Water sampling apparatus

Water sampling apparatus comprising:

• a hollow tubular body open at its opposite ends and adapted to be lowered to a submerged position in a body of water;
• a first closure member for one end of said body;
• a second closure member for the opposite end of said body;
• a connecting rod extending through said body and fixed at one end to said second closure member and supporting said first closure member for relative movements toward and away from said second closure member to effect closing and opening of said ends of said body;
• a latch carried by the upper end of said connecting rod;
• a pair of clasp members mounted on said upper closure member and movable laterally toward and away from one another into and out of engagement with said latch for disabling and enabling said relative movements of said coupling members;
• a spring constantly urging said clasp members toward one another;
• a pair of laterally opposed ears fixed to said clasp members defining a reentrant pocket therebetween;
• an actuating plug releasably captured within said pocket;
• a release line extending through said release plug, said clasp members, said upper closure member, said connecting rod, and said lower closure member and terminating in a free end;
• a lower stop secured to said line adjacent said free end;
• and
• an upper stop secured to said line between said plug and said upper closure member, said upper stop confronting said plug, said plug being of such size relative to said pocket that as said plug moves out of said pocket it displaces said ears and thereby said clasp members away from one another by an amount sufficient to effect disengagement of said latch by said clasp members in response to the application of a force to said line sufficient to withdraw said plug from said pocket, whereby said closure members are enabled to effect closure of said body.

Water sampling apparatus comprising a hollow tubular body open at its opposite ends and adapted to be lowered to a submerged position in a body of water;

• a first closure member for one end of said body;
• a second closure member for the opposite end of said body;
• a connecting rod fixed to said second closure member and extending through said body and said first closure member;
• latch means reacting between said connecting rod and said first closure member for releasably coupling said first closure member in a fixed position on said connecting rod in which both of said closure members are spaced from the respective ends of said body so as to maintain said body open at both of its ends;
• latch operating means for releasing said latch means;
• and combined tether and actuating means coupled at least indirectly to said tubular body for suspending the latter at a selected depth and also coupled to said latch operating means, said combined tether and actuating means being operable in response to the application of force thereon in a direction away from said body to release said latch means and enable said closure members to seal the opposite ends of said body.