IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR REEPING AND FURLING SAILS OF SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Medhurst, of 11, Drummond Road, Ber-
mondsey, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENT
IN APPARATUS FOR REEPING AND FURLING SAILS OF SHIPS AND VESSELS."
Sealed the 14th September 1866, and dated the 24th March 1866.
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Medhurst at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th March 1866.
I, JOHN MEDHURST, of 11, Drummond Road, Bermondsey, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REEFING AND FURLING SAILS OF SHIPS AND VESSELS," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for reefing and
furling sails of ships and vessels, and the Invention is applicable where the
sails are wound on rollers, and where the winding is from the foot of the sail.
For these purposes the lower part or foot of the sail is attached to a roller,
which when the sail is set is supported by the yard below, whilst when the
sail is being furled the roller is during the last part of the winding or rolling
up arranged to ascend towards the yard above it and to which the upper part

page_text: of the sail is bent or attached. At each end of the roller there is a neck or
short axis affixed, which is received into an eye or opening in a short rod, and
near each end of the lower yard is affixed a hollow socket with an enlarged or
bell mouth, so that when the roller descends in unfurling or unrolling the sail
the lower end of each of the short rods above mentioned enters a socket and
becomes supported and held securely by the socket, the rods then become
bearings for the axis or necks of the roller, in which such axes or necks can
turn. In addition to the roller being supported at the two ends in the manner
above described there are crutches fixed to the lower yard, the heads or upper
parts of which are hollow and of such dimensions as to admit of the roller
together with part of the sail wound thereon being received into and supported
by the crutches. Near each end of the roller is a pulley, around which a
chain passes, the ends of which descend to the deck, and the two ends of each
chain in passing from the pulley to the deck pass through holes formed near
the end of the lower yard, in which holes there are sheaves against which the
chain rests. Each chain then passes over the sheaves in a block or blocks
and descends to the deck. Hence when it is desired to reef the sail the roller
is readily caused to rotate by the two chains which act respectively on the two
pulleys on the two ends of the roller, the upper yard to which the upper part
of the sail is bent or attached being at the same time lowered till it comes to
the cap. When it is desired to furl the sail the remainder of the rolling up
of the sail on the roller is accomplished by means of two parbuckle lines or
ropes, one end of each of which is attached to the upper yard and then
descends and is passed under the roller; it is then carried up again to the
upper yard, is passed through a block affixed to the upper yard, and then
descends to the deck. By these chains the roller can be caused to ascend to
the cap winding up the sail in its ascent, the two chains first mentioned being
slacked away to allow of the roller rising to the cap of the mast.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Medhurst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th 30
September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MEDHURST, of 11, Drummond Road, Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Medhurst, Her special licence that I, the said John Medhurst, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Medhurst, 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 APPARATUS
FOR REEPING AND FURLING SAILS OF SHIPS AND VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Medhurst, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 1, the said John Medhurst, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for reefing and
furling sails of ships and vessels. And the Invention is applicable where the
sails are wound on rollers, and where the winding is from the foot of the sail.
For these purposes the lower part or foot of the sail is attached to a roller,
which when the sail is set is supported by the yard below, whilst when the
sail is being furled the roller is during the last part of the winding or rolling
up arranged to ascend towards the yard above it, and to which the upper part
of the sail is bent or attached. At each end of the roller there is a neck or
short axis affixed, which is received into an eye or opening in a short rod, and
near each end of the lower yard is fixed a hollow socket with an enlarged or
bell mouth, so that when the roller descends in unfurling or unrolling the
sail the lower end of each of the short rods above mentioned enters a socket
and becomes supported and held securely by the socket; the rods then become
bearings for the axes or necks of the roller, in which such axes or necks can turn.
In addition to the roller being supported at the two ends in the manner above
described there may be crutches fixed to the lower yard, the heads or upper
parts of which are hollow and of such dimensions as to admit of the roller,
together with part of the sail wound thereon, being received into and supported
by the crutches. Near each end of the roller is a pulley or barrels, around

page_text: which a chain passes, the end of which descends to the deck, and the two
ends of the chains in passing from the pulleys or barrels to the deck pass
through holes formed near the end of the lower yard, in which holes there
are sheaves against which the chain rests; each chain then passes over the
sheaves in a block or blocks, and descends to the deck. Hence when it is
desired to reef the sail the roller is readily caused to rotate by the two chains,
which act respectively on the two pulleys or barrels on the two ends of the
rollers, the upper yard to which the upper part of the sail is bent or attached
being at the same time lowered till it comes to the cap. When it is desired
to furl the sail the remainder of the rolling up of the sail on the roller is
accomplished by means of two parbuckle lines or ropes, one end of each of
which is attached to the upper yard, and then descends and is passed under
the roller; it is then carried up again to the upper yard, is passed through a
block affixed to the upper yard, and then descends to the deck. By these
means the roller can be caused to ascend to the cap, winding up the sail in its
escent, the two chains first mentioned being slacked away to allow of the
roller rising.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention I will proceed more fully.
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a topsail fitted according to my Invention; Figure 2 shows
the same sail when close reefed; the remaining Figures show some of the
parts separately on a larger scale. In each of the Figures the same letters are
used to indicate the same parts.
a, a, is the topsail; b, b, is the upper yard to which the upper part of 'the
sail is set or bent; c, c, is a roller, to which the lower part of the sail is
attached; d, d, is the lower yard; e, e, is the sling for the lower yard. At
each end of the roller c, c, is a short neck or axis c'; these short necks or
axes are received into eyes in the short rods f, f, which when the sail is set
are in sockets 9, 9. The arms '9', 9', of the sockets are fixed to the ends of
the lower yard d, d, as is shown in the Drawings. The lower ends of the
short rods ff, have chains f', f', attached to them, which pass through
the sockets g, g, and from thence they pass to the pulleys f' on the lower
yard, and to the block * on the mast, and then down to the deck ; these
chains are the topsail sheets. At each end of the roller c, c, pulleys or barrels
c², c², are formed, on to which the upper ends of the chains h, h, are fixed,
and on which several coils of them are wound when the sail is being set;
these chains h, h, which are called the reefing chains, pass under sheaves h¹, h,

page_text: then over sheaves in the block h, and then down to the deck. When the
yards and rollers of a ship or vessel are of considerable length crutches i, i,
may be used, but it is not found necessary to use these crutches unless the
yards and rollers are of considerable length. In reefing the sail the upper
yard is to be gradually lowered whilst at the same time the reefing chains h, h,
are hauled down. By these means the roller c, c, will be caused to
revolve and to wind up the sail thereon till the upper yard descends to the
cap of the mast, after which the complete furling of the sail is accomplished
by means of the two parbuckle lines j, j, which are at one end made fast to
the upper yard at 1,1; they then pass under the roller c and ascend and pass
over the pulleys,, on the upper yard, and from the block on the mast
they descend to the deck, so that when they are hauled on the roller will be
caused to revolve and will wind up or furl the remainder of the sail thereon,
the roller c, c, at the same time being caused to ascend towards the upper
yard, the chains f₁, f', and h, h, being slacked away for the purpose. In
order to prevent the sail chafing against the stay I employ a frame of small
rollers connected with the stay and secured to the trestle trees, as is shown;
these rollers keep the sail out of contact with the stay.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
combined arrangement of the parts for reefing and furling a sail on a roller c, c,
in the manner herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Medhurst, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. MEDHURST. (L.S.)