IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND LETTING GO SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Gray, of Richmond Street, St. George's
Road, Southwark, and George Joseph Gladstone, of Blackwall, Ship-
wright's Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
Sealed the 15th December 1857, and dated the 1st September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Gray and George
Joseph Gladstone at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 1st September 1857.
We, THOMAS GRAY, of Richmond Street, St. George's Road, Southwark,
and GEORGE JOSEPH GLADSTONE, of Blackwall, Shipwright's Surveyor, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR LOWERING AND LETTING GO SHIPS' BOATS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lowering
and letting go ships' boats. For these purposes, in order to free a boat from
its lashings or gripes, one end of each gripe or lashing has a bolt or pin
passed through it, which pin is placed in a hole formed on the rail at the side
of the ship or vessel. The lashings are made fast round the boat; hence,
when the bolt or pin is raised out of the hole in the rail, the boat is free of
the lashings or gripes. In lowering a boat, two dead eyes are used, one near
each end of the boat, and in the centre of the boat are fixed logger or timber

page_text: heads. Two ropes are used, one fixed to each davit; each of these ropes is
passed through the three eyes of one of the dead eyes, and it is then passed
several times round one of the logger or timber heads. By these means the
lowering is readily and safely performed. The lower blocks of the tackle by
which a boat is suspended from the two davits are made with swivel eyes or
loops at their lower ends. Near each end of the boat is a tongue or hinged
catch, which passes through the loop or eye of the blocks, and the two tongues
or catches are secured in a horizontal position when through the eyes or loops
of their respective blocks by an axis, which turns in bearings in a direction
fore and aft of the boat. The axis at each end is made with a half round
hollow, so that when the tongues are covered by such half round hollows they
are prevented rising, but on turning the axis half round they are simultaneously
uncovered and the tackle at each end released.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Gray and George Joseph Gladstone in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GRAY, of Richmond Street, St. George's Road, Southwark, and GEORGE
JOSEPH GLADSTONE, of Blackwall, Shipwright's Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Gray and George Joseph Gladstone, Her special licence that we, the
said Thomas Gray and George Joseph Gladstone, our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Gray and George
Joseph Gladstone, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND LETTING GO SHIPS' BOATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Gray and George Joseph Gladstone,
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

page_text: 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 I, the said George Joseph Gladstone, on behalf of
myself & the said Thomas Gray, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lowering
and letting go ships' boats. For these purposes, in order to free a boat from
its lashings or gripes, one end of each gripe or lashing has a bolt or pin
passed through it, which pin is placed in a hole formed on the rail at the side
of the ship or vessel. The lashings are made fast round the boat; hence,
when the bolt or pin is raised out of the hole in the rail, the boat is free of
the lashings or gripes. In lowering a boat two dead eyes are used, one near
each end of the boat, and in the centre of the boat are fixed logger or timber
heads. Two ropes are used, one fixed to each davit; each of these ropes is
passed through the three eyes of of one of the dead eyes; it is then passed
several times round one of the logger or timber heads. By these means the
lowering is readily and safely performed. The lower blocks of the tackle by
which a boat is suspended from the two davits are made with swivel eyes or
loops at their lower ends. Near each end of the boat is a tongue or hinged
catch, which passes through the loop or eye of the blocks, and the two tongues
or catches are secured in a horizontal position when through the eyes or loops
of their respective blocks by an axis, which turns in bearings in a direction
fore and aft of the boat. The axis at each end is made with a half round
hollow, so that when the tongues are covered by such half round hollows, they
are prevented rising, but on turning the axis half round they are simultaneously
uncovered and the tackle at each end released.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed, more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a boat and apparatus, fitted
according to our Invention; Figure 2 is an end view; Figure 3 is a plan;
Figures 4 and 5 shew the releasing tackle, applied at the ends of the boat, on
a larger scale; Figure 6 shews a section of the ends of the releasing axis or

page_text: shaft; and Figure 7 shows a section of the shaft taken at C, D, in Figure 1.
a, a, are the gripes or lashings, one end of each of which is fixed to the side
of the vessel by a pin b, which passes through eyes formed in the ends of the
lashings a, and through the fixed plates or projections c, c, between which the
ends of the lashings are introduced. The upper ends of the gripes or lashings
are fixed or lashed to the davits by means of the cords d, d, as shewn. By
this arrangement or combination of parts a boat may be securely lashed to
the side of a ship or vessel, and yet the lashings may be readily released by
simply drawing out the pin b. The lowering of the boat may be performed
from the deck of the ship or vessel in the ordinary manner, and as is shown
at Figure 1, or in place thereof the boat is lowered by means of two ropes
fixed to the davits and passed through three eyes of a dead eye, there being
one such dead eye fixed forward and another aft for the two ropes. The two
ropes having thus been passed through their respective dead eye, they are
each to take two or three turns around their respective logger or timber
heads e, e, so that a man standing in the boat near the timber heads may
readily lower the boat. The novelty of this part of our Invention consists in
the combined use of the dead eyes, the timber heads, and the conducting the
ropes, as herein described. In order to release the boat when lowered, an
axis or shaft f, running in a direction fore and aft the boat, is used, which
turns in suitable bearings. This shaft or axis is made by preference in two
parts, and connected together by the cylinder f', with slits therein to receive
the pins or projections f2 of the shaft or axis. By this arrangement the two
parts of the shaft or axis may be turned half round independently of each
other, but when the handle f is turned half round, it carries with it the two
parts of the shaft or axis, so as simultaneously to release the two lower blocks
of the lowering tackle. The axis or shaft, however, may be only in one piece,
with moveable ends rotating with the axis. f, f, are handles, by which the
two parts of the shaft or axis can be separately turned half round, in order to
fasten the lower blocks of the lowering tackle one at a time. Each of the
ower blocks of the tackle is made with an eye or loop, by which it is retained
by the catch g of the lowering tackle; the part g¹ of the catch is passed
through the eye, and then the end of the shaft or axis is to be turned half
round, which will retain the block secure till the shaft or axis is turned half
round to release the same.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to
the parts separately; but what we claim is,-

page_text: First, the combined apparatus for lashing a boat.
Secondly, we claim the combined apparatus for lowering a boat.
And, thirdly, we claim the combined apparatus for releasing a boat.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Joseph Gladstone, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
GEORGE JOSEPH GLADSTONE. (L.S.)