IMPROVE- MENTS IN MEANS FOR EXPEDITING THE PUTTING-OUT OF SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cassap, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the
City of London, and No. 6, Woodhouse Place, Stepney Green, in the
County of Middlesex, Master Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MEANS FOR EXPEDITING THE PUTTING-OUT OF SHIPS' BOATS."
Sealed the 30th April 1867, and dated the 9th November 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cassap at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
November 1866.
I, WILLIAM CASSAP, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London,
and of No. 6, Woodhouse Place, Stepney Green, in the County of Midlesex,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR EXPEDITING THE PUTTING-OUT OF SHIPS' BOATS," to
be as follows:-
My improvements relate to expediting the putting-out over side of ships'
boats at all times, and by this plan they can in a rolling sea be put out by
one man and by one single operation, the rolling motion of the vessel being
taken advantage of so as to assist that operation.
In order that my Invention may be clearly described I append to this
Provisional Specification a Drawing, having figures and letters of reference
marked thereupon, the like letters being used to denote similar parts in each
Figure.

page_text: My improvements consist, firstly, in substituting for the ordinary chock
upon which the boats rest a hinged chock a, supported in its position for
holding the boat, as shown at a¹, Figures 2 and 3, by arms or stays b, attached
at one end by a joint to the hinged chock a; these arms or stays b are held
in position at their other ends by means of a crank lever c (shown sepa-
rately in enlarged view, Figure 4), supported in bearings. I propose to use
two of these. hinged chocks to carry the boat, and I employ a rod d working
in bearings e; to this rod is keyed or fixed two cranks f, which operate the.
* double-forked levers 9 by means of the connecting rods h. Each end of the
rod d is turned out or hollowed so as to form a circle, one-half of which is cut
away, and the rod is provided at its centre with a handle i. The semicircular
piece at each end of rod comes over a pin k of such a size as to fit the semi-
circular recess; this pin is for the purpose of receiving a link on the end of
lashing, which passes over and secures boat firmly in chocks.
My Invention consists, secondly, in substituting for the ordinary davits the
arrangement with rack and slide as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3. A hollow
beam carried on stanchions or standards is placed athwartships, and is pro-
vided with a rack, as shown at m, Figures 1 and 3. In this hollow beam is
placed a sliding piece n fitted at the outer end with sheaves, over which pass
the tackles for carrying boat. The hollow beam is slotted for nearly its
entire length, and at each side of the inner end of the piece n are two lugs
which pass through slot to under side of hollow beam l, and there carry a
roller which sustains the weight of boat and sliding piece n.
When the boat
is required to be put over side, by turning the handle i the semicircular ends
of rod d. are brought from over the pins k, which are thereby released, and
the lashings which pass over and secure the boats are at once cast free. The
forked pieces g are at the same time drawn inwards, thus releasing the crank
piece c, and thereby the arms or stays 6 which allows the hinged chock a to
fall down; thereupon the weight of the boat is sustained by the rack and
slide arrangement l, m, n; and if the ship be rolling, the boat will by its own
weight be carried out clear over side by pulling on the sliding piece n; and
the return of the sliding piece n is prevented by means of a pall taking into
the ratchet of hollow beam l. If the ship has no rolling motion at the time
the boat is to be lowered the tackles will be found in their proper place, and
the boat can be drawn out by them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Cassap in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CASSAP, of No. 3, Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, and of No. 6,
Woodhouse Place, Stepney Green, in the County of Middlesex, Master
Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Cassap, Her special licence that I, the said William Cassap,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Cassap, 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 MEANS FOR
EXPEDITING THE PUTTING-OUT OF SHIPS' BOATS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Cassap, 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 Cassap, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement:
·
My improvements relate to expediting the putting-out over side of ships'
boats at all times, and by this plan they can in a rolling sea be put out by one
man and by one single operation, the rolling motion of the vessel being taken
advantage of so as to assist that operation..
At present from the manner in which boats are stowed and lashed in the
chocks it is a work of much danger and difficulty, especially in a seaway to
lift them out of the chocks and swing them out over side. It also requires a
number of the crew to do this in a proper manner, and the davits must then be

page_text: stayed securely before the boats can be lowered. When my improved means
are employed the boats can be put out almost instantaneously, as will be
apparent from the following explanation.
.
"
In order that the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed may be distinctly described and ascertained, I to
this Specification append two Sheets of Drawings, numbered I. and II.,
having figures and letters of reference marked thereupon, the like letters
being used to denote similar parts in each Figure:
My improvements consist, firstly, in substituting for the ordinary chock-upon
which the boats rest a hinged chock a, Figure 1, supported in its position for
holding the boat, as shewn at a, Figures 2 and 3, by arms or stays 6 attached
at one end by a joint to the hinged chock a; these arms or stays 6 are held
in position at their other ends by means of a crank lever c, shewn separately
in enlarged view, Figure 4, supported in bearings; I propose to use two of
these hinged chocks to carry the boat, and I employ a rodd working in
bearings e; to this rod is keyed or fixed- two cranks f, which operate the
double forked levers g by means of the connecting rod h. Each end of the
rod d is turned out or hollowed so as to form a circle, one-half of which is cut
away, and the rod is provided at its centre with a handle i. The semicircular
piece at each end of rod-comes over a pin k of such a size as to fit the semi-
circular recess; this pin is for the purpose of receiving a link on the end of
the lashing which passes over and secures boat firmly in chocks.
My Invention consists, secondly, in substituting for the ordinary davits the
arrangement with rack and slide, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3. A hollow
beam carried on a stanchion or stanchions is placed athwartships, and is
provided with a rack, as shewn at m., Figures 1 and 3. In this hollow beam
is placed a sliding piece n, fitted at the outer end with sheaves, over which
pass the tackles for carrying boat. The hollow beam is slotted for nearly its
entire length, and at each side of the inner end of the piece'n are two lugs
which pass through slots to under side of hollow beam l, and there carry-a
roller which sustains the weight of boat and sliding piece n. When the boat
is required to be put over side, by turning the handle i the semicircular ends
of rod d are brought from over the pins.k, which are thereby released, and the
lashings which pass over and secure the boats are at once cast free; the
forked pieces 9 are, at the same time drawn inwards, thus releasing the little
crank piece c, and thereby the arms or stays 6 which allow the hinged chock a
to fall down thereupon. The weight of the boat is sustained by the rack and
slide arrangement l, m, n, and if the ship be rolling the boat will by its own
weight be carried out clear over side by pulling on the sliding piece n, and the

page_text: return of the sliding piece n is prevented by means of a pall taking into the
ratchet of the hollow beam l.
It will be evident from this description that should. an emergency arise in
which it should be found necessary to use the boats, they can be put out over
side almost instantaneously, and more especially is this the case in a seaway, for
by one single operation by one man the chocks can be thrown adrift from under
the boat, the lashings which secured the boat are also cast adrift, and the
boats left hanging to the davits, which are so constructed as to carry the boats
straight over side ready for lowering; this can be done either in the ordinary
way, or by any of the numerous improved plans now in use for lowering.
Should the boats be required to be lowered in smooth water small outbaul
tackles which are provided for that pupose can be used to pull out the davits.
In a rolling sea it will not be necessary to use these tackles, but in a very
heavy sea they can be unhooked, attached to opposite side, and used to prevent
the davits running out with too great force.
Figures 5, 6, 7 in the Drawings represent my apparatus with some modifi-
cations in construction. The principal feature in this modified form, and which
it is my object chiefly to illustrate by the said Figures, is a plan to ensure the
equal parallel action of the davits, so that the boats shall run out stem and
stern evenly; this is effected, as will be seen by reference to these Figures, by
an arrangement of chains passing over pulleys or guide wheels, and so con-
nected that the pull of the boat or the pull on the tackle is distributed equally
over both davits, and that the davits shall advance or run out each to an equal
distance. It will be seen also that the chocks are united by connecting
rods in Figures 5, 6, 7, so as to insure their simultaneous falling away and
releasing the boats.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it
to be understood that what I claim is the improved means and mode of
putting out ships' boats over side, as described in this Specification, and in the
Drawings. appended thereto illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, tho said William Cassap, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM CASSAP. (L.S.)