AN IMPROVEMENT IN REDUCING AND REEPING THE TOPSAILS OF VESSELS."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Coniliane La Croix, of New York, United
States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN REDUCING
AND REEPING THE TOPSAILS OF VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Coniliane La Croix
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1857.
I, FRANCIS CONILIANE LA CROIX, of New York, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
REDUCING AND REEFING THE TOPSAILS OF VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a peculiar method of reducing topsails from tho
deck, whereby, if reduced to a stormsail, the operation of reefing may be
dispensed with, or if less reduced, the reefing is rendered much less laborious
than by the ordinary methods. This I accomplish by attaching the sails along
the line of the close reef points to the mast head by certain tackles, so rigged
through the intervention of the yard, that the lower part of the sail will be
constantly kept tightly stretched by the said tackles whatever the height of the
topsail yard.
In the Drawings annexed, Figure 1 is a representation of a topsail with my
improvements attached as seen from the after sido; and Figure 2 exhibits the
sail as seen from forward, and as reduced to the fullest extent. The sail is
generally of usual construction, having the ordinary thimbles worked into the
leash, to which reef tackles are affixed. To the lower or close reef thimble a
a block is affixed permanently, and through this a line b is rove, one end of
which is attached to the yard arm at b', thence, after passing the block it is
led through a sheave hole in the yard arm, thence along the yard to a point

page_text: near the centre, where it is taken through a leading block, or a bull's-eye as d,
from which it is carried over a block; e, placed: vertically above the leading
block on the crosstree, and thence down to the yard again, where it is per-
manently belayed, as at 6". Two or more similarly rigged tackles are affixed
in the belly of the sail along the line of the close reef points, as seen at f,
being led from the yard to the sail, thence to the crosstree through the
leading blocks i, , and back to the yard at o, as shewn in Figure 2. The
theoretical equivalent of each of these tackles would be a single line led from
the sail at the place where the block is affixed to it through the leading blocks
to the crosstree, and the operation will be as follows:-If the topsail yard be
lowered to the usual distance for a close reef the act of lowering will tako up
the lines 6 and f, since those are fastened to the yard at 6" and o, the yard, in
fact, merely passing along them, and that part of the sail below the close reef
points will be kept as tightly stretched as if the yard were not in motion.
The slack of the sail will be thrown to the forward side by the position of the
lines f, and the sail is thus reduced to a stormsail, which can be carried in
heavy weather with comparative safety, and without going aloft to tie the
points. If the weather is such that more sail is desirable, and that the men
can go aloft to reef, the act of hoisting the yard to the distance of the reef
above still keeps all the lower part of the sail stretched, the upper part alone
bellying out, and thus in tying the second reef points the men have only to
lift a small part of the sail instead of the whole, as in ordinary reefing. The
usual reef tackles are rigged into the thimbles in the leash, and these are
hauled out in the common way, except that the labour of doing so is obviously
less, from the fact that the one at a always remains "hauled out" whatever be
the position of the yard. It will thus be seen that the operation of reducing
to a storm sail or close-reefed topsail is effected from the deck by simply letting
go the halliards to the requisite distance, and that of setting the full sail again
by merely hoisting the yard once more.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Coniliane La Croix in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
CONILIANE LA CROIX, of New York, United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis Coniliane La Croix, Her special licence that I, the said
Francis Coniliane La Croix, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Francis Coniliane La Croix, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN REDUCING AND REEPING THE TOPSAILS OF
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,. the said Francis
Coniliane La Croix, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should 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 Francis Coniliane La Croix, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in a peculiar method of reducing the topsails from
the deck, whereby, if reduced to a stormsail, the operation of reefing may be
dispensed with, or if less reduced, the reefing is rendered much less laborious
than by the ordinary methods. This I accomplish by attaching the sail along
the line of the close reef points to the mast head by certain tackles, so rigged
through the intervention of the yard, that the lower part of the sail will be
constantly kept tightly stretched by said tackles whatever the height of the
topsail yard.
In the Drawings annexed, Figure 1 is a representation of a topsail with my
improvements attached as seen from the after side; and Figure II..exhibits
the sail as seen from forward, and as reduced to the fullest extent. The sail
is generally of usual construction, having the ordinary thimbles worked. into
the "leach," to which reef tackles are affixed. To the lower or close reef
thimble (a) a block is affixed permanently, and through this a line (b) is rove,
one end of which is attached to the yard arm at (6), thence, after passing the
block it is led through a sheave hole in the yard arm, thence along the yard
to a point near the centre, where it is taken through a leading block or a
bull's-eye, as (d), from which it is carried over a block (e), placed vertically

page_text: above the leading block on the crosstree, and thence down to the yard again,
where it is permanently belayed, as at (6"). Two or more similarly rigged
tackles are affixed in the belly of the sail along the line of the close reef points,
as seen at (f), being led from the yard to the sail, thence to the crosstree
through the leading blocks (i), (i), and back to the yard at (o), as shown in
Fig. II. The theoretical equivalent of each of these tackles would be a singlo
line led from the sail at the place where the block is affixed to it through the
leading blocks to the crosstree, and the operation will be as follows:-If the
topsail yard be lowered to the usual distance for a close reef the act of
lowering will take up the lines (b) and (f), since those are fastened to the
yard at (61) and (o), tho yard, in fact, merely passing along them, and that
part of the sail below the close reef points will be kept as tightly stretched as
if the yard were not in motion. The slack of the sail will be thrown to the
forward side by the position of the lines (f), and the sail is thus reduced to a
stormsail, which can be carried in heavy weather with comparative safety, and
without going aloft to tie the points. If the weather is such that more sail is
desirablo, and that the men can go aloft to reef, the act of hoisting the yard to
the distance of the reef above still keeps all the lower part of the sail stretched,
the upper part alone bellying out, and thus in tying the "second reef points'
the men have only to lift a small part of the sail instead of the whole, as in
ordinary reefing. The usual reef tackles are rigged into the thimbles in the
leach, and these are hauled out in the common way, except that the labor of
doing so is obviously less, from the fact that the one at (a) always remains
"hauled out" whatever be the position of the yard. It will thus be seen that
the operation of reducing to a storm sail or close-recfed topsail is effected
from the deck by simply letting go the halliards to the requisite distance, and
that of setting the full sail again by merely hoisting the yard once more.
I claim the method of reducing topsails substantially as set forth herein.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Coniliano La Croix, have here-
unto set my band and seal, at New York, this Fifth day of June,
A.D. 1097.
FRANCIS CONILIANE LA CROIX. (L.s.)
Taken and declared at Her Britannick Majesty's Consulato at
Now York, this Fifth day of June, A.D. 1857, before me,
JOSEPHI FOWLER,
II.B.M. As Consul.