A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HAULING NETS, AND WHICH IS APPLICABLE FOR HAULING PURPOSES GENERALLY
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Souter at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd December 1883.
GEORGE SOUTER of the Town and County of Elgin, North Britain, Engineer
and Iron Founder "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HAULING NETS, AND
WHICH IS APPLICABLE FOR HAULING PURPOSES GENERALLY
"
This Invention relates to improvements in net hauling Machines for use on
fishing boats and for hauling purposes generally and has for its object to obviate
the disadvantages attending the working of analogous Machines already in use
such for example as danger to the lives of those working them arising from
weak or faulty design, liability to break at several parts when a heavy strain is
upon them, and so as to precipitate the men overboard, or expose them to other
dangers. The gear wheels of such Machines as hitherto constructed being uncovered
are dangerous, and the pawl for checking the Machines is placed in such a position
that it exposes the hand of the operator when the pawl requires to be shifted.
The spindles for carrying the sheaves round which the headback rope of the net is-
passed when hauling on existing Machines being only provided with one bearing,
and having the sheaves on one end of the spindles and the gear wheels for
transmitting the motion to each other on the other end of the spindle with the
bearing between the bush very soon becomes slack, and when the strain of the rope
is put upon the sheaves they are forced from their true position, so that their
edges rub on the frame of the Machine, and the gear wheels are at the same time
completely locked, thus making it extremely hard work for the operator to haul
what in a properly constructed Machine ought to be very easy. The nature and
novelty of the present Improvements which are designed to remedy the aforesaid
defects consist in mounting three sheave pulleys upon a metal frame, the centre
sheave being a little lower than the outer ones, and with bushes for each spindle.
The sheaves are keyed upon the ends of their spindles, and the gear wheels are
arranged close behind the aforesaid bushes, the spindles projecting through the
wheels long enough for the bearings. Another metal frame similar to the front
one, also with bushes for each spindle, is attached behind the wheels and bolted to
the front frame, thus enclosing entirely the gear wheels and providing two bushes
for each spindle, the frame being thus rendered very strong and rigid.

page_text: The spindle by which the Machine is rotated has a square on one or both ends
of it projecting through the frame for a fly wheel or winch handles, or the Machine
may also be worked by mechanical power. The pawl for checking the Machine is
placed at the top of the frame in such a way that there is no danger in working
it, and vertical rollers are placed at each end of the frame to guide the rope on to
the sheaves, and prevent it from rubbing against the frame. The stand or
foundation plate of the Machine by which it is held in its place is hollow and of
sufficient size to admit the base of the frame, on this part of which a row of teeth
is cast round it, and when the frame is placed in the stand, these teeth come
opposite a pawl which projects through the stand, and falls between two teeth.
The Machine is held or put at any desired angle-The Machine may be bolted to
the deck of the boat, or it may be set upon two planks similar to a lathe bed
placed across the deck, and it may be fixed at any part of this bed by one or more
bolts or screws.