IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS EMPLOYED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PASSENGERS, LUGGAGE, AND CATTLE, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSE ON BOARD SHIPS, AND FOR LESSENING OR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bessemer, of Queen Street Place, Cannon
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS EMPLOYED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF
PASSENGERS, LUGGAGE, AND CATTLE, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR
SUCH PURPOSE ON BOARD SHIPS, AND FOR LESSENING OR PREVENTING SEA
SICKNESS."
Sealed the 26th July 1870, and dated the 30th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bessemer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th May 1870.
I, HENRY BESSEMER, of Queen Street Place, Cannon Street, in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM SHIPS EMPLOYED FOR THE
CONVEYANCE OF PASSENGERS, LUGGAGE, AND CATTLE, AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSE ON BOARD SHIPS, AND FOR LESSENING OR PREVENTING
SEA SICKNESS," to be as follows:-
It has been proposed to carry railway trains on board ship and to cross
the ocean with them, the passengers conveyed by railway in such trains

page_text: either retaining their seats in the carriage during the voyage or alighting
therefrom as they may find most agreeable. Ships of considerable length
are best adapted for such a purpose as their length tends to reduce the
pitching motion. The rolling motion however in such a ship will in any
case be considerable, and if the train be carried on deck it will be
increased in consequence of the weight of the train being much above
the centre of gravity of the ship, this inereased rolling will tend to
augment the usual tendency to sea sickness..
Now therefore one of the chief objects sought to be obtained by means.
of my present Invention is to so support the rails on which the train
rests in such ships as to prevent wholly or in part the rolling motion of
the ship from being transmitted to the train of carriages resting thereon.
For this purpose I construct a long floor or platform on which the rails.
are laid, the floor or platform resting on axes which are supported at
several places along its length. The axes by preference are coincident
with the point or axis about which the vessel rolls, the axes which
support the platform may be formed below it, but I prefer to so suspend
the platform that the axes rise above it nearly as high as the under side
of the carriage axles, but so nevertheless that on the train moving on the
rails the axes supporting the platform shall form no obstruction to such
motion. The platform carrying the rails may be about the breadth of
the carriages and on each side may be a fixed floor preferably a little
below the level of the floor of the carriges, space being left between it,
and the carriages to admit of the motion of the fixed floor without
coming in contact with the carriages. The whole is to be enclosed under
a sort of shed or covering provided with windows, and of such a breadth
as will be sufficient to allow the passengers to alight from the carriages
and use the said fixed floors as promenades or places to sit down; but in
lieu of this arrangement of a fixed platform I prefer that the floor or
platform on which the rails are laid, and the side floors or platform
used as a promenade should be united and form one general floor sus-
pended on axes, the central part of it being sunk sufficiently low to
allow the side platforms to be even with the floors of the carriages.
I also prefer in this case to close in the platforms on both sides with a
glazed screen or partition and to roof over the same so as efficiently to
protect the carriages from the wind and spray, suitable doors being made
at both ends of the enclosure to give ingress and egress to the carriages
and passengers when required. The suspended platforms would thus

page_text: form a long gallery or apartment with the train occupying the central
part. The platform should be made of convenient breadth for using as a
promenade and may extend along both sides of the train for its whole
length, and have also in connexion with it such other small apartments
or closets as may be found necessary. The whole structure is to be
mounted on axes and counterpoised so as to prevent to a great extent the
rolling motion of the vessel from being transmitted thereto; it will be
preferable to enclose the covered promenade by an outer covering or
shed to prevent the action of the wind on the balanced structure. The
counterbalanced weights employed to keep the train of carriages in an
erect position may be placed as low down as possible and be distributed
throughout the length of the platform, the axes resting in suitable
plummer blocks supported by girders or by the framing of the ship, or
the axes may rest on V or knife edges which have less friction than
ordinary shaft bearings; a part of the counterbalancing weight may be
suspended in the water below the ship and generally arranged in the
manner described in the Provisional Specification filed by me on the 27th
day of May, 1870.
Or in lieu of this mode of suspension the floor or platform supporting
the carriages and the structure enclosing them may rest on a series of
axles and wheels moving on curved rails after the manner set forth in
the Provisional Specification of a Patent granted to me and bearing date
the 24th day of February, 1870, and No. 553.
In some cases however it may be preferred that the train of car-
riages should rest on fixed rails on the upper deck, in which case I
prefer to construct a suspended saloon or cabin of sufficient size to
accommodate the passengers in the central part of the ship and below
the level of the rails, and in other cases it may be preferred to allow the
carriages to occupy a much lower level than the deck, in which case
I construct a suspended saloon or cabin in the central part above the
level of the carriages, but in all cases I prefer to place the axes on which
the saloons or cabins are suspended as near as practicable to the centre
or point about which the vessel rolls.
But when it is desired to convey a train of railway carriages on vessels
across the ocean I prefer that the carriages should occupy two lines of
rails placed several feet apart and at such a height in the vessel that the
carriages may be below deck. In the space between the double line of
carriages I fix a number of supporting frames on which the axes of a

page_text: large saloon or cabin rest. This arrangement while it allows the heavy
carriages to occupy a more favorable position than on deck, also allows the
axis of the saloon or cabin to be placed centrally and as near as may be
in the most favorable position to insure its freedom from the rolling
motion of the ship.
In some cases it may be desirable to put on board ships one or more
railway carriages or parts of carriages constructed for the express purpose
of conveying invalids, or for the conveyance of horses or other valuable
animals. For this purpose I construct a platform large enough to
receive the carriage or carriages, the platform being suspended in the
manner herein-before described or referred to, such carriages may be
lifted from the railway track and be lowered by a suitable crane on to
the platform prepared to receive them and in like manner lifted from the
ship after crossing the ocean. In like manner passengers' luggage may
be transferred from the rail to the steamer, the luggage being placed in
one or more water-tight carriages, but in each case I prefer in con-
structing such carriages to make a separate frame or truck mounted on
wheels and capable of being separated from the body of the carriage,
and to lift off this moveable carriage body by the crane, leaving the
wheels and truck frame on the rails. The carriage body may be secured
in place on its lower frame by means of three stout iron pins projecting
downwards and entering three sockets formed in the truck to receive
them when lifted on to the deck of the vessel or on to a balanced platform;
these pins will support the carriage body steadily at a distance of several
inches above the floor that supports it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Bessemer in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th November 1870,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BESSEMER, of Queen Street Place, Cannon Street, in the City of London, a
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and a

page_text: grant unto me, the said Henry Bessemer, Her special licence that I, the
said Henry Bessemer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Henry Bessemer, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM
SHIPS EMPLOYED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF PASSENGers, Luggage, aND CATTLE, AND
IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR SUCH PURPOSE ON BOARD SHIPS AND FOR LESSENING
OR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Henry Bessemer, my executors or administrators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Bessemer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
It has been proposed to convey railway trains on board ship, and to
cross the ocean with them, the passengers conveyed by railway in such
trains either retaining their seats in the carriages during the voyage or
alighting therefrom, as they may find most agreeable. Ships of con-
siderable length are best adapted for such a purpose, as their length
tends to reduce the pitching motion. The rolling motion however in
such a ship will in any case be considerable, and if the train be carried
on deck it will be increased in consequence of the weight of the train
being much above the centre of gravity of the ship, this increased
rolling will tend to augment sea sickness.
Now therefore one of the chief objects sought to be obtained by
means of my present Invention is to so support the rails on which the
train rests in such manner as to prevent wholly or in part the rolling
motion of the ship from being transmitted to the train of carriages
resting thereon. For this purpose I construct a long floor or platform
on which the rails are laid, the floor or platform resting on axes which

page_text: are supported at several places along its length. The axes by preference
are coincident with the point or axes about which the vessel rolls, the
axes which support the platform may be formed below it, but I prefer to
so suspend the platform that the axes rise above it nearly as high as
the under side of the carriage axles, but so nevertheless that on the
train moving on the rails the axes supporting the platform shall form no
obstruction to such motion. The platform carrying the rails may be
about the breadth of the carriages, and on each side of it may be a fixed
floor preferably a little below the level of the floor of the carriages, space
being left between them so as to admit of the motion of the floor
without coming in contact with the carriages. The whole is to be
enclosed under a sort of shed or covering provided with windows, and of
such a breadth as will be sufficient to allow the passengers to alight
from the carriages and use the said fixed floors as a promenade or as
places to sit down; but in lieu of this arrangement of a fixed platform
I prefer that the floor or platform on which the rails are laid and the
side floors or platforms used as a promenade should be united and form
one general floor suspended on axes, the central part of it being sunk
sufficiently low to allow the side platforms to be even with the floors of
the carriages. I also prefer in this case to close in the platforms on
both sides with a glazed screen or partition, and to roof over the same so
as efficiently to protect the carriages from the wind and spray, suitable
doors being made at both ends of the enclosure to give ingress and
egress to the carriages and passengers when required. The suspended
platforms would thus form a long gallery or apartment with the train
occupying the central part; the platforms should be made of convenient
breadth for using as a promenade, and may extend along both sides of
the train for its whole length, and have also in connection with it such
other small apartments or closets as may be found necessary. The whole
structure is to be mounted on axes and counterpoised so as to prevent
to a great extent the rolling motion of the vessel from being transmitted
thereto, it will be preferable to enclose or partly enclose the covered
promenade by an outer covering or shed to prevent the action of the
wind on the balanced structure. The counterbalance weights employed
to keep the train of carriages in an erect position may be placed as
·low down as possible and be distributed throughout the length of the
platform, the axes resting in suitable plummer blocks supported by
girders or by the framing of the ship, or the axes may rest on V or
knife edges which have less friction than ordinary shaft bearings. A

page_text: part of the counterbalancing weight may be suspended in the water
below the ship and generally arranged in the manner described in the
Provisional Specification filed by me on the Twenty-seventh day of
May One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
In order that the mode which I prefer to carry out my Invention may
be fully understood I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings
on which I have represented at Figure 1 a vertical cross section of the
vessel, and the long enclosed gallery or platforms between which the
railway carriages are placed, the several parts occupying the position
they would acquire when the vessel is in a state of rest. Figure 2 is a
similar section, shewing the relative position of the several parts when
the vessel is rolling heavily. And Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical
section of a portion of the vessel taken on the line of the keel and
shewing the carriages in elevation.
a is outer sheet of the vessel strengthened by angle ribs and stringers
in the usual way; b, the keel plate running the whole length of the
vessel; c, c, are open plate girders placed at intervals along the vessel
and supporting a floor c*. Vertical partitions d, d, rise up from this
floor and support the upper deck e, leaving large spaces f, in which the
engines and boilers may be placed if paddle wheels are employed, such
engines being separate and independent of each other in the manner
which has been before proposed to be used in vessels carrying railway
trains. Along the centre of the vessel there are two strong box
girders g, g, connected together by cross girders h, h, which connect the
whole together and form one strong framing. A series of stout frames i
are securely bolted to the girder c and pass upwards through the
openings left between the cross girders h, h. The upper parts of the
frames are formed into plummer blocks and support the rocking
shaft k; on each side of the frames i, i, are strong iron straps n through
the upper part of which the shaft k passes and to which it is firmly
keyed. The lower part of these straps are firmly bolted to the girders g
and h, so that the general framing formed by the girders g and h are sup-
ported at intervals throughout their entire length on the frames i which
rest on or form part of the main cross girders c, and thus distribute the
weight supported by the axis k over a considerable part of the vessel.
The space immediately above the top surface of the girders 9 and h is
floored over, and on it is placed two lines of rails, on which the wheels m

page_text: of the carriages o rest. Attached to the outer sides of the girders g are
a series of light frames p which support a floor p* extending the whole
length of the train, and which serves as a promenade deck. On each
side of it from the outer end of frames p a waggon roof » rises, having
in its central part r* a skylight, and at each end doors for ingress and
egress of carriages and passengers, so that the whole space or apartment
in which the carriages are placed is enclosed, and both carriages and
passengers are shielded from the wind and weather and provided with a
long cushioned seat on each side for further accommodation. Suspended
from the girders 9 by the rods 8 are several counterbalance weights t, for
the purpose of keeping the carriages and the platform p* in a horizontal
position, notwithstanding the rolling motion of the vessel as shewn in
Figure 2.
Or, in lieu of this mode of suspension the floor or platform supporting
the carriages and the structure enclosing them may rest on a series of
axles and wheels moving on curved rails after the manner set forth
in the Provisional Specification of a Patent granted to me and bearing
date the Twenty-fourth day of February, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy, and numbered 553.
In some cases, however, it may be preferred that the train of carriages
should rest on fixed rails on the upper deck, in which case I prefer to
construct a suspended saloon or cabin of sufficient size to accommodate
the passengers in the central part of the ship and below the level of the
rails, and in other cases it may be preferred to allow the carriages to
occupy a much lower level than the deck, in which case I construct a
suspended saloon or cabin in the central part above the level of the
carriages, but in all cases I prefer to place the axes, on which the
saloon or cabins are suspended, as near as practicable to the centre or
point about which the vessel rolls.
In other cases when it is desired to convey a train of railway carriages
on vessels across the ocean, the carriages may occupy two lines of rails,
placed several feet apart and at such a height in the vessel that the
carriages may be below deck. In the space between the double line
of carriages I fix a number of supporting frames on which the axes
of a large saloon or cabin rest. This arrangement while it allows the
heavy carriages to occupy a more favorable position than on deck also
allows the axes of the saloon or cabin to be placed centrally, and as near

page_text: as may be in the most favorable position to ensure its freedom from the
rolling motion of the ship.
In some cases it may also be desirable to put on board ships one or
more railway carriages or parts of carriages constructed for the express
purpose of conveying invalids or for the conveyance of horses or other
valuable animals. For this purpose I construct a platform large enough
to receive the carriage or carriages, the platform being suspended in the
manner herein-before described or referred to, such carriages may be lifted
from the railway truck and be lowered by a suitable crane on to the
platform prepared to receive them, and in like manner lifted from the ship
after crossing the ocean. In like manner passengers' luggage may be
transferred from the rail to the steamer, the luggage being placed in one
or more water-tight carriages, but in each case I prefer in constructing
such carriages to make a separate frame or truck mounted on wheels
and capable of being separated from the body of the carriage, and to
lift off this movable carriage body by the crane leaving the wheels and
truck frame on the rails. The carriage body may be secured in place on
its lower frame by means of three stout iron pins projecting downward
and entering three sockets formed in the truck to receive them; when
lifted on to the deck of the vessel or on to a balanced platform these
pins will support the carriage body steadily at a distance of several
inches above the floor that supports it.
Having described my Invention, and the manner in which the same
may be carried into operation, I desire it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein specified, provided the general
character of my Invention be retained, but what I claim as my im-
provements in the construction of steam ships employed for the
conveyance of passengers, luggage, and cattle, and in the apparatus
employed for such purpose on board ships and for lessening or preventing
sea sickness is,-
First. The supporting railway carriages on board sea-going vessels on
rails or platforms having axial motion so as to admit of the retention of
the carriages in an upright position notwithstanding the rolling of the
vessels by which they are conveyed.
Second. I claim the employment in vessels used for conveying railway
carriages of platforms having axial motion, and so counterbalanced as to
lessen or prevent such platforms from rolling with the vessel.

page_text: In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bessemer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.