US627979A

US627979A - Life-boat.

Info

Publication number: US627979A
Application number: US71414999A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horace S Carley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-04-22
Filing date: 1899-04-22
Publication date: 1899-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 1916-07-04

Description

Patent d H. s. cAnLEv. B juw 4, |899.

LIFE BOAT.

(Application filed Apr. 22., 1899.)

' (No Model.)

O im iff.

mf/ Lfm/ MM50? we Norms wr'rrzns co., Now-mma. WASHINGTON. u. n

:NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

i-IORAOE s. OARLEY, or BOSTON, MnssAeHUsur'rs;` l

Lina-BOAT. A

srrzorrrcATIoN forming bart of Letters Patent No. 627,979, dated July 4, 189e.

Application iiled April 22, 1899.

Q'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE S. CARLEY, a

citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and

a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Life-l3oats,which invention is fully lset forth in the following specification.

This invention has reference to life-boats, kmore particularly of a collapsible type adapted to be stored at convenient places onboard of vessels or ships of all characters and'at docks, wharves, or the like and to be used only in case of emergency, such as sinking of the'vessel or other accident endangering the livesof people by drowning. l

I. am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to construct such a boat of an outer the fact that none of the constructions heretofore proposed have been capable of meeting the requirements of successful use.

It is the object of mypresent invention to provide a construction that will eiiciently meet all of these requirements and prove a reliable and ever-ready means of saving the lives of people in the most turbulent seas.

Among the many requirements above referred to mention may be made of the following: The life-boat mustA be collapsible and when collapsed must be very compact, so as to occupy the least space-possible on board of a ship,where space is always at a premium, and for the further reason that upon the space occupied by each `life-boat when thus stored often depends the number of such boats carried by a vessel or ship, and consequently the completeness of its life-saving equipment.

It must be capable of withstanding severe shocks and strains, as when thrown overboard it strikes the surface of the Water with great force, and must withstand all kinds of weather.

Serial No. 714,149. (Nomodel.)

Its efficiency mustr not be affected by non# usage, as boats of .this character` are often allowed to remain stored for long periods of time without even being tested. It must of course be reversible, so that it will right itself no matter which side strikes and rests in the water, and, further,it must be practically ,y structure that novices may easily handle and manipulate the saine.

The life-boat constructed in accordance vwith and embodying my present invention will, it is believed, ,meet all of the requirementsof successful use and willbe best un-` derstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, whereinf` l Figure l is a perspective view showing the bottom of the boat extended. Fig. 2 is a perspective view in section through the buoyant ring. Fig. 3 is a plan, and Fig. et a section, of the flat .part o'f theV bottom. Fig. V5 is an enlarged sectional View through the buoyant ring, and Fg.6 is a perspective sectional view showing the drag. or ballastbag supported from therings on the buoyant frame.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the buoyant frame or ring, consisting of an inner tube a, (or there may be a plurality vof such `tubes,) of suitable length, made, preferably,

of a material ,such as rubber composition and lled with air either at i or slightly above atmospheric pressure. Abouttube d are tightly packedlayers of cork b, which not only conf tribute to the buoyancy of the ring, butprotect the inner tube. A covering c, of canvas or similar material, is tightly'bound around the cork, and to still further strengthen and protect the whole I prefer to completely cover ,f

the canvas with rope wound in convolutions thereabout.

The shell of the boat, or what may more properly be said to be the hull thereof, consists of a flexible part D, shown in the drawings as a net, which is preferred, although it may be of canvas orof some other such material impervious to water. vNet D has along its upper edge a binding-rope d, to which are secured at suitable intervals cringles or eyelets d', through which pass rings d2 of rope.

IOO

' formed of two layers of canvas e c, (see Figs.

3 and 4,) fastened together along their. edges, and between which are interposed cross-slats e2, of wood, connected bya longitudinal slat e',

which impart rigidity to bottom E.

A very important feature of the invention is the marine drags `or wPater-bags F F', eachr made of flexible fabric, such as canvas, attached along the open end of the bag to a hoop f3 and connected, respectively, to opposite sides of at bottom E by means of linesff. On the under side of. each bag is attached a weight f', which insures its sinking to the limit allowed by lines ff and filling with water. A string f2, running down inside of each bag F F' and secured at the bottom thereof, enables the same to be turned inside outand drawn up against bottom E when not desired to be used. In Fig. l of the drawings the lifeboat is shown extended to the form it takes when `resting in the water, the bag F being suspended from the under side thereof and the lines f f held taut. Bag F in this figure is collapsed and rests against the upper side of the flat bottom E.

4Of course in the event of the boat being thrown into the water in a reversed positionthat is to say, with whatis the upper side in Fig. 1,down`tl1en the bag F would fill with water and bag F would rest in a collapsed condition against bottom E.

Instead of attaching the bags F F to the bottom E, I prefer to suspend them, as shown in Fig. 6, by means of four ropes f4, having eyelets at their upper ends engaging about four of the rings cl2, respectively. In this manner the pull of `the bag is brought directly on the buoyant ring and the bottom E subjected to no strain'whatever from this cause. Around the outer edge of buoyant ring A runs a life-line H, attached at intervals in eyelets lt, through which" rings d2 pass. `To line H are secured a number of auxiliary life-lines t', having thereon floats i', which keep them on the surface of the water and within reach of a person in the water in theV vicinity of the boat. Around the inner edge of the frame A and hanging loosely between eyelets d are two strips of fabric la lo, one on each side of net D. Each span from eyelet to eyelet of that strip k which happens to be within the net D when the boat is in the wa ter forms a seat for one of the occupants of the boat.

When the life-boat' herein described is not in use, it will of course be understood that it is collapsed, the net D, bottom E, and bags F and F' being folded together within the buoyant ring A. When thrown overboard, no matter which side of the ring A strikes the Water the bottom E will drop, and as the net D becomes taut eyelets d will slide along the rings cl2 to a position at or near the under side thereof, so that the pull due to the weight of occupantsof the boat will be (more or less) directly on the under side of the buoyant .ring A. Unnecessary strains on the net, eyelets,

and rings are thus prevented, and a shorter ,depth of netting may be used than if the edge of the net were fixed to the buoyant frame along a line around the inner edge thereof. At the same time thatone of the bags F F' which happens to be on the under side of the bottom E fills with water and sinks the length of lines f f. The sunken ballast or drag thus provided acts to balance and steady the boat and is an efcient protection against capsizing, particularly in rough weather and in the case of a cross-cut sea. When it is desiredto row or paddle the boat, the bag is turned in-` what I claim as new, and desire to secure by l. In a collapsible reversible life-boat, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous forrn, of a flat bottom, a flexible part secured at one'edge around the edge of said bottom, eyelets arranged at suitable intervalsalong the other edge of the flexible part, and rings on the buoyant body passing through said eyelets and on which they are adapted to freely slide, the space within the buoyant body being entirely free from obstructionswhereby the bottom and flexible part may drop through and depend from either side thereof.

2. In a collapsible reversible life-boat, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form, of a collapsible body, secured to and adapted to depend from either side of said buoyant body, and a bag suspended beneath said parts and adapted when filled with water to constitute a marine drag or ballast. f

3. In a collapsible reversible life-boat, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form, of a collapsible body secured to and adapted to depend from either side of said buoyant body, a bag suspen ded beneath said parts and adapted when tlled with water to constitute a marine drag or ballast, and a line whereby said bag may be emptied and pulled up out of position for use.

4. In a collapsible reversible life-boat, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form, of a collapsible body secured to and adapted to depend from either side of said buoyant body, and two bags one' connected on each side of the buoyant and collapsible parts and severally adapted when filled with water to constitute a marine drag or ballast.

5. In a collapsible reversible life-boat, the combination with-a buoyantbody of annular or similar continuous form, of a collapsible body having eyelets disposed at suitable intervals along its edge, rings on the buoyant body passing through said eyelets and on which they freely slide, and two bags one on each side of the collapsible body connected to a suitable number of said rings by lines,

and adapted when filled with Water to constitute a marine drag or ballast.

6. In a life-boat of the kind described, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form consisting of an inner tube filled with air, layers of cork tightly packed around said air-tube, and a covering of canvas or similar material about said cork, of a collapsible body secured Within said buoyant body and adapted to depend from either side thereof.

7. In a life-boat of the kind described, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form consisting of an inner tube filled with air, layers of cork tightly packed around said air-tube, and a covering zo of canvas, and an outer covering of cord or rope wo und about the canvas, of a collapsible body secured within said buoyant body and adapted to depend from either side thereof.

8. In a life-boat of the kind described, the combination with a buoyant body of annular or similar continuous form, of a flexible part connected along one edge to the buoyant body and secured at its other edge to the edge of a lat bottom, said bottom consisting of two layers of canvas or similar material having interposed therebetween longitudinal and lateral stiffening-slats.

In `testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORACE S. CARLEY.