IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC DETACHING AND SAFETY
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Dixon, Engineer, Blyth, Matthew Waddle, Fitter,
Blyth, Edward Marshall, Marine Surveyor, North Shields, and Robert
Dawson Colliery Engineer, Blyth, all in the County of Northumberland
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC DETACHING AND SAFETY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Dixon, Matthew
Waddle, Edward Marshall, and Robert Dawson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 24th November 1883.
JOHN DIXON, Engineer, Blyth, MATTHEW WADDLE, Fitter, Blyth, EDWARD
MARSHALL, Marine Surveyor, North Shields, and ROBERT DAWSON, Colliery
Engineer, Blyth, all in the County of Northumberland, "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AUTOMATIC DETACHING AND SAFETY ATTACHING GEAR FOR SHIPS BOATS
"
Our invention relates to improved apparatus for automatically detaching ships
boats by contact with the water and specially to means whereby the attaching to
the tackles may be effected with absolute safety from the dangers incidental to
one end being attached without the other and the boat capsized and probably
destroyed. At each end of the boat is an open frame forming a "stanchion" from
underside of "thwart " down to the keel and in each thwart is a transverse opening
through which the link or shackle of lower tackle block passes to engage with the
detaching lever hook. This lever hook is of peculiar shape, to suit the action of
the safety attaching gear to be presently described, and works upon a fulcrum-pin-
between the sides of frame, its point being just underneath the "thwart" and
it has a tail piece formed upon it which is attached by a short link to the
upper end of a vertical lever having its fulcrum on a pin between the sides of
"stanchion" frame and its lower end connected by a rod or tube along the boats
keel to the lower end of a similar lever at the other end of boat which is attached
in a similar manner to the tail end of the other lover hook the connection causing
the action at both ends to be simultaneous.

page_text: On one of the vertical levers at a suitable angle from its fulcrum, is a projecting
arm which carries a heavy balance weight (or attached to a spring or springs) the
momentum (or elasticity) of which when the boats falling is arrested by reaching
the water causes the hooks at both ends to fall over and detach instantly and
simultaneously.
We will now describe the peculiar safety attaching gear by which one hook is
prevented being attached without the other which consists at each end of the boat
of a trigger lock lever or levers formed of one or more bars which pass just under
the opening in "thwart" working on a fulcrum underneath the "thwarts" and
having at their free end a claw or claws of a peculiar form such that when they
are at their normal position (in which they are maintained by a balance weight or
by springs on tail end beyond the fulcrum) a loop on their outer claw shaped ends
receives a pin or stud projecting from each side of the lever hook which is now
turned down in its detached position. If it is now attempted to attach one of the
tackle links or shackles at either end by forcing it down upon the trigger lever it
will be found that the curved outer ends of the trigger lever by contact with the
pin or stud will prevent the hook at that end from turning upward and thus, by
the connection between the ends of the boat, both hooks are locked and incapable
of attaching by engaging with the link or shackle; but if the links or shackles of
both tackle blocks are inserted at the same time, by a man at each end of the boat,
the trigger levers are both depressed and their curved ends now allow the studs in
the hooks to travel upward as the hooks revolve on their fulcrum pins, by the
lever arm which carries balance weight (or attached to springs) being pulled
upward by one of the men and secured by a cord, chain or otherwise The hooks
having entered the shackles the boat is securely attached at both ends for lifting
up to davits, when the lever arm may be released.
When in this position, the trigger levers are kept depressed by the studs in
hooks but the moment detaching again takes place they return to their normal
position by the action of their balance weights or springs, and receive the studs
in hooks as they fall over, in their looped ends and the hooks are again locked.
The whole of the gear is simple, direct acting and mechanical in arrangement it
is perfectly protected being entirely under the thwarts at each end of boat, and
there is no projection whatever above the thwarts to be carried away or injured by
accident and impede the working of the boats sails. The attachments on the
lower blocks being a plain shackle or link there is no danger of it fouling or
"clicking" the boat as with a hook. The feature which we consider gives it
special superiority over all existing boat gear is the perfect safety in attaching the
boat making it impossible to attach one end to the tackles without the other.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Dixon, Matthew Waddle, Edward Marshall, and Robert
Dawson in the Patent Office on the 24th May 1884.
JOHN DIXON Engineer Blyth, MATTHEW WADDLE Fitter Blyth, EDWARD
MARSHALL Marine Surveyor North Shields and ROBERT DAWSON Colliery
Engineer Blyth all in the County of Northumberland IMPROVEMENTS IN
AUTOMATIC DETACHING AND SAFETY ATTACHING GEAR FOR SHIP'S BOATS.
Our invention relates to improved apparatus for automatically detaching ships
boats by contact with the water and specially to means whereby the attaching to
the tackles may be effected with absolute safety from the dangers incidental to one
end being attached without the other and the boat capsized and probably destroyed.
At each end of the boat is an open frame forming a "stanchion" from underside of
"thwart" down to the keel and in each "thwart" is a transverse opening through
which the link or shackle of lower tackle block passes to engage with the detaching
lever hook. This lever hook is of peculiar shape, to suit the action of the safety
attaching gear to be presently described, and works upon a fulcrum pin between
the sides of frame, its point being just underneath the "thwart" and it has a tail
piece formed upon it which is attached by a short link to the upper end of a vertical
lever having its fulcrum on a pin between the sides of "stanchion" frame and its
lower end connected by a rod or tube along the boats keel to the lower end of a
similar lever at the other end of boat which is attached in a similar manner to the
tail end of the other lever hook the connection causing the action at both ends to
be simultaneous. For simplicity and economy we propose in some cases to dispense
with the short link connection and to form the hooks upon the upper ends of
the vertical levers the action being the same but we prefer the first described
arrangement.
On one of the vertical levers at a suitable angle from its fulcrum, is a projecting
arm which carries a heavy balance weight (or attached to a spring or springs) the
momentum (or elasticity) of which when the boats falling is arrested by reaching
the water causes the hooks at both ends to fall over and detach instantly and
simultaneously.
We will now describe the peculiar safety attaching gear by which one hook is
prevented being attached without the other which consists at each end of the boat
of a "
trigger lock" lever or levers formed of one or more bars which pass just
under the opening in "thwart" working on a fulcrum underneath the "thwarts"
and having at their free end a claw or claws of a peculiar form such that when
they are at their normal position (in which they are maintained by a balance
weight or by springs on tail end beyond the fulcrum) a loop on their outer claw
shaped ends receives a pin or stud projecting from each side of the lever hook
which is now turned down in its detached position. If it is now attempted to attach
one of the tackle links or shackles at either end by forcing it down upon the trigger
lever it will be found that the curved outer ends of the "Trigger" lever by contact
with the pin or stud will prevent the hook at that end from turning upward and
thus by the connection between the ends of the boat, both hooks are locked and
incapable of attaching by engaging with the link or shackle, but if the links or
shackles of both tackle blocks are inserted at the same time by a man at each end
of the boat, the trigger levers are both depressed and their curved ends now allow
the studs in the hooks to travel upward as the books revolve on their fulcrum pins
by the lever arm which carries balance weight (or attached to springs) being pulled
upward by one of the men and secured by a cord chain or otherwise. The hooks

page_text: having entered the shackles, the boat is securely attached at both ends for lifting up
to davits when the lever arm may be released. When in this position the "trigger
levers are kept depressed by the studs in hooks but the moment detaching again
takes place they return to their normal position by the action of their balance
weights or springs, and receive the studs in books as they fall over in their looped
ends and the hooks are again locked.
The whole of the gear is simple, direct acting and mechanical in arrangement it
is perfectly protected being entirely under the "thwarts" at each end of boat and
there is no projection whatever above the "thwarts" to be carried away or injured
by accident and impede the working of the boats sails. The attachments on the
lower blocks being a plain shackle or link there is no danger of it fouling or
clicking" the boat as with a hook. The feature which we consider gives it
special superiority over all existing boat gear is the perfect safety in attaching the
boat making it impossible to attach one end to the tackles without the other
$
On the accompanying Sheet of drawings, Figure 1, shews a boat hanging in the
blocks ready for detaching when equally waterborne, Figure 2 shews the boat
detached upon reaching the water. The same letters denote corresponding parts on
both figures. The arrows indicate direction in which ship is moving.
On Figure 1-A and A¹ are the stanchion frames at stern and stem respectively,
B and B are the hooks (working on fulcrum pins C and C¹) shewn closed and
hanging the boat in the long links or shackles, D and D' of the lower tackle
blocks E and E¹, through transverse slots in "thwarts." The tail piece of each
hook is connected by short links F and F¹ to upper ends of levers G and G¹
working on fulcrum pins H and H' in stanchions their lower ends being connected
by the rod K which runs along bottom of boat and by means of which connection
their action is simultaneous both in detaching and attaching. One of the levers G'
carries an arm L with a weight M constantly tending to open the books which is
prevented by the weight of the boat hanging in the shackles until it reaches the
water and is equally waterborne-Figure 2 shews the boat in this position when
the weight being taken by the water the balance weight M by its momentum
descends, pulls open and detaches the hooks B and B₁ from the shackles
simultaneously, but if the boat reaches the water either end first by unequal
lowering or is struck by a rising wave the weight hanging on the opposite end
prevents detaching taking place. The boat now being in the water we will
describe the action of our safety "locking" gear in preventing one end being
attached without the other involving serious danger. At each end of the boat,
under the "thwarts," is a locking lever N and N¹ (Figures 1 and 2) working on a
fulcrum O and O¹ with a balance weight P and P¹ on opposite side-A stud R on
the hook B which is now full open (see enlarged view Figures 3 and 4) engages
with the curved jaws of the locking levers N and N', when in position shewn on
Figure 2 and by dotted lines, in Figures 3 and 4 and prevents the hook closing at
either end without the other end also closing and this can only be effected by the
shackles being inserted at both ends at once, when they press down both the locking
levers as shewn on Figures 3 and 4 and the hooks are free to close into the shackles,
being turned upward by pulling up the lever arm L, by a chain S, through a hole
in the thwart, the arm L being held up, or made fast by a pin or, by a weight on
end of chain, hanging loosely over the edge of thwart to prevent the hooks
reopening till the weight of the boat is taken by blocks when they cannot detach
Figure 3 shews, on an enlarged scale, our improved hook and locking gear fitted
in bow of a boat the hook B being open and ready for attaching the shackle D
having entered the slot and pressed down the "locking" lever N so as to allow the
hook to close into the shackle by the lever arm L being raised by the chain as in
Figure 1.

page_text: Figure 4 shews, on an enlarged scale, our gear fitted in a modified manner by
forming the hook B upon the upper end of the lever G-In this modification the
arm L is shewn reversed so as to close the hook by being pulled up and open it to
detach by the momentum of the weight M but the action of the hook and of the
safety locking gear, by means of the connecting rod K is the same as before
described.
The whole of the gear at each end of boat is intended to be boxed in as well as
the connecting rod K along keel. Nothing being seen above the thwarts but the
plates covering transverse slots and the end of the chain S with its handle or
weighed "knob."
It will be seen that the automatic detaching and the safety attaching are entirely
distinct from each other and our detaching gear can be fitted without the safety
attaching or the latter can be adapted and fitted to other forms of detaching gear
automatic or otherwise
Having now fully described our invention and illustrated the modes in which we
consider it may best be practicably applied although we do not restrict ourselves to
the precise details of construction we declare that what we claim as novel and
secured to us by Letters Patent is ;
First. The safety "locking" gear for preventing attaching of one end of a boat
without the other, applicable to boat detaching gear such as shewn or in modified
forms to certain other boat detaching gears automatic or otherwise, substantially as
shewn and described
Second. The general arrangement of parts forming in combination the automatic
boat detaching gear, without the safety attaching gear, constructed and operating
substantially as shewn and described.
Third. The general arrangement of parts forming, in combination the automatic
boat detaching and safety locking attaching gear constructed and operating
substantially as shewn and described
In witness whereof I the said Edward Marshall on behalf of myself and
the said John Dixon, Matthew Waddle and Robert Dawson have hereunto set
my hand and seal this twenty third day of May in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty four
Witness:
T. J. DANSON F. Inst. P.A
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent
Newcastle on Tyne
EDWARD MARSHALL (L.S.)