IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SHIPS' SAILS AND APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO SHIPS' SAILS AND APPARATUS
FOR WORKING THE SAME" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to sails for steam ships and sailing vessels, and to-means
for working such sails.
The sails at present in use for ships are of two kinds viz:-square sails and
simple or brigantine sails.
The first of these kinds presents no advantage whatever for steam ships, because
in order to set or reef a sail it is necessary for the men to climb up the rigging, a
performance which cannot be carried out, when the ship is overtaken by a gust of
wind, without danger of losing the men or the sail, or of breaking some of the
yards. Moreover, as the yards cannot be lowered, the equilibrium or stability and
the speed of the ship are impaired.
The simple or brigantine sails have the advantage of rendering the operation
easier, but present numerous inconveniences. As a single brigantine sail is required
for each mast, the surface of the sail is very small, and whilst there is difficulty in
sailing properly with the wind under the yard (avec vent sous vergue) by reason of
the sails being in the wrong position there is the inconvenience of being obliged to
keep close to the wind, which renders it necessary to carry all the sails on one side
and hence the equilibrium and the speed of the ship are impaired.
With the sails hereinaffer described, I obviate all the above named inconveniences,
and I provide for lowering or setting the sails at any moment without sending men
aloft which renders it possible to utilize the force of the wind without regard to
its direction, because by the present, arrangement, a square sail or a "shoulder-
of-mutton" sail can be used according to requirements, without giving up either
the benefit of the mighty and economic auxiliary afforded by the wind or, in the
[Price G31

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case of a sharp or close wind or tempest, the employment if deemed useful, of the
second system.
The following is the manner in which I arrange the various parts forming my
invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 shows by a diagram a ship having its sails arranged according to this
invention.
Figure 2 shows, on a larger scale, a ship's mast provided with sails arranged
according to this invention on one side only, the opposite side being identical.
Figures 3 to 8 are details, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the various parts.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.
A (Figure 2) indicates a mast which, for steamers, can be of iron or other metal
and of a single piece, and which, if it is of wood, can be made of two pieces for a
large ship or of a single piece for a small ship. Upon this mast I place two
rings a a¹, Figures 2, 3 and 4, of iron or other suitable metal provided with two.
sockets in which are fixed the extremities of metal rods b b¹ which extend along
the mast A as shown in the drawing, and along which slide the rings of the
sails B B¹
...:
A short distance below the upper ring a is placed a sleeve of wood or a parral c,
Figures 2 and 5, capable of being caused to slide upon the mast A by means of
blocks or tackle actuated from the deck by a chain. To this sleeve or parral is
fastened a metallic ring d composed of one or more pieces and provided with two
forks or extensions e e₁ on which the pieces ff¹ can turn horizontally, and which,
with the tongues on the pieces ff, constitute hinged joints.
The said pieces are formed with forks perpendicular to the said tongues in which
forks are pivoted tongues on the pieces or sockets g g carrying the gaffs h h¹..
i. 1
These two gaffs hh, as shown in Figure 5, carry at their lower parts metal
rods i (fixed as shown in the drawing or in any other suitable manner), along
which slide the rings of the upper parts of the sails B B¹.. Near their extremities
the gaffs are provided with metal pulleys j for the sail-halliards.
By raising or lowering the sleeve or parral c, the gaffs, and consequently also the
sails, are correspondingly raised or lowered with the greatest safety, and promptness
through the medium of the chain above referred to and the blocks or tackles.
The two gaffs can moreover be rendered independent of each other, so that either
gaff can be lowered as desired. In this case each gaff is provided with a kind of
carriage having rollers and capable of sliding along the mast A, in which a groove
(Figure 8) is formed for the purpose. This carriage is substituted for the parral c
and ring d. To the mast A, a short distance below the lower ring a¹ of the iron
rods bb', is fixed a metal ring provided with pieces. having joints or hinges
extending in diametrically opposite directions, and in these pieces I fix, by means
of pivots, the metal pieces or sockets m m³ which carry the booms n n¹ (see
Figures 1, 2 and 6). The said booms near their extremities are provided with
metal pulleys y for the sheets of the sails... Beyond the pulleys y I place rings w
having eyes which I make use of in order to maintain the booms in horizontal.
positions, ropes being passed through the said eyes and fastened to the support q
Figure 7, to which the sail-operating ropes are generally attached.
The booms can serve as crane jibs for loading and unloading the vessel.
It is to be understood that with each sail will be combined stay-sails, and that
each brigantine sail will have its reef and each mast a brigantine sail of small
dimensions to be used, in case of accident to the engines; or in a tempest, as a
cross-jack sail to be placed upon one or other of the gaffs. The arrangement of
sails hereinbefore described enables the rigging of a ship to be much simpler and
lighter than heretofore and permits a much greater surface of sails to be obtained
than with the system at present in use, especially in steamers and war-vessels.
The improved sails can moreover be very rapidly lowered without exposing the
men to great danger and the equilibrium or stability of the ship' can' be more
readily maintained.
.

page_text: This arrangement of sails can always be utilized with great advantage in
favourable winds thereby permitting a considerable economy of fuel to be effected;
it can also be advantageously employed in bad weather for giving stability to the
ship by preventing pitching and rolling motions (les mouvements de tantage et de
roulis) which have an unfavourable action upon the engine, and are disagreeable to
the passengers.
°
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. The above described arrangement of the sails of a ship, according to
which arrangement two sails are attached to a single mast in such a manner that
they are capable of being worked from the deck without sending men aloft, and
which arrangement enables the ship to run either with the wind on the bow, or
with a sharp or close wind, without its equilibrium or speed being impaired.
Second. The employment of yards mounted so as to slide upon the mast, and
capable of being worked either together or separately, substantially as described and
as shown in the drawing.
Third. The employment of a boom capable of moving vertically and horizontally
and of serving, if necessary, as the jib of a crane for loading or unloading the
vessel, substantially as above set forth.
Fourth. The combination of sails and apparatus for working the same, sub-
stantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing for the
purposes specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.