AN IMPROVED RAFT FOR TRANSPORTING TIMBER
Year: 1824

page_text: HARRINGTON'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HARRINGTON, of Crosshaven, in the County of Cork, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of June, in the fifth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Harrington, His especial licence, that I, the said William Harrington, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Harrington,
my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAFT FOR
TRANSPORTING TIMBER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said William Harrington, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Harrington, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to
consist in a raft of balk and other timber held together by framowork, and

page_text: which said balk and other timber is part of it so fashioned at the ends and
generally so arranged as to form with the framework aforesaid a raft partaking
sufficiently of the form of an ordinary ship or vessel as to be navigable on the
seas by means of a rudder, and such masts, spars, sails, and rigging as are
generally used for nautical purposes; and in further compliance with the said
proviso, I, the said William Harrington, do hereby describe the manner in
which I construct my said raft as aforesaid, by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings annexed, and the figures marked

page_text: manner as to continue the form of the run and bow commenced by the lower
tier of balk. It should be stated that previous to placing this second tier of
balk, the interstices caused by the cross planks or tie beams H should be
filled up with short balk or other timber laid athwart ways, as it is of impor-
tance that no unnecessary cavities should be left in the building of the raft,
but that the whole should present one solid mass of timber, as nearly in the
form of an ordinary ship or vessel as circumstances will permit.
Figure 2 represents a plan of Fig. 1; the same letters are used in this
Figure to those parts which are referable to Fig. 1. The parts marked H are
the lower cross planks or tie beams which connect the two outside wale pieces
G, and which it will be perceived are dovetailed into them.
The parts
marked N are some of the short balk before mentioned as used to fill up the
interstices caused by the tie beams or cross planks H. The squares marked O
are intended to represent spaces left for stepping the masts, and are formed
partly by short balk laid fore and aft in the centre of the raft, and partly by
notches cut in the cross planks or balk, as circumstances may require. It
will be seen, both by reference to this Figure and to Fig. 1, that the balk
which lie next on each side of the centre balk project forward on each side of
the stem, and should be bolted to the stem. The parts alluded to are marked
P on both the Figures.
Drawing marked B, Fig. 3.-This Figure is a perspective view of the
Figures herein-before described, shewing the angle made by the floor timbers
and first foot-hooks; R is a filling piece, for as the upper surface of the lower
tier of balk is to be crossed by short balk or planks, it will necessarily follow
that a filling piece of this kind will be necessary to make the run complete ;
and a filling piece, something similar, though not exactly of the same shape,
will, of course, be required to form out the bow at the other end of the raft,
and for the same reason, and it should be stated that, generally speaking,
filling pieces, of whatever shape may be required, should be used to fill up all
vacant spaces which interfere with the general mould of the raft.
Having now described the raft in that state which shews the general
principle upon which it is constructed, I shall proceed to describe the next
Figure, which represents the raft in a more finished state, and shews how
accommodation is to be made for the crew, provisions, and other necessaries,
and which is provided above the upper or second tie beams or planks
marked S.
Drawing marked C, Fig. 4, represents a perspective view of my said raft
in a state sufficiently complete to shew to those acquainted with ship-building
the entire principle and practice of its construction. It will be seen by this

page_text: Figure that the sides of the raft are to be partially planked, that over the
second tier of tio planks or tic beams S, planks are to be laid fore and aft,
which are to form the lower deck; the forecastle and poop are to be solid, and
made by placing short balk in manner here represented. T is a third wale
pieco tied together by the tio beams V, and the planking at the sides between
the wale pieces T and M, together with the ends of the short balk constituting
the poop and forecastle, form a hollow space, or what is commonly called a
between decks, for the crew, provisions, and other necessaries of the equip-
ment when the raft puts to sea. This Figure represents a part of the upper
leck taken up for the purpose of showing the between decks, but the part
which remains shews that the upper deck is formed by planks laid down upon
the upper tie beams V. The bits W and bowsprit X must all bave spaces
provided for stepping them into as the laying of the balk proceeds in manner
described for stepping the masts, and, indeed, had better be built in as it were
with the timber when placed, as that renders the work more firm and solid.
But with regard to the bits, top rails, and other parts, which may be considered
as the mere fittings up of the raft, these may be arranged according to the
fancy or ingenuity of the builder, since they in no way affect the principle on
which I found my said Invention. In the Figure last described it will be
observed that a part only, and that the side of the raft, is planked, whereas it
may be found desirable to put an outer planking over the whole of the raft.
And whereas it may prove by experience to be adviseable to fasten the various
timbers more immediately together than is herein-before represented by cleats,
staples, or other means, to prevent any longitudinal sliding of the balk when
the raft may be pitching in a heavy sea. And whereas it may be deemed expe-
dient to substitute external iron, or other metal hooping or framing, in lieu or
in aid of the wooden framework herein-before described for the purpose of
more effectually or better securing the main body of timber from motion by
the action of the sea in stormy weather; but as these precautions can only be
necessary as provisions for very rough weather, they do not necessarily form
a part of the principle upon which I found my said Invention. And whereas
the balk laid from stern to stern of the raft, and the ends of which are herein-
before represented as being cut or fashioned to form the run and bow of the
said raft, might be left with square ends if thought more adviseable, and being
only cut or looked out of the proper length, might be laid together, and the
angles and spaces that would thus be left might be filled up with filling pieces
or blocks, and thus the shape of the bow and run might be obtained not with
so little trouble, but perhaps with equal effect as by cutting the ends of the
timber; but as I conceive this mode would come within the principle herein

page_text: declared to be the foundation of my said Patent, I hereby claim to maintain
exclusive right to this variety of construction in the said raft. And whereas
the particular model or mould of the said raft cannot be material to the prin-
ciple on which the said raft is constructed; provided always, that the same
partake sufficiently of the form of an ordinary ship or vessel as to be navigable
on the seas by means of a rudder and such masts, spars, sails, and rigging as
are generally used for nautical purposes, because it is evident that almost any
form of bow and run may be obtained by the peculiar cut of the balk ends,
and that even the floor and sides, may be made to any mould, by means of
filling pieces either in the nature of planks or chocks, or both; but it should
be understood that I prefer as the most simple economical structure the form
represented in the Drawings annexed.
And now, lastly, know ye, that a raft of balk and other timber so constructed
as aforesaid, and in the form aforesaid, or any similar form, provided always
that such form be obtained by an arrangement of balk timber in a merchant-
able state as such, is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, entirely new,
and never before used in these kingdoms. And I do hereby declare this to
be my Specification of the same. And I do verily believe this my said Speci-
fication doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with
the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Harrington, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.
W
(L.s.) HARRINGTON.
James Charles Molony, of the City of Cork, apprentice to Mess" Allen's &
Ware, Sol", of Cork, in that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland,
maketh oath and saith that he saw William Harrington, of Crosshaven, in
the County of Cork, Esquire, sign and seal and was present at the ac-
knowledgement of the attached Specification of his Patent, and that the
seal and signature thereon is the seal and signature of the said William
Harrington.
JAMES C. MOLONY.

page_text: This Parchment Writing was produced and shewn to James Charles Molony,
being the same referred to by his affidavit sworn this Seventh day of
December, 1824, before me,
THO. POPE,
A Master Extray. in Chancery in Ireland.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1824, the aforesaid William Harrington came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eleventh day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.