IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SAFELY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS OR ANY OTHER SUSPENDED WEIGHTS FROM BLOCKS, CRANES, OR SIMILAR APPLI- ANCES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR DETACHING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, RAILWAY OR OTHER CARRIAGES OR TRUCKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederick Terry, of Sheffield, in the
County of York, Accountant, and Samuel Cocker, of the same
Place, Steel Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SAFELY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS OR
ANY OTHER SUSPENDED WEIGHTS FROM BLOCKS, CRANES, OR SIMILAR APPLI-
ANCES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR DETACHING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES,
RAILWAY OR OTHER CARRIAGES OR TRUCKS."
caled the 5th August 1873, and dated the 21st February 1873..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by tlie said Charles Frederick
Terry and Samuel Cocker at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 21st February 1873.
We, CHARLES FREDRICK TERRY, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
Accountant, and SAMUEL COCKER, of the same Place, Steel Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SAFELY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY DETACHING SHIPS'
BOATS OR ANY OTHER SUSPENDED WEIGHTS FROM BLOCKS, CRANES, OR SIMILAR

page_text: APPLIANCES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR DETACHING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, RAIL-
WAY OR OTHER CARRIAGES OR TRUCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the safely and expeditiously detaching
or releasing boats from the falls or davit blocks on which they are sus-
pended, and the readier detaching of suspended weights from blocks,
cranes, or similar appliances, the detaching of locomotives, railway or
other carriages or trucks, without the necessity of the engine driver,
stoker, or guard leaving the engine or van, and whilst the train is in
motion.
The Invention consists in jointing or hinging two pieces of iron or 1
steel near the bottom, which in form is somewhat similar to a pair of
pincers or pliers, which we term grippers. The pin or axis upon
which the parts are hinged also serving as the axis for a loop or link
to which the hook of the lower block of the davit falls is attached.
.
We construct the gripper so that it has an outward bend or curve 1
above the axis or pin upon which the two parts are hinged together,
inside this bend or curve is inserted a spring, either spiral or flat, ex-
tending from one side to the other (a spiral spring however is preferable)
through which is passed a rod or bar to prevent the spring from
diverging from the side of the grippers, this rod or bar being screwed 2
fast into one side, and it passes through a slot or hole in the other when
the two sides are pressed together. To prevent the pressing together of
the sides before the time required we adjust a small plate which covers
the opening where the bar passes through, and which hooks into a loop
so that it fastens and prevents the bar from passing through, thereby 2
holding the gripper firm, it will be seen that when the top or the portion
above the pin on which the pieces are hinged together are pressed
inward by the hand lever or other appliance, the bottom or portion
below the pin will open; we construct this bottom portion so that it will
allow of a bolt head, hook, or link head to be within and rest upon it,
when closed the bolt or rod to which the boat is suspended being gripped
by the grippers which are held close and firm by the spring.
For the detachment of locomotive engines from the carriages or
trucks we hinge a lever to one or other of the gripper sides with a
friction pulley which rides upon the outside on the bend or curve of the 3
gripper, and on the lever which may extend over the top of the tender
or along the side of cither the engine or tender being pulled it will

page_text: cause the friction pulley to compress one side of the gripper which will
then immediately release itself from the rod, bar, or coupling links, to
which it was attached. In case where the guard's van is required to be
released from the train the lever projects inside the van in any con-
venient position, so that on the guard pulling the lever it will immediately
open the grippers and thereby release the van from the rest of the
carriages or trucks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Frederick Terry and Samuel Cocker in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
FREDERICK TERRY, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Accountant, and
SAMUEL COCKER, of the same Place, Steel Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Charles Frederick Terry and Samuel Cocker, Her
special licence that we, the said Charles Frederick Terry and Samuel
Cocker, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Charles Frederick Terry and Samuel Cocker, our
executors, administrators, and 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 FOR SAFELY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY DETACHING SHIPS'
BOATS OR ANY OTHER SUSPENDED WEIGHTS FROM BLOCKS, CRANES, OR SIMILAR
APPLIANCES, BEING ALSO APPLICABLE FOR DETACHING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES,
RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES OR TRUCKS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Charles Frederick Terry and Samuel Cocker,
our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Frederick Terry, and
Samuel Cocker, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
Sheets of Drawings (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object the safely and expeditiously detaching
or releasing boats from the falls or davit blocks from which they are
suspended, and the readier detaching of suspended weights from blocks,
cranes, or similar appliances, the detaching of locomotives, railway or
other carriages or trucks without the necessity of the engine driver,
stoker, or guard leaving the engine or van, and whilst the train is in
motion.
The Invention consists in jointing or hinging two pieces of iron or
steel near the bottom, which in form is somewhat similar to a pair of
pincers or pliers which we term grippers or clips. The pin or axis upon
which the parts are hinged also serving as the axis for a loop or link to
which the hook of the lower block of the davit falls is attached.
We construct the gripper or clip so that it has an outward bend or
curve above the axis or pin upon which the two parts are hinged together,
inside this bend or curve is inserted a spring either spiral or flat, ex-
tending from one side to the other, through which is passed a rod or bar
to prevent the spring from diverging from the side of the gripper, this
rod or bar being screwed fast into one side, and it passes through a slot
or hole in the other when the two sides are pressed together. To prevent
the pressing together of the sides before the time required we adjust
a small plate which covers the opening where the bar passes through,
and which hooks into a loop so that it fastens and prevents the bar from
passing through, thereby holding the grippers firm; it will be seen that
when the top or the portion above the pin on which the pieces are
hinged together are pressed inward by the hand lever or other appliance,
the bottom or the portion below the pin will open; we construct this
bottom portion so that it will allow of a bolt head, hook, or link head to
be within and rest upon it when closed, the bolt or rod or chain by
which the boat is suspended being gripped by the grippers which are
held close and firm by the spring or springs.

page_text: For the detachment of locomotive engines from the carriages or
trucks, we hinge a lever chain or rope to one or other of the gripper
Bides with a friction pulley which rides upon the outside on the bend or
curve of the gripper, and on the lever (which may extend over the top
of the tender or along the sides of either the engine or tender) being
pulled it will cause the friction pulley to compress one side of tho
gripper which will then immediately release itself from the rod, bar, or
coupling links to which it was attached. In case where the guard's van
is required to be released from the train the lever chain or rope projects
inside the van in any convenient position, so that on the guard pulling
the lever chain or rope it will immediately open the grippers and thereby
release the van from the rest of the carriages or trucks.
Such being the nature and object of this our said Invention we will
now proceed to describe the same in detail, and in order that the improve-
ments may be clearly understood we have hereunto annexed three Sheets
of Drawings and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference, the same letter referring to the same part in the various views
or Figures.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of gripper or clip when closed, constructed
in accordance with this our said Invention; Fig. 2 is a view of same,
shewing bottom part open so as to release the boat or suspended weight;
Fig. 3 is a side view of same.
Fig. 4 is a plan view shewing the application of apparatus to railway
or other carriages.
Figs. 5, 6, & 7, (Sheet Two) are side and end views of a modifi-
cation of our Invention, Fig. 7 shewing apparatus open for releasing or
detaching.
Figs. 8 and 9 (Sheet Three) are views shewing the method or mode of
application of our Invention to ships' boats and to railway carriages.
A is the clip or gripper, shewn in Fig. I., closed and held firm by the
spiral spring B and plate C, which prevents the rod D from passing
through a hole provided in the side; E is the axis or pin upon which the
two parts are hinged, and also the loop or link F, at Fig. 2, is shewn the
plate C removed and the rod D passed through the opening, so that the
5 boat or other suspended weight or article held thereby will be immediately
released; Fig. 4 shews an arrangement of a lever G hinged to one side

page_text: of the gripper or clip with a friction pulley H so arranged that when
the lever G is pulled it will ride upon the bend or curve of the clip and
press it inward, thus opening the bottom portion which will cause the
link bar or coupling I to fall down, thereby releasing the carriage or
truck to which it was attached.
On Sheet Two we have shewn three views drawn to a larger scale of
another modification of our Invention, and in which we apply two flat
springs J on each side of the clip or gripper A in place of spiral
spring B, and in place of the rod D we employ a cam K and lever L for
opening the bottom portion so as to release the boat or other suspended
weight or article attached. It will be readily observed that upon the
lever L being pulled tho cam K being fast on the same shaft or stud it
will operate in such manner as to open the bottom portion, and so release
the object held, a small pin m preventing the cam from going too far over.
It will also be observed that we have made the ends of the shaft or stud
upon which the cam K is fast square and to project a little, so that if
desirable in case where two of the clips are used together a rod can be
attached or adjusted across so as to operate them both simultaneously.
At M, Fig. 8 (Sheet Three), are shewn the davit blocks or falls to
which a boat N is suspended, and shewing our apparatus as applied
thereto, and it will be readily observed that by pulling the string or
ropes O which are attached to the lever for operating the apparatus as
previously described, which may either pass through the ring secured to
the davit rope and so be pulled on deck either so that both the ends
may be released simultaneously or separately; or the said ropes O may
be operated by the attendant in the boat and as desired.
At Fig. 9 are shewn portions of a railway carriage and guard's van,
the latter in section; P is a string or cord which is attached to the
lever of our apparatus and which extends into the guard's van, and
which when pulled will operate the parts as previously explained, and
thereby release the van from the rest of the train or carriages.
We have here shewn our apparatus as attached to a carriage and
guard's van, but it may also be applied to the engine and trucks or
carriages.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and shewn by
Drawings in what manner the same is to be or may be performed, or
carried into practice, we would have it understood that we do not con-

page_text: fine ourselves to the precise details of construction as herein shewn and
described, as various modifications may be made, but what we claim as
of our Invention and believe to be new is,-
Firstly. The construction of apparatus for purposes herein set forth,
so that the axis upon which the two parts are hinged together also
serves as the axis of the loop or link to which the boat or weight is
attached.
Secondly. The general construction, combination, and arrangement
of mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth in the
above description, and shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Terry, for and
on behalf of myself and the said Samuel Cocker, have hercunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of July in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
CHARLES FREDERICK TERRY. (L.S.)