arinour except at the joints 9 where
it is so held as to be slack, in order not to retard the bending of thein. The
purpose of this suit is to keep the various sections in place and also to prevent
chafe to the outer dress.
The outer dress or overall ; Fig. 1 which consists of an ordinary diving dress
made with a double back part y capable of being inflated with air, as shown at
Fig. 4, is put on over the canvas dress and armour. The helmet is lined with
steel of sufficient thickness to enable it to withstand the necessary pressure. The
feet are encased in iron boots h with leather ankles or top parts i and lead soles h¹.
The hands are covered with stout hard yet flexible rubber gloves
or mits which
may be provided internally with flexible spiral or other wire resisting pieces of
sufficient strength to be capable of resisting the water pressure without preventing
movement of the hand. These gloves can be secured by straps q¹.
g

page_text: The helmet is provided with flexible wire lined air supply and exhaust pipes t, t¹,
(Figs. 6 and 7), both of which lead up to the surface. These pipes are secured
together by an outer covering w and the cavities or spaces between them utilized
The whole forms
for couducting insulated telephone and electric light wires v.
one combination tube and thereby prevents confusion and entanglement. Air is
supplied to the diver at or about atmospheric pressure. A telephonic transmitter s
and receiver are fitted in the helmet within reach of the diver's mouth and ear as
shown at Fig. 3. The air supply and exhaust pipes t, t¹, can be adapted to serve
as speaking tubes the supply pipe t carrying the voice from above and the exhaust t¹
the reply from below.
An incandescent electric lamp is or may be supplied to be carried about by the
diver or hooked to his helmet or dress as required.
The outer waterproof dress ; is fitted as shown at Fig. 1 with leather straps k or
equivalent at each side of every joint for confining the slack cloth j¹ at these parts
thereby enabling the joints g to move more freely under pressure.
The inflatable chamber y at the back of the dress, as shown at Fig. 4, is connected
by a pipe y', which may have a stop cock on it capable of being opened or shut by
the diver, and pipe u with an air compressor in the boat. It is also connected by a
pipe with a two way cock a (Fig. 8) whose passages a³ and a communicate
respectively with the interior of the armour and the surrounding water. By means
of this chamber the diver's weight can be regulated to suit the pressure or depth.
When the diver is at the bottom and desires to raise himself up over obstacles he
admits compressed air to the chamber so as to inflate it to the necessary extent and
when he desires to deflate the chamber he turns the cock so as to let the com-
pressed air escape from the chamber into the water. By turning the cock x to the
position shown at Fig. 8, that is so as to open communication between the chamber y
and the interior of the dress, compressed air can be admitted to the dress so as to
keep up, for a shorter or longer period as desired, a circulation of air.
To simplify the movement of the diver below and prevent confusion above
there are only two attachments fitted to him, viz., a stout "life" line b¹ round
his waist and the combined supply and exhaust pipes and electric light and telephone
wires.
The weights or sinkers carried by the diver may be legging shaped lead
weights p, pl, suitable for the desired depth, secured to the legs, below the knees,
by leather straps. A similar set of weights o, o', are fitted between the elbows and
wrists it being necessary to keep the extremities down at great depths.
The necessary electric light plant, telephonic transmitter, etc., are fitted up on
the vessel containing the air pump apparatus.
The combined air pipes and wires can be wound on a reel or drum, Figs. 9
and 10, which is hollow and divided by an internal vertical partition into two
compartments. The air from the circulating pump passes through the pipe to and
universal coupling trunnion to the closed left hand compartment of the reel and
from thence to the supply pipe t. The compressed air pipe u is led inside the
pipe to and the interior of the reel, as indicated in dotted lines, from whence it
passes out through an opening in the drum. The exhaust pipe t¹ communicates
with the open right hand compartment of the drum as likewise do the wires v. The
wires are led out through an open trunnion bearing =³.
If desired the chamber y may be made separate from the dress and be held in
place by straps.
are the usual glasses of the helmet.
The parts may be modified or altered without departing from the principle of
the invention.
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
consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. A diver's dress consisting of metal armour made in sections which are jointed

page_text: together by flexible spiral spring joints, said armour being covered by a waterproof
overall, substantially as herein before described with reference to the drawings
annexed.
2. A diver's dress consisting of metal armour made in sections which are jointed
together by flexible spiral spring joints, said armour being covered by a waterproof
overall having an inflatable chamber (y) at the back, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the drawings annexed.
3. A diver's dress consisting of metal armour made in sections which are jointed
together by flexible spiral spring joints, said armour being covered by a canvas
suit, and then by a waterproof overall which is gathered up at the joints and
secured by straps or their equivalent, substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the drawings annexed.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts of the diver's dress
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown on the drawings annexed.
Dalhin 15th day of Woh 1906
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.