IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR LOWERING BOATS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Digby Murray, of Ormskirk, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED
FOR LOWERING BOATS."
Sealed the 24th April 1867, and dated the 12th November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Digby Murray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th November 1866.
I, DIGBY MURRAY, of Ormskirk, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
TO BE USED FOR LOWERING BOATS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which has, for its object the lowering of boats from steamers
or other vessels with perfect safety whilst the steamer or vessel is in motion,
consists in the peculiar construction of the hooks attached to the slings by
which the boat is connected to the tackles.
The different parts constituting the apparatus are arranged as follows:-In
lieu of employing a tumbler hook attached to the block, as shown and described
in the Drawings and Specification of Letters, Patent granted unto Thomas
Thornton, as a communication from Digby Murray, Master of the ship

page_text: "Mofussilite," then lying in Bombay Harbour, dated 10th May 1866, and
numbered 1347, hooks are attached to chain slings coming up through one
of the thwarts forward and the stern seat aft, having small check chains or
ropes attached to the upper part of the hooks, so that when the chain slings
are let go, the strain coming on the check chains capsizes the hooks. The
chains "reeve" through iron pins or rollers under the thwart and stern seat,
and are then led forward and aft to the controller, the forward chain leading
aft, and after chain forward. By means of this arrangement both ends of
the boat can be lowered and released simultaneously, the chain being fastened
or released by an ordinary chain controller as commonly used for controlling a
chain cable by the rise and fall of a lever or in any other approved manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Digby Murray in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DIGBY
MURRAY, of Ormskirk, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Digby
Murray, Her special license that I, the said Digby Murray, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Digby Murray, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
TO BE USED FOR LOWERING BOATS," upon the condition. (amongst others) that I,
the said Digby Murray, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Digby Murray, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention, which has for its object the lowering of boats from
steamers or other vessels with perfect safety whilst the steamer or vessel is in
motion, consists in the general arrangement of the hooks attached to the slings,
by which the boat is connected to the tackles.
The different parts constituting the apparatus are arranged as follows:-In
lieu-of employing a tumbler hook attached to the block, as shown and described
in the Drawings and Specification of Letters Patent, dated 10th May 1866,
granted unto Thomas Thornton, as a communication from me, and numbered
1847, hooks are attached to chain slings coming up through one of the
thwarts forward and the stern seat aft, having small check chains or ropes
attached to the upper part of the hooks, so that when the chain slings are let
go the strain coming on the check chains capsizes the hooks. The chains
reeve through iron pins or rollers under the thwart and stern seat, and are
then led forward and aft to the controller, the forward chain leading aft, and
the after chain forward. By means of this arrangement bath ends of the boat
can be lowered and released simultaneously; the chain being fastened or
released by a controller operated on by the rise and fall of a lever, or in any
other approved manner.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode or manner, in or
under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures.
marked thereon, that is to say:-
"
Figure 1 is a part side elevation of a ship showing a boat suspended from
the davits in accordance with the first modification of this Invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a boat showing the arrangement (under
a second modification) of the hook, main chain, and check chain in position
for slipping.
Figure 3 is a plan of part of a ship's deck showing the arrangement of
tackle for raising or lowering the boat...
Figures 4 to 11 are given to illustrate more clearly the various details for
operating with the Invention.
:
Under the first modification of this Invention the boat A, Figure 1, is sus-
pended to the davits B of the ship by chains C, which reeve through the iron
swivel block D at the davit end, over the roller E through the iron block F,
(secured to the iron brace) and through sheaves G, G, in the bulwarks, where
they are both connected to a ring H, as shown in Figure 2; a tackle I from

page_text: the opposite side of the deck for raising or lowering the boat being hooked into
the ring H, Figure 3. The davits B are according to this Invention constructed
to permit of the use of the chain span in lieu of the ordinary purchase falls,
see Fig. 4. The main-chain J is under this modification made in two pieces
having on their contiguous ends iron bolts K with a catch, which, when the
boat is suspended are held together by the controller L which acts as a lever,
as more distinctly seen in Figure 7, the other or extreme ends of the main
chain J, which pass through iron gins L fixed by bolts through the keel,
have hooks M which take into the rings N of the purchase chain C; check
chains O are fixed from eye bolts in the keel of the boat to the upper part
of the hooks M, so that when the main chain J is released by the depression
of the lever or controller L, as in Figure 8, the slack of the main chaius J,
and the tension of the check chains O at once capsizes the hooks M'; this
'action will be more clearly understood on reference to Figure 5, where
the connection and position of the check chain with the hook is distinctly
indicated. When the lever or controller is in position it is secured to the mid
thwart of the boat, as seen in Figure 9. A supplementary chain P is shown
in Figure 6 for use when hooking on the boat, the clip hooks Q of this chain
hook into the link R under the tumbler hook M, and the spring hook S into
the ring N of the purchase chain C, when the boat is high enough it is hung
and the chain or purchase fleeted to the tumbler hook M. When it is desired
to lower a boat in accordance with this modification of my Invention the tackle,
shown in Figure 3, is slacked until the boat is as close to the water as desired,
the lever or controller Ĺ is unhooked from the thwart, Figure 9, and depressed
as in Figure 8, the two catches on the iron bolts K immediately slip, giving
sufficient slack to both fore and aft ends of the main chain J to enable the
tension of or strain upon the check chains O to convert the hooks M into
tumbler hooks, so that both the fore and aft ends of the boat are thus simul-
taneously released by a very simple and effective means.
Under a second modification of my Invention the main chain J is made
in one piece, but with sufficient slack to form a span under the midship
thwart A¹, as seen in Figure 2, the ring B¹in the centre of the chain J passing
up through the midship thwart and fastened above by a bolt C¹ and trigger D¹,
as seen in Figures 10 and 11, which are respectively a top plan and under side
plan of the midship thwart. The lowering of the boat under this modification
is conducted in the same manner as described in reference to the first modifica-
tion, the mode of releasing however being different and even more simple,
namely, when the boat is lowered sufficiently a little pressure upon the trigger D¹
withdraws the bolt C¹ from the ring B¹ of the main chain J; the main chain

page_text: is thus immediately slacked, and the strain thus simultaneously brought upon
the check chains O at once capsizes the tumbler hooks M, and the boat is
free. It is to be understood that the check chain O is applied to the hook M,
as herein-before described, for convenience, but if preferred the ordinary fixed
pivot for the hook may be used instead.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that I do not confine or restrict myself the precise
details herein-before described, as variations may be made therefrom without
departing from the true principle of my Invention; but what I consider novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the general arrangement and con-
struction of apparatus to be used for lowering boats from ships and other
vessels as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings,
or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Digby Murray, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.