IMPROVEMENTS IN SAILS AND APPARATUS USED THEREWITH
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Campbell, of India Terrace, West India Road,
and Thomas Alfred Kendal, of Cowley Street, Saint George's in the East,
both in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 1st January 1861..
Thomas Ar
endal at the Umce of the Commissioners of atents,
with their Petition, on the 1st January 1861..
We, PETER CAMPBELL, of India Terrace, West India Road, and THOMAS
ALFRED KENDAL, of Cowley Street, Saint George's in the East, both in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAILS AND APPARATUS USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sails and apparatus used.
therewith. For these purposes, in order to facilitate the reefing of the sails of
ships and other vessels, they and the apparatus used therewith are constructed
and arranged in the following manner :-In applying the Invention to a top-
sail, or to a similar sail, so much of the sail as is to be reefed is to have bands

page_text: applied to it on its after side from the top downwards to the lowest point to
which the reefing is desired to extend, and similar bands are also to be
applied on the fore side of the sail from the top downwards to the point to
which the first reef is desired to extend, and across the sail at this point a
strong wire or other rope is fixed, to which the ends of as many cords or brails
are fixed as there are bands. On the bands are fixed rings, through which
the cords or brails above mentioned are passed; and these cords or brails are
then passed over the top yard; they then descend and pass through similar
rings fixed on the bands on the after side of the sail; they are then passed
through eyes or fair leaders fixed to the lower yard; the ends of the cords or
brails are then all brought together and made fast to a rope, which descends
to the deck, the rope being passed through a suitable block or blocks. A top-
sail in other respects is carried by the yards in like manner to that heretofore
practised whether two or three yards be used.
In applying our Invention to the sails of fore and aft rigged vessels, the
sails are similarly constructed and worked to what has been above described,
provision being made for the differences of the shapes of the sails, and the
differences of the spars which carry them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Campbell and Thomas Alfred Kendal in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st July 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
CAMPBELL, of India Terrace, West India Road, and THOMAS ALFRED KENDAL,
of Cowley Street, Saint George's in the East, both in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day, of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Peter Campbell and Thomas Alfred Kendal, Her special licence that
we, the said Peter Campbell and Thomas Alfred Kendal, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter Campbell
and Thomas Alfred Kendal, our 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

page_text: 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 SAILS AND APPARATUS USED THEREWITH," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said Peter Campbell and Thomas
Alfred Kendal, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us
or 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Peter Campbell and Thomas Alfred
Kendal, 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 sails and apparatus used
therewith. For these purposes, in order to facilitate the reefing of the sails of
ships and other vessels, they and the apparatus used therewith are constructed
and arranged in the following manner :-In applying the Invention to a top-
sail, or to a similar sail, the sail is by preference furnished with three yards,
an upper, a lower, and a middle yard, as has heretofore in some cases been
practiced. The portion of the sail between the middle and upper yards is
that which is taken in by the reefs, of which there are two; the first takes in
the upper part of this portion of the sail, and the second reef the remainder
thereof down to the middle yard. Across the sail at the line down to which
the first reef is desired to extend, strong wire or other rope is fixed, to which
at distances apart the ends of a number of cords or brails are fixed, these cords
or brails are passed over or under the top yard, and then descend, the other
ends of the cords or brails being all brought together, and made fast to a rope
which descends to the deck, the rope being passed through a suitable block or
blocks. Where the cords or brails come in contact with the sail both at the
front and back thereof, it is preferred to attach bands to the sail to prevent it
chafing, and to fix rings or fair leaders on these bands for guiding the cords or
brails. A similar system of reefing may be employed where only an upper
and lower yard are employed in cases where it is desired to make but
one reef.
A topsail fitted as above described is shewn at Sheet I. of the annexed
Drawings. Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2 a back view. a is the
mast; b, the lower yard; c, the upper yard; and d the middle yard; c is a

page_text: wire rope, secured to the front or back of the sail; f,f, are cords or brails
attached to the rope e, at distances apart; these pass over sheaves mounted
on the top of the yard c, and descend on the other side of the sail to blocks g, g,
secured to the yard d, and after passing through these they are all brought
together, and attached to a rope h, to which a suitable purchase is applied, so
that all the cords or brails f can be hauled in at one time from the deck of the
ship; i, i, are bands applied to the sail, to prevent chafing; j, j, are rings
fixed to the bands to lead the cords or brails f; k, k, are lines attached to the
ends of the wire rope e; after passing through blocks 1, 1, on the upper yard,
they are secured to the rope h. When it is desired to take in a single reef,
the rope his hauled on, and the upper yard is at the same time lowered until
the wire rope e on the sail is brought close under the upper yard, when all is
again made fast; the lines k, k, serve to keep the head of the sail distended
when one reef is in. To take in the second reef the upper yard c.is lowered
down to the yard d, and the cords or brails fare hauled taut by means of
the rope h.
When it is only desired to make one reef in the sail, the middle
yard d may be dispensed with, and the single reef is taken in in the same
manner as the first reef in the arrangement already described.
In applying our Invention to the sails of fore and aft rigged vessels, the
sails are similarly constructed and worked to what has been above described,
provision being made for the differences of the shapes of the sails, and the
differences of the spars which carry them.
Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings shews a fore and aft sail, with reefing
apparatus applied to it, the same being arranged according to our Invention.
Figure 1 shews one side of the sail, and Figure 2 the other side thereof.
a, a, a, a, are a number of sheaves on the boom; b is a wire rope attached to
the sail; c, c, are cords or brails, attached to their ends to the wire rope b,
and passing down through rings or fair leaders on the sail to the sheaves a,
around which they pass, and are all connected to a ring, on to which the
tackle dis hooked. To take in a reef the gaffe is lowered, and the tackle d
is hauled on till the wire rope b is brought down on to the boom, the ring to
which the cords or brails c are attached is then made fast by lashing, and the
reef is secured. To take in a second reef there is another wire rope f attached
to the sail above the first, and to this another set of cords g, g, on the other
side of the sail are attached; these act in a manner precisely similar to those
already described, the same tackle d being employed to take in both reefs.
In the same way may a third reef be taken in, if desired; and in this case a
third set of cords or brails will not be required, as the set c may readily be

page_text: detached from the wire rope b; when this is done they may be attached to the
rope of the third reef, and rove through the rings thereof, when they will be
ready for use as in the former cases.
In witness whereof, we, the said Peter Campbell and Thomas Alfred
Kendal, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth day
of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-one.
PETER CAMPBELL. (L.S.)
THO. A. KENDAL. (L.S.)