Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1888
Communicated from abroad by GEORGE ALLMAN, of Dunedin, in the Provincial
District of Otago, New Zealand, Master Mariner, Civil Engineer.]
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to improvements in life saving rafts, and has for its object to
keep the passengers in greater security, to permit of the rafts being more snugly and
securely stowed away than heretofore, and to provide for the lowering or floating off
from the ship with greater facility.
The main body of the raft is made by preference of wooden battens, and with an
opening in the centre, and is provided with hollow cylinders made of copper or other
suitable material to contain air to assist buoyancy, but cork may be substituted for
these if desired. Longitudinal side boards, and similar transverse side boards, are
hinged to the body, and bolts are provided to hold the side boards firmly down when
the raft is closed up.
Catches are employed to receive hooks to fasten the longitudinal and transverse sides
firmly together, when opened for the accommodation of passengers.
Holes are made in the framing of the body of the raft through which project
uprights, round by preference, fastened to the deck, so as to hold the raft firmly on the
deck, but in such a manner that the raft may, in certain circumstances, be able to float
off when desired.
Slings or couplings are provided by means of which the raft can be lifted in the davits.
Fresh water tanks are placed by preference at either end of the central opening of
the raft. Bread tanks are placed by preference next to the water tanks, and eyebolts
are provided to which are attached life lines to catch hold of, so as to assist in gaining
the raft.

page_text: Boat chocks are arranged to be supported on the uprights so as to stow a boat on
the top of the raft. The boats are held firmly to the deck by grips, which also serve
to secure the raft at the same time, and, by means of lanyards, all the hinged sides can
be opened or closed with facility.
It will be seen from this description that by the opening in the middle of the raft,
combined with the hinged sides, a secure central chamber is formed, and firmly fixed
together, so that the passengers are safely contained therein; that if the raft be over-
turned, the fixed upper side will be turned downwards, but the upper sides can be
readily unbolted, and an exactly similar chamber he formed by the sides which were
previously at the bottom, the former upper sides being either left down, by which
means they form keels for steadiness, for sailing, or may be closed up by the lanyards,
which lanyards may be made tight to a hook or other usual contrivance, and made fast
rapidly without the use of bolts, or until the bolts are made fast.-When the sides are
used as keels, a net may be used as a temporary floor. A telescope mast, sails, oars,
net, and sea anchor, are placed in the inside of the chamber, and fastened there, so
that the raft is always equipped ready for service. The raft, therefore, forms a
compact life-saving apparatus, stowed readily away in the smallest compass, with great
buoyancy, and having safe accommodation for passengers. It can be used with oars
or sails, and being built of battens and provided with life lines, there is every facility
for saving life.
Dated this 16th day of January 1888

page_text: Improvements in and Connected with Life Saving Rafts.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in life saving rafts, and has for its objects to
keep passengers in greater security, to permit of the rafts being more snugly and
securely stowed away, and to provide for their being lowered or floated off from the
ship, with greater facility than heretofore.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1, Sheet I, is a longitudinal section of the improved raft with the sides raised
for the accommodation of passengers.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the raft closed up ready for stowing away.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 5, Sheet II, is a partial cross section, on an enlarged scale, of the raft, showing
the junction of the longitudinal and transverse sides.
Fig. 6 is a partial longitudinal elevation of the same.
Fig. 7, Sheet III, is a longitudinal elevation, showing the raft stowed away under
the davits, and an ordinary boat stowed on the top ready for lifting.
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal elevation of the raft slung in the davits ready for
lowering.
Fig. 9, Sheet II, is a diagram showing the raft in elevation, with an ordinary boat
stowed on the top.
Fig. 10 shows the uprights for steadying the raft in position, and for supporting the
boat chocks above it.
Similar letters and figures indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is the main body of the raft, which consists of a double wooden framing formed
with a central well A.-This fraining encloses one, two, or more hollow cylinders B,
made of copper or other suitable material, to contain air to assist buoyancy. Cork
may be substituted for these cylinders if desired. CC are longitudinal side boards
or gratings, and DD are similar transverse side boards or gratings, both of which are
hinged at cc to the frame A.
When turned down for stowing, the gratings C fold inwards, but the gratings D
fold outwardly, and the gratings C and D are secured in these positions by bolts e e
which are carried by the gratings C, and enter bolt holes in the bottom edge of the
gratings D, as will be seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 4.
ff are catches attached to the outer side of the gratings C, to receive the hooks f¹ƒ¹
pivotted on the outside of the gratings D, and by means of these hooks and catches,
the sides or gratings C C and D D are secured firmly together, when the sides are
raised for the accommodation of passengers. The catches ff may also be used to
secure the transverse sides when folded down.
ggare holes made through the framing of the body of the raft A, to receive
uprights h (round, by preference), fastened to the deck (see Fig. 10).-These
uprights, projecting through the holes gg, hold the raft firmly on the deck, but in such
a manner that the raft may, under certain circumstances, be able to float off with
facility.

page_text: ii are slings or couplings by means of which the raft can be lifted in the davits,
as shown in Fig. 8. These slings ii are attached to eye bolts j secured to the
framing. A number of these eye-bolts are arranged round the raft, and to⚫ them
are secured life lines for the shipwrecked persons to catch hold of, on gaining
the raft.
KK are fresh water tanks, placed by preference at either end of well A¹ of the
raft, and having closed lids at top and bottom.- are bread tanks placed, by
preference, next to the water tanks.
m m are boat chocks supported in the uprights h h, so that a boat may be stowed
above the raft, under ordinary circumstances.-n n are grips which hold the boats
firmly to the deck, and also secure the raft at the same time. oo are the davits. E is
a boat shown in Fig. 7, Sheet II, as stowed bottom downwards, and in Fig. 9, Sheet III,
with bottom upwards.
It will be seen from this description, that by means of the well in the middle of the
raft, combined with the hinged sides, a secure chamber is formed, and firmly fixed
together, in which the passengers will be safely contained. The sides or gratings D
will be closed and bolted on the underside of the raft, so as to form a floor for the
passengers.
If the raft be overturned, the close side will be uppermost. The sides can however
be readily unbolted and opened, and a chamber will thus be formed on the then
upperside. The sides which were proviously uppermost may either be left open, so as
to form keels for steadiness when sailing, or may be closed up by means of lanyards
attached thereto, which lanyards may be made fast to a hook or other usual contrivance,
until the bolts are made fast.-When the sides are used as keels, a net may be used as
a temporary floor. A telescope mast, sails, oars, net, and sea anchor, are placed in the
well, and fastened there, so that the raft is always equipped ready for service. The
raft therefore forms a compact life-saving apparatus stowed readily away in
the smallest compass; with great buoyancy, and having safe accommodation for
passengers. It can be used with oars or sails, and being built chiefly of wood, and
provided with life lines, there is every facility for saving life.
I would here remark that it is not intended that the invention shall be confined to
the exact mechanical details herein described, or the material used, for it is evident
that the sides may be of metal, and the several details varied, by a skilled workman,
without departing from the principle of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. Constructing a raft with hinged side and end pieces, boards or gratings, as and
for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination with a raft having air cylinders or other buoyant material, and
a central well, of sides, as C, and ends, as D, hinged to the body of the raft, and
provided with catches, latches or hooks and bolts, as herein shown and described,
and for the purpose set forth.
3. The means herein described and shown for stowing away and securing the raft
when not required for use.
4. In a raft, the use of the slings or couplings ii by means of which the raft can
be lifted in the davits, as herein described and shown.
Dated this 27th day of September 1888.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.