IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STANDING RIGGING OF SHIPS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Munton Bullivant, of 59, Fenchurch
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE STANDING RIGGING OF SHIPS."
Sealed the 16th November 1875, and dated the 7th June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Munton
Bullivant at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th June 1875.
I, WILLIAM MUNTON BULLIVANT, of Fenchurch Street, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STANDING RIGGING OF SHIPS," to be as follows:-
Heretofore when wire rope has been used in the standing rigging of
ships the dead eyes have ordinarily been of wood, and the lanyards for
tightening up the ropes have been of hemp. With this construction it
is difficult to obtain sufficient strength in the lanyards, and ordinarily
they will not bear one half of the strain that the wire ropes are capable
of sustaining, and the hemp lanyards stretch so much that they do not

page_text: .
give sufficient support to iron masts; the dead eyes also when of wood
will not bear a much greater strain than can be put upon them by
hempen lanyards.
According to my Invention I employ metal dead eyes by preference of
malleable cast iron, whilst for the lanyards I employ steel wire rope.
The iron dead eye has the advantage of great strength, and is not
liable to split or break with the heavy pull which may be put upon it by
steel wire lanyards; the steel wire lanyard also gives very much greater
rigidity, and consequently much greater support to iron masts.
The steel rope I employ has a central core of hemp or other fibre
saturated with grease; such a rope is of great strength, and also
extremely supple, and well adapted for reeving through the holes in the
dead eyes. By this means the shrouds may be constructed to withstand
a much greater strain than heretofore practicable, and if steel wire rope
be at the same time used for the shrouds they may also be made much
lighter and to give much greater support to the mast.
•
The dead eyes I form somewhat of a heart shape, so that the wire
rope may fit better around it; each dead eye has holes through it for
the lanyard to be passed through, as usual, and in addition a hole is
formed in either the upper or lower dead eye through its narrow end.
One end of the lanyard is provided with a thimble or hook to hook or
shackle on to the dead eyes or rail of ship, and the lanyard, after
having been led through the holes in both dead eyes, is passed through
the additional hole above mentioned, and may then be tied down and
so held securely.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MUNTON BULLIVANT, of 59, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, 30
send greeting.

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Munton Bullivant, Her special license
that I, the said William Munton Bullivant, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Munton Bullivant, my
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 THE STANDING RIGGING OF SHIPS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Munton Bullivant, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 William Munton Bullivant, 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 :-
Heretofore when wire rope has been used in the standing rigging of
ships the dead eyes have ordinarily been of wood, and the lanyards for.
tightening up the ropes have been of hemp. With this construction it
is difficult to obtain sufficient strength in the lanyards, and ordinarily
they will not bear one half of the strain that the wire ropes are capable
of sustaining, and the hemp lanyards stretch so much that they do not
give sufficient support to iron masts; the dead eyes also when of wood
will not bear a much greater strain than can be put upon them by
hempen lanyards.
According to my Invention I employ metal dead eyes, by preference
of malleable cast iron, whilst for the lanyards I employ steel wire rope.
The iron dead eye has the advantage of great strength, and is not
liable to split or break with the heavy pull, which may be put upon it
by steel wire lanyards; the steel wire lanyard also gives very much
greater rigidity, and consequently much greater support to iron masts.

page_text: The steel rope I employ has a central core of hemp or other fibre
saturated with grease; such a rope is of great strength, and also
extremely supple, and well adapted for reeving through the holes in the
dead eyes. By this means the shrouds may be constructed to withstand
a much greater strain than heretofore practicable, and if steel wire rope
be at the same time used for the shrouds they may also be made much
lighter and to give much greater support to the mast.
The dead eyes I form somewhat of a heart shape, so that the wire
rope may fit better around it; each dead eye has holes through it for the
lanyard to be passed through, as usual, and in addition a hole is formed
in either the upper or lower dead eye through its narrow end. One end
of the lanyard is provided with a thimble or hook to hook or shackle on
to the dead eyes or rail of ship, and the lanyard, after having been led
through the holes in both dead eyes, is passed through the additional
hole above mentioned, and may then be tied down and so held securely.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings here-

page_text: one quarter the actual size, then Figures 5 and 6 will represent the full
size sections of iron shrouds suitable to be used with these dead eyes;
they are wire ropes of five inches in circumference, but if steel wire were
employed, as I prefer, a circumference of three inches and three quarters
would suffice.
The shrouds may be made with a hempen core in the place of the
central strand.
Figure 7 shews the section full size of the lanyard; it is of steel wire
laid around cores by preference of hemp saturated with tallow.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,
the construction of the standing rigging of ships, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Munton Bullivant, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this 6th day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
W. M. BULLIVANT. (L.S.)