IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR SHIP BUILDING
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Harratt, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS
FOR SHIP BUILDING."
Sealed the 31st October 1854, and dated the 21st July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Harratt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
July 1854.
I, CHARLES HARRATT, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FASTENINGS FOR SHIP BUILDING" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improved fastenings to be used in place
of trenails and fastenings now employed in ship building, and the improve-
ments consist of making each fastening of three or more parts, in such
manner that the parts of a fastening being introduced into the hole drilled,
cut, or formed to receive it, are expanded by the introduction of an internal
key or instrument; by this means it is not necessary that the fastening should
pass through both timbers or planking which it is intended to hold together,
and it is preferred that a fastening should not pass through and through; on
the contrary, that it should only pass through one of the timbers or planks and
partly into the other. For this purpose, each of the outer parts of a fastening
is made with a projection or flanch at each end, of such a form that it will pass
through or into the hole cut to receive a fastening, and so that when expanded
the fastening may by the flanches hold the two pieces of timber or planking
together, and prevent their being separated so long as the fastening is in an
expanded state.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Harratt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HARRATT, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Harratt, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Harratt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Harratt, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS
FOR SHIP BUILDING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Harratt, 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 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 Charles Harratt, 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 improved fastenings to be used in place of
trenails and fastenings now employed in ship building, and the improvements
consist of making each fastening of three or more parts, in such manner that
the parts of a fastening being introduced into the hole drilled, cut, or formed
to receive it, are expanded by the introduction of an internal key or instrument;
by this means it is not necessary that the fastening should pass through both
timbers or planking which it is intended to hold together, and it is preferred
that a fastening should not pass through and through; on the contrary, that it
should only pass through one of the timbers or planks and partly into the
other. For this purpose, each of the outer parts of a fastening is made with a
projection or flanch at each end, of such a form that it will pass through or into

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
This fastening is intended to unite ships timbers or planks without bolting
through and through, and thus to do away with a principal cause of the pre-
mature decay of ships. Each trenail consists of three parts, of which two are.
alike, and have flanges at each end, see Figure 1. The third part is a plain
bolt or key, see Figure 2.
A hole having been bored through one of the timbers into the other timber,
and a groove or enlargement having been made at the inner end, see Figure 3,
the two like parts (Figure 1) are inserted, and the key (Figure 2) is then
driven in between them, which will expand them and force the flanges into the
groove or enlargement at the inner end. The trenail is made about inch
shorter than the hole, so that as the key is driven home, the flanges draw the
two timbers together and unite them more firmly. The key is also made inch
shorter than the two like parts, so as these may be clenched at the outer ends
over the key to prevent its being withdrawn.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that although I have described
the trenail as only consisting of three parts, it will be evident that it may con-
sist of more parts than three, and the form of the parts may be varied without
departing from my Invention; I claim the manufacture of trénails herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Harratt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN Fox FARBRIDGE.
CHARLES HARRATT. (L.S.)