Improvement in Swinging Berths. Page: 2 of 2
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
BARTLETT W. BROWN, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.
IMPROVEMENT IN SWINGING BERTHS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 167,217, dated August 31, 1875; application filed
July 16, 1875.To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, BARTLETT W. BRowN,
of Galveston, Galveston dounty, State of Tex-
as, have invented an Improvement in Ships'
Berths; and I do hereby declare the follow-
ing to be a full and correct description of the
same, reference being had to the accompany-
ing drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, with part of the
front broken away to show the inner construe-
tion. Fig. 2 is a top view, and Fig. 3 a trans-
verse section.
The object of my invention is to neutralize
the effect of the roll and pitch of a steamer
or other vessel upon the seas, by which an
unpleasant sensation and often seasickness
is produced upon the passengers; and it con-
sists in hanging the berth of a steamer or
other vessel in trunnions or jounrals at right
angles to each other, similar to the gimbals in
which the compass is held, and providing a
space for baggage, the weight of which will
answer the purpose of ballast to keep the berth
in a steady position.
In the drawings, A represents a portion of
the hull of a ship, and B the side of a state-
room. Into this side of the state-room B is a
semicircular recess, into which the semi-cylin-
drical receptacle B' is hung in the journals a.
In the diameter of this receptacle is hung, by
means of the journals b, another semi-cylin-
drical receptacle, C. The receptacle C con-
tainls in its upper portion a berth, D.
It will be noticed that, as the berth D is
hung in trunniions or journals at right angles
to each other, the vessel may move in any
direction without disturbing the horizontal
position of the berth; but it is necessary to
employ some ballast to keep the berth D in a
horizontal position when it is occupied by a
person, for it is desirable to have the center
of gravity of the person as near the center of
motion of the berth as possible, in order to
give but little motion to the person. To pro-
vide a place for ballast, the lower part ofeach semi-cylinder is partitioned off, and open-
ings E E made, both above and upon the side,
through which the passenger's baggage may
be placed within the semi-cylindrical recepta-
cle, and made to answer the purpose of bal-
last, while it utilizes the space which other-
wise would be waste. In fact the reason why
this mode of supporting ships' berths has not
been generally adopted is the great amount
of space they occupy on shipboard; and I
have, in my construction, avoided this diffi-
culty by using the baggage of the passenger
as ballast for the berth, while at the same
time removing the great annoyance to passen-
gers traveling at sea of having their baggage
stored away in the hold of the vessel, where
it is inaccessible.
Built upon the top of the berth D may be
other berths, all of which will be held in a
horizontal position if the lower one is, and if
sufficient ballast is placed in the receptacle
underneath.
My mode of suspending berths may also be
employed in mounting pivot-guns on ship-
board.
I am aware that compasses and other arti-
cles, and even berths, have been adjusted on
shipboard in gimbals, as I have described; but
I do not claim this construction; but
* What I do claim, and desire to secure by
Letters Patent, is-
A berth of a steamer or other vessel, con-
sisting of the two semi-cylinders B' and C,
hung in journals at right angles to each other,
and each provided with openings for the in-
troduction of baggage or other ballast, sub-
stantially as described.
The above specification of my said invention
signed and witnessed, at Galveston, this 12th
day of July, A. D. 1875.
BARTLETT W. BROWN.
Witnesses:
R. D. JOHNSON,
J. W. RODGERS.
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Brown, Bartlett W. Improvement in Swinging Berths., patent, July 16, 1875; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth166472/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.