IMPROVEMENTS IN RIGGING SQUARE-BIGGED VESSELS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Bennet Forbes, of Boston, in the United
States of America, at present residing at No. 115, Jermyn Street,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RIGGING SQUARE-BIGGED VESSELS."
Sealed the 29th June 1869, and dated the 28th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Bennet Forbes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 28th April 1869.
I, ROBERT BENNET FORBES, of Boston, in the United States of
America, at present residing at No. 115, Jermyn Street, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RIGGING SQUARE-RIGGED VESSELS," to be as follows:-
The novelty of the proposed arrangement consists, first, in bending
the sails by battens, jackstays, or other convenient and usual attach-
ments to the yards at their foot instead of to those at the head of the
sails, thus rendering the largest and longest side of the sail which is

page_text: most difficult to subdue or furl in strong breezes, permanently and
constantly furled or subdued; secondly, the yards above the lower yard
are slung and parrelled or secured so as to brace very sharp and above
the eyes of the standing rigging and backstays, and they do not hoist
and lower but are permanent, the lower yard is as usual permanent but
it is also slung just above the eyes of the rigging; thirdly, the fore and
aft stays are attached to the masts just below the yards and not above
them as usual; they come out from the mast between the yards and a
spar which is bent or attached to the heads of the sails amidships at a
distance of several inches, so that in bracing the yards up sharp the said
stays do not rub or chafe either the lower part of the yard or the spar
which is bent to the sail.
The masts in vessels with my rig must be nearly upright or plumb,
and the stays must run or lead from mast to mast, or on the foremast
from the mast to the bow and bowsprit and jib booms, in as nearly a
horizontal line as is possible under the circumstances, all of which is
clearly illustrated in the Drawings hereto attached, marked Nos. 1, 2,
and 3.
In order to reduce sail by a process tantamount to reefing it is only
necessary to slack down the head cringle or outer corner of the sails G
to the point H, thus reducing the sail one-fourth or one-fifth, more or
less, leaving the spar E in place aloft; or if it is desired to take off a
part of the pressure when running free it is only necessary to slack down
gradually all the tricing lines and haul tight on the down hauls; this
may be done foot by foot and inch by inch according to the violence of
the squall until the sail arrives at the furling point, then the buntlines
or spilling lines are to be hauled taut and the sail is almost furled or
ready to be furled by few men.

page_text: yards.
Note. The dimensions in Sketch 2 are arbitrary and do not coincide
with the sail plan, but are merely illustrative of the manner of leading
the rigging and stays and placing of the yards which are all stationary
or slung except the royal, and this may lower just above the sling of the
top gallant yard.
The advantages I claim for my new rig are as hereunder stated :-
The great facility for reducing sail and furling it with few men and
little loss of time, the dispensing with the usual topsail sheets, ties,
and haulyards, whereby there will be great economy in the cost and in
the wear and tear. These facts are obvious at sight, for the largest area
of the sails is always fast and secure to the yards, namely, the clues and
the whole foot of the sails, which, in the usual mode of starting the
sheets and clewing or hauling up, requires more and larger ropes, greater
labor, and more wear and tear and danger. The men furling my top-
sail only go to the lower yards, the men furling topgallant sail only
mount to the topsail yards, and so on, up to the highest yard, which for
the sake of the appearance only may hoist and lower; the stays and
backstays being in that case over or higher on the mast than the yards
or the point where the yard is slung or parrelled. The courses, or main-
sail, foresail, and cross jacksail are arranged so as to set and take in on
precisely the same principle as the topsails and top gallant sails with
this only difference, that instead of being bent or fastened at the foot to
a yard they are held or fastened to any convenient points on the hull of
the vessel, so that when it is required to take in one or all of these
courses, all that is necessary is to haul taut the leading lines or jack
ropes to the deck at convenient points on a line approximate to the
direction or line of the yards next above, and then slack down the tricing
lines whereby the sail will come down rapidly to the deck and may be
furled at leisure, and be ready if left unfurled to hoist or trice up very
easily in a moment.
I claim that this mode of setting and taking in sail is entirely new and
can be manipulated easily by very inexperienced seamen as compared to
any other rig known.
I also claim that when the sails are lowered they can more quickly
be furled, and when furled will be more secure than in any other plan

page_text: known. The lines called leading lines or jack ropes arc fastened to the
yards at one end permanently, and at the other they may lead through
eye bolts, or bullseyes, or blocks, and be ready to slack up more or less
when required. My yards can be braced much sharper than in any
other plan, and this will be a great advantage, particularly in steamers
going head to the wind or nearly so.
Finally I claim that the sails on my new plan being bent or attached
by their broadest surface to the yards at their foot will set flatter, and
in the trade winds and other serene latitudes they can be hauled up or
attached along their heads or upper edges by points or fastenings, so as
to leave very little chance for loss of wind anywhere, and these fastenings
can be let loose in a few minutes by one or two men ready for lowering
the sails to the yards below. A small number of men to lower the
tricing lines and to haul down on the down hauls may take in full sail
to a safe point in a squall when it would require a large crew to perform
the same operation in the present rigs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Bennet Forbes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
BENNET FORBES, of Boston, in the United States of America, at present
residing at No. 115, Jermyn Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Bennet Forbes,
Her special licence that I, the said Robert Bennet Forbes, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Bennet
Forbes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RIGGING SQUARE-RIGGED VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Bennet Forbes, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and scals, 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 Robert Bennet Forbes, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The novelty of the proposed arrangement consists, first, in bending the
sails by battens, jack stays, or other convenient and usual attachments
to the yards at their foot instead of to those at the head of the sails, thus
rendering the largest and longest side of the sail, which is most difficult
to subdue or furl in strong breezes, permanent and constantly furled or
subdued; secondly, the yards above the lower yard, excepting sky sails,
are slung and parelled or secured so as to brace very sharp and above
the eyes of the standing rigging and. back stays, and they do not hoist
and lower but are permanent; the lower yard is as usual permanent,
but it is also slung just above the eyes of the rigging; thirdly, the fore
and aft stays are attached to the masts just below the yards and not
above them as usual; they come out from the mast between the yards
and a spar which is bent or attached to the heads of the sails amidships
at a distance of several inches, so that in bracing the yards up sharp the
said stays do not rub or chafe either the lower part of the yard or the
spar which is bent to the sail.
The masts in vessels with my rig must be nearly upright or plumb, and
the stays must run or lead from mast to mast, or on the foremast from
the mast to the bow and bowsprit and jib booms, in as nearly a horizontal
line as is possible under the circumstances, all of which is clearly illus-
trated in the Drawings hereto attached, marked Nos. 1. 2, and 3.
In order to reduce sail by a process tantamount to reefing it is only
necessary to slack down the head cringle or outer corner of the sails G
to the point II, thus reducing the sail one-fourth or one-fifth, more or

page_text: less, leaving the spar E in place aloft; or if it is desired to take off a
part of the pressure when running free it is only necessary to slack down
gradually all the tricing lines and haul tight on the down hauls; this
may be done foot by foot and inch by inch according to the violence of
the squall until the sail arrives at the furling point; then the buntlines
or spilling lines are to be hauled taut and the sail is almost furled or
few mon
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
A, lower yard; B, topsail; C, top gallant; D, royal; E, E, E, spars
attached to head of sail; F, F, F, leading lines or jack stays on which
the head cringles or corners of sails G travel by rings, or bullscyes, or
thimbles, down to H, H; I, downhauls or clewlines to haul G down
to H, and leading on deck; J, J, are leading lines or jack stays to haul
down E to K; L, L, rings, bullseyes, or thimbles, to lead head of sail
down to the foot or yard below; M, space between spars E and yards.
Note. The dimensions in Sketch 2 are arbitrary and do not coincide
with the sail plan, but are merely illustrative of the manner of leading
the rigging and stays and placing of the yards, which are all stationary
or shung except the royal, and this may lower just above the sling of
the top gallant yard.
The advantages I claim for my new rig are as hereunder stated.
The great facility for reducing sail and furling it with few men and little
loss of time, the dispensing with the usual topsail sheets, tics, and
haulyards, whereby there will be great economy in the cost and in the
wear and tear. These facts are obvious at sight, for the largest area of
the sails is always fast and secure to the yards, namely, the clues and
the whole foot of the sails, which, in the usual mode of starting the
sheets and clewing or hauling up, requires more and larger ropes, greater
labor, and more wear and tear and danger. The men furling my top-
sail only go to the lower yards, the men furling top gallant sail only
mount to the topsail yards, and so on, up to the highest yard, which for
the sake of appearance only will hoist and lower, the stays and backstays
being in that case over or higher on the mast than the yards or the point
where the yard is slung or parrelled. The courses, or mainsail, foresail,
and cross jacksail are arranged so as to set and take in on the same
general principle as the topsails and top gallant sails, with the difference

page_text: that instead of being bent or fastened at the foot to a continuous yard
they are held or fastened to any convenient points on the hull of the
vessel or to a short spar, so that when it is required to take in one or all
of these courses all that is necessary is to haul taut the leading lines or
jack ropes to the deck or to the spar at foot of courses, or at convenient
points on a line approximate to the direction or line of the yards next
above and then slack down the tricing lines, whereby the sail will come
down rapidly to the deck and may be furled at leisure, and be ready if
left unfurled to hoist or trice up very easily in a moment.
I claim that this mode of setting and taking in sail is entirely new
and can be manipulated easily by very inexperienced seamen as com-
pared to any other rig known.
I also claim that when the sails are lowered they can more quickly
be furled, and when furled will be much more secure than in any other
plan known. The lines called leading lines or jack ropes are fastened to
the yards at one end permanently, and at the other they are to lead
through cye bolts, or bullseyes, or blocks, and be ready to slack up
and tighten more or less when required. My yards can be braced
much sharper than in any other plan, and this will be a great advantage,
particularly in steamers going head to the wind, or nearly so.
I claim that the sails on my new plan being bent or attached by their
broadest surface to the yards at their foot will set flatter, and in the
trade winds and other serene latitudes they can be hauled up or attached
along their heads or upper edges by temporary points or fastenings,
so as to leave very little chance for loss of wind any where, and these
fastenings can be let loose in a few minutes by one or two men ready for
lowering the sails to the yards below. A small number of men to lower
the tricing lines and to haul down on the downhauls will take in full
sail to a safe point in a squall when it would require a large crew
to perform the same operation in the present modes of manipulating
sails.
Finally, I would add, that in moderate or calm weather, when it
becomes convenient to get the courses out of the way, and inconvenient
to have them on deck, it is only necessary to haul up the spar by a
tackle attached to its centre or any convenient part and fastened to the
stay or to the mast very near the stay, and also haul up the clews as

page_text: ordinarily done in the present rig, and leave the said sails suspended to
the lower yards.
Again, in tacking ship the spar at the foot of the courses being held
down in the centre by a tackle the labor of hauling down the tacks and
hauling aft the sheets is very much reduced, and if it be found incon-
venient by reason of a fresh breeze or of a short crew to dispense with
boarding the tacks and hauling aft the sheets when in the act of going
in stays the clews may be triced up more or less and the sails be left to
take care of themselves until it be found convenient to board the tacks
and haul aft sheets.
I do not claim this particular manoeuvre as new, because most.
seamen are acquainted with Captain Very's plan for accomplishing
the same end. He attaches a tackle to or near to the centre of his
courses which confines the principal body of the sail at that point,,
and by hauling up his clew garnets accomplishes the said manoeuvre ;.
but he does not put a spar at the foot of his courses, nor does he
make the head of his sails moveable by blocks and tackles as I do..
The studding-sail booms on my plan are run out and in along the
lower after quarter of the yards as is now done in many ships. All
my tricing lines, whereby the sails are hauled up to the yards by their
heads and not sheeted home as usual (except my sky sails, or whatever
the fourth sail may be called in my plan), lead along the yards towards
the centre, or to the slings, or to the most convenient point on the masts.
near the centre of the yards, so as not to cramp the yards in bracing.
My topsail yards are parrelled to the prolongation of the lower masts,
and also slung to the same so as to be independent of the mast fidding
abaft the mast heads (called topmast, but really pole top gallant mast);
by this means the weight of the topsail yards comes upon the lower
mast and not on the fid of topmast, nor upon the trussle trees.
I do not claim that the proportions of my sails or the fidding the
upper masts abaft the lower mast heads is new, because I myself adopted
that plan and these proportions as far back as 1845, or carlier, but is oue
of the essential recommendations of my proportions in rigging a ship.
I may add that there is great economy and perfect symmetry in the
proportions whereby my sails and yards on the fore and mizen are made
so as to fit on the main, and vice versa to a limited extent, that is to say,
the fore topsail and yard and the sails and yards above it are of the

page_text: same area as the main top gallant sail, and so on; and the same relative
difference exists between the mizen and the fore, that is to say, the
mizen topsail is the same as the fore top gallant sail, and so on; and,
finally, the main topsail may be used as a fore course, and the fore top-
sail as a cross jack sail.
same area as the main top gallant sail, and so on; and the same relative
difference exists between the mizen and the fore, that is to say, the
mizen topsail is the same as the fore top gallant sail, and so on; and,
finally, the main topsail may be used as a fore course, and the fore top-
sail as a cross jack sail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Bennet Forbes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of
finally, the main topsail may be used as a fore course, and the fore top-
sail as a cross jack sail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Bennet Forbes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
JEREMIAH WHIPPLE.
R. B. FORBES. (L.S.)