AN IMPROVEMENT IN BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Alexander Brice, of Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN BOAT
LOWERING APPARATUS."
Scaled the 27th February 1877, and dated the 22nd December 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Alexander Brice
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1876.
WILLIAM ALEXANDER BRICE, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"An IMPROVEMENT IN BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS.'
"
My Invention relates to an improvement in the tackle for raising and lowering
ships' boats, and has for its object (when such tackle is provided with contrivances
or devices for automatically detaching the boat) to connect the tackle from which
one end of the boat is suspended with that from which the other end is suspended
in such manner that one end of the boat cannot be detached without the other end
being detached also.
Various devices have been invented for automatically detaching a boat when
lowered into the water, the action of such devices depending upon the tackle being
relieved of the weight when the boat is floated; and in order to prevent the boat
being detached at one end and not at the other, when struck or lifted at that end
by a wave, it is necessary to provide a means of instantly taking up the slack of the
tackle when the boat is floated at one end only, so equalizing the strain on the
disconnecting gear at all times and preventing either end being detached alone.
My Invention consists in a system of tackle particularly designed for use in
combination with an automatic detaching device invented by ine (for which Letters
Patent were granted to me, dated August 31st, 1876, No. 3432), but this system of
tackle is also susceptible of use in connection with other disconnecting devices
beretofore invented.
Besides accomplishing the above-mentioned object of rendering the detaching
devices at the two ends of the boat dependent on one another so that both ends
must be simultaneously relieved of the strain before they can be detached this
improved system of tackle also possesses the advantage of enabling the boat if
lowered faster at one end than at the other to be brought to an even keel by an
I Paving Bd77

page_text: occupant of the boat hauling on the tackle whilst the boat is being lowered by
other persons on the deck of the ship.
Another advantage is that when one end of the boat is raised by a wave the
other end of the boat is lowered by the action of the tackle in taking up the slack
and the boat is thus brought into a position more nearly parallel with the surface of
the wave as the wave advances towards the other end of the boat, and therefore in
a position more suitable for being fairly floated and detached.
The improved system consists in joining the two ends of the tackle which are
usually made fast to the blocks, in this manner obtaining the effect of a single con-
tinuous rope, by which the boat is suspended from the davits. The ropes after
passing through the usual blocks are brought up to the davit heads and passed
through, preferably, a single sheaved block, although the block may have two or
more sheaves if necessary. This being done from each end of the boat the two
ends of the rope are fastened together, thus forming a continuous rope, as aforesaid.
It may be preferable instead of joining the two ropes to have a single continuous
rope.
I
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Alexander Brice in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
June 1877.
WILLIAM ALEXANDER BRICE, of Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN BOAT LOWERING APPARATUS."
My Invention relates to an improvement in the tackle for raising and lowering
ships' boats, and my Invention has for its object (when such tackle is provided with
contrivances or devices for automatically detaching the boat) to connect the tackle
from which one end of the boat is suspended with that from which the other end is
suspended in such manner that one end of the boat cannot be detached without the
other end being detached also.
Various devices have been invented for automatically detaching a boat when
lowered into the water, the action of such devices depending upon the tackle being
relieved of the weight when the boat is floated; and in order to prevent the boat
being detached at one end and not at the other, when struck or lifted at that end
by a wave, it is necessary to provide a means of instantly taking up the slack of the
tackle when the boat is floated at one end only, so equalizing the strain on the
disconnecting gear at all times and preventing either end being detached alone.
My Invention consists in a system of tackle particularly designed for use in
combination with an automatic detaching device invented by inc (for which Letters
Patent were granted to me, dated August 31st, 1876, No. 3432), but this system of
tackle is also susceptible of use in connection with other disconnecting devices
heretofore invented.
Besides accomplishing the above-mentioned object of rendering the detaching
devices at the two ends of the boat dependent on one another so that both ends
must be simultaneously relieved of the strain before they can be detached; this
improved system of tackle also possesses the advantage of enabling the boat if
lowered faster at one end than at the other to be brought to an even keel by an
occupant of the boat hauling on the tackle whilst the boat is being lowered by
other persons on the deck of the ship.
Another advantage is that when one end of the boat is raised by a wave the
other end of the boat is lowered by the action of the tackle in taking up the slack,
and the boat is thus brought into a position more nearly parallel with the surface
of the wave as the wave advances towards the other end of the boat, and therefore
in a position more suitable for being fairly floated and detached.
A further advantage is that if the boat when about to be raised is hooked on at

page_text: one end only and not by the other it will not be raised at all. Moreover should
the tackle give way at any point the boat will fall on an even keel to the water.
This improved system consists in joining the two ends or standing part of the
tackles which are usually made fast to the fixed or fall blocks, thus obtaining the
effect of a single continuous rope for the two tackles, each of which after passing
through the usual blocks is brought up to the davit heads and passed through, pre-
ferably, a single sheaved block, although the block may have more sheaves if
necessary. This being done for the two tackles their ends are united, thus forming
a continuous rope as aforesaid.
It may be preferable instead of joining the two ropes to have a single continuous
rope.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
it in the accompanying Drawings, and I will proceed to describe it more fully with
reference thereto.
Figure 1 represents the improved system of tackle with a boat suspended there-
from and hauled up to the davits.
Figure 2 represents the boat lowered, and illustrates the action of the tackle
when the boat is struck by a wave.
A, A, are the two tackles by which the boat is suspended from the davits B;
a, a, are the two falls in-board for raising and lowering the boat from the deck of
the ship in the usual way. The two tackles consist of the two ropes joined
together and forming a single continuous rope, passing from the one davit through
the upper block C and the lower block 1) two or more times as may be required,
and from the lower block D to a block E connected to the davit head across to
another block E connected to the other davit head, round the blocks D, C, as before
to the other davit. As the rope is continuous between the tackles and runs freely
through the blocks E, whenever the strain is taken off one side it will be seen that
immediately one end of the boat is raised by a wave the tackle A at that end will
be shortened and the slack taken up by the tackle at the other end, which will be
lengthened to a corresponding extent, so that the strain is maintained on both
tackles until they are relieved of all strain by the boat being fairly water borne.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim as my
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
connecting the two tackles by which the boat is suspended so as to ensure that the
weight at one end of the boat will take up the slack in the tackle caused by the
other end of the boat being lifted, by employing a continuous rope for the two
tackles, passing over blocks from the one to the other, as herein shewn and described,
and the employment of such improved system of combined tackles in combination.
with automatic boat detaching devices, as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Alexander Brice, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WILLIAM A. BRICE. (L.S.)