IMPROVED BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jacob Hill, of Pimlico, Accountant, and
Josiah Latimer Clark, of Westminster Chambers, Civil Engineer,
both in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 20th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jacob Hill
and Josiah Latimer Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th April 1872.
We, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of Pimlico, Accountant, and JOSIAH
LATIMER CLARK, of Westminster Chambers, Civil Engineer, both in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improved means for checking or controlling
the tackle by which the boat is lowered so as to ensure the descent of
the boat on an even kcol. For this purpose the falls of the tackle are

page_text: led from their respective blocks round separate pulleys fixed on the
bulwarks of the vessel, and thence passed together over and under a
series of grooved friction rollers mounted within the bulwarks, and
finally wound one or more times round a fixed drum having a spiral
groove in which the two ropes are received, the ends of the falls being 5
secured to a cleat. In lowering the boat the falls are held together in
the hand and payed out as required by allowing them to slip round
the drum and friction rollers. Should one fall foul any object so as to
prevent one end of the boat being properly lowered, the other fall will
be checked also, as one will not slip without the other.
boat cannot therefore be lowered more quickly than the other, and
perfect command of the boat is thus obtained, the lowering operation
being performed from the deck of the vessel.
.
One end of the 1
In some cases it is preferable to employ two drums on which the falls
are wound separately, the said drums being geared together, and each 1
rotated by a pinion and winch handle for the purpose of raising the
boat. The winding gear is provided with a friction brake wheel or
wheels capable of being so regulated as to allow the boat to be lowered
at any desired spcęd.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer Clark in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
JACOB HILL, of Pimlico, Accountant, and JOSIAL LATIMER CLARK, of
Westminster Chambers, Civil Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex, 2
send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer
Clark, Her special licence that we, the said Edward Jacob Hill and
Josiah Latimer Clark, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as wc, tho said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer
"-

page_text: '
Olark, 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
"IMPROVED BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer Clark,
'our executors 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
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 immc-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patont.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah
Latimer Clark, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to bo performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates to improved means for checking or controlling
the tackle by which the boat is lowered, so as to ensure the safe descent
of the boat on an even kecl. For this purpose the falls of the tackle
are led from their respective blocks round separate pulleys fixed on the
bulwarks of the vessel, and thenco passed together over and under a
series of grooved friction rollers mounted within the bulwarks. In
lowering the boat the falls are held together in the hand, and payed
out as required by allowing them to slip round the friction rollers.
Should one fall foul any object so as to prevent one end of the boat
being properly lowered, the other fall will be checked also, as one will
not slip without the other. One end of the boat cannot therefore be
lowered without the other, and perfect command of the boat is thus
obtained, the lowering operation being performed from the deck of the
vessel.
•
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows the method of controlling the boat lowering tackle,

page_text: falls are passed; Figure 3 is an edge view of same; and Figures 4, 5,
and 6 show details of the friction rollers.
a, a, are the ordinary boat davits, and b, b, are the two falls of the
boat lowering tackle, which may be of the usual or any other suitable
description. The falls are each passed over a pulley c at the bend of the
davit, and thence round pulleys d, e, on the bulwark to keep the falls
separate. The falls aro then married or passed together over and under
a series of friction rollers grooved so as to slightly grip or compress the
falls, As both falls are passed over the same rollers the one is prevented
from slipping without the other, for which purpose the pulleys are 1
preferably so arranged that the falls may be passed in a zig-zag manner,
as shown, or they may be otherwise arranged as will be understood.
The falls run side by side, and must not be allowed to ride over onc
another; and with this object the pulley ƒ has two grooves, as shown
detached at Figure 5, one for each fall, in order that the falls may be 1
kept separate before passing through the pulleys f when lowering.
The pulleys are mounted to rotate on pins or studs fixed to a
plate g bolted to the inside of the bulwarks, or in any other convenient
position.
In our Provisional Specification we referred to a drum or drums a
having a spiral groove round which the falls were wound, but we have
found in practice that this is unnecessary. The boat is raised from
the water by means of the tackle in the ordinary way, and the falls are
then passed round pullies ff, and through a guide i, as shown in
readiness for lowering, and each fall is made fast to its belaying pin h. {
We may make the groove in the rollers or pulleys f somewhat of the
form shown in section at Figure 4 to obtain a better grip of the falls.
We may also make one part of each pulley f larger than the other, as
in Figure 6, so that the stern fall (which would run on the larger
diameter) will be payed out rather quicker than the bow fall, and the a
boat be lowered with the bow raised a foot or two above the stern, which
is the best position for meeting the waves when entering the water at
full speed.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim as our a
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the means of controlling and ensuring the safe descent of

page_text: the boat in lowering by marrying the falls of the tackle and passing
them together round a series of pulleys or rollers, substantially as
herein-before described and shown in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Latimer Clark, for myself
and on behalf of the said Edward Jacob Hill, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.