US1019982A - Life-raft. - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES.

PATENT O -Ion.

GEORGE sfrHrLLrrs; or :racxsorrvrmaa, FLORIDA LIFERAFT.

To all whom it mag/concern."

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. MoGo'rrnu, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jacksonville, county of Duval, State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in" Life-Rafts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life rafts such as are used onvessels to aid in the escape of the occupants in case-of shipwreck or other accidents. 7.

Ithas been my purpose to make a raft which will. have the requisite buoyancy, which will stand exposure to weather without deteriorating and becoming useless and which will include means-for safe-guarding against any such injury as will cause it to IFig. 3; and Fig.@ is a'planview' of the sink. e

The novel features of the invention will be. apparent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings.

In the drawings:- Figural. is across Qction of a device embodying my invention "taken on the line 1'--1 of Fig. 2; Fig. -2 1s a'longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of device.

As shown in these drawings my raftincludes a main body portion 1 made of noncorrodible metal and including water-tight compartments as hereinafter described, an outer casing 2 made of .wood and an intermediate packing or layer 3 of buoyant ma.- .terialsuch as cork life preserv'ers.

The b dy portion is preferably made rectangular in form as shown, and its, bottom is made up of double separated walls 4 and 5 leaving an air space between them, and at the. center.

of the-raft there isan o-p'en1ng 6 through these bottom plates for the'purpose'of drainage, The air-tight chamber 'inelosed by the bottom plates is preferably dividedinto separate "compartments by partitions, such. as the partitions 7 and 8 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 extending from the central opening 6 to the side walls. The purpose h of separating the compartments by watertight partitions will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and it will be clear that if one compartment leaks the others may remain water tight and thus support the raft. -Around" the margins of the bottom plate 5 I place. the upwardly extending spaced'double walls? and 10 having a cover I specification of Letters Patent. Application filed, April 7, 1911. sem No. 619,599.

of the outer casing.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

plate 11 extending across from the top of the plate 9 and connecting with'the plate 1-0 so'as to form a water-tight space around the sides of the raft above the bottom. This space is divided into separate compartments by partitions 12 and 13 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,'and it will be understood that additional-divisions may be made'if desired.v All of the parts above described are made of non-corrodible metal such, for instance, as copper, and I make the joints between the several plates formingt-his body portio n:by brazing or other means not 1ncluding the use of solder, since the soldered oint in a device of this kind is apt to become leaky. The side pl'ates lO extend above the top of the plates 9 so as to form 'a rim around the raft and, this extension is strengthened byxa strip-14 around its top. preferably made of wood, and immediately above.the platell holes 15 are preferably provided at intervals for the purpose of drainage.

The outer casing 2-is preferably made of wood, such as spruce, and it is in box-like form fitting around the main body portion with a small space between. It includes the bottom plate 16 which is smooth, but which may befprovided with holes at intervals to permit the escape of water through the side walls 17 and the end walls 18., Between this outer casing and'the main body portion I place a. filling of buoyant material such as cork, and this cork may for protection be covered with; wire nett-ing.-. I may use as the filling material a series of my life preservers, such as disclosed in my Patent No.

98 ),172, dated April 11, 1911, in which sections of cork'are covered with copper wire gauze. Thecork packingis not only buoyant and thus tends .to support the-raft, but it constitutes a good butter or protection for the inner metal body portion preventing injuryto it due to collisions with other things such as floating wreckage. The body portion 1 is secured in place within the outer casing-2 by means of bolts 19having hooked upper ends 20 extending over trlpe't'op edge of the side plate=10 and havi g. a screwthreaded nut 21 below thebottdin plate 16 It will be observed that these bolts'can be loosened so. as to remove the main body port-ion -1- br niay be tightened to properly hold it in position.

With each end of the casing 2 I preferably provide an extension 22 coming to a point so as to give 'to the raft more or less of a boat-like form and so that it will not present a square end to the action of the waves.

Along the center of the raft at the bottom, I place a keel 23, and in a cut-away portion in the center of the keel I place a fresh water metal tank .24 of practically the same width as the keel so that it constitutes part of the keel. An outer facing 01' board25 is placed overthe tank 24 as a protection and extends from one end of the raft to the other constituting the outer face of the keel. A pum 26 extends downthrough the-raft into the resh water tank 24: in the keel so as to drawl up water for the use of the passengers on the, raft. It will .be observed that the fresh water tank being inthe keel is'nornially under water and consequently the weightof the fresh water does not have any tendency to make the raft sink.

In order-to remove any water which may, by an accident to the device, leak into the lower compartmenflover the floor of the raftI make use of a pump 27 'which may be connected to valved pipe connections 28 leading down into the lower compartment. On the inner side of the upper compartment formed-by the side walls 9 and 10 I placevalved. outlets 29 at any convenieiit and suitable place so as to permit anywater which may accidentally enter the compartments'to be drained out; These compartments being ordinarily above water may be drained by placing the weight on the raft at-one end, thus elevating the other end and allowing the water within the compartments simply to run out of the outlet 29, thevalve being opened for that purpose or, if neces sary, these outlets may be connected to the pump 37 so as to pump the Water out.

It will be observed that in the above construction there are a SEIICS of a r-tight compartments which furnish a safe-guard against the sinking-of the raft, since if onehappens to be punctured or brokenthe othis a light wood and the protecting casing may be strengthened by bolts 30 passing from one side to the other. The openin 6 in the center of.the body portion is ma e large enough to permit any waves or water which comeover the sides of the raftto pass out to the sea again being in actual construction 13 by 26 inches. The.

outer casing is preferably providcdin its bottom with holes to permit the escape of this water, and it will be understood that the water will pass out through or between the cork life preservers surrounding the hole 6. By be self-bailing I Having thus described my invention what I claimlas new anddesire to secure by Lettors-Patent is: 1 A

' 1, In a life raft, the combination with a body portion comprising a series of separate th-is'constrnction the raft water-tight compartments made ofnon corrodible metal, of a wooden' cashig, around the sides and bottom of said body portion to-protect-the same, a lining oflife p're servers between said casing and bpdyvportion, and means for securing said compartmentsin place in said} casing.

"2. A life raft com rising a unitary body portion of non-coriible metal 'hav' rated double walls at. the bottom an si' es forming water-tight compartments, a assageway being provided'through said ttom for drainage purposes, water-tightpar-R titions connecting said separated walls to form separated air chambers or coinp'art- 'ments, and ivalved-outlets from said side compartments for draining the same.

3. Ali'fe raft comprising a. unitary'body' portion of noncorrodible metal having sepa,-- ragd double walls. throughout the bottom portion forining a water-tight air chamber the joints being brazed, a'nd'donble side walls extending upwardly! from said bottom forming air-tight chambers, means for draining said side compartments, and means for pumping water from said bottom compartment; 4. In a ing casing fittin around the sides and b'otlife raft. the combination with a body portion of non corrod' le me tal' com prising a series of united aterstight com-. part-ments, of'a'removable box-like protect- I tom of said bo y portion, and-means for I securing said casing in place.

5. In a life raft the combination with a body portion of non-corrodible metal com,- prising a series; of connected water-tight compartments, ofa removable box-like protecting casing fitting around the sides and bottom of said body porltionJ a of buoyant material between said=cas1ng'- and body, and means for-securing saidcasing in place.

6. In a body portion of non-corro'dible metalcomprising a series "of water-ti ht 'compart" life raft the combination with a l cured'along the bottom of said casing as a keel, and meansjor protecting said tank.

7. In a lifcraft in combination a unitary body portion consisting of a series .of watertight, compartments, and a detachable protccting casing substantially like the body portion in contour and inclosing the sides and bottom of said body portion.

8. In a life raft the combination with a body port-ion comprising a series of water tight compartments, of a protecting casing fitting around the sides and bottom of said body portion, means for detachably connecting said body portion and casing, a keel and a water tank secured below the body portion intermediate the ends of the keel and constituting a portion thereof.

9. In a life raft the combination with a unitary body structure comprising water tight compartments, of a detachable protecting casing fitting around a portion of said body, a keel having a portion thereof cut away and a water tank seated Within said cutaway portion.

10. In a life raft, in combination, a unitary body portion consisting of a series of water tight compartments, a detachable protecting casing fitting around the sides and bottom of said body portion and a lining of buoyant material between said casing and body portion.

. 11. In a life raft, the combination witha unitary body'portion comprising a series of water tight compartments, of a detachable protecting casing fitting around the sides and bottom of said body portion, a linin ot' buoyant material between the casing and body portion, a keel having a portion thereof cut away and a Water tank seated Within said cutaway portion.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Joan M. C011", ARTHUR L. BRYANT.

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