IMPROVEMENTS IN REEFING, FURLING, AND SETTING SQUARE SAILS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Oliver Phalp, of North Shields, in the County of
Northumberland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REEFING, FURLING,
AND SETTING SQUARE SAILS."
Sealed the 17th January 1865, and dated the 19th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Oliver Phalp at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
July 1864.
I, OLIVER PHALP, of North Shields, in the County of Northumberland, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REEFING, FURLING, AND SETTING SQUARE SAILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in reefing, furling, and setting
square sails, by the use of which great advantages and facility of work will be
afforded over any methods now in use on rolling spars for square sails on the
upper part of the sails.. I propose to make use of chain wheels of the same
diameter as the rolling spar, which are affixed at each extremity of the rolling
spar or under guard, so as to receive only one turn or part of a turn of the reefing
chain. The two ends of the chain pass through two blocks or sheave cleats
under the tops or topmast trussletrees or top-gallant masthead down through
two blocks on the upper part of the topsail or other yard nearly in the centre;
thence to a sheave on the upper side of the yard near the extremities, round
the chain wheels on the reefing spar, through a sheave on the under side of
the yard at or near the extremities; thence into two quarter blocks on the

page_text: under side near the centre of the yard, allowing a sufficient slack chain below
the quarter blocks to form a bight when the ends of the chain are connected,
to admit of the sail being entirely wound up; in the lower bight a luff-tackle
or other purchase works. When the sail is required to be set after furling,
the said luff-tackle when hauled on unfurls the sail entirely off, if required,
by slacking the bight abaft the mast, fitted as before the mast, which differs
from any methods now in use, which have no means of unwinding the
sail from the foot to the close reef except by hauling 'on the topsail or top-
gallant sheets, whichever sail is being set, and thereby endanger the sail by
tearing it in the quarter crutches or supporting arms with rollers placed near
the centres. I also dispense with a number of turns, say twelve, of the
reefing chains on the rolling spar as now in use, and also with the guiding
crutch placed on the yard near the extremities through which the reefing
chains go direct up to blocks placed on the caps of the topmast heads, which
chains besides throw a great strain on the masthead and yard arms wi
when
braced up, and chafe the top-gallant sail and top-gallant rigging very much in
consequence of the reefing chains being always tight from the masthead to
the yard arms or crutch, which projects some twelve inches above the yard.
.
According to this Invention the chains lie snugly up and down the mast
on each side, going direct from the blocks under the trussletrees nearly to the
centres of the yards, thereby not interfering with any sails or ropes like other
methods in use, nor wringing the mastheads with a great twist on bracing up
the yard.
Another advantage of this Invention is, that in the ascent and descent of
the yard the rolling chains do not become either too taut or too slack as with
other parbuckles in which the chains ride one over the other as at present,
therefore affording no regular unwinding or winding of the sail, my method
only taking as much sail as chain, the hoisting and lowering of the yards
merely taking as much chain as the circumference of the wheel sheave bears
to the chain, therefore the exact quantity of sail is wound or unwound as
required without at all slacking the "leaches" of the sails, as both the lower
and upper ends or bights remain fast in the act of hoisting of lowering, it
being only necessary to wind on the after part to furl the shil, and the lower
part to unfurl, without any pulling on sheets whatever, and, as before observed,
the hoisting or lowering of the yard does all the reefing by "rendering" the
ehains round the chain wheel on the rolling spar.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filéd
by the said Oliver Phalp in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, OLIVER
PHALP, of North Shields, in the County of Northumberland, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Oliver Phalp, Her special license that I, the said Oliver Phalp,
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others. as I, the said Oliver
Phalp,
executors, administrators, or 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 REEFING, FURLING, AND
SETTING SQUARE SALLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Oliver Phalp, executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my: hand and seal, or, under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 Oliver Phalp, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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:
This Invention consists in improvements in the method of reefing, furling,.
and setting square sails of ships or vessels, and in the different arrangements.
for accomplishing such reefing, furling, and setting square sails.
In order to completely explain my said Invention, I annex the accompanying
Sheets of Drawings.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1, shews a front view of a topsail and top-gallant sail, rolled
up with arrangement of the chains, and shews the manner in which the chains.
are applied to roll up and unroll the sail; Fig. 2 shews the application of.
the chains in such a manner as to produce the same effect as in Fig. 1, that
is, instead of the chains coming into the centre of the yards, and down below
the top, &c., the ends are passed over the whelped wheel, and through a guide.

page_text: with a whip and block attached, passing direct to the ends of the underneath
yard, and thence to the deck; on hauling on such whip the sail is caused to
unroll; to furl, the after part is pulled on, and the fore or under part slacked,
thereby allowing the sail to be entirely rolled up; Fig. 3 shews a side view of
same plan, with chain arrangements, &c.; Fig. 4 shews an end view of a yard
with yard-arm arrangements, and the chain passing up to a block under the
crosstrees or masthead at pleasure; the rest of the arrangements are the same
as at Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
I would remark, before describing the other separate parts, that my chief
and principal claim in this Invention consists in the application of whelped or
bossed wheels to all the separate arrangements to produce the one effect, viz.,
to make the yard or rolling spar to which the sail is fixed revolve as required
to reef, furl, or set, as required.
Having described the application of the whelped wheels or sheaves, I will
proceed to describe the crutches or centre supports of the yards.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew an improved crutch which I adopt, and which works
with a hinge or in such manner, as shewn in the Drawings, that it opens to
admit the rolling spar without taking them off the yard entirely to accomplish
that operation, as at present in use, and suitable with the other arrangements
for ships of war, &c., as the rolling spar can be replaced without sending down
the yards; Figs. 5 and 6 shew the crutches shut and also open. Figs. 7 and 8
of the parts used shew front view of a whelped wheel, and also the side with
square or round hole through the centre to affix on the socket or shoe
as shewn put together in Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. 11, 11*, shew the arrange-
ment of the chains and view of upper side of a yard with clamp and hoop above
fitted on the yard according to my plan, with rolling spar or jackstay attached.
Figs. 12, 12*, shew views of a rolling spar with whelped wheel affixed
without a socket or shoes as before shewn in Figs. 9 and 10. In this method
the whelped wheel is cast with a large hole to admit of the end of the rolling
spar passing through it, and bolted to the spar in any required position, the
bolt passing through two lugs cast on the whelped wheel, as shewn in the
Drawing, thus dispensing with a socket or shoe, and reducing the cost of
production; the bearings are carried on a ragged bolt driven into the end of the
rolling spar with proper shoulder, &c., to fit the journals on the yard-arm hoops.
Figs. 13, 14, and 15, shew the general arrangements of the yard with the
rolling spar in three different positions; before, and on the under fore cant,
and directly under the yard, as shewn. The yard arm, hoops, and chain clamps
are placed in any of those positions convenient to the proper working of the
Invention. Fig. 16 shews the arrangement, including the different parts

page_text: described in Figs. 14 and 15 applicable to it, on in part to Fig. 2. This
Drawing shews cogged and whelped wheels in one, to be used either with cogs
as shewn, or chains over the wheel as in First Drawing; the advantage
of this arrangement is, that the friction is considerably reduced, as the pin
connecting the whelped wheel on one end and cogged one on the other passes
through the yard or otherwise, and saves the use of clamps on the yard, and
makes two less elbows on the yard.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 1 shews, front view of a mast and yard with my arrange-
ment of parts different in application; the chains leading from and the same
as before described at yard arms to the centre of the yard when the two ends
on each side are connected together round a treble-whelped wheel, the reefing
chains working in the outside sheaves, the motion to which is communicated
by the halyards a, as shewn in the Drawings, which will be more easily
understood by reference thereto than by description. When the starboard
chain haulyards are hauled on the sail is wound up, or when the port
ones are hauled on the sail unrolls, so that when the sail is set close reefed,
and it is desired to set in full, the left-hand haulyards in the Drawing are
made fast, and the right-handed ones pulled on until the sail is fully set.
Fig. 2 shews the arrangement on an enlarged scale, wherein on, one side
the chains are confined down by passing through a sister-leading block b
attached to the yard just clear of the whelped wheels on the centre of the yard,
as shewn. Fig. 3 shews a top view of a yard with the block or whelped wheels
standing fore and aft with the necessary leading blocks guiding the chain on
to the whelped wheels; the halyards produce the rolling and unrolling motion,
as in the preceding Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 shews three wheels cast solid, two
parts with whelps of equal size, the centre one larger to receive the tie or
haulyards as above described. The block described is here shewn attached to
the centre of the yard across, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 4.. Fig. 5 is an improved
clutch which I use in connection or otherwise, at pleasure, with the foregoing
described part or parts as an improvement in preventing the sail from falling
away to leeward or lower side of the ship when on a wind or laying over; this
part consists of a circle of iron or iron hoop made with an arm, so that when
placed in position on the rolling spar. the arm rests on the yard to prevent
it going round with the revolving spar, as shewn in Fig. 6. The clutch part,
as shewn, is attached on the front side of the ring, as shewn, and can be
constructed in two parts so as to fix it to the sail either before going aloft or
after being sent aloft as if fixed to the sail; it can be screwed to the ring or
hoop; the purpose. of this clutch is gained by having a rope in connection
therewith passing from the eye end of the clutch through a block or eye at

page_text: the end of the journal down to the deck, and when in the act of reefing this
rope be hauled tight will keep the sail in a uniform position to roll up regu-
larly. This improvement is claimed entirely as new to sails. Fig. 6. shews a
top view of a yard and rolling spar with the clutch in position as intended to
be used with the other parts; Fig. 7 is a front view of part of a sail with the
clutch before described applied thereto. Fig. 8: In this Figure I use a
whelped wheel with a strong pin sufficiently long to carry two bevelled cog
wheels placed vertically, which act on bevelled gearing cast solid on the tops
of two whelped wheels on their flat round which pass the chain bights, as in
plans Figs. 1, 2, and 8, to which the tie communicates the required motion;
this method will be best understood by consulting the Drawing, Fig. 8.
Fig. 9: In this Figure I use four whelped wheels, two placed rather more
apart on one pinion to which two are keyed on, as shewn in the Drawings.
The chains to the rolling spar are the same as above, but the motion is gained
by reefing chains with the two ends passed through clamps on the mast; and
passing vertically to the two whelped wheels, one on each end of the pinions,
and independent of the ordinary tie for communicating motion. As in the
previous method the simple hoisting or lowering sets the sail or reefs it when
required. To furl the sail the under bights or ends are slacked and after
part hauled on; as in all my different methods before stated. Fig. 10 shews a
side view of mast and chain arrangements in Fig. 9 before described, but with
single tie with the end fast in plan. The centre whelped wheel revolves on its
pin, and therefore creates no motion, but could be keyed, and so dispense with
the side chains shewn.
Fig. 16, Sheet 1, shews a clamp. suitable for the yards of ships of war or
steamboats in which the reefing chains can be liberated from the clamps with-
out unwinding, thereby facilitating the easy manner of getting the rolling spars
or yards down when required in a hurry; Fig. 17 shews a top view of the
above with a clasp to undo like a snatch block; Fig. 18 is a front view of a
topsail or other square sail with flat rope applied instead of the ordinary round
bolt rope, thereby making the sail roll up much easier, besides making the
sail last much longer than on the old roping system. This improvement of
flat leach ropes applied to sails I claim as original. Fig. 19 shews a piece of
the flat rope used by the Patentee on his sails with a clew cringle constructed
for flat rope on sails.
Sheet 2, Fig. 11, shews a side view of a mast with arrangement of chains
for producing motion somewhat different to Figs. 9 and 10, but producing
It will be seen on
the same effect on the rolling up of the sail, or vice versa.
reference to the Drawings that I use a block on the fore
cant of the yard,

page_text: through which the reefing chains pass, thence over instead of under the
whelped wheel, and down on deck, as in Fig. 10.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I would remark that I lay no claim to
rolling up sails by revolving yards or spars as such is not new. I claim the
methods of reefing, furling, and setting square sails substantially as herein
specified and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I; the said Oliver Phalp have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross..
OLIVER PHALP. (L.B.)