US718006A - Sounding apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

718,006. PATBNTED JAN. 6, 1903:

J. F. LEWIS.

SOUNDING APPARATUS.

l APPLICATION IILED JULY 19 1002. N0 MODEL.

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f y /g NITED STATES PATENTr FFICE.

JOHN F.` LEWIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SOUNDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 718,006, dated January 6, 1903.

Application led July 19, 1902. Serial No. 116|233. (No model.)

T0 all whom, may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN F. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a cgi-tain new and useful Improvement in Sounding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a sounding apparatus which is designed to be attached to the end of a line and lowered `into the water, and this device carries a dial which indicates'the depth to which the device has been lowered irrespective of the inclination of the line, said indication being derived from the pressure of the water due to the depth to which the apparatus is lowered; and the object of thisinvention is to simplify the construction of said devices and provide an apparatus which can be relied upon to give anaccurate indication of the depth, and also provides a simple mechanism for trapping the water within the device, so that the hand ofthe dial will be held at the highest point registered until the de` vice is raised from the water and can be read.

With theseends in view this invention consists in the details ofA construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described' in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of. this specification,l in which- Figure l. represents a side elevation of my device; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section through the same; Fig. 3, a cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1, a cross-section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents the body, which is of tubular form open at both ends. The lower end of the bodyAis provided with a male thread, andV B represents the lower end of the apparatus, which is threaded upon this lower end of the body. This lower end ofthe apparatus is made sufficiently heavy to give enough weight to the sounding device to cause the same to sink rapidly and is provided with a central cavity C, extending from the top to a point near the bottom, where the cavity C communicates with the exterior through a series of lateral openings D.

E is a cylinder of fine wire-gauze suspendd ed in the cavity C by means of an exteriorlythreaded collar F, secured to the upper end of the gauze cylinder E and threaded into the upper end of the cavity C. Thus any waterentering through the openingD will necessarily have to pass through the gauze cylinder E to reach the interior of the apparatus, and the water is thus strained and any large particles areprevented from entering the device.

Gr is a washer, of. leather, rubber, or other suitable material, which is clamped in place by the parts A and B. This washer G is cut through, as indicated at H, in a part of a circle, so as to leave a central flap I, which acts as a valve. This central ap I is reinforced upon each side by metallic plates, as represented at J, and iscontacted upon its lower face by the upper end of the part B, so that it cannot open downward, but is free to open upward into the tubular part A.

At the opposite or upper end of the partA is arranged an ordinary pressure-gage K, which is arranged with its dial or face pointing upward, and the casing K', which surrounds the gage, is extended above and below the gage and interiorly threaded. The upper end of the tubular portion Ais threaded in the lower end of the casing K', and suitable packing L is interposed between the gage and the part A. Above the dial of the gage is placed a very heavy glass disk M, and into the upper end of the casing K' is threaded a hollow cap N, and suitable packing O is interposed between the lower rim of this cap and the glass disk M. This cap has a series of openings P formed through the dome of the same for the purpose of reading the dial of the gage K, and formed with the upper end of the cap is an eyelet Q, to which the line is adapted to be attached.

The operation of the device is as follows: As the device is lowered in the water the pressure of the water will cause the same to rush inward through the openings D and passing through the gauze cylinder E will raise the Iiap I and enter the tubular portion A, com- ICO pressing the air contained in said tubular portion, and said air acting upon the pressuregage K will thus operate the hand upon the dial so as to indicate this pressure; but the dial being so graduated as to represent so many feet for so much pressure will instead of recording the pressure record the depth to which the device has been lowered, and it is obvious that the greater the depth the device is lowered the greater will be the pressure of the water. Therefore more water will rush into the tubular part A and compress the air to a greater extent. When the device is held at a standstill or is raised, the flap I will act as a check-valve and instantly close, and thus trap the water which has previously entered into the tubular portion A. This will hold the pressure, and consequently hold the hand of the dial at the greatest depth registered. The device can then be raised and the dial read at leisure. Then by simply unscrewing the portion B the water contained in the parts may be emptied out, and by replacing the part B the apparatus is in condition again for use.

I am aware that other devices for similar purposes have been invented; butin all such devices of which I am aware the mechanism is more or less complicated, and the hand of the dial is held in position by mechanical means and not by reason of the water being trapped within the device.

The advantage of my invention is that while being extremely simple and composed of comparatively few parts the same is eX- tremely accurate and eflicient in action and exceeding durable.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modiications could be made without departing from the spirit ot' my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is l. In a sounding apparatus, a body, a pressure-gage hermetically sealed in the upper end of the body, a plurality of openings entering the body at the lower end from opposite sides, a chamber located in the body underneath the pressure-gage and communicating therewith, a check-valve interposed between said chamber and the openings in the lower end of the body, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a sounding apparatus, a body, a pressure-gage hermetically secured in the upper end of said body, the dial of said gage being l exposed to view, a plurality of openings opening into the body near the lower end thereof from opposite sides, a check-valve arranged within the body and above the lower openings, the opening through said valve being larger than the openings through the lower end of the body, a chamber arranged above the check-valve, said chamber being considerably larger than the opening through the valve, said chamber communicating with the press u re-gage,as and for the purpose specified. 3. In a device of the character described, a tubular body, a pressure-gage, a casing surrounding said pressure-gage and threaded upon said tubular body at its lower end, suitable packing interposed between said gage and body, the dial of the pressure-gage facing upward, a glass disk covering the dial of the pressure-gage, a cap threaded in the upper end ot' the casing, suitable packing interposed between the cap and the glass disk, said cap provided with openings formed through the same for the reading of the dial, an eyelet formed upon the upper end of the cap to which the line is adapted to be secured, a weighted end portion threaded upon the lower end of the tubular portion, said end portion provided with a cavity opening upward and extending to a point near the bottom, said end portion provided with lateral openings extending from the cavity to the exterior, a gauze cylinder, an exteriorly-threaded collar surrounding its upper end, said collar being threaded in the 'upper end of the cavity, a flap-valve arranged above the cavity adapted to open to allow the entrance of the water in the tubular portion but to prevent any escape of the same, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN F. LEWIS. Witnesses:

L. D. HEINRIcHs, L. W. MORRISON.

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