IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS."-A communication from
abroad by James Durell Greene, of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Sealed the 7th September 1869, and dated the 18th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lako
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th March 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS," a communication, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to peculiarities in anchors using no stock, and

page_text: in which two flukes or arms are pivotted to the anchor shank, so that
in "taking ground" both flukes will form equal angles with the shank
and on the same side thereof the flukes turning to either side of the
shank according to the way in which the anchor touches the ground.
The said Invention may be said to consist in an anchor made with
the palms of its flukes in the same plane, and with the arms of its
flukes made integral with an open yoke, across which extends from one
side to the other in the same plane with the palms and arms of the
flukes a pin, shaft, or pivot integral with the yoke, the shank being
entered within the yoke, opening and grasping the cross shaft in the
yoke in the manner of a machine bearing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake,
Her special licenco that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, 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, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one

page_text: 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 I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention relates to peculiarities in anchors using no stock, and
in which two flukes or arms are pivoted to the anchor shank so that in
taking ground both flukes will form equal angles with the shank and
on the same side thereof, the flukes turning to either side of the shank
as the anchor touches the ground.
The said Invention may be said to consist in an anchor made with
the palms of its flukes in the same plane, and with the arms of its
flukes made integral with an open yoke, across which extends from
one side to the other in the same plane with the palms and arms of the
flukes a pin, shaft, or pivot integral with the yoke, the shank being
entered within the yoke, opening and grasping the cross shaft in the
yoke in the manner of a machino bearing, all of which peculiarities will
be fully understood from inspection of the Drawing, in which Figure 1
is a side elevation of an anchor made in accordance with this Invention
as it appears when it has "taken hold"; Figure 2 is a sectional view of
the same with the shank horizontal; Figure 3 is a plan of the said
anchor as it appears when resting on deck.
The shank'a is without a stock as none is needed in this anchor, the
shank being provided with a cable ring b. There are two flukes each
made up of a palm c and arm d located in the same plane, the arms
being made integral with a central piece e which being made open and
joining the arms together and fitting over the shank which is thrust
through the opening in c I call a yoke. Across this opening and in the
same plane with the arms d is a cylindrical pin fintegral with the yoke.
The end of the shank making the crown of the anchor is slotted through
leaving at the bottom of the slot one half of a cylindrical bearing of a

page_text: diameter suited to the pin f, and between the jaws g formed on each.
side of the slot through the shank is fitted a cap piece h, which has a
semi-cylindrical cavity at its inner end which fits upon the pin ƒ and
completes the bearing by which the flukes are held to the shank,
and on which they pivot in turning to one or the other side of the
shank. This cap piece is held in the jaws g by a bolt i passing through
the cap h and jaws g in a plane at right angles to the axis of the pin f.
In the outer end of the cap is a hole parallel with the pin f; the
purpose of the said hole being for the attachment of a buoy rope when
necessary, and also for attaching the fish tackle. The pin fis preferably
fitted somewhat loosely in its bearing, and receives none of the pull
of the vessel upon the anchor, this pulling strain being taken by the
yoke and the shank at their points of contact denoted by x, x, in
Figure 2. When the anchor falls on the ground flatwise as in Figure 3 it is
obvious that any pull on the cable will cause the shank to assume the
angle with relation to the flukes seen in Figure 1, the limit of the angle
being determined by the relation of the points of contact x, x. It will
also be obvious that when the anchor assumes such a position any
obstruction to the drag of the anchor bills k will cause them to catch,
and the palms and flukes will plough into and bury themselves in the
ground. If the anchor in falling strikes upon the edge of either palm
it will tip over so that the palms will form an angle of about 45° with
the ground, thus bringing the crown of the yoke into contact with the
ground at one of the points z, z, and then any drag upon the anchor
will bring both bills to the ground, so that when they meet with
resistance they and the flukes will bury, and the shank will take the
angle seen in Figure 1. When dismembered by the removal of the
cap the parts of the anchor stow closely, and spare parts being carried,
breakages may be easily repaired, or when two or more anchors
of the same size are carried the broken portion of one may be
replaced by a whole part from another. The holo j besides serving for
the purposes herein-before named is intended to receive a tripping linc,
the purposes and operation of which are too well known to need
explanation here.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim the anchor with the palms and
:
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