US17306A - Submarine excavator - Google Patents

Description

IINITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

WILLIAM KENNISH,` OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO-ANDREIV B. GRAY, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

SU-BMARINE EXCAVATOR.`

Specication of LettersPtent No. 17,306, dated May 12,` 1857.

To all whom t may concern 1 Be it known that I, WILLIAM KENNISH, of

Brooklyn, inthe county of Kings and StateY the construction andoperation of the same,

reference being had to the annexed draw ings, making` part of this specifcatiomiii which i Plate l is a' perspective view and Plate 2 is a section of the apparatus in operation. i

In Plate l A is .the excavator which I construct of sheet iron or any other substance having the requisite power of resistance. Its shape isa frustum of a cone or a cyl inder 'with bows and stern attached in order that it may be the more easily towed through the water or held fast in tideways.

B is the converging pipe whichsinks into the bed of the river, harbor, &c., and through which the mud, l sand, stones or other sub-` stances pass into the excavator.

In Figure l Plate 2 8, 8, is the outer chamber of the excavator into which air is injected for the purpose of raising the machine when full, and from which the air is withdrawn, water taking its place, for the purpose of sinking the machine to the bot- .tom preparatory to forming a vacuum in the inner chamber.

C, C, are the discharge valves the opening of which allows the mud, &c., to fall from the chamber. These valves are kept shut by the balancing weights 7, 7, which weights are suiiciently heavy to keep the valves closed when the inner chamber is full of the material to be lifted. p

The chains f, f, joining at 7b, are for the purpose of lifting up the weight-s 7 7, when the mud, &c., in the inner chamber will press down the valves C, C, and nd its escape through them.

L, L, are the water tight tubes set into the outer chamber of the excavator in which the weights 7, 7, rise and fall.

X, X, are the Water-tight tubes through which the chains pass connecting valves C, C, with the balancing weights.

D is the pipe to which the hose I'I, is attached for the purpose of forcing air into, or withdrawing it from the inner chamber.

E is thepipe to which the hoseK is attached for the purpose of forcing air into theouter"chamber'when the machine is to be lifted and of allowing the air to escape when it is to sink.

In Plate IN, is a cylindrical compartment made for the purpose of forminga vacuum in order to extract the air from the inner chamber of the excavator. The connection between this chamber and the cylinder is hrough pipe g, pass cocks P and R and ose M Plate lisa cylinder of the :same capacity and similarly constructed to the cylinder N for the purpose of forcing air into the outer chamber of the excavator. The connection between the cylinder M and the outer chamber of the excavator 8, 8 Fig.

2, Plate 2, is through the pipe g, pass m is a pipe leading to the boiler and transmits steam into the cylinders M and N.

I will now describe its operation.

The receiver A Plate l, as shown in the accompanying diagrams is on the bottom of the river or harbor, and the mud, stones, &c., are rushing up pipe B, into chamber 9 Plate 2. The air which was previously there having nearly all passed up through hose H, pass cocks R and P into the vacuous space in N. The chains and hosecare all loose to allow the excavator to sink or rise without restraint. When the inner chamber is charged with the `material to be lifted, the

cock R, is turned off and the cocks G and S are opened, a communication is thus formed between the outer chamber of the excavator andthe cylinder M. `The cock a is then turned onadmitting steam into cylinder M and forcing the included air by its sudden rarefication and force into the outer chamber of the excavator until all the water previously there is expelled through the holes Z, Z, when the receiver rises gradually until it floats permanently on the surface. I/Vhile it is rising the rollers are turned around, tightening up the chains 9, so as to secure its position when it reaches the top; the excavator is then towed into deep water or whatever place the material lifted is to be deposited and having arrived there the valves C, C, are relieved of the weights 7, 7, by the rope b which connects with the chains f, f, and passes over a pulley on the deck of the ship. The valves having been thus relieved, will fall open, allowing the mud to fall out, water taking its place; the weights 7, 7, are again let fall, which closes the valves C, C, and the receiver is towed back toits original position.

The weight or quantity of the material lifted may be ascertained by a gage attached to the outside o-f the excavator marking its line of flotation. When the inner chamber 9 is full, the excavator'will be about a foot out of water, and when it is not full, the gage will indicate accordingly.

l/Vhen the excavator is towed back to its original position, the cocks S, P, and T, are turned, allowing the air in the outer chamber of the excavator to pass out through hose K into the pipe g and pass cocks T and P into cylinder N and thence into the outer atmosphere through valve 4. By

this means the excavator gradually sinks until it reaches the bottom. In this state the outer chamber of the excavator is quite lled with water which enters through the holes Z, Z, upon the withdrawal of the air, and the inner chamber is nearly filled with water, as the air, which before its descent nearly half filled it, is compressed to half its volume. Before forming t-he vacuum in the reservoir N it is necessary to expel this water, which is done by opening cocks G, T and R, and forcing the air by the injection of steam as before described. The air by this means, being forced into the inner chamber the water is expelled through valves C, C, which are relieved of weights 7, 7, for that purpose. When air is seen bubbling to the surface, it is a sure indication that the inner chamber is entirely filled with air and the weights are then let down which closes the valves. The excavator is now ready for a second charge, a vacuum having been already formed in the cylinder N by the injection of steam through steam cock e and its subsequent condensation by a jet of water being thrown upon it through condensing pipe J. The cocks P and R are then turned on, when the air, from inner chamber 9 of the excavator, will rush into the vacuum thus formed, creating in chamber 9, a vacuum into which the mud, sand or stones, at the bottom of the river or harbor will rush at the same time, the hydrostatic pressure at the top of the excavator will force it down into the mud, thus constantly keeping the mouth of the pipe B below the surface of the mud' and gaining twice the hydrostatic pressure by the excavator being wholly independent of any boat or other body having a fixed position except by pliable chains and hose.

I do not claim as new forming a vacuum by steam as this has been done k.before,'nor do I claim to be the first to use such vacuum for the purpose of excavation; but

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. I claim the combination and arrangement-'of the chambers 8 and 9, with the pipe, B, valves C, C, and weights 7, 7, or of Vany equivalents thereof; for the purposes heretofore specified.

I also claim the arrangements of the cylinders N and M, with their pipes and hose, or the equivalents thereof, whereby the mud chamber 9, and floating chamber 8, are alternately filled with, or emptied of air, as the means of collecting and fioating ofi' the excavated material.

WM. KENNISH. l/Vitnesses:

WOODBRIDGE HUDSON, ANDW. KOHLER.

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