Untitled record

Application filed June 27.1889. Serial No. 315,769. (No model.) ²5 top of the null, and the projecting upper portion B' of the water-tight chamber is also preferably made water-tight, but so that.from 55 above suitable access can be had to the interior of the water-tight chamber for any purpose incident to the operation and use of the ship—that is, any machinery employed m moving the ship is contained within the wa- 00 ter-tight chamber, as well as the passengers rooms. The freight is designed to be earned not only within the water-tight chamber, but also in the space C between the shell of the water-tight chamber and the shell of the hull. θ5

Bulk-heads D are used partly to strengthen the ship and partly to divide it into compartments. They extend crosswise in the ship across the space C at both sides of and be-.: neath the water-tight chamber, and they also 7° may extend- across the ’water-t^ht-chainbmv or some of the bulkheads may be extended across the water-tight chamber, and some may not be extended. Those bulkheads which are extended across the water-tight 75 chamber are constructed to divide the watertight chamber into water-tight compartments b². The compartments a²,. into which the space C C^z is divided by means of the.bulkheads, are preferably not made water-tight 80 that is, by means of some small opening, such as shown at d, Fig. 2, water admitted into a compartment can flow thence not rapidly,, but gradually, into the other compartments a², ahd the ship thereby kept trim 85 for if the hull is stove in, say, at the bows the water enters that part of the space C, and if it is retained there the ship is liable to be depressed at its forward end only; but if the water is allowed to flow thence throughout 9° the length of the hull the ship settles evenly in the water.

By means of suitable water-tight decks E the space C can be suitably divided horizontally ion receiving freight, which can be in- 95 troduced through the hatchways e. These hatchways, by means of suitable hatches, can be adapted to be water-tight, so that, any water admitted into the space .0 shall be confined to that deck or decks in which the leak 100 occurs. The decks are braced with diagonal beams, (indicated by the broken lines e'.Fig. 1,) by which means the structure is consider। ably strengthened.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Geobge Shone, of East St. Louis, Illinois, have made a new and useful Improvement in Ships, of which the fol5 lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The improvement relates to those ships which are classified as “non-sinkable.” Its leading feature is a water-tight chamber arranged centrally and extending vertically and 10 longitudinally in the hull of the ship and dividing the cargo-space of the hull into two parts—namely, that, contained within and that surrounding said chamber—and having floating-power to sustain the ship when said 15 space surrounding said chamber is waterlogged, as described, substantially as is hereinafter set forth and claimed, aided by the annexed drawings, making part of this specification; in-whleh—

Figure 1 is a plan of the improved ship; Fig. 2, a side elevation, partly broken away to show a portion of the interior in section; and Fig. 3, a vertical cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. ?

Only those parts of < the ship are exhibited which are essential to an understanding of the improvement. Various features are indicated by the broken lines in the different views.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

A represents the hull. Its dimensions in most cases are substantially the same as those of an ordinary; ship of equivalent capacity, and in shape the hull may be varied more or less, according to the size or style of ship being built and the special· plan of its builder. The water-tight chamber B in its general out-, line conforms somewhat to the hull, and in 40 length and width it is sufficiently smaller than the hull to cause a space C—say, from six feet to twelve feet in width—lobe formed between the side a of the hull and the side b of the water-tight chamber. The bottom b' of 45 the chamber Bis also raised above the bottom . ’ a' of the hull to form an intervening space O', which in practice may not be as deep as is the width of the space C. The water-tight chamber is arranged centrally in the hull, and it is 50 carried up to project above the top of the hull, substantially as shown, and it is made watertight from its bottonl upward to above the

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The water-tight chamber B, by reason of its position and character, forms an air-chamber of sufficient buoyancy to float the entire .snip eyen when the entire space C between 5 the hulls is water-logged.

_.The hull A is similar to the hull of an. ordinary ship, and it may be added, aside from “^{e 1}™P^r.^ovement now under consideration, the ship is of the customary construction.

i° The present improvement is not restricted towhat are termed “ships” strictly. It in part can be embodied in many kinds of water-craft, and even in small boats.

My leading object is not to provide a cellu15 lar construction, but to form a non-sinkable ship with as little additional weight of parts as possible, and so that the carrying capacity of the ship shall not be reduced more than is due to the extra weight of those additional . 20 parts, to which end J form the described water-tight chamber, arranged centrally and extending longitudinally in the ship and having its shell spaced inward from the outer shell of the ship, as described, and providing 25 for the carrying of freight not only within the central chamber,but(also within the space surrounding said central chamber. By this means the capacity of the ship is not materially diminished; and, on the other hand, the 50 ship may become water-logged throughout the space surrounding the central chamber and yet be kept qflpat by. reason of the floating-power of the central chamber, which is suitably proportioned to that end.