IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT LOWERING AND DISENGAGING GEAR
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We EDWARD JOHN PITTOCK BROWN of No 112 Snargate Street, Dover, in the
County of Kent, Engineer and GEORGE WILLIAM WELLER PAINE, of Kevir Villa,
Folkestone Road, Dover, in the County of Kent, Master Mariner, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT LOWERING AND
DISENGAGING GEAR to be as follows:-
»
Our Invention relates to improvements in boat lowering and disengaging gear,
whereby we place the boat entirely under the control of the Officer in charge, bold
it securely at the davits, and insure its automatic disengagement directly it is water
borne, or its disengagement at the will of the Officer in charge; further our
apparatus is so constructed and arranged that it cannot in any way interfere with
the handling of the boat or endanger its occupants.
We propose to use a detaching gear composed of a pair of dog-hooks reversed,
turning freely in a socket and keeping the boat suspended at the davits simply by
its own weight, but we further provide a locking dovice by which the hooks may
be held together when the boat is at the davit head, and the device to which we
now give preference for this purpose consists of two simple hooks fitted to turn on
each side of one of the bars of the dog hooks catching two pins one on each side of
the other.
We also propose to use a vertical or a horizontal capstan which we prefer to place
under the after thwart of the boat; to this capstan we pass the falls from ordinary
blocks carried by the davits, through fair leads in bow and stern; we also provide
this capstan with a friction or other suitable brake which we may release by
removing a pin passed through the thwart, or in any convenient manner.
Taking a boat fitted with our capstan and having our detaching device at bow
and stern, we raise the dog-hooks until their ends meet in a slotted piece hanging
from the blocks in which position they will be held by the weight of the boat, but
to prevent their falling open should the boat while at the davit head be lifted by
the wind, or otherwise, we further secure the pair of dog hooks together by the
locking device above mentioned.
We then pass the falls from the blocks through the fair leads to the capstan and
when by turning the capstan we have wound on as much of the falls as required
we put on the brake securing them in position.

page_text: The boat being thus suspended at the davits, if it is required to launch it, the
Officer in charge takes his station at the stern and directly the proper moment
has arrived for lowering he takes off the brake, the capstan turns, releasing the falls
as rapidly or as slowly as the Officer may desiro, and, if the locking device has been
unhooked previous to the lowering of the boat, directly the boat is water borne, the
dog hooks will automatically fall apart and the boat be free; the locking device
may however also be left under the control of the Officer in charge, who may
release one or both of them, separately or simultaneously, as he may consider most
advisable, by pulling on a cord passed along the inside of tho gunwale, or in any
convenient manner.
The simplicity of our detaching gear obviates any possibility of hooking it on
improperly, and the boat is always ready for immediate use.

page_text: hooks together by the locking device C above mentioned. We then pass the falls F
from the blocks through the fair leads G to the capstan E and when by turning the
capstan we have wound on as much of the falls as required we put on the brake H
securing them in position.
The Boat being thus suspended at the davits, if it is required to launch it, the
officer in charge takes his station at the stern and directly the proper moment has
arrived for lowering he takes off the brake by moving the handle I the capstan
turns releasing the falls F as rapidly or as slowly as the officer may desire, and, if
the locking device C, has been unhooked previous to the lowering of the Boat,
directly the boat is water borne the dog-hooks A will automatically fall apart (as in
Fig 4) and the Boat be free; the locking device may however also be left under
the control of the officer in charge, who may release one or both of them, separately
or simultaneously, as he may consider most advisable, by pulling on a cord passed
along the inside of the gunwale, or in any convenient manner.
The simplicity of our detaching gear obviates any possibility of hooking it on
improperly, and the Boat is always ready for immediato use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, We declare that
what We Claim is :-
1º. The combination of Boat lowering and disengaging gear substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, whereby the Boat is placed entirely under the control of the officer in
chargo as and for the purposes specified.
2°. In Boat lowering gear the use of a capstan (E) in the boat; the falls (F)
being led to and wound upon this capstan where they are held by a brake (H) the
taking off of which operates the lowering of the Boat, substantially as described.
3°. The detaching gear composed of a pair of dog hooks A kept closed by the
weight of the boat hanging at the davits and opening directly this weight is
removed by the boat becoming waterborne, substantially as described.
4°. In combination with the detaching gear or reversed dog hooks A the slotted
piece or shackle K into which the hooks are entered to carry the Boat, and tho
locking device C, or any suitable locking devico, by which the hooks may bo
prevented from opening until desired, substantially as described.
Dnted this Thirtieth day of December 1884