IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' ANCHORS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN SHIPS' HAWSE HOLES FOR THE SAME, AND FOR OTHER ANCHORS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Burns Clark, of No. 6, Graces Alley,
Well Street, Wellclose Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' ANCHORS AND IN
APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN SHIPS' HAWSE HOLES FOR THE
SAME, AND FOR OTHER ANCHORS."
Sealed the 19th March 1875, and dated the 24th September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Burns Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th September 1874.
66
I, JAMES BURNS CLARK, of No. 6, Graces Alley, Well Street, Well-
close Square, in the County of Middlesex, Mariner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' ANCHORS
AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN SHIPS' HAWSE HOLES FOR THE
SAME, AND FOR OTHER ANCHORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to ships' anchors and to appliances connected
therewith, and to ships' hawse holes for the same, and for other anchors,

page_text: by or through which vessels can be made comparatively safe in rough
weather, and the loss of the anchor prevented should the vessel drag,
or should it be necessary to cast the anchor adrift, or from other causos.
My improved anchor is composed of a shank, to the lower end of
which the arms with the flukes upon them are jointed, so that on the
release of a catch plate or box the arms with the flukes can be released
and be caused to turn over by the dragging action upon the cable, and
thus free themselves from the ground. The arms have tail pieces upon
them which take into recesses in the shank, and the catch plate when
pushed over the tail pieces holds the arms and flukes in position like
those of an ordinary anchor, the catch plate being loosely fitted to drop
down the shank by its own weight to cover the ends of the tail pieces.
The catch plate or box has upon two of its side shackles for the ends of
short chains to be rove, a ring in the extreme end of each taking on to
a hook or open ring fastened in the shank, the opening being in line
with the shackle when raised so that the ring frees itself when the chain
is pulled upon. I run the short chains through tubes at the sides of the
shank to prevent catching while running through the tubes. The
short chains are connected with a long chain leading up through a
distinct hawse hole, although in the same frame as the hole for the
cable, so that should the cable and the long chain become twisted from
any cause the frame can be turned to make one chain unwind round the
other, and thus be freed from kinks or twists from the deck or in-
board.
I form the stocks in two pieces and hinge them to the shank so that
they fall and lie flush or nearly so with the shank when a pin is removed,
this pin being attached to the short chains to be released at the same
time.
In fishing my anchor I attach the ends of a double ended chain to
other shackles upon the arms or upon projections from the tail pieces,
so that when the chain is hauled upon inclines upon the tail pieces
force the catch plate or box up sufficiently high for the tail pieces to
enter the recesses in the shank, and then the catch drops over the tail
nieces and secures the arms and Aukes in nosition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Burns Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BURNS CLARK, of No. 6, Graces Alley, Well Street, Wellclose Square, in
the County of Middlesex, Mariner, send greeting.
.the
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Burns Clark, Her
special licence that I, the said James Burns Clark, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Burns
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' ANCHORS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH, AND IN SHIPS' HAWSE HOLES FOR THE SAME, AND FOR OTHER ANCHORS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Burns Clark,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Burns. Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' anchors and in
appliances connected therewith, and in ships' hawse holes for the
same, and for other anchors, by or through which vessels can be made.
comparatively safe in rough weather, and the loss of the anchor pre-

page_text: vented should the vessel drag or should it be necessary to cast the
anchor adrift, or from other causes.
. My improved anchor is composed of a shank, to the lower end of
which the arms with the flukes upon them are jointed, so that on the
release of a catch plate or box the arms with the flukes can be released
and be caused to turn over by the dragging action upon the cable and
thus free themselves from the ground. The arms have tail pieces upon
them which take into recesses in the shank, and the catch plate when
pushed over the tail pieces holds the arms and flukes in position like
those of an ordinary anchor, the catch plate being loosely fitted drop
down the shank by its own weight to cover the end of the tail pieces.
The catch plate or box has upon two of its sides shackles for the ends of
short chains to be rove, a ring in the extreme end of each taking on to a
hook or open ring fastened in the shank, the opening being in line with
the shackle when raised so that the ring frees itself when the chain is
pulled upon. I run the short chains through tubes at the sides of the
shank to prevent catching while running through the tubes. The short
chains are connected with a long chain leading up through a distinct
hawse hole, although in the same frame as the hole for the cable, so
that should the cable and the long chain become twisted from any cause
the frame can be turned to make one chain unwind round the other and
thus be freed from kinks or twists from the deck or inboard.
I form the stocks preferably in two pieces and hinge them to the
shank so that they fall and lie flush, or nearly so, with the shank when
a pin is removed, this pin being attached to the short chains to be
released at the same time.
In fishing my anchor I attach the ends of a double ended chain to
other shackles upon the arms or upon projections from the tail pieces, so
that when the chain is hauled upon inclines upon the tail picces force
the catch plate or box up sufficiently high for the tail pieces to enter
the recesses in the shank, and then the catch drops over the tail pieces
and secures the arms and flukes in position.
My Invention will be clearly understood by reference to the annexed
Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side or face view of an
anchor constructed as before described, and with the parts in the position
ready for casting or "letting go,".

page_text: :
The releasing of the chains m, m, from the hooks or open rings s, 8,
allows the box or catch plate to fall again and take up its first position
where it serves as a "guide off" for ropes or chains and prevents them
getting into the spaces t, t, while the anchor is being "weighed” or
lifted. I also joint or hinge the arms u, u, and release a pin from their t
meeting faces by a connection with one of the chains m, m, so that they
i.e., the arms u, u, can fall one to each side of the shank a, as in
Figure 3, so that in Drawing up an anchor of my make there is nothing
that would foul it to prevent its being lifted perfectly clear. I fit pins
on the arms u, u, or I fit small crutches on the shank for the arms to ]
rest in when folded down.
I claim in this part of my Invention the improvements in ships'
anchors, as and for the purposes set forth.
I also claim in this part of my said Invention the appliances in com-
bination connected with ships' anchors, as set forth, by which fluke arms 1
can become free and turn over to release themselves from the ground,
as described, and as shown.
The next part of my Invention is represented in Figures 4 and 5 of
the annexed Drawings.
A is the skin of a ship or vessel; B, a plate bolted thereto on one 2
side;
and C is a plate on the other side held by the same bolts.
Between these two plates A, B, the rims of which take a position
forming the hawse hole, I arrange a ring D which is capable of being
rotated within the flanges or rims of the plates; this ring serves as the
hawse hole proper, through which the chain cable can be run as through 2
the ordinary fixed ones in ships. My ring hawse plate D has two holes
in it, through the larger one of which the chain or cable 4 is passed; the
pull up chain or cord m of my Patent or other anchor or apparatus is
passed through the smaller so that it can be kept distinct from the cable
in and out board; should however the two become twisted, which may 3
happen through the swinging action of a ship in a tideway, the ring
hawse hole plate can be turned within the plates A and B to untwist
the chains.
I do not limit myself to the exact method shown of forcing or fitting

page_text: of anchor only, because it is applicable for other shapes or makes of
anchors; but what I do claim is constructing or forming hawse holes
in or to ships or vessels so that they may be rotated, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Burns Clark, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.