US304892A - Life-raft - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 7 r 8 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

'J". R." ADAMS LIFE RAFT.

' No. 804,882. Patented Sept. 9, 1884.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 5% C.) I ATTORNEYS.

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J. ADAMS.

LIFE RAFT. No. 304,892. Paten ed Sept. 9, 1884.

' WITNESSES:

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J. R. ADAMS.

LLIPE RAFT.

Patented Sept. 9, 1884.

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Nrrn STATES JOHN It. ADAMS, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

LIFE-RAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 304,892, dated September 9, 1884.

I. l Application filed May 13, 1884. (No mulcl.)

To all whom it nmy concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN It. ADAMS, of Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Life-Raft, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

The life-boats, life-rafts, &c., used at present on steamers and sailing-vessels do not present sufficient facilities for saving the lives of the persons on the vessel in case of an accident, as

a sufficient number of such life-boats or liferafts are not provided in any case, for they would occupy too much space on the deck of the vessel.

1 The object of my invention is to avoid these difficulties by providing a new and improved life-raft which is so constructed that it can be used as a state-room ordinarily, and as a life- Iaft in case of danger.

The invention consists in a closed box or vessel held 011 the deck of a marine vessel, and divided into a series of compartments, which are adapted to be used as staterooms when the said box or vessel is on deck, the said box or 2 5 vessel being adapted to be used as a life-raft in case of accident.

The invention also consists in other parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter fully described and set forth.

0 Reference is to boiled to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the. figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved liferaft, parts being broken out. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal elevation of the same, parts being broken out. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. My improved life-raft is provided with two oval end pieces or heads, A, 011 the edges of 0 which staves or boards B are placed, which are held in place by heavy hoops-or bands 0, passed around the staves and drawn firmly to gether by means of nuts and bolts, so that the life-raft will essentially consist of a flattened 5 barrel or cask. On the top of this life-raft a platform, D, is arranged, which is surrounded by a railing, E, made of iron or other metal rods, secured on standards, or of ropes secured on standards, or in any other suitable manner. From the said platform D a hollow shaft or tube projects upward, from which a ladder, H, leads down to the floor J of the raft. Between the floor and the shell compartments J are formed, in which water-tanks, receptacles for food, oil, and other necessaries are placed. The lifc-raft is provided with a longitudinal central hallway, K, extending from end to end, and with a series of transverse partitions, L, forming a series of state-rooms, M, each of which is provided with a wash-basin, N. At the end of the hall a compartment, 0, is arranged, which may be used as a toilet-room. Doors P lead from the hallway into the state-rooms, and

a door, 0, leads to the toilet-room. The hall is so arranged that the ladder H, extending down from the tubular shaft F, will be formed on one side of the said hallway. In the floor of the hallway trap-doors Q are arranged, through which access can be had to the compartment J, formed below the floor J of the raft. In each state-room bunks It are arranged,

which are' hinged to the side walls, and are provided with suitable means for holding them in place, two or three bunks being arranged one above the. other, as may be desired, two being preferred. At that end of the raft opposite the one at which the toilet-room O is formed a door, S, is arranged, which leads to the hallway K. The raft is provided on the ends with heavy bars T, for fastening chains or cables to hold the raft on deck. The shaft F is provided with a door, V, which can be closed absolutely tight. The raft is held 011 the deck, and is suitably propped up and braced and used as staterooms, access being 8 5 had to the raft through the door S. In case of danger, the door S is closed and securely bolted, and the passengers enter the raft through the shaft F. The raft is disconnected from the deck of the vessel, and in case the 0 vessel sinks the raft is washed off and floats on the water like a huge cask or barrel. As it is closed on all sides and ends, it can be thrown about by the waves without any injury to the occupants. If the weather permits, some of 5 the passengers can ascend to the platform D and raise masts or poles with signals of distress; or the said platform can be used as a lookout for passing steamers.

As all the state-rooms on the deck of a steamroe er can be constructed as my improved liferafts, in the manner described, it is evident that a steamer can carry sufficient rafts for a large number of persons without wasting any space on the deck of the steamer, as the said space would be occupied by the ordinary staterooms or cabin, which would afford no better accommodation and more conveniences than my improved combined state-room and liferaft affords.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a life-raft, the water-tight vessel having a central longitudinal hallway and transverse compartments, said hallway communieating with said compartments, and having trap-doors in its floor, establishing communication with storage-eo1npartments between the floor and the shell of the vessel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a life-raft, the water-tight vessel having a central longitudinal hallway and com partment-s furnished as state-rooms, said hallway communicating with said compartments, and having trap-doors in its floor, establishing communication with storagecompartments between the floor and shell of the vessel, said vessel also having a hollow shaft, with its upper end accessible by aladder disposed against a wall of the hallway, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a life-raft, the water-tight vessel disposed on deck of a marine vessel, and detachably connected to the latter, said water-tight vessel having a central longitudinal hallway and state-room compartments communicating with the hallway, said hallway having trapdoors in its floor, establishing communication with storage-compartments between the floor and shell of thewatentight vessel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A state-room having water-tight sides, ends, floor, and ceiling, which stateroom is adapted to be held detaehably on the deck of a vessel, so as to adapt it to be used as a life raft, substantially as herein shown and de scribed.

JOHN B. ADAMS.

NVitnesses:

F. A. SOIIAEFER, W. S. ()LnrL-iM.

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