IMPROVEMENTS IN FURLING SAILS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Turpie, of North Shields, Master Mariner,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURLING SAILS."
Sealed the 5th March 1861, and dated the 10th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Turpie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
September 1860.
I, THOMAS TURPIE, of North Shields, Master Mariner, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURLING SAILS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in furling sails, and is
applicable to top-gallant sails, royals, skysails, and coresails. For those purposes
the clue lines, which are usually aft the sail to which they are applied, are
brought to the front of the sail. The yard and the sail are hoisted by the
ordinary halliard which is attached to what is called a sling fixed above the
yard, and such sling has two blocks for the passage of the clue lines in their
way from the clues of the sail down to the deck, and an eye or fair leader for
the buntline. The clue lines in passing from the clues of the sail are
conducted through eyes or fair leaders to the sling. These eyes or fair leaders
are fastened to bands which are fixed to the sails in curved lines proceeding
from the centre of the head of the sail in a direction to the outer edges or leach
ropes of the sail, the curves being struck from the earrings or outer ends of

page_text: the head of the sail till the curved lines reach the leach ropes on each side
of the sail, and then the clue lines are conducted down the leach rope to the
clues through eyes or fair leaders. The eyes or fair leaders, which are affixed
to the bands, it is preferred should be of metal and flat at one side, so that
they may be sewed direct to the bands, but other forms of eyes or fair leaders
may be used. The buntline is passed down from the fair leader affixed to
the sling in front of the sail as heretofore, but in place of the two legs or
forked end of the bunt line being fastened to the foot of the sail near the
centre the legs or forked ends are lengthened and they are passed through
eyes or fair leaders fixed to the foot rope, and the ends of the legs are made
fast to the clues. In order to gather up the slack at the central part of the
foot of the sail what may be called an after leg to the buntline is employed,
which is fixed to and passes from the buntline near the head of the sail
through an eye or hole in the upper part of the sail, and such after leg at its
lower end has two, three, or more branches, which are fastened to the foot rope
of the sail near the centre of its length, so that the centre of the sail which
would otherwise be slack is furled up closely.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Turpie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
TURPIE, of North Shields, Master Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Turpie, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Turpie,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said
Thomas Turpie, 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 Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FURLING SAILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Turpie, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Thomas Turpie, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in furling sails, and is
applicable to top-gallant sails, royals, skysails, and courses.
For these pur-
poses the clue lines, which are usually aft the sail to which they are applied,
are brought to the front of the sail. The yard and the sail are hoisted by the
ordinary halliard, which is attached to what is called a sling fixed above the
yard, and such sling has two blocks for the passage of the clue lines in their
way from the clues of the sail down to the deck, and an eye or fair leader for
the buntline. The clue lines in passing from the clues of the sail are con-
ducted through eyes or fair leaders to the sling. These eyes or fair leaders
are fastened to bands which are fixed to the sails in curved lines proceeding
from about the centre of the head of the sail in a direction to the outer edges
or leach ropes of the sail, the curves being struck from the earrings or outer
ends of the head of the sail till the curved lines reach the leach ropes on each
side of the sail, and then the clue lines are conducted down the leach rope to
the clues through eyes or fair leaders. The eyes or fair leaders, which are
affixed to the bands, it is preferred should be of metal, and flat at one side, so
that they may be sewed direct to the bands, but other forms of eyes or fair
leaders may be used. The buntline is passed down from the fair leaders
affixed to the sling in front of the sail as heretofore, but in place of the two
legs or forked end of the buntline being fastened to the foot of the sail near
the centre, the legs or forked ends are lengthened, and they are passed
through eyes or fair leaders fixed to the foot rope, and the ends of the legs
are made fast to the clues. In order to gather up the slack at the central
part at the foot of the sail what may be called an after leg to the buntline
is employed, which is fixed to and passes from the buntline through an eye
or hole in the sail, and such after leg at its lower end has two or more
branches, which are fastened, which serve to furl up closely the centre of the
sail, which would otherwise be slack.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed

page_text: Figure 1 is a front view of a top-gallant or other sail, arranged according
to my Invention. a is the upper yard on which the sail is bent, and b is the
lower yard, on which the sail when set is extended by means of the sheets
in the usual manner. The upper yard carries an iron frame or sling, by which
it is suspended. This frame is marked c, and is shown on a larger scale at
Figure 2. It carries two blocks d, d, through which the two clue lines are
passed. e, e, are strengthening bands stitched to the sail, to receive a number
of rings or fair leaders e', e'. These bands pass, as will be seen, in a curved
direction from near the centre of the head of the sail to the outer edges or
leach ropes, every point in the curve being nearly equidistant from the top
corner or earring of the sail; the distance measured along the head of the
sail should, however, be slightly more than that measured along the leach
ropes. The clue lines, which are shown in red in the Drawing, pass from the
clues or lower corners of the sail up through fair leaders attached to the leach
ropes until they meet the bands e, e; they then pass through the fair leaders
on these to the blocks d, d, and thence descend to the deck. The buntline,
which is shown in blue in the Drawing, passes through fair leaders in either
direction from the clues to the point f, where the two branches meet in one;
the line then passes up through a fair leader at the top of the sling to a
block, and then descends to the deck. An after leg of the buntline passes
at the back of the sail, as is shown by the dotted blue lines, to the leach ropes
on either side. These branches meet in one at the centre, and the single line
is then led up to an eye g in the sail, through which it passes, and is connected
to the principal buntline above. In order to furl the sail, the ordinary means
are employed. The sheets are first let go; the clue lines are then hauled
upon this draws up the clues, and turns the wind out of the sail; this it
does because the clue lines are at the front, whilst the ordinary clue lines being
at the back allow the sail immediately the sheets are let go to fill out like a
balloon. This turning the wind out of the sail, by bringing the clue lines to
the front, is an important feature of my Invention. The clue lines draw up
the edges of the sail towards the centre of the upper yard against which it
folds it neatly; this is completed by hauling in the buntline, which draws
close up to the yard the canvas left loose by the clue lines. The sail is now
perfectly secure, and it is not necessary to send hands aloft.
that the passing the clue lines to meet the edges of the sail at points less than
half the width of the head of the sail below the upper corners or earrings, so
that they may draw the upper part of the leach ropes taut along the front of
I would remark

page_text: the yard, is also an important part of my Invention, and this may be done,
though not so efficiently, by passing the clue lines direct to the sides of the
sail without the curved bands e, e, and the fair leaders e', e'. The same
principle may be applied, although, for the reason before given, far less
advantageously, when the clue lines are placed at the back of the sail.
Courses may also be fitted according to my Invention. The clue lines,
however, cannot be employed when the sail is reefed. In fitting courses I
prefer to make the leach lines with which such sails are also fitted (the weight
and size of these sails being too great to allow of their being safely furled by
the clue lines without such assistance) to work in arcs or curves in the same
manner as the clue lines. The arcs in which they work are concentric with
the arcs for the clue lines, and of about one-half the radius; the leach lines
are also at the front of the sail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Turpie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
THOMAS TURPIE. (L.S.)