AN APPARATUS BY MEANS OF WHICH AN IMPROVED METHOD OF REEFING SAILS IS EFFECTED
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
TONGE, of Liverpool, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Ship Owner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing dato
at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of April, in the fifth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, tho said
Daniel Tonge, His especial licence that I, the said Daniel Tonge, my exors,
adors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Daniel Tonge, my exors;
adiiors, and 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, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "AN APPARATUS BY MEANS OF WHICH
AN IMPROVED METHOD OF REEFING SAILS IS EFFECTED;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Daniel Tonge, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describo
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the dato 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
Daniel Tonge, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist
in dividing my topsails or other sails to be reefed in the said improved
manner into two parts, and in rigging two yards upon that part of the mast
on which such sails are to be set, which is between the cap on the mast next
below it, and the crosstrees next above, and thereby reefing the said sail in

page_text: the middle of it, or at the bottom of the upper of the said two parts, instead
of reefing it in the ordinary way at the top of the sail. And in further com-
pliance with the said proviso, I, the said Daniel Tonge, do hereby describe the
apparatus wherewith I perform my said improved method of recfing, and also
my said improved method of reefing, by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and the Figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing is intended to represent the main topsail of a brig or other
square rigged vessel when set, divided into two parts and rigged for the
purposes of my said Invention. A is what I call the topsail head, and is the
upper division of the sail. B is what I call the topsail foot, and is the lower
division of the topsail. C, C, are the yard-arms of the second yard, which
constitutes a part of my said apparatus. 9, 9, 9, 9, are four reef pennants
leading through the yard-arms to the block r, r, and thence on deck. F, F,
are two additional bolt ropes, from which the reef points depend. It will be
seen from this arrangement that if the topsail head A be lowered away till
either of the two additional bolt ropes is on a level with the yard C, C, and
the corresponding reef pennants g, g, hauled down, the topsail head will be
secured while the foot of the topsail head will be becalmed at the back of the
topsail foot, and may be reefed from the yard C, C, by the points or stops
shown in the Drawing, without any difficulty. It should here be observed
that the topsail bead should be entirely detached in make from the topsnil
foot, and should be bellied downwards at the bottom, as intended to be shown
by the dotted line S, S, in the Drawing. In fact, it might perhaps be better if
the additional bolt ropes. F, F, were bellied downwards in the same way, The
topsail head requires no sheets, but may be fastened firmly to the yard-
arms C, C. The lower division of the topsail, which I call the topsail foot, is
calculated to be the size of a close-reefed topsail; and thus, when it is required
to close-reef a topsail with my said apparatus, the yard D, D, is lowered
entirely down upon the yard C, C, when the topsail head A becomes completely
becalmed in front of the topsail foot, and the ship is at once brought under a
close-reefed. topsail, without the necessity of any one going aloft. It stands
to reason that, except in cases of extreme necessity, the precaution of sending
men aloft to secure one yard upon the other, and perhaps even to tie up the
topsail head when its not likely to be required again for some hours, would be
adopted; but there are matters which would naturally suggest themselves to
every sailor, and not being essential to the explanation of my said apparatus,
I do not think it necessary to go into them more at large. In rigging my

page_text: said second yard C, C, I adopt the usual mode of rigging topsail yards where
one only is used, and this enables me to make a single brace answer for the
yard D, D, since I rig a double one to the yard C, C. I furnish both the
yards C, C, and D, D, with the usual appendages of haulyards, lifts, braces,
and foot-ropes. The topsail foot B is sheeted home to the yard below in the
usual manner, and the head of the topsail foot is secured to the yard C, C; in
the same way as the topsail head A is secured to the yard D, D, and which is
the mode usually adopted for securing the head of a sail to a yard.
Now whereas reef points may be used in the head of the topsail head A, in
which case no reef tackles will be required; but I prefer the reef points to
be placed at the foot of the topsail head, as shewn in the Drawing, and such
an apparatus as is herein-before described, namely,―
First, a topsail divided into two parts, A, B, in manner aforesaid.
Secondly, a second yard C, C, placed on a mast between the cap on the
mast next below it and the crosstrecs next above.
And,
Lastly, one or more bolt ropes F, F, across the middle of the topsail, fitted
with reef points and reef pennants 9, 9, 9, 9, in manner aforesaid, being, to the
best of my knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used in these
kingdoms, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same, and
that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects,
fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in my said herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to
maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Tonge, bave hereunto set my
band and scal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four