Untitled record

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uHOTO-UTHOGRaPHER. WASHINGTON.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN REEVES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,043, dated January 5, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, John Reeves, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and use5 ful Improvement in Steamships and SeaGoing Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming 10 part of this specification, in which—

Figure 1, is a vertical transverse section of a steamer with my improvements applied to it at a point to the right, beyond the location of the boiler. Fig. 2, is a similar sec15 tion at the point where the center of the boiler is located, and Fig. 3, a plan of a portion of the steamer.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts. 20 The nature of my invention consists in tying the bilge timbers of planks of a ship’s hull together, and also preventing vibrations of the sides of the hull, by means of strong knees which conform to the curve of the 25 bilge, and diagonal braces which attach to said knees and bear in opposite directions through said knees against the bilge and the top sides of the hull as presently illustrated.

To make my improvement more evident 30 and establish its utility I will illustrate as follows; suppose one of those long deep sided steamers or sailing vessels be pressed down on one side by the force of the wind and sea, and by all the weight in the hull 35 above the center of gravity. Now while in this position the lower side, commencing about the turn in the bilge, must expand or straighten and change its position, outboard from the line of the original form 40 as illustrated in red lines, and the opposite side at the same time is contracted or bent, and brought within the line of the original form as also illustrated in red lines, similar changes taking place, in opposite direc45 tions, however, when the vessel rolls down on the opposite .side. As these changes occur, the decks, owing to being carried up by the side that expands, and drawn downward by the side which is contracted, are 50 kept simultaneously in motion with the change of form in the hull. And in this way there is a continuous vibrating or back and forward motion kept up at every roll without apparently affecting the hull until the ⁵⁵ vessel is caught in a heavy gale of wind, with a high sea, when this motion in the hull acts to excess with the most disastrous effects by straining open the seams about the bilge and admitting the water through innumerable crevices which continue to in- θο crease as the sides become weakened by the vessel’s straining and laboring long in a heavy sea and wind.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de- 65 scribe its construction and operation.

A, A, Figs. 1 and 3 represent two diagonal braces placed across or so as to resist each other, with their lower ends resting on the thick streaks at the turn of the bilge, 70 and their upper ends resting against the sides of the hull about midway between the lower and upper decks C, O', and securely attached to strong substantial knees a, a, a, a, which knees' conform at their base to the 75 curve of the bilge, and the form of the sides of the hull and are made broad or long enough to cross all the joints between the planks of the bilge, and thus serve for tying and holding the planks together and 80 preventing leakage. These knees are very essential as they receive all the thrust of the diagonal braces and distribute the same over the whole surface of the bilge.

B, B, Figs. 2 and 3, represent two iron 85 stay rods placed similarly to the diagonal braces, and secured at their upper and lower ends by heavy plates δ, δ, which cross each other at right angles and are bolted to the sides and bottom of the hull and made to 90 answer the same office as the knees a, a, a, a, To station these braces where most required and most serviceable I propose, in a steamer, to place one or two pairs close to the bulkhead of the engine room and have them run 95 up nearly in range with the paddle beam, on the side, and two other pairs close to the bulkhead, at the end of the boilers. The stay rods I propose to place between the engine and boilers, and have them capable 100 of being shortened or lengthened by turn buckles or link nuts c, c, and so that they may be removed and replaced with ease when necessary. These stay rods of course will answer to be placed in another part 105 of the hull, but with less benefit compared with the braces A, A.

In sailing vessels it may be advisable to place two pairs of braces as close as convenient to both fore and main mast, and 110 then distribute a few pairs along in the main hold or between the fore and main a

19,043 mast, or aft if required. In sailing vessels with a deep hold the heads of the braces may be kept just under the lower deck which will save some room between decks.