US19047A

US19047A - Improvement in lightening sea-going steam-vessels

Info

Publication number: US19047A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1858-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1875-01-05

Description

UNITED STATES JOHN C. F. SALOMON AND GEORGE W. MORRIS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND' PATENT OFFICE.

MPROVEMENT IN LIGHTENING SEA-GOING STEAM-VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Lett-ers Patent No. 19,047, dated January 5, 1S58.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that We, JOHN CHARLES FRED- ERIOK SALOMON and GEORGE W. MORRIS, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new an d improved method of lightening sea-goin g steam-vessels when in danger of foundering at sea by so constructing parts of the hull of the vessel within Water-tight bulk-heads and the supports of the boilers engine in the same bulk-head that when the hour of danger arrives the detachable support and `bottom may be suddenly removed and the boiler and engine dropped into the sea, and thus the vessel relieved ot a considerable part of its Weight becomes more buoyant, and may be sustained and floated above Water for a considerable length of time or till relief from other vessels may be aforded; and We do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters ot' reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l. is a longitudinal elevation show ing the boiler and engine space amidships. Fig. 2 is a half-breadth plan of the above. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the boiler-opening. Fig. 4 is a cross-section showing the shiftingframes with the boiler detached ready to fall out. Fig. 5 is a plan of the shutters and camgearing for detaching the movable portions. Fig. G is a cross-section of the last, and also exhibits plans of the lower ends of each cam- Wheel or eccentric-shaft with their respective disengaging-chains and pin to the shutters G. Fig. 7 is a section of the upper portion of the standing and shifting timbers with the upper detaching-gear. Fig. S is the inside elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a plan of the lower knee-plates of the same. Fig. l0 is a plan of the upper knee-plates and gearing- Wheels. The nature of the invention consistsin devices for releasing steam-vessels from the burden of their engines and boilers by means of unshipping or detaching certain portions of the frames, dre., in sections, and which sustain or act as supports of the boiler and engine, and thus freeing such vessels of the boiler and engine by dropping them into the sea in the manner to be described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention We Will proceed to describe the construction and mode of applying the same.

\Ve construct the vessel in the usual man ner and shape except that portion occupied by the engine and boiler having fore and aft it a Water-tight bulk-head.

The Hoor-timber A (seen in Figs. 8, +L, and 6) forms the locking portion of the removable section of the engine and boiler-chamber, which chamber lies amidships and is closed in fore and aft by a Water-tight bulk-head. These parts are seen in place in Figs. G and 4. In the latter gure the boiler and the section D are in the act of falling out into the sea.

B represents the keelson running the Whole length of the hull, as in other vessels, but is made much deeper in the middle portion.

D represents the frame-Work, on which rest the boilers and engines on each side of the vessel. (Seen in Fig. 4.)

O O, Fig. 3, represent the boilers resting in place on D.

E E represent upright frame, running from the iioor A to the deck, passing between the shifting timbers of D. Ends of timbers E are seen in the plan, Fig. 5.

F is a covering of four-inch plank for the frame-work E (seen in section in Fig. (i) and constituting a bulk-head.

G is a strong shutter of four-inch oak plank, well battened at the ends and extending from the top of side keelson H to the lower termination of the planking F, and shown in place in Fig. G.

H is a fore-and-att side keelson on each side of the vessel out-side of and against frame E and on a level with the main keelson, end sections of which may be seen in Figs. 3 and 6, and side view in Fig. 5.

I represents strong iron hinges, opening outward, Fig. G, and holding firmly the shutters G.

K represents a cogwheel, six feet in diameter, more or less, with its shaft L and capstan N, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5, gearing into and operating the four eccentrics or cams J, designed to aid in detaehing and dropping out the keelson end of boiler and engine supports.

R and R represent four-inch rods or shafts of iron, (see Figs. S and 10,) four of the former and one of the latter, and the latterpassing u p through the deck and terminating in the capstan P, and by the slight rotation of the capstan P the outer portion of the boiler and engine support becomes detached from the eyes .in the U-formed knees (seen in Fig. 7) and falls off. Hence it will be seen that by rotating capstan N one part or extremity of the movable section D is detached from its supporting-chains s s s s, while by `rotating Capstan P the opposite extremity of thesame section Dis detached from the supportinghooks t t t t t, a viewof which hooks may be seen in Fig. 8, also in Fig. 1t, where the U- plate is shown detached from hooks t and is in the act of falling oft'.

As the invention is chiefly conlined to the Construction of the engine and boiler chamber with the design of detaching the great weight of this apparatusin time of danger, the description will be made t0 bear on the means to be used for that purpose.

The frames D have the usual spaces between them, but are double the depth of the regular Hoor-timbers, one-half their depth resting on the floor-timber and the balance cut out to fit the ends of the floor-timbers, as before described, and face with them on the outside, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The hood ends of the outside planking run suiciently beyond the shifting timbers each way to calk upon the standing timbers, and the plankstrake at the ends of the floor-timbers will also project, so as to calk upon the solid licortimbers, so, also, at the upper part, where the shifting timbers are jagged into the upper side, allowing calking upon the standing position. The main keelson, as before stated, runs the whole length, as in other vessels, butis made much deeper in the central portions. About three feet (more or less) from the central line and on each side of the detachable sections will be constructed a strong upright frame E E, (seen in vertical section in Fig. 6 and horizontal section in Fig. 5,) made of six-by-six oak timber, secured to the top of the floor-timbers A, and, passing between the shifting timbers D, will run up several feet above the deck-beams, well secured by iron rods, nuts, dto. This framing on the outside will be planked on the outside with four-inch oak plank F (seen in Figs. 4 and 6) from the upper termination of the framing down to about four feet above the keelson height. Across the shifting timbers D, and well bolted to them, will be arranged a fore-and-aft side keelson H on each side of the vessel outside of and against upright frame E and on a level with the main keelson. A strong four-inch oak plank shutter G, Well battened at each end and in the center, extends the whole length of the opening upward from the top of the side keelson H to the lower termination of planking F, and the shutter is well secured to the top of the side keelsons Il at each hatten by a strong iron hinge I, constructed to open outward.

A six-inch diameter cog-'wheel K, larger or smaller, according to the size ofthe vessel, strongly built, is placed midway between the right and left hand shutters G, and designed for each shifting` compartment, the top edge being several inches below the line of the height or top of the shutters. Said wheel K is supplied with a six-inch shaft L, the

lower end being rounded and resting in a,

metal step or cup embedded in the main keelson, while the upper part passes through the platforms and the main deck, where it 1s secured to a ratchet-wheel M with a pawl, (seen in Fig. 3,) and terminates in the capstan N, to be operated in the usual manner of ships capstans.

On each of the four quarters of the cogwheel K (see Fig. 5) are seen fore and aft and on right and left side of the vessel four eccentric or cam wheels J J J J, about three feet diameter, on the lower ends of whose shafts the several chains s s s s are attached by hooks or pins o 0 r o", and which chains sustain the boiler and engine supports till ready to be detached and allowed to fall off. The said cog-wheels J gear into wheel K and are moved by it, as before explained. The shafts of J, dto., pass through the two platforms, (the lower one just above the shutters and the other about midway between that and the main deck,) from which these shafts of the eccentrics J will be suspended by collars a; and pins 0 1^, Fig. 6, above each platform. The lower ends of these shafts run six to eight inches below the eccentrics and are enlarged in diameter, forming stationary collars fr for the support of the eccentrics J. On one side ot' each will be a pin r, upon which a chain s is being attached to the upper part of shutter G (see Fig. 6) for the purpose of keeping the shutters in their places till it is necessary to disengage them. The pressure of the bulk-head F on the shutters G will act as props from the deck above to keep the shifting timbers in their places; but additional security is afforded above at the point where the shifting timbers are dogged into the upper side of the ship, and knee-plates u of stout iron well secured to bolts to every second shifting timber at the heads, as is seen in Figs. 3, e, 7, 8, 9, and lO, and said plates run down sufficiently far to admit several bolts in the sides of the timbers. The upper part of said knee is bent at a right angle from the frame at a proper distance and terminates with an eye open at front. (Well shown in Fig. 9 and in place in Fig. 7.) Said eye is designed to receive a four-inch bolt R, and the opening in front is about two inches, with one lip turned up to release, at the proper time, a pin in the lower extremity of said rod R. As the rods R are geared to each other (see Fig. l0) by means of a series of cog-wheels,the lip on one side of the eyes will severally be on opposite points. Iron knee-plates S will also be secured by bolts to the lower part of the standingtimbers, Fig.7, immediately above the lower one U,

the lower end of each being turned out at right angles and the same distance from the upright plate or timber, and terminating in an oval or slotted eye for the reception of bolts R or R. Upon the upper surface of said eye will be secured an iron ring, its upper surface forming an inclined plane, (represented by T,) the outline of which is seen in the view, Figs. 3 and 4. A rod or bolt R, Fig. 8, passes through capstan P, at the center shifting timber on deck at side c, down through both eyes of knee-plates U and S T, and terminates under the lower or open eye, With a pin on one side near the lower end, and binding under the side of the lower eye. The other standing timbers (above the shifting timbers supplied With knee-plates) will also be supplied with rods or bolts R, but will not reach up to the deck like the center one. All these bolts or rods R R act as shafts to the cog-Wheels a', (seen in Fig. 10,) the central one acting to turn all the rest at the proper time and discharging the movable section-boilers, disc., into the sea. This disengagement of the section by rotating the rods R and R is performed by the inclined plane of the ring-piece (seen at T, Fig. 4) which by the turning is thrown ont of its bearing, and the same effect takes place simultaneously in all the shafts R R. The water-tight bulk-heads fore and aft of the said engine and boiler room will be made donble by stout oak plank and the intervening space filled with india-rubber and powdered cork stuff in approved manner and suitable slidedoors made tight by approved Watertight packing ready to be pnt in use when required.

l-Iaving fully described the nature of our invention and the manner in which our s everal devices are used, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is#- So attaching the engine and support of the boiler to movable or detachable bottoms and sides of the vessel that they may be dropped out and thus relieve the vessel of its Weight, in the manner herein set forth.

JOHN O. FR. SALOMON. GEO. XV. MORRIS` Witnesses:

JOHN S. HoLLINGsHEAD, WILLIAM PEAK.