Connection of a Towing Cable with a Tug.
Year: 1884

page_text: Connection of a Towing Cable with a Tug.
I, ARTHUR TODD, of The Mount, Frindsbury, Rochester, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "ARRANGEMENT OF
APPARATUS FOR HAULING IN AND EFFECTING CONNECTION OF A TOWING CABLE
WITH A TUG to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to the arrangement of apparatus for hauling in and
effecting the connection of the towing cables of ships with tug boats.
It has heretofore been usual, when connecting the towing rope of a ship with
a steam tug boat, to effect such connection by hauling the rope on board the boat
and then connecting it to the towing hook by hand, an operation which is
dangerous and often impossible to effect in rough weather, with the limited numbor
of hands usually available on such boats. The object of my invention is to enable
such connection to be effected by simple and convenient mechanical means
irrespective of the nature of the weather that may prevail at the time when the
connection is to be made.
For this purpose according to my invention a warping capstan or capstans for
hauling in the towing rope or cable is or are so arranged relatively to the towing
hook on the tug that the end or eye of the said rope or cable can be brought
directly over or in close proximity to the towing hook in such a manner that the
said end or eye.of the rope or cable can be easily engaged with the hook thus
effecting the required connection between the vessel to be towed and the tug by
means of the machinery.
The capstan or capstans may be operated by any convenient means as for
example by gearing actuated by hand, steam, or other motive power.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: Connection of a Towing Cable with a Tug.
I, ARTHUR TODD, of the Mount, Frindsbury, Rochester, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "ARRANGEMENT OF
APPARATUS FOR HAULING IN AND EFFECTING CONNECTION OF A TOWING CABLE
WITH A TUG" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to the arrangement of apparatus for hauling in and
effecting the connection of the towing cables of ships with tug boats.
It has heretofore been usual, when connecting the towing rope of a ship with
a steam tug-boat, to effect such connection by hauling the rope on board the boat
and then connecting it to the towing hook by hand, an operation which is
dangerous and often impossible to effect in rough weather with the limited number
of hands usually available on such boats. The object of my invention is to enable
such connection to be effected by simple and convenient mechanical means
irrespective of the nature of the weather that may prevail at the time when the
connection is to be made.
For this purpose according to my invention a warping capstan or capstans for
hauling in the towing rope or cable is or are so arranged relatively to the towing
hook on the tug that the end or eye of the said rope or cable can be brought
directly over the towing hook in such a manner that the said end or eye of the
rope or cable can be easily engaged with the hook thus effecting the required
connection between the vessel to be towed and the tug by means of the machinery.
The capstan or capstans may be operated by any convenient means as for
example by gearing actuated by hand, steam, or other motive power.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is a plan or
top view of apparatus embodying my invention applied to a steam tug boat part
only of which is shown. Fig. 2 shews in side elevation a method of actuating the
warping capstan by means of a steam engine. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a
modified form of apparatus and Fig. 4 is an elevation at right angles thereto.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a is the warping capstan by means of which the towing
rope or cable is hauled on board. b is the towing hook over which the end or eye
of the towing rope or cable 1 is to be placed. This towing hook may be of the
well known class in which the front or hook portion proper is pivotted to the rear
portion or to side plates and held in place, when in use, by a bridle or link b*.
c is a table or platform for supporting the towing hook when not in use; on it the
said hook may be moved in such a manner that it may be brought directly beneath
the eye or end of the towing rope or cable. It will be seen that the arrangement
of the warping capstan a relatively to that of the towing hook b is such that the
end or eye of the towing rope or cable can be hauled directly over the towing hook
and easily engaged therewith to effect the connection between the vessel to be
towed and the tug boat d. e. e are posts or bollards secured to the deck of the tug;
they serve to guide the towing rope or cable over the towing hook whilst it is being

page_text: hauled on board. f is a motor, it may be a steam motor, for actuating the warping
capstan a. In the arrangement shown a worm on the driving shaft g gears with
a worm wheel h fast on the shaft i of the warping capstan a. j. j. are tie rods for
taking the strain on the towing hook in a manner well understood.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
Supposing a towing rope or cable 61 to be hauled on board the tug in the
direction shown in full lines in Fig. 1, by means of a heaving line one extremity of
which is attached to the end or eye of the towing rope or cable whilst its other
extremity is secured to the warping capstan a by which it is wound on board, then,
when the said end or eye of the towing rope or cable has been brought directly
above the towing hook, which has previously been suitably moved on the table or
platform to bring it into the same vertical plane as the towing rope or cable, the
two are engaged in the usual manner.
The dotted lines 1. 2. 3 indicate other directions in which the towing rope or
cable may be hauled on board, the towing hook being in each case so moved as to
be brought directly below it.
In lieu of using one warping capstan arranged directly behind the towing hook
as above described, two capstans such as a¹, a¹ (shown in dotted lines) may be
employed provided that each be so arranged relatively to the towing hook that the
end or eye of the towing rope or cable can be brought directly above the said hook.
In the modified form of apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the warping capstan a
is actuated by hand power by means of the crank handles k, k, bevel gear
wheels . and shaft m in a manner that will be readily understood without further
description.
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
1. The use with a towing hook of a warping capstan (or capstans) so arranged
relatively to the said towing hook that the end or eye of a towing rope or cable
brought on board by the said capstan or capstans is drawn directly over the towing
hook substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The improved apparatus for hauling in and effecting connection of a towing
cable with a tug, constructed, arranged and operating substantially as herein before
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 and to Figs. 3 and 4, of the drawings.
Dated thin nith dose of Cantancham 100%