IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS, RIDING BITS, AND STOPPERS FOR WORKING WITH CHAINS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Horatio Harfield, of Fenchurch Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS,
RIDING BITS, AND STOPPERS FOR WORKING WITH CHAINS."
Sealed the 20th December 1859, and dated the 23rd July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Horatio Harfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1859.
I, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS,
RIDING BITS, AND STOPPERS FOR WORKING WITH CHAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in capstans, riding bits, and
stoppers for working with chains. In constructing capstans for working
chains, they are now commonly fitted with chain flanges, made according to
the Specification of the Patent granted to me on the 23rd August, 1858,
No. 1918. Each such flange consists of a circular casting with a hole
through the centre, through which the axis of the capstan passes, and in the
edge of the casting, and passing all round it, a groove is made which is of
a ( -form in section. When the capstan is in use, the chain lays in the
groove, entering it to a greater or less depth according to its size. In
order to prevent the chain slipping round in the groove, radial stops are placed
at intervals on its inclined sides, and these stops by entering between the links
.

page_text: which stand in a vertical position, hold the chain firmly. The space between
the stops being such as not to allow the vertical links to pass through, they
allow those links which lay flat or in a horizontal position to pass freely
between them. Now, chain flanges constructed in this manner, although they
work very well with chain of different sizes and of the same proportions, do
not work so well with chains of different proportions. To obviate this incon-
venience, in place of casting the stops, the inclines and the other parts of the
flange in one piece, as has been usual heretofore, I form each stop on a separate
piece usually of wrought iron, and it is preferable that a portion of the incline
on each side of the stop should be formed in the same piece with it. These
separate pieces are arranged to slide in guides to and from the centre of
the capstan. Each of these pieces is furnished with a projecting piece, which
enters a slot in the top or the bottom plate of the flange, and filling pieces
are employed, and by placing one or more of these between the projecting
pieces and the end of the slot, the stop may be brought to any desired distance
from centre, and by thus adjusting the stops, the capstan may be made to
take conveniently chains of different sizes, and also of different make or
proportions.
In constructing capstans to work with chain cables, I sometimes fix on the
lower part of the capstan or on its post or axis, a bevilled toothed wheel, and
I let into the deck, one on each side of the capstan chain, over the chain
lockers, holders or wheels; these are each mounted on a horizontal axis,
which also has fixed on it a bevilled toothed wheel, and in order to communicate
the motion of the capstan to the chain holders or wheels, there is a stud or
axis fixed in the deck on each side of the capstan, which receives a pinion
gearing both with the bevilled wheel on the capstan or its post, and with the
bevilled wheel on the axis of the chain bolder or wheel. The pinion is so
arranged that it can at pleasure be removed from its stud or axis, and by so
doing, the chain holder or wheel is thrown out of gear with the capstan.
Thus, the capstan may be worked in conjunction with one or other of the
chain holders or wheels as may be desired, or they may both be thrown out of
gear.
In some cases I fix two bevilled wheels on the capstan or its post, and
also two bevilled wheels on each of the axes of the chain holders or wheels, so
that by introducing pinions of different sizes between the capstan and chain
holders or wheels, the speed of the gearing may be changed. The two chain
holders or wheels are mounted on separate axes to allow of their being more
conveniently let into the deck as above mentioned. Two chain holders or
wheels mounted on separate axes and let into the deck as above described
may be driven by means of a bevilled wheel or wheels on a capstan or capstan

page_text: post between the two chain holders or wheels, such bevilled wheel or wheels
gearing directly with bevilled wheels on the chain holders or wheels, and this
arrangement is much more convenient than the same system of driving applied
to two chain holders or wheels mounted on the same axis, and removed
entirely from the deck, an arrangement which has in some instances before
been employed. An important feature of this part of my Invention, therefore,
is the arranging two chain holders or wheels so that they may be driven from
a single capstan, such chain holders or wheels being mounted on separato
axes, so that they may conveniently be let into the deck.
My Invention also relates to the arrangement or construction of riding bits
and stoppers, and consists in constructing the same in the following manner :-
In an iron casting of a rectangular form, which is fixed to the deck of the
ship, there is a vertical groove passing from the top some distance down the
casting, and from end to end of it. This groove is of such a width as to allow
the chain to run freely through it. The bottom of the groove is made hollow
lengthways, that is to say, it is deeper in the centre of its length than at its
two ends, and the bottom of the groove has a notch or smaller groove
formed in it from end to end of the main groove, to allow the vertical links
to bed, so that the horizontal links may lay on the bottom of the main
groove. In the groove and over the chain a block is fitted, the lower edge
of which is convex and made to the same curve as the bottom of the groove
in the casting, and it is notched in the same manner as the bottom of the
groove. The block is fitted with a screw, by means of which or by other
mechanical means it can be worked up and down in the groove in the riding
bit. When the block is at the top of the groove, the chain runs straight
through the groove, and no resistance is offered to its passage, but when the
block is forced down, the chain is more or less deflected out of the straight
course, and more or less resistance is offered to its running out. In order to
hold the chain when a sufficient length has run out, a fork is employed on the
inboard end of the riding bit; this fork is capable of being raised and lowered by
a rack and pinion, and when it is lowered the fork fits over one of the vertical
links, and it prevents the next horizontal link entering the groove in the
riding bit. The fork is hinged to the piece which carries it, so that when the
chain is hove in, the stop clears itself by turning on its hinge joint, and it drops
as a pawl into each of the spaces between the horizontal links of the chain,
when the ship is riding by the bit, a turn of the cable may be taken round it
as when an ordinary riding bit is employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Horatio Harfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HORATIO HARFIELD, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Horatio Harfield, Her special licence that I, the said William Horatio
Harfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Horatio Harfield, 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,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CAPSTANS, RIDING BITS, AND STOPPERS FOR WORKING WITH CHAINS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one 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 Horatio Harfield, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in capstans, riding bits, and
stoppers for working with chains. In constructing capstans for working
chains they are now commonly fitted with chain flanges made according to the
Specification of the Patent granted to Thomas Brown, and dated 20th April
1917, No. 11,666, erroneously quoted in my Provisional Specification as a
Patent granted to me on the 23rd day of August 1858, No. 1918. Each
such flange consists of a circular casting, with a hole through the centre,
through which the axis of the capstan passes, and in the edge of the casting
and passing all around it a groove is made, which is of a form in section.

page_text: When the capstan is in use the chain lays in the groove, entering it to a
greater or less depth, according to its size. In order to prevent the chain
slipping round in the groove, radial stops are placed at intervals on its inclined
sides, and these stops by entering between the links, which stand in a vertical
position, hold the chain firmly. The space between the stops being such as
not to allow the vertical links to pass through, they allow those links which
lay flat or in a horizontal position to pass freely between them. Now, chain
flanges constructed in this manner, although they work very well with chains of
different sizes and of the same proportions, do not work so well with chains
of different proportions. To obviate this inconvenience, in place of casting
the stops, the inclines, and the other parts of the flange in one piece, as has
been usual heretofore, I form each stop on a separate piece, usually of wrought
iron, and it is preferable that a portion of the inclino on each side of the stop
should be formed in the same piece with it. These separate pieces aro
arranged to slide in guides to and from the centre of the capstan. Each of
these pieces is furnished with a projecting piece, which enters a slot in the top
or the bottom plate of the flange, and filling pieces are employed, and by placing
one or more of these between the projecting piece and the end of the slot, the
stop may be brought to any desired distance from the centre, and by thus
adjusting the stops the capstan may be made to take conveniently chains of
different sizes, and also of different make or proportions.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a capstan constructed in the manner above
described. a and bare the top and bottom plates of the chain flange, and c, c,
are the moveable stops, which each carry portions c', c', of the inclines, these
portions being formed in one piece with the stop. The stops are retained in
their places by projecting guides d, d, cast on the top and bottom plates a
and b, and they are capable of sliding to and from the centre or post in these
guides. In order to lock the stops at the desired distances from the centre or
post, each stop may be formed in the manner shown in the vertical section,
Figure 2, with a projecting piece &, which enters a slot formed for it in the top
or bottom plate, as the case may be. e is a piece fitted into the slot and bolted
to the plate by the bolt e'; and f. f, are filling pieces, which may either be
placed outside the projecting piece c' when it is desired that the stop shall be as
near to the centre as possible, as is shown at Figure 2, in the case of the stop
carried by the upper plate; or the filling pieces f, f, may be placed on the inner
side of the projecting piece c, when it is desired that the stop shall be as far
as possible from the centre, as is also shewn at Figure 2, in the case of the
stop carried by the bottom plate. The stops may be locked at au intermediate
point by placing one filling piece on one sile and the other on the other side

page_text: of the projecting piece c. By slightly modifying this arrangement the depth
of the chain flange may be reduced, as is shown at Figure 3, where the stops
are made without projecting pieces c, and the locking pieces e, e, and the
filling pieces ff, are fitted in between the guides d, d. This arrangement is
also shewn at Figure 4, which is a plan of the bottom plate.
In this Figure
two of the stops are shown close up to the centre, and a short link chain is
shown laying on them in the position in which it would bed when the capstan
is at work. The other three stops are shown at their extreme distance from
the centre, with a long link chain laying on them; Figure 5 is a transverse
section of one of the stops and of the guides in which it works; Figure 6 is
an elevation of another capstan, differing from that already described only in
that the stops are made separate from the inclines, the stops being moveable;
as before, and the inclines stationary, and cast on the top and bottom plates;
Figure 7 is a transverse section of the chain flange; Figure 8 is a plan of the
lower plate of the same; and Figure 9 is a transverse section of one of the
stops and of the guides in which it slides.
In constructing capstans to work with chain cables, I sometimes fix on the
lower part of the capstan, or on its post or axis, a bevilled tooth wheel, and I
let into the deck, one on each side of the capstan, over the chain lockers, chain
holders or wheels; these are each mounted on a horizontal axis, which also
has fixed on it a bevilled toothed wheel, and in order to communicate the
motion of the capstan to the chain holders or wheels, there is a stud or axis
fixed in the deck on each side of the capstan, which receives a pinion gearing
both with the bevilled wheel on the capstan or its post, and with the bevilled
wheel on the axis of the chain holder or wheel. The pinion is so arranged
that it can at pleasure be removed from its stud or axis, and by so doing the
chain holder or wheel is thrown out of gear with the capstan. Thus the capstan
may be worked in conjunction with one or other of the chain holders or
wheels, as may be desired; or they may both be thrown out of gear. In
some cases I fix two bevilled wheels on the capstan or its post, and also two
bevilled wheels on ench of the axes of the chain holders or wheels, so that by
introducing pinions of different sizes between the capstan and chain holders or
wheels, the speed of the gearing may be changed. The two chain holders or
wheels are mounted on separate axes to allow of their being more conveniently
let into the deck, as above mentioned. Figure 10 is an elevation of a capstan
combined in this manner with chain holders. The deck of the ship on which
the capstan is mounted is shewn in section in the Drawing. a is the capstan.
with a bevilled wheel a' on it; b, b, are the two chain holders mounted on
separate axes over the chain lockers, as is shown; they are each furnished with

page_text: friction breaks by which their rotation may be governed when they are out of
gear with the capstan, and chains are running out over them; c, c, are bevilled
wheels, one of which is mounted on the axis of each of the chain holders;
d, d. are sockets formed in the bed plate of the capstan to receive a stud axis e,
which, by means of a key e¹, may be fixed in either of the sockets d; fis à
bevilled pinion mounted on the axis e, and gearing with the bevilled wheel a'
on the capstan and the bevilled wheel c on the axis of the left-hand chain
holder. By rotating the capstan motion is communicated to the chain holder,
so that by this means the chain passing over it may be heaved in. Figure 11
shows the same arrangement with the pinion f shifted to put the right hand
chain holder in gear with the capstan. The stops on the chain holders b, b,
may be made adjustable, as already described in this Specification, the
adjustable stops being applicable to chain flanges, whether mounted on
vertical or horizontal axes. Two chain holders or wheels mounted on
separate axes, and let into the deck, as above described, may be driven by
means of a bevilled wheel on a carst in or capstan post between the two chain
holders or wheels, such bevilled wheel gearing directly with bevilled wheels on
the chain holders or wheels.
Figure 12 shews a capstan having a bevilled wheel mounted on it, and
gearing directly with bevilled wheels on the axes of the chain holders; these
wheels are mounted loosely on the axes, and are locked with the chain holders,
when desired, by means of stops a, a, which are each jointed at one end to a disc
or plate connected with the bevilled wheel which is recessed to receive them,
and which can be moved forward, when desired, to lock the bevilled wheel with
the chain holder so as to enter a notch in a disc or plate forming part of the
said chain holder. This arrangement is much more convenient than the same
system of driving applied to two chain bolders or wheels mounted on the same
axis and removed entirely from the deck, an arrangement which has in some
instances before been employed. An important feature of this part of my
Invention, therefore, is the arranging two chain holders or wheels so that they
may be driven from a single capstan, such chain holders or wheels being
mounted on separate axes, so that they may conveniently be let into
the deck.
My Invention also relates to the arrangement or construction of riding bits
and stoppers, and consist in constructing the same in the following manner:
In an iron casting of a rectangular form which is fixed to the deck of the ship,
there is a vertical groove passing from the top some distance down the casting,
and from end to end of it. This groove is of such a width as to allow the chain
to run freely through it; the bottom of the groove is made hollow lengthways,

page_text: that is to say, it is deeper in the centre of its length than at its two ends. In the
groove and over the chain a block is fitted, the lower edge of which is convex
and made to the same curve as the bottom of the groove in the casting; the
block is fitted with a screw, by means of which or by other mechanical means
it can be worked up and down in the groove in the riding bit; when the block
is at the top of the groove, the chain runs straight through the groove, and no
resistance is offered to its passage, but when the block is forced down the chain
is more or less deflected out of the straight course, and more or less resistance
is offered to its running out; in order to hold the chain when a sufficient length
bas run out, a fork is employed on the inboard end of the riding bit; this
fork is capable of being raised and lowered by a rack and pinion, and when it
is lowered, the fork fits over one of the vertical links, and it prevents the next
horizontal link. entering the groove in the riding bit; the fork is hinged to the
piece which carries it, so that when the chain is hove in, the stop clears itself
by turning on its hinge joint, and it drops as a pawl into each of the spaces
between the horizontal links of the chain. When the ship is riding by the
bit, a turn of the cable may be taken round it as when an ordinary riding
bit is employed.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of a stopper and riding bit constructed
in the manner above described; Figure 14 is a similar view with the parts in
such a position as to allow the chain to run freely through it; Figure 15 is a
front view of the same; Figure 17 is a transverse section taken at the
line A, A, Figure 13; and Figure 18 is a horizontal section of the casting a,
taken at the line B, B, Figure 13. a, a, is the casting which is bolted to the
deck, and has a vertical groove formed in it from end to end; in this groove
the chain lays. is a block which fits into the groove in the casting a over the
chain; it is prevented from moving in a horizontal direction by the wrought-
iron guide bars c, c, which fit into recesses both in the casting a and
the block b. Over the block ba cover d is fitted, and is held down by the
bolts e, by which the whole apparatus is secured to the deck. On the top of
this cover a knight-head or bollard e¹ is formed; it serves to make fast a rope
when required, and through it passes the screw f, which works in a nut b',
attached to the block b. When this block is forced down by the screw into the
position shown at Figure 13, it, in consequence of the form given to it, deflects
the chain out of its direct course, and thus offers considerable resistance to its
passage through the stopper, even if the block b is not brought down sufficiently
low actually to nip the chain between the block and the bottom of the groove
in the casting a, and a comparatively light nip will serve entirely to stop the
chain, whereas if the nipping surfaces were so formed as not to deflect the

page_text: chain out of the direct line through the stopper, it would be difficult if not
impossible to hold the chain, and even if it could be done, the action would be
much more sudden and trying to the chain. The groove in the casting a and
in the block b, as seen in transverse section, are simply of a concave form; this
is done to enable the shackle to pass when the block b is only slightly raised.
If, however, a shackle be employed, such as is described in the Specification of
a former Patent granted to me, of the form of a link of the chain, the
bottom of the groove in the casting and block may have a notch or smaller
groove formed in it from end to end of the main groove, to allow the vertical
links to bed, and the horizontal links to lay on the bottom of the main groove;
g is a fork which falls over the vertical links of the chain; it is used when
hauling in the chain to secure it, and and prevent its returning through the
stopper; to set the chain free, to allow it to run out, the fork is raised by
means of the screw h.
Figures 19 to 23 show similar views to those already described (viz.,
Figures 13 to 18,) of a stopper and riding bit of a somewhat different form,
18
the block b being forced upwards in the casting a in place of downwards;
this is done by means of a lever handle i on the axis j, which also carries a
cam k, which, when the handle is moved from the position shown in Figure 20
to that shewn in Figure 19, raises the block b, and so deflects the chain and
nips it as before. In other respects this stopper and riding bit is so similar to
that already described, that no further explanation is necessary.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Horatio Harfield, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
W. H. HAKFIELD. (L.)