US17826A - Thomas bell - Google Patents

Description

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wA PETERS, PHOTlrLITHO-GRAPHEH. WASHINGTONy D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARRANGEMENT OF CAMELS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,826, dated July 21, 185'7.`

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS BELL, of the l city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Camels for Raising Sunken, Stranded, or Floating Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the followin is a full, clear, and eXact description of t e same, reference being had to the accom anying drawings, forming part of this spec' cation, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of a ship with camels constructed and applied to it after my invention. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the same.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in three camels so combined and arranged relatively to each other as that each one shall lserve as a sup ort for the other, and the threeunited s all form a bottomless dry y dock, or afirm and proper shaped support for the bow and the forward portion of the vessel or the stern and after part of the same, whereby the necessity of raising the vessel by taking hold of the bilge or weakest art thereof and of experiencing the reat culty attending t e getting of t e attachments of the camels under the keel are f cipally by the bow and stern or at A partments which are furnished with pumps M and intended to serve se arately or unitedly as camels. The end anid side camels of each of the floats are of triangular form the inboard timbers of the side camels meeting in a point at the angle of the end camel, and being intersected and interlocked at the base of the outer timbers of the same, by the bulk head or inboard timbers C of the end tank. By thus uniting the camels it may be evident that a perfect system of truss work is produced and a firm and strong support for the vessel secured, and by having the side tanks of taper form on their inner side a space of proper shape for the reception of the bow or stern of the vessel is secured, and by having said space open at top and bottom the necessity of passing chains etc., under the keel of the vessel is avoided. The tanks or camels when applied are united together by chains K, K, and made to clasp the bow and stern of the vessel, and should be of sufcient length and capacity to afford buoyancy enough to raise and iloat vessels of any tonnage desired, and the inboard timbers C, C, and bulkhead C of the camels made very heavy and strong so as to be capable of bearing any weight which may be brought to bear upon them.

Operation: The camels being sunk and drawn on to each end of the sunken vessel, and secured to each other as shown in the drawing, the pumps are operated upon, when submerged, by means of ropes or rods passing up from the ends of the brakes of the pistons to the surface, and the water umped out of the camels, and air admitte to fill its place, by means of tubes. As soon as the required quantity of water asses out and air takes its place the vesse begins to rise, until she rides upon the surface of the water, owing to the lifting power of the camels overbalancing the sinking power of the vessel, when she ma be transported by tugs or other means to er destination. In case the vessel is not sunken but simply stranded, while the water is low the tanks are to be drawn on to the vessel and secured to each other, so that when the rise of the tide occurs they shall take the Weight of the vessel and lift her off the bottom so that she may be readily transported, without the use of pumps, to her place of destination.

There are several very important advantages derived from the use of my improvements.

1st. It is racticable under all circumstances, whic is not the case with any other camel heretofore known and used. It is racticable under all circumstances, 1st, because it does not require to be fastened on t0 the vessel by chains or hooks or other means; 2nd, because it does not require to be pressed under the keel or over or through the vessel g 3rd, because it is durable and sufficiently strong to bear all the rough usages of the sea, and should the winds be strong or ice collect so as to endanger the safety of the vessel, after she has been raised to the surface, by simply letting water into .into the camels.

the camels she may be lowered again on bottom and thus be placed beyond the reach of their destructive influence.

2nd. When the vessel arrives at the dry dock which is to take her on for repairs she may be righted up so as to take the list out of her or to cause her to set on an even keel, or she may be elevated at one end and lowered at the other by drawing o, or letting water 5th. It is always in condition for immediate and speedy application and use, not liable to get out of repair or sustain damage, and is very simple and cheap in construction compared with anything else for the same purpose heretofore known.

I am aware that J. N. Winslow obtained a patent Aug. 20, 1850, on a device for raising vessels, but his device can only be applied when a vessel is afloat and even then the thickness of the machine under the vessels keel adds to the draft of water that would otherwise be required and therefore the vessel must be lifted higher than is necessary with my camels in order to carry her in the same depth of water.

I am also aware that O. T. Williams obtained a patent Feby. 24, 1852, for a device for accomplishinga similar result but his contrivance can only be applied by hooking into a vessel at or near her bilge, which is the weakest part of the ship, and the only part that can be hooked into to lift directly up, and the unavoidable tendency of lifting This is a very important .feature and renders my invention a very with Mr. Williams rhooks is to haul outboard instead of inboard. They therefore could not hold to the vessel; but admitting they did hook into the vessel so that the hooks did hold them, the plank that the hooks hooked into would most certainly come olf, as there are but a few spikes and pins that hold a plank on but admit the hooks and planks both hold and keep their place there is not sufficient strength in his attached frame as he constructs it but admitting all to hold and have sufficient strength, in a few hours 'by the motion ofthe sea and strain on his india rubber it must unavoidably soon wear or chafe through even should he be so lucky as to prevent the rubber coming in Contact with bolts or spikes or something to pierce it, which would probably happen and therefore render his means entirely valueless.

I do not claim broadly the use of camels for raising sunken vessels irrespective of the peculiar construction shown and described in my specification, but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement of camels' herein described, whereby great strength is secured to support a vessel while being raised and transported, and whereby the vessel will be ifted principally bythe bow and stern, or where the greatest strength exists and only partially fore and aft, or where the least strength exists; and whereby all the inconveniences attending the application and use of those devices which require that some of their parts shall be passed under the keel or over or through the vessel are avoided,` and other numerous beneiits secured; substantially as set forth.

THOS. BELL. Witnesses:

CHARLES L. BARRITT, JOHN C. WAGsTAFF.

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