IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU- PACTURE OF SAILS FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
TRAIL, of Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Archibald Trail, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Archibald Trail, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Archibald Trail, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
PACTURE OF SAILS FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Archibald Trail, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Archibald Trail, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention has for its object the strengthening sails for ships and other
vessels by the application of bands and cords or lines crossing each other in
several places, in such manner as to sustain the sails when pressed on by
the wind, and thereby prevent the canvas of which the sails are constructed
from being torn, the bands, cords, or lines so applied as stays to the sails.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
The manufacture of sails for ships and other vessels being well known, it
will not be necessary for me to enter into a description thereof, more particu-
larly as my Invention does not interfere with the making of sails in the
ordinary manner, but consists of applying to sails certain additions in order to
obtain greater strength, and by such means produce a greatly improved
manufacture of sails for ships and other vessels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing represents a portion of a sail which will enable me to ex-
plain my Invention; and although sails differ in shape, the portion of a sail
shewn in the Figure will represent a piece cut out of any sail made according
to my Invention, where the bolt rope at the edge runs parallel with the
selvages of the cloth, but the description herein given is eqally applicable to
triangular and other shaped sails.
The Figure of the Drawing shews parts of three cloths of a sail having
a bolt rope a affixed at the edge, as is usual. b, b, b, and c, c, c, are strength-
ening cords or lines affixed at their ends securely to the bolt ropes with which
the sail is skirted round, and these strengthening cords or lines are attached
to the canvas of the sail by having bands of canvas sewn over them, so that
the cords or lines will be secured between the bands d and the sails, as is
shewn at d, d. The strengthening cords or lines b, b, b, are applied in parallel
lines diagonally on one side of the sail, and the strengthening cords or lines
c, c, c, are applied in opposite parallel lines on the other side of the sail; hence
it will be seen that a sail, when so constructed according to my Invention,
will be sustained and supported by the strengthening bands, cords, or lines,
and by the bolt ropes to which they are affixed, for it will be evident that as
the wind presses the canvas of a sail the pressure will be received by the
strengthening bands and cords or lines, and the canvas of the sail will thereby

page_text: be supported and relieved from the strain. The ends of the strengthening
bands, cords, or lines are to be securely fastened to the bolt ropes, and in
doing so care is to be observed that the lengths of such bands, cords, or lines
are to be such that when the sail is full of wind the strengthening bands,
cords, or lines, may, on the convex and on the concave side of the sail, touch
and support the sail without producing any bagging of the canvas. It will
be evident that by such means the canvas of a sail will not be so liable to be
torn as at present when under a great press of wind, a great part of the whole
strain being sustained by the strengthening bands and cords, or lines b, b,
and c, c, and d, d, together with the bolt ropes, and the canvas being divided
in equal or many equal parts or surfaces, and thus strengthen or support in
many places, cannot be so prejudiciously strained, as is now the case where
the sails are only sustained by the bolt ropes at their edges, or by two bands
crossing from corner to corner, as has been sometimes practised. The bands
used for covering and securing the strengthening lines or cords may be strips
cut from the same canvass as the sail is made from, the edges of the strips
being turned in where the same are sewed to the sails; or the bands may be
woven in narrow breadths with good selvages suitable for the purpose, in
which case care should be observed to make them of similar yarn, and that
they are woven in like manner to the sail to which they are applied; and it
will be evident that the bands alone, placed and fixed as shewn in the
Drawing, will give considerable strength to a sail, and by making them of
stronger fabric, the cords or lines might be dispensed with.
On examining the Drawing, aided by the description herein given, it will
be seen that the object is to divide each sail, when made according to my
Invention, by means of numerous parallel strengthening bands, cords, or lines,
into many comparatively small surfaces, in such manner that each surface
shall be strengthened by the bands, cords, or lines. And although I prefer
that the arrangement of the strengthening bands, cords, or lines should be as
is shown in the Drawing, whereby they proceed diagonally across a sail in
opposite directions, so as to cross each other at the back and front of the
the sail in such manner as to divide the sail into numerous diamond-shaped
surfaces, each surface strengthened on all sides; and the strengthening bands,
cords, or lines are so attached to the bolt ropes that the combined strain of
the wind on all the numerous portions or surfaces into which a sail is divided
is transmitted to and borne by the bolt ropes, and by the strengthening bands,
cords, or lines; at the same time I do not confine myself to the exact details,
as variations may be made in the arrangement of the bands, cords, or lines,
so long as they are attached to and divide a sail into numerous equal or

page_text: nearly equal portions or surfaces, each portion or surface into which a sail is
divided being supported and strengthened all around in the manner above
described by bands, cords, or lines attached thereto.
And I would remark, that the ordinary linings or strengthenings of canvas
now commonly used on the "leeches" and middle of a sail, and also reefing
bands, may be used in conjunction with my improvements. What I claim is,
the mode of manufacturing sails, by applying strengthening bands, cords, or
lines in such manner as to divide a sail into numerous equal or nearly equal
parts, and support the canvas of which a sail is composed at intervals, and
thereby give additional strength to sails for ships and vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Trail, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
.
J