IMPROVED SELF-DETACHING APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Alexander Brice, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED SELF-DETACHING
APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS, AND OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Alexander Brice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th September 1876.
WILLIAM ALEXANDER BRICE, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVED SELF-DETACHING APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS, AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to a cheap and simple device for detaching ships' boats in
a perfectly safe, reliable, and automatic manner immediately the boat reaches the
water, whereby the accidents resulting from inefficient and badly working detaching
mechanism are entirely avoided.
The Invention consists of an improved boat-detaching apparatus that remains
intact and locked as long as there is any strain upon the suspending tackle, but
which is instantly released when the strain is taken off by the boat becoming water-
borne.
This self-detaching device is also applicable for other purposes in which it is
required to effect disconnection automatically, as for example, for depositing mail
bags or parcels from trains at full speed, or for taking soundings at sea. It will be
readily understood how in the one case the mail bag or parcel, and in the other
case a weight attached to the sounding line becomes automatically detached imme-
diately the detaching device is relieved of its weight by touching the ground.
The improved automatic detaching device of my Invention consists of block
of wood or other material with an aperture through it horizontally across which
two bolts pass at opposite sides. These bolts may be separate or preferably united
by a cross bar at the lower end, ånd provided with a guide rod.
I will describe the device as applied for detaching ships' boats. The block is
suspended at the upper part from the davit tackle, so that the bolts are vertical,
and the boat is suspended from the device by a loop of rope passed through the
aperture in the block from one side, and over or round the bolt at the opposite side,
and another loop similarly passed through the aperture and round the other bolt

page_text: from the other side. The strain on the two ropes thus tends to draw the bolts
against the sides of the block and hold them in position, and they are thus held
intact so long as the strain of either rope is upon them, but immediately they are
relieved of the strain by the boat being completely waterborne the bolts, being in
vertical position, fall by their own gravity and slip out of the loops which are thus
set free.
.
As applied to detaching ships' boats the Invention also comprises an arrange-
ment of ropes in combination with the above-described device, whereby the boat is
not released at either end if waterborno at one end only, but when completely
waterborne the boat is automatically detached at both ends. For this pupose one
of the loops above mentioned is attached to the slings at the stern of the boat, while
the other loop is at the end of a cope attached to the block depending from the
opposite davit, and passing through the ring of the sling at the bow end, and
then through another ring attached to the block, and thence to the detaching
device.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Alexander Brice in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
March 1877.
WILLIAM ALEXANDER BRICE, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVED SELF-DETACHING APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS, AND
OTHER PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to a cheap and simple device for detaching ships' boats in
a perfectly safe and automatic manner immediately the boat reaches the water,
whereby the accidents resulting from inefficient and badly-working detaching
mechanism will be entirely avoided.
The Invention consists of an improved boat-detaching apparatus that remains
intact and locked as long as there is any strain upon the suspending tackle, but
which is instantly released when the strain is taken off by the boat becoming water-
borne.
The self-detaching device is further applicable for other purposes in which it is
required to effect disconnection automatically, as for example, as a railway coupling,
for depositing mail bags or parcels from trains at full speed, or for taking soundings
It will be readily understood how in the one case the mail bag or parcel,
and in the other case a weight attached to the sounding line becomes automatically
detached immediately the detaching device is relieved of its weight by touching the
ground.
at sea.
The improved automatic detaching device of my Invention consists of a block of
wood or other material with an aperture through it horizontally, across which two
bolts pass at opposite sides. These bolts may be separate, or preferably united by
a cross bar at the lower end, and provided with a guide rod.
I will describe the device as applied for detaching ships' boats. The block is
suspended at the upper part from the davit tackle, so that the bolts are vertical,
and the boat is suspended from the device by a loop of rope passed through the
aperture in the block from one side, and over or round the bolt at the opposite
side, and another loop similarly passed through the aperture and round the other
bolt from the other side. The strain on the two ropes thus tends to draw the bolts
against the sides of the block and hold them in position, and they are thus held
intact so long as the strain on either rope is upon them, but immediately they are
relieved of the strain by the boat being fairly waterborne, the boats, being in
a vertical position, fall by their own gravity and slip out of the loops which are thus
set free.
As applied to detaching ships' boats the Invention also comprises an arrange-
ment of ropes in combination with the above described device, whereby the boat is

page_text: not released at either end if waterborne at one end only, but when completely water-
borne the boat is automatically detached at both ends.
I have illustrated the Invention in the annexed Drawings, in which Figure 1
shows a boat suspended from the ship's davits by the arrangement of ropes above
referred to, in combination with my improved self-detaching device; Figure 2
shows a central vertical section of the said device separately, and on a larger scale;
Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the same.
Figure 4 shows a section similar to Figure 1 with the bolts dropped down and
the ropes released.
Figure 5 shows how the ropes hang when the detaching device is applied at both
ends of the boat, or when the device is applied for other purposes.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
A is the block suspended by an iron strap a and ring a¹ or otherwise from the
tackle of one of the davits; B is an aperture passing horizontally through block A
from side to side, and C, C, are two vertical bolts passing across the aperture Bat
either side. These bolts are united at bottom by a cross bar D provided with a
guide rod E passing up through the centre of the block A. F is a chain or other
connection attaching the cross bar D to the block A to prevent the bolts falling too
far or being lost. G, H, are two loops of rope passed through the aperture B from
opposite sides, and each passed over or having passed through it the bolt C at the
opposite side of the aperture to that at which it enters. The strain on these loops.
of rope is sufficient to hold the bolts in position, and immediately the strain is
removed the bolts fall by their own weight out of the loops G, H, (as shown in
Figure 4,) and the latter are set free. O is a safety line passed through a hole in
the upper end of rod E to prevent the boat from being accidently detached before
it is lowered sufficiently. This line may be attached to the davit or some other
part above, and being shorter than the distance the boat has to be lowered, it is drawn
out automatically as the boat is lowered, or instead of being attached as described it
may be drawn out by some one in the boat. In Figure 1 but one of these self-
detaching devices is used. It is attached to one of the lower blocks M of the boat-
lowering tackle, and the loop of rope H is attached to the slings at the stern of the
boat, and the other loop G is at the end of a rope I, which is attached to the other
block N depending from the davit, and is passed through the ring K of the slings at
the bow of the boat, and then through another ring L attached to the block N, and
thence to the detaching device, as shown. By means of this arrangement the boat
is not released at either end until it is wholly supported by the wave, and either end
might be lifted independently without danger, as the bolt will not fall so long as the
strain of either rope is upon it. Immediately the strain is taken off both ropes G, H,
the boat is released at both ends of the rope I, slipping freely through the rings K, L.
It will thus be seen that the boat cannot be released at one end without being
released at the other also, and thus all liability of dragging is avoided. This
arrangement of tackle allows the horizontal rope as well as the detaching device to
be suspended at a convenient height above the beads of the persons in the boat.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 show the Invention applied as a railway coupling, Figure 6
being a side elevation coupled; Figure 7, the same uncoupled; and Figure 8, a
plan.
The construction of the apparatus is identical with that above described, except
that there is no suspending ring a¹, and the safety cord o is otherwise applied.
R, R, are iron loops fixed to the buffer planks of the carriages, from which they
project horizontally. The loop on the one carriage may be a double one, and the
loop on the other carriage may be either a single or triple loop, the loops inter-
locking, as shown, and both passing through the aperture in the block A, and
secured by the bolts C, which pass through the loops, as shown in Figure 8. A
cord S is fastened at one end to one side of the block A and passes under the cross
bar D and up through eyes on the other side of the block, whence it is led to the
side of the carriage or other convenient position for operating the coupling. By
drawing the cord tight and making it fast the coupling cannot become detached

page_text: when it is not desired it should do so. In order to uncouple a carriage it is only
necessary to slacken the cord, whereupon the bolts C will fall if there be no strain
upon them.
Instead of a cord S any other convenient mechanical contrivances may be
employed. By this means it will not be necessary for the men to go between the
carriages to couple up and uncouple, and if desired the engine driver or guard may
couple or uncouple at any moment from their position on the train.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. An automatic detaching device or apparatus for disconnecting ships' boats,
and other purposes, consisting of two self-releasing vertical bolts and a central guide
rod applied, as described, at either side of a block having a horizontal aperture,
through which loops are passed from opposite sides, and around the bolts, which
retain said loops so long as they are subject to strain, but instantly fall and release.
the loops when the strain is taken off, substantially as herein shown and
described.
Second. The employment in combination with one such automatic detaching
device of the arrangement of ropes shown in Figure 1 for connecting the boat to the
davit tackle and ensuring the simultaneous release of both ends of the boat, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Alexander Brice, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WILLIAM A. BRICE. (L.S.)