IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Hunter, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentle-
man, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS."
Sealed the 15th May 1866, and dated the 22nd November 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Hunter at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
the 22nd November 1865.
I, SAMUEL HUNTER, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to anchors generally known as oscillating anchors,
and has for its object the facilitating and improving the bite and hold of
the anchor without the aid of the toggle or horns hitherto found necessary
in all anchors of this class, and hence there is no liability to fouling in
getting hold; greater facility is also afforded for fishing the anchor.
In carrying out this Invention the arms and the points of the palms
are so constructed as to be about 90° apart, taking the pin in the crown
as the centre, and oscillate through 30° only, the amount of oscillation
being limited by a projection on each side of the shank next the arms,
such projections being so situate that the arms shall come in contact with
and rest upon them at a point corresponding about with the centre of the
palms. A groove is made in the end of each projection to receive the

page_text: arm and to take off any lateral strain from the pin in the crown. From the
part where the arm rests in this groove it is inclined towards the point of the
palm, the palm being forged on the back of the arm. That portion of the
made to increase in
arm which is immediately in front of the palm is
thickness from the point towards the crown, and also from the inner edge
to the back of the arm. By this means a wedge action is obtained both
laterally and longitudinally to the arm. After the anchor is canted the
entire weight of the same, with the exception of the stock end, rests upon
the point of the palm, which is then 30° from the centre line of the shank,
the outer edges of the palm being at an angle of, say, from 10° to 15° with
the shank. So soon as the strain upon the anchor exceeds the weight
of the same the point as it enters deeper into the ground will cause the
arm to open out until the point is 60° from the centre line of the shank,
and the outer edges of the palm at an angle of about 30° therewith.
In lieu of the grooved projections on the shank herein-before referred to,
other means may be adopted for limiting the oscillation of the arms to 30°
or thereabouts. For example, the two arms may be connected together
near their ends from the inner edge thereof by welding or otherwise
Isecuring thereto a segmental or a double reverse curved bar, the centre
part being curved outwards from the pin in the crown, whilst the parts
.nearest to the arms are curved in the reverse direction. This bar works
through the opening of the jaw, which is extended for that purpose, and
is provided with two projections or steps, which will rest upon the shank
on either side and thereby limit the oscillation to 30°.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 2
by the said Samuel Hunter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
HUNTER, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the of
year
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the 29th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Samuel Hunter, Her special licence that I, the
said; Samuel Hunter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or 9
such others as I, the said Samuel Hunter, my executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 ANCHORS," upon the con
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Hunter, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
I 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 Samuel Hunter, 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 tlie
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to anchors generally known as oscillating
anchors, and has for its object the facilitating and improving the bite and
hold of the anchor without the aid of the toggle or horns hitherto found
necessary in all anchors of this class, and hence there is no liability to
fouling in getting hold; greater facility is also afforded for fishing the
anchor.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings;
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Fig. 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of my improved
anchor; Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan of the same with the arms
removed and the stock partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a front view of one
of the palms represented as resting upon its support herein-after réferred
to; Fig. 4 is a plan of the inner side of one of the palms and a portion of
the arm; and Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the principle of construction
of my improved anchor. In constructing an anchor according to this
Invention the arms A, A¹, and the fronts B, B'; of the pistons C, C¹, are so
disposed as to form one-half a circle and be about 90° apart, taking the
pin D in the crown as the centre (see the diagram, Fig. 5). They oscillate
through 30° only, or thereabouts, the amount of oscillation being limited
by a projection E, E¹, on each side of the shank F next the arms, such

page_text: arm.
projections being so situate that the arms shall come in contact with and
rest upon them at a point corresponding about with the centre of the
palms, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. A groove a (Fig. 3) is made in the end
of each projection to receive the arm, and so take off any lateral strain
from the pin in the crown. From the part where the arm rests in this
groove it is inclined towards the point of the palm, as shewn by the
line a, B, and a, B', in Fig. 1, the palm being forged on the back of the
That portion of the arm which is immediately in front of the palm is
made to increase in thickness from the point towards the crown, and also
from the inner edge to the back of the arm, as shewn by the Figs. 3 and 4,
and cross sections Nos. 1 and 2 in connection with Fig. 1. By this means
the ends of the arms operate as a wedge in a lateral or transverse and longi-
tudinal direction. After the anchor is canted the entire weight of the
same, with the exception of the stock end, rests upon the point B' of the
lower palm C, which is then about 30° from the centre line of the shank,
the outer edges of the palm being at an angle of, say, from 10° to 15° with
the shank. So soon as the strain upon the anchor exceeds the weight of
the same the point B¹, as it enters deeper into the ground, will cause the
arm to open out until the point is 60° from the centre line of the shank,
this being the position shown in Fig. 1, and the outer edges of the palm
at an angle of about 15° to 25° therewith. The transverse sections
Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 show the thickness of the arms at the dotted lines.
In lieu of the grooved projections E, E', on the shank F herein-before
referred to, other means may be adopted for limiting the oscillation of the
arms to 30° or thereabouts; for example, the arrangement shown in side
elevation and sectional plan at Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 2 of my Drawings, may
be employed, wherein the two arms A, A', are connected together near their.
ends from the inner edge thereof by welding (as at a), or otherwise
securing (as, for example, by rivetting, as at a',) thereto a segmental or a
double reverse curved bar E, the centre part being curved outwards from
the pin D in the crown, whilst the parts nearest to the arms are curved in
the reverse direction. This bar works through the opening G of the jaw,
which is extended for that purpose, and is provided with two projections or
stops e, e', which will rest upon the shank on either side, and thereby
limit the oscillation to 30° or thereabouts. The segmental bar or guide E
will tend greatly to strengthen the arms.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be

page_text: novel and orignal, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by.
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, ―
First, the peculiar construction of anchors as herein-before described, and
illustrated by my Drawings.
Second, the construction of oscillating anchors wherein the points of the
palms oscillate through 30°, or nearly so, and are about 90° apart, taking
the pin in the crown as the centre, substantially as herein-before described.
Third, the combination with the oscillating arms of projections or stops
on the shank or other equivalent contrivance, substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar construction of the ends of the arms of oscillating
anchors whereby the end of the arm operates as a wedge, substantially as
herein-before described, and illustrated by Figs. 1, 3, and 4 of my
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Hunter, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
SAMUEL HUNTER. (L.S.),