US501912A - Wrecking apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(R Mod m 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

M. BRABAW.

WRBGKING APPARATUS. 'N 0 v Patented July 25, 1893.

attorneys.

a Shets-Sheet 3.

No Model.)

S M BRABAW WREGKING APPARATUS.

Patented July 25', 1893.

WITNESSES 2 '5 dilomeys.

*UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHEAL BRABAW, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

WRECKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,912, dated July 25, 1893. Application filed December 12, 1892- $erial No. 454,883- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, MIOHEAL BRABAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful 1mprovement in Wrecking Apparatus; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to wrecking apparatus, and has for its object improvements in that class of wrecking apparatus, in which the buoyant power of air is used for the purpose of lifting sunken vessels, or lightering vessels of heavy draft over shoal places, or for lifting and releasing vessels from shoalsand bars on which they may have grounded.

The improvements relate to means for connecting the air tanks or pontons to the vessel, and means for filling the pontons with air, and driving out and displacing water with which the pontons have been previously filled to aid in sinking them.

In the drawings, Figure 1, shows a part of a vessel with pontons in place to lift the vessel. Fig. 2, shows a tube traversing the ponton for the passageof a chain by means of which the ponton is held in place beside the vessel. Fig. 3, shows a stop and chain guide- Fig. 4, shows an inlet valve through which air is forced into the ponton. Fig. 5, shows an air outlet valve placed on the upper surface of the ponton to permit the escape of air.

A, indicatesthe ponton which I prefer to make square or rectangular in vertical cross section, and rectangular in longitudinal cross section, of material sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure-and both water and airtight. It is provided on its upper side with a man-hole cover 13, the cover being secured air-tight to the body of the ponton. Across the ponton diagonally are placed a number of tubes 0, the number depending on the length of the ponton, and the distance between them being from-fifteen to twenty feet or even more; where the tube passes through the shell of the ponton an air-tight joint is made, and the opening through the tube is open at both ends. Above the upper and outer end of the tube is a hinged stop and a guard shown in Fig. 3. The stop consists of two plates D, d. One of these plates D, is

hinged to a second plate E, which is bolted to the case of the ponton. The plate d, is also hinged to a plate 6, that is bolted to the case of the ponton.

The two plates D, d, meet at the corner of the ponton, their meeting line being on a diameter across the tube 0. Both the hinged plates D and d, are provided with springs, s, that hold them shut; between the meeting edges of the plates D and cl, is an opening wide enough'to permit the passage of a link of the chain K, when presented with its shortest diameter across the opening from D tod, but so narrow as to prevent the return movement of the same link, when the link is held with its transverse diameter across theopening. It is evident that the chain can be drawn upward through the tube and the stop butthat it cannot slip downward through the stop, inasmuch as the adjacent leaves D and d, of the stop open outward to permit the upward passage of the chain but close downward and prevent the downward passage. Above the catch or stop is a guide ring R, supported on spiderlegs r; the use of the guide ring is to prevent the chain K, from fouling the stop. To the upper leaf (1, of the stop. is secured a rope or line by means of which it may be lifted when the ponton is submerged.

To the ponton at proper places are secured a number of valve cases in which are placed valves, each one of. which is provided with means for holding it in either an open or a closed position, and each one of which is provided with means for opening or closing it from the surface of the water when the pon ton is submerged.

On an ordinary ponton I prefer to place one outlet valve at each end through which air can escape. The outlet valves are placed on the upper surface and near the end, so as to permit the free escape of air from the uppermost of the two ends, if for any reason the ponton should not be horizontal. On each end and near the bottom, I place water out let valves. I prefer to place two such valves at each end of a ponton of ordinary size; in Fig. 1, however, only a single outlet valve is shown, inasmuch as a single valve will show the principle of the construction of my inven- In operating my wrecking apparatus for tion, and the illustration is rendered clearer raising sunken vessels the chains are drawn by omitting the second one; the valves thus under the vessels before the pontons are 70 located at the end and near the bottom of the sunk; the pontons are then sunk, and the ponton are employed to permit the escape of chains are drawn through the chain tubes in water from within the ponton. At the end the pontons and the bottom of the pontons and near the top of each ponton is'still andrawnin closelyagainstthevesselorasclosely other valve, and to the casing of this valve is against the vessel as the surfaces of the ves- 75 connected an air pipe P. sel and the ponton will permit; the pontons [o The valves F and F, for the escape of air are employed in pairs, one on each side of the permit the free outlet of air, when the ponton vessel and as many of them as are necessary to is above water, and it is desired to sink the 1 raise the vessel are placed along-the sides from ponton; when above water they are readily the bow to the stern; after the pontons are 80 opened and closed by hand, and when below placed and drawn as closely against the vessel I 5 water are opened and closed by means of lines as possible, the air valves on the top of the pon as will be hereinafter described. tons are closed, the water outlet valves at the The valve G, permits Water either to flow ends of the pontons are opened, the air inlet into the ponton in the process of submergi-ng valve at the end of the ponton is opened, and 85 it, or permits the water to escape from the airisforced into-the ponton from above. Un- 2o ponton when airisbeing forced into it, through der the pressure of the entering air, water is the pipe P and the valve H. A section of the forced out of the ponton, and air takes its valve H, is shown at Fig. 4:, and it will be seen place until all the water hasbeen forced out, that, on the interior of the ponton there is or until enough has been forced out to cause employed in connection with the valve H, a the pontons relieved from part of their load check valve 71. to rise to the surface,bringing with themv the Each one of the valves. employed is furvessel that rests. upon the chains. nished with means for operating it from the In using the apparatus for li'ghter-ing pu:rsurface, the means being substantially simiposes, to aid a vessel that is not yet aground, 9 5 lar in all ofthem and as follows: The valvethe vessel maybe moved toaposition between stem a, passes through the casing and supthe pontons that are partially submerged, and ports a cross-bar c, to which is hinged a pair the. pontons can then be rapidly lifted by of links Z. To the casing 11, is hinged a forked forcing water out from them. If the vessel lever, the casing being located within the diis already aground, the operation would be we vergence of the forks, andaprong of the fork quite similar to that employed to raise a extending on each side of the globe part of sunken vessel...

the casing. Each fork of the lever L, is in A great advantage attending theuse'of this the form of a double bell-crank; one elbow 9, device arises from the character of the sub is pinned to the casing by a pin g, which forms mergible pon-tons, which can be dropped inthe :05 the main fulcrum. The. second elbow f, of water to the bottom and left there-in case of 40 the double bell-crank lever is pinned to the asudden storm,which would destroy or greatly swinging end of thelink Z. At one end of the. endanger a fleet of pontons that can only be lever L, is an eye W, to which is attached a used at the surface. And a submerged pon cord that extends upward to the place occuton can be readily lifted by any cable that is no pied by the operator. At the other end of strong enough tolift it when in the air; the 5 the lever L, is an eye V, to which is attached contained water does not add to its-weight in another cord. On the stem of the valve and ;the water, and of course the weight of the between the casing and the cross-bar c, is a metal casing is less in the water than inthe coiled springt. When the parts are in the poair. Another advantage arises from the fact [15 sition shown in Fig. 5, the strain of the spring that after the pontons have once been placed t tends strongly to hold the valve closed, and around a submerged vessel, and filled with the strain of the spring pushing against the air sufficiently, so that it begins to rise, it cross-bar c, pulls the link I, upward and tends i comes to the surface immediatelyand is held to raise the pin f, and to throw-downward the .in a practically upright position while rising, 120 end w, of the lever L; if however the end W, and is in condition 'to be immediately moved 5 5 is lifted forcibly upward the lower end of the Eaway to a safe harbor, whereas with pontons link, Z, and the pin f,will swing across the fulgoperated at the surface only, or simply sunk crum g, and the pin f, will take a position on a fewfeet into the water and then floated by the opposite side of the pin g, from that shown ,pumping the water out of them, the sinking i 25 in Fig. 5, and the parts will all assumethe posi and floating operation must be repeated a tion shown in Fig. 4. The strain of the spring ]number of times, and if the sunken vessel opt, holds the parts in the second position with j erated uponis in deep water many timesbe the same security that it held them in the tfore the vessel is finally raised. first position. This construction of levers is What I claim is+- adapted to move the valve to either a closed 1 1. Ina wrecking appliance, the combination or an open position, and the holding spring 25, {l of air-tightv pontons, chain tubes traversing securely holds the valve in either of these po- :1 said pontons, means forholdin g chainspassed sitions. through said tubes, an air pipe for conducting air into said pontons, water outlet pipes and valves in said water and air pipes, means for holding said valves in either an open or a closed position, and means for operating the valves from the surface of the water, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a wrecking apparatus, the combination of a ponton rectangular in vertical cross-section, diagonal tubes crossing said ponton lifting chains passing through said tubes, and joining the pontons in couples, air inlet tubes leading to the surface of the water, water and air outlet tubes disposed along the top and ends of said ponton, valves controlling said outlet and means for operating said valves from a distance, and holding them in either an open or a closed position substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with a wrecking device, a spring closed valve, having a valve stem extending beyond the casing a double bell crank lever, fulcrumed at one elbow to the casing and linked at the other elbow to the

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