IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTING SAILS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Congalton, of the Steamer Robert Lowe,
and of Austin Friars, in the City of London, Lieutenant in the Royal
Naval Reserve and Master Mariner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FITTING SAILS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Congalton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
October 1864.
.I, WILLIAM CONGALTON, of the Steamer Robert Lowe, and of Austin
Friars, in the City of London, Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve and
Master Mariner; do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTING SAILS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as
follows-
The object of my Invention is to fit sails to ships and other vessels. For
this purpose I attach to the sail at intervals across it, between it's upper and
lower edges, parallel or nearly parallel thereto or to the yard, or in a
horizontal or nearly horizontal direction, a number of tubes or tubular or
other spars, which I connect with the mast or with framework or arrange

page_text: ments attached or fitted to it, so that the sail may turn or work thereon to the
required extent, as on a centre or axis, and it may be adjusted to a desired
angle. By means of the said tubes or spars the sail may be prevented from
bellying and presented to the wind so that the wind may blow on its whole
surface at the same angle, and its whole surface may be kept plane or nearly
so. The sail so arranged will not require furling, and may be reefed from
deck with ease.
The accompanying Diagram is annexed to elucidate the description.
A is the mast.; B, the sail; C the upper, and D the lower yard; e, e, are
metal spars, made hollow or tubular for lightness; they are fixed to the sail,
and also to a frame or connections placed in front of the mast A, and
connected with the mast by rings f, f.
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Congalton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CONGALTON, of the Steamer "Robert Lowe," and of Austin, Friars, in the City
of London, Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve and Master Mariner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by. Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Congalton, Her special licence that I, the said
William Congalton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Congalton, my executors, administrators, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTING SAILS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon. the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Congalton, 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

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Congalton, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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, reference being had to the accompanying'
Drawings, that is to say:-
The object of my Invention is to fit sails to ships and other vessels. For
this purpose I attach to the sail, at intervals across it, between its upper and
lower edges, parallel or nearly parallel to such edges or to the yard, and in a
horizontal or nearly horizontal direction, a number of tubes or tubular or
other spars, which I connect with the mast or with framework, or arrange-
ments attached or fitted to it, so that the sail may turn or work thereon to the
required extent as on a centre or axis, and it may be adjusted to a desired
angle. By means of these said tubes or spars the sail will be prevented from
bellying, and will be presented to the wind so that the wind will blow on its
whole surface at the same angle, and its whole surface will be kept flat or
nearly so. The sail so arranged will not require furling, and it may be reefed
from the deck with ease.
The accompanying Drawings exemplify in what manner the Invention may
best be carried into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Description of Sheet 1.-Figure 1 is a stern elevation, Figure 2, side
elevation, and Figure 3, a plan of a mast fitted with sails according to my
Invention; Figures 4 to 11, inclusively, shew details; Figure 4 shewing the
mode of joining the spars, and Figure 5, a jamming nut; Figure 6, plan, and
Figure 7, elevation of mast yard and bibb; Figures 8 and 9 shew a method
of fitting the spars to the mast; Figure 10, plan, and Figure 11, elevation of
spar, with truss and parrel complete.
A is the mast; B, sail; a, the yards; c, c, are the tubular spars, or, as
I sometimes call them, intermediate yards; they are fixed across the after
side of the sail, to which they are attached by tying points. These spars c
extend the whole width of the sail, and are about the depth of a reef apart.
Each tube or spar c is made by preference of three (or more) lengths screwed
together, the central piece being of larger diameter than the next two lengths
by about its own thickness of metal, and so on, reducing in diameter. The
lengths are screwed one into the other, and are fixed by a jam nut, as in
Figures 4 and 5. To the central part of each spar is fixed a truss or bow e

page_text: by its ends, which are about the depth of a reef apart. Each truss or bow e
is fixed to a hoop, ring, or parrel d, which is free to turn round the mast, and
to travel up and down it when required. The spars c with the sail thus are
capable of turning or working on the mast as on a centre or axis.
The dimensions which I recommend for my spars or intermediate yards c is
a diameter of from 3 to 5 inches, and they should be about or inch iron,
made in lengths of 10 or 15 feet or longer.
'i
To adapt masts and rigging for my mode of fitting sails, I recommend the
following arrangements:-I make the lower and top. masts, and sometimes.
the top gallant mast, in one length, and I make them all cylindrical, but not
of the same diameter; I make them smooth and round, so that the parrels
may slide up and down them easily; and I rig them in such manner that the
sails will go sufficiently forward by inclining the rigging more aft than usual..
I double, the stays and lead them down on each side of the ship, and set them
in a position no, farther forward than will let the sail brace to the point.
required. The mast is thereby supported from four points instead of three, as
usual, and thus if one mast should fall overboard the others will not be injured..
I fit the stays and shrouds on each mast head, about the usual height from.
the deck, but the top mast and top-gallant mast have no rigging, and I suspend
the lower yards from a strong projection, bibb, or cheek at the same elevation
as the eyes of the lower rigging, that is, where the shrouds pass round the
mast, and secure the stays to the extreme end of the projection, bibb, or cheek,
so that they may not interfere with the working of the yard and sail. By
adopting this plan the lower yards may be braced nearly, fore and aft..
Sails fitted, according to my Invention set at an uniform angle to the wind,,
which presses, equally on all parts; no one has occasion to go; aloft, to set;
take in, furl, or reef them; the top sails and top-gallant, sails can be reefed by.
lowering the sails down until one or more of the spars c, c, rest on the eyes. of
the rigging or mast heads; they can be reefed on the head as well as the foot
by having halyards on each spar, when by, letting go the upper halyards, the
sail would come down on the. next spar, and so on to the foot,, the whole
remaining snug when down.. The courses are reefed by pulling the lowest
spar on the sail up to the next above,, and so on in succession until they are
all drawn close up under the lower yards, where they will remain snug.; The
courses can be readily set again by the mere act of lowering, and can, be kept
at any depth required.
Sheet 2 shews a modification of the above, arrangement in which the sails
are fitted to and travel on an auxiliary mast fixed to the principal mast.
On this Sheet 2, Figure 1* is a side elevation of the arrangement.

page_text: A is the principal mast; 6 is an auxiliary mast, which is of less diameter
than the principal mast, and is fixed to the said principal, mast at the fore
part thereof; e, f, shews the line of sail; c, c, are spars or intermediate yards
fixed to the sail between its upper and lower edges, and, extending across it;
these spars are attached by bows or trusses e to parrels d, as described in
reference to Sheet 1, except that the parrels instead of being mounted on the
principal mast are mounted upon and travel up and down the auxiliary mast b,
and this being more slender than the principal mast, the parrels may be made
of less weight than those described in Sheet 1, and the friction will be
reduced. e, f, shew the line of sails; h, shrouds; k, back stays; 9, stays.
The spars c with the sail thus are capable of working on the mast 6 as on an
axis. Sometimes instead of making the spars 6 tubular, as on Sheet 1,
I form them as shewn in plan Figure 2* and elevation Figure 3*. In
this improved form the spar cinstead of being tubular is flat, each spar
consisting of two flat pieces or plates of iron rivetted together and kept about
two inches apart with washers. They are made in any number of lengths,
as convenient. These spars are fixed across the sail and to the mast according
to my Invention. m shews a method of fastening the lengths together.
The Figure 2* shews the relative position and proportionate dimensions (of
course on a reduced scale) of the main and auxiliary masts. Figure 4* is a
side view of a fore-and-aft sail fitted according to my Invention. The letters
indicate similar parts to those so lettered in preceding Figures.
Although I have described the details of constructing and adapting masts
and rigging which I recommend when my mode of fitting sails is adopted,
I do not restrict myself to those details, nor to the dimensions, nor to the
mechanical details of construction of the spars, nor to the precise mechanical
details for attaching them to the masts which I have described in explaining
the best mode of carrying out my Invention, the essential feature of my
Invention being the use of tubes, spars, or intermediate yards attached at
intervals to the sails between the upper and lower edges, horizontally or nearly
so, and fixed to the masts, or to arrangements connected therewith, so as to
turn or work on such masts or arrangements as on an axis or centre, as
described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim fitting sails to
ships and other vessels by the employment of tubular or other spars or inter-
mediate yards, fixed to such sails, horizontally or nearly so, at intervals between
the upper and lower edges, and attached to the masts or to arrangements

page_text: connected therewith, so as to turn or work thereon as on a centre or axis,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Congalton, bave hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April,.in.the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
S. E. A. NEWSOME,
84, Fleet Street,
London.
WILLIAM CONGALTON... (L.S.).