CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MASTS AND SPARS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GOODWIN, of Bow Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Ship Surveyor, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of June, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Goodwin, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege, and authority, that I, the said Charles Goodwin, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Goodwin, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree, with, and no others,
from time to time and all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MASTS AND SPARS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said Charles Goodwin, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Goodwin, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and set forth in

page_text: and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
The nature of my said Invention consists in certain improved modes of con-
verting or cutting timber into pieces of forms suitable for masts and spars and
of combining such pieces into masts and spars whereby a great saving may be
effected in the cause thereof, and their strength and durability also much in-
creased. And the manner in which the same is performed is as follows:-
Let the Drawing, Figure 1, represent the end of a balk or log of timber, fifty
feet long and fourteen inches square, and let it be supposed that a mast ninety-
nine feet long is to be formed out of several such pieces. I saw each piece
lengthwise in the directions indicated by the dotted lines a, a, a, which con-
verts it into two main flitches A, A, leaving for waste the small outside por-
tions b, b. The relative positions of the two fitches A, A, are then inverted,
that is to say, the broad edges c, c, and the narrow edges d, d, are respectively
brought together, by which mode of combining the two flitches they assume
the form represented in Figure 2. The flitches are then scarfed together
longitudinally for two-fifths of their length and made fast to one another by
square metal dowels e, e. Five of such double flitches being brought together
round a core at an angle in respect of each other of thirty-six degrees they form
the mast required, as represented in Figure 3. And by thus bringing together
five double flitches scarfed to the extent before stated, the effect of the
arrangement is, that there is a ten feet longitudinal shift in each case, and
four single flitches between every two butts D, D, as shewn in Figure 4, which
represents the circumference of the mast, supposing it were rolled out into a
plane. The mast is secured at the butts by dump bolts E, and through
bolts F, as shewn in Figure 3. The flitches are then trimmed and planed on
the outside into the proper circular form, and finally hooped in the usual
manner. Figure 5 represents an external view of a complete mast of this
description, and Figure 6 a view of the under half thereof with its inner face
uppermost. From what has been stated, it will be readily understood, that as
the length of the balks or logs varies, so also must the length of the shifts (the
number of flitches between every two butts remaining the same). If for
example the balks or logs instead of being fifty feet, as in the case before sup-
posed, are sixty feet long, the shift of the butts will then be twelve feet instead
of ten, while if they are only forty feet long, the shift will be but eight feet.
The longer the timber and the farther the butts are apart, the better in every
case will be the mast. A modification of the preceding plan is shewn in
Figures 7 and 8. Here the timber is supposed to be only forty-eight feet in
length, but it is divided into twelve flitches which allows of a shift of twelve

page_text: feet, and instead of four there are only three flitches between every two butts.
The shape of the core is a little altered to suit the increased number of flitches,
and the flitches are inclined to each other at an angle of thirty degrees only.
In all other respects the mode of construction is the same as that first before
described. It must be observed, however, that according to both plans, and to
every modification of which my improved mode of construction is susceptible,
the mast or spar must be made in two halves (as shewn in Figures 5 and 6),
in consequence of the dowels and bolts being at right angles with the line of
inclination of the flitches. The metal which I prefer to make the dowels of
is that known by the name of Muntz's metal on account of its cheapness and
durability, but they may be made of any other metal or composition of metals
(iron and its compounds excepted), which will retain a firm hold and resist
corrosion.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
First, the mode of converting or cutting timber into pieces of forms suitable
for masts and spars before described.
Second, the mode of combining the said pieces together into masts and spars
before described.
Third, the use of metal dowels for connecting the flitches of masts together,
whether they are shaped and combined according to the improved modes
before described, or according to any other.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Goodwin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.