US16491A - Life-boat - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lMATTHIAS LUDLUM, OF ESSEX, NEW YORK.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,491, dated January 27, 1857.

To all whom 'it may concer/1,:

Be it known that I, MATTHIAS LUDLUM, of Essex, in the county of Essex and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Article of Manufacture-viz., an Improved Life-Boat; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a side view of a boat constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2, is a transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

This invention consists of a new article of manufacture, viz, a life boat, made in the hereinafter described manner.

A, A, are two parallel hollow tubular air-tight floats made of boiler iron or other material, with prow-shaped ends f, f, and with keels b, b, said floats being placed at some distance apart.

B, is a boat-shaped car for the reception of passengers, resting on the prow-shaped ends of the floats A, A, and supported on the floats at various points between the ends by standards a, a, and stayed thereto by stays c, o, said car being placed at a considerable elevation above the floats so as to keep it generally some distance above the surface of the water and prevent the passengers being washed overboard or continually overwhelmed by the breaking of the waves over it. This car has seats arranged in any convenient manner and has lockers z', z', arranged along within the sides to contain provisions, clothing, etc., and tanks arranged in a similar manner within t-he ends for water, said lockers and tanks being kept ready filled for use and serving for seats when the boat is in the water.

C, is a paddle wheel arranged to work in an opening in the bottom of the car B, and having its upper part inclosed in a water tight casing D, to exclude the water from the interior of the car. The shaft D, of this wheel is geared with another shaft e, which is to be turned by hand by means of cranks.

E, E, are pumps placed within the car B, with pipes leading to the floats A, A, and

furnished with brakes I, to be worked by persons in the car to pump out any water that may leak into the floats.

F, is a rudder suspended below the car in a suitable framing midway between the floats.

G, G, are two awning posts fitted to slide up and down in hollow standards H, H, arranged in the center of the car. These posts carry a horizontal bar K, and are provided with racks g, g, to be operated upon to raise and lower the bar K, by pinions L, h on a horizontal shaft F. J, J, are smaller awning posts attached to the sides of the car. The awning L, is put up by attaching it to the bar K, after lowering the posts G, G, then attaching it to the posts J, J, by hooks and eyes or similar fastenings and afterward raising the posts G, G, by .means of the racks and pinions till the awning is tightened.

Sliding valves are to be employed at the ends of the paddle box D, which may be opened by floats to let any water escape from the interior of the boat or car.

This life boat may be used on coasts for the purpose of saving life from shipwreck or may be carried by ships or other vessels. It may be launched in the same way as any other boat, or, when on board another vessel, the latter, if in a sinking state, maybe allowed to go down without launching it, the passengers having all previously got into the life boat, which will be left floating.

This life boat possesses advantages over other life boats in its keeping the passengers high out of the water protected from the waves. It has great buoyancy and will stand any sea without capsizing.

I do not claim the construction of vessels by placing a deck on two or more floats; neit-her do I claim the use of two floats as double vessels, of various descriptions have long been known; neither do I claim a propelling wheel between two vessels; neither do I claim to have discovered any new method of giving buoyancy to vessels; neither do I claim to have discovered any new principle, nor any new method of applying any principle; neither do I claim any new method of saving the lives of passengers at sea nor of protecting them from the l waves of the sea;

iron floats and arranged and constructed as hereinbefore described, is to the best of my knowledge and belief an entirely new article of manufacture; therefore l I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as a new article of manufacture The life boat herein described, when made but, a life boat, having and manufactured substantially as set forth.

MATTHIAS LUDLUM.

Witnesses:

M. H. STOWER, B. N. PAOKILL.

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