Improvements in and relating to Trawl Fishing Nets.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 21st June, 1890
Improvements in and relating to Trawl Fishing Nets.
I, WILLIAM GUxx, of Granton Harbour, near Edinburgh, in the County of
Edinburgh, Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating
to the construction arrangement and adaptation of beam trawl fishing nets, and
particularly to the construction and combination of the "ground" rope of same,
and which will be lighter, easier, more convenient and quicker handled, cheaper,
and superior to the trawl nets and their ground ropes as heretofore in use.
The
The ground ropes of trawl nets at present in use consist of three or four strands
forming a manilla rope of say 3 inches in thickness. These strands are then
covered by serving or winding rope round the main ground rope, thus increasing
the diameter of the rope to say about 4 or 5 inches. By my improvements I make
the main ground rope in two lengths, in the form of a flexible steel rope, pre-
ferably made of twisted steel wire with core of the ordinary elastic form, on
which mount or thread a series of bobbins or floats of any desired size, but
preferably about 4 or 5 inches diameter. These bobbins are preferably made of
wood, but they might be formed of glass, porcelain, earthenware, india-rubber,
gutta-percha, vulcanite, metal, or other material, either solid or hollow.
bobbins are formed with a hole through the centre for to mount or thread them
on to the steel rope or core, and they are formed with another hole eccentric to
the centre one, for inserting a regulating weight, such as a inch diameter iron
In the trawl nets
rod to sink the bobbins to the required depth in the water.
heretofore in use the net is fastened to the ground rope by "lashings" or
seizings of twine, but by my improvements I form a circumferential groove
round the outer edge of the bobbin, preferably about an inch deep, into which
I insert and attach the lash or twine, the knot on the end of same being passed
through and retained by a slit formed across the upper edge of the bobbin oppo-
site to the weighted or hole side, so as to prevent the knot or attachment from get-
ting chafed. The new main ground rope thus formed in two pieces or sections
is formed at tho one or outer ends with eyes and thimbles for attaching it to
the toe of the trawl head, instead of attaching same by chains as heretofore; and
the other or inner ends of the rope are fitted with spliced eyes which are secured
together at the centre by manilla twine or other fastenings, which can be adjusted
to any required breaking strain. Phosphorous or other luminous substance or
material would also preferably be inserted in or attached to the bobbins for the
purpose of attracting the fish to the front or mouth of the net.
known to practical fishermen that when fishing on rough ground if the net catches
fish at once, they lift the net off the ground and thus prevent it from being torn.
By my improvements 1 attach on the bottom, back, or other suitable part of the
cod
net, preferably a few feet from the or close end, a number of short lengths
of india-rubber tubes either filled or not with cork or other buoyant material or
cork buoys, or equivalent float appliances, so as to give the net sufficient buoy-
ancy to keep it off the bottom or ground. Between the india-rubber tubes or
floats, open spaces would preferably be left for the purpose of allowing any
small or unmarketable fish caught in the net to escape.
It is well
Dated this 17th day of July 1889.
[Price Sd.]
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Trawl Fishing Nets.
I, WILLIAM Guxx, of Granton Harbour, near Edinburgh, in the County of
Edinburgh, Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accoun-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
This Invention has reference to and comprises improvements in and relating to
the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of bean trawl fishing nets, and
particularly to the construction and combination of the "ground" rope of same,
and which will be lighter, casier; more convenient, and quicker handled, cheaper,
and superior to the trawl nets and their ground ropes as heretofore in use.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carry-
ing the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures where shown.
Figure is a general perspective view to a small scale of a beam trawl fishing
net as fitted with one construction and arrangement of my new ground steel
wire rope A at the lower edge of the mouth of the net. Figure 2 shows side and
edge elevations detached of one construction of solid bobbin B with flat sides or
ends, with a hole in the centre for threading on to the ground rope A, and with
a groove round its circumference for "lashing" the lower mouth rope N of the
net N to, all for protecting the rope A and net N from the action of the ground
at the bottom of the sea. Figure 3 shows side and edge elevations of a hobbin
B, slightly different from that shown in Figure 2, with projecting or conical
sides to keep the bobbins separate, and shown as made in two halves jointed
together with dowel pins at 13, for putting them on to the rope A, as substitutes
for the solid bobbins when these get broken off, the two halves being secured to
each other by lashings at in the grooves b. Figure 4 shows side and edge views
of a bobbin B' similar to that shown in Figure 3, but with elliptical sides.
Figure 5 shows an edge view of a bobbin B constructed in a similar manner
to that shown in Figure 2, but with elliptical ends and smaller in diameter:
and Figure 6 shows a side view of intermediate balls C, c, suitable for thread-
ing on to the ground rope A, and keeping the bobbins B separate from each
other. Figure 7 shows side and edge views of a bobbin B2 similar to that shown
in Figure 4, but formed of three discs, two ends B2 and a centre 13, forming
the groove pari ', each disc being jointed in two parts at 13", the centre one B
at right angles to the two ends BB, which is more suitable for making them
of iron or steel, and the parts 132 133, might be secured together by rivets as
shown at Figures A and B show side and edge views of each of these
dises 1, B3, corresponding to Figure 7, but detached from each other. Figure S
shows a side elevation and edge section of a bobbin made out of sheet steel
dished up in two paris B, B', the one being forced into the other, and having
the eyes forced out of the sheet metal also, for threading them on to the
wire ropes A, the two parts being secured together by lashings" of cord
ihrough the four holes and at proper distances apart on the rope A, by a
cord at the top edge, as seen particularly in Figure 11. Figure 9 shows a
side view of the mouth of the net N, and one of its two stretching and drawing
iron side sledges to a larger scale than shown in Figure 1. Figure 10 shows
a central part of the steel ground rope or ropes A, having the bobbins 13,
shown in Figure 3. mounted on same, and having the rope N at the lower edge
of the mouth of the net N lashed to the upper edge of each alternate bobbin B
by cordage to prevent the rope and net N from touching the ground, the
intermediate bobbins being left to turn loose on the ground and on the rope A.
the centre ring ends A being lashed together by cordage at a', of a sufficient
7

page_text: strength only to give way when great strain is brought upon the wire rope A in
catching upon large stones or otherwise, and so that the net N may tear up and
the gear be thus saved and hauled on board the boat by the trawl ropes N",
N³, attached to the upper front part of the two sledges 0. Figure 11 shows a
central part of the wire ground rope A, with the steel bobbins B' shown in
Figure S, as threaded on it, and secured from turning on the rope A at proper
distances apart by the cordage b, and stretching cord a along the upper edges
of the bobbins. Figure 12 shows a central part of the wire rope A as wound
with old netting at n, and cordage or rope, outside, as other ordinary ropes
have been wound without bobbins, that is showing the old covering as applied
to my new wire rope A.
Referring to these Drawings:-The ground ropes of trawl neis heretofore in
utsu consists of three or four strands forming a (manilla) rope of say 34 inches
in diameter. These strands are then covered by serving or winding rope round
the main ground rope, thus increasing the diameter of the rope to say about 4
or 5 inches. By my improvements I make the main ground rope in two lengths
in the form of a flexible steel rope A, preferably made of twisted steel wire
tutside, with a core or centre of hemp or other flexible rope, having ring eyes
spliced in their centre adjacent ends A', A', and in their outer ends at A2,
where they are linked at O' to the lower back ends of the sledges 0, which
are much of an ordinary construction, made of flat bar iron as shown in Figure 9,
and secured at top to the extreme ends of the trawl beam N3, which is lashed
at intervals to the rope N at the upper edge of the mouth of the net N. I
previously incunt or thread on the rope A a series of bobbins or floats B, such
shown in Figures 2 to 8, or other equivalent construction and of any desired
size, but preferably about 5 inches diameter and 3 inches wide, when they have
the balls shown in Figure 6 mounted between them. These bobbins Bare
preferably made of hard wood, but they might be formed of glass, porcelain,
earthenware, india-rubber, gutta percha, vulcanite, or of steel or other metal or
material, either solid or hollow and heavier than water, and can be used of one
kind or of any combination of the different kinds. The bobbins B are formed
with a hole or eye through the centre to mount or thread them on to the
steel rope or core A, before splicing the eyes at the ends A, A, of the rope,
and they are formed with another hole eccentric to and below the centre
one b, for inserting a regulating weight, such as a inch diameter iron rod
in cach, as in Figure 10, to sink the bobbins B or 13 to the bottom of the
water, and it might be with bobbin balls C, having holes e through them as
shown in Figure 6, or it might be with "serving" at A" between them instead
of the balls, or with a cord a lashed along the upper edge near the slits b
as shown in Figure 11, which would also retain the bobbins B' at the desired
distances apart. In the trawl nets heretofore in use the cord or rope N¹ at the
lower edge of the mouth of the net N is fastened to the ground rope by "lash-
ingsor seizings" of twine, but by my improvements, I form the circumferen-
tial groove b round the outer edge of the bobbins B, preferably about half-an-
inch to one inch deep, into which I insert and attach the lashings or twine b²,
the knot on the end of same being passed through and retained by the slits b
formed across the upper edge of the bobbins B opposite the weighted or hole
sido, so as to prevent the knot or attachment lashings from getting chafed,
and which would also keep up the lower edge of the mouth of the net from
touching the ground, as shown particularly in Figures 1, 9, and 10.
The new
main ground rope A thus formed in two pieces or sections, is formed at their
centre and outer ends A, A, with eyes and thimbles for attaching the latter A
by a link or shackle to the two sledges O and to the lower ends of the side
ropes N of the mouth of the net N, as shown more particularly in Figure 9,
and the eyes A' of the centre adjacent ends of the rope are secured together
by a manilla twine or other fastenings a', which can be adjusted to any required
breaking strain for the purposes hereinbefore stated. The large bobbins B, B',
or B2, would preferably be secured on the centre part only of the wire rope A,

page_text: as shown in Figures 1, 9, 10 and 11, say on about one third of the length of
the rope; while the outer two thirds as indicated at A Figure 1 of each half of
the rope A, would have smaller bobbins B as shown in Figure 5, mounted on
this part, with balls C shown in Figure 6 between them, or this part might be
wound with old netting or other equivalent material, and then bound outside
with the usual rope serving ', as shown in Figure 12, to the diameter of three
inches or so in either case to protect the wire rope and seize or secure the
outer parts N' of the net end thereto. Although the centre or core of the ground
rope A is by these improvements made of steel wire, it might be made of strong
hemp or manilla rope or other equivalent elastic or flexible material with the
new bobbins threaded on to it. Phosphorus or other luminous substance or
material would preferably be inserted in or attached to the bobbins B for the
purpose of attracting the fish to the front or mouth of the net N. It is well known
to practical fishermen that when fishing on rough ground, if the net catches fish
at once they lift the close end N of the net off the ground, and thus prevent
it from being torn. By my improvements I ensure this being done by attach-
ing on the top, back, bottom, or other suitable part of the net N, preferably a
few feet from the cod or close end N a number of short lengths of india-
rubber tubes at 1), either filled with air, cork, or other buoyant material, or
cork buoys or equivalent float appliances, so as to give the net sufficient buoy-
ancy to keep it off the bottom or ground. Between the india-rubber tubes or
floats at D, small open spaces would preferably be left for the purpose of allow-
ing any small or unmarketable fish caught in the net to escape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is,
First. The construction and use of the ground ropes of trawl fishing nets
formed of steel or other metal wire covered or protected by a series of bobbins
or floats or other coverings, all substantially as and for the purposes herein des-
cribed in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
"
Second. The forming of the ground ropes of trawl fishing nets in two parts
joined by lashings" at their adjacent centre ends, and threaded with a series
of (weighted) bobbins or floats, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In trawl fishing neis, the construction and use of the ground ropes or
their centro cores of steel or other metal wire to give them elasticity, substan-
tially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Draw-
ings.
Fourth. The constructing of bobbins or floats for any form of ground ropes
of trawl fishing nets either solid or in parts or hollow, and with grooves, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. In trawl fishing nets, the fitting of a series of india-rubber tubes or
other buoyant material near the close end or other part of the net, substantially
as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and shown in the
accompanying Drawings.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.