IMPROVEMENTS IN REEFING AND FURLING SAILS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Wain, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Block Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REEFING AND FURLING SAILS."
Sealed the 7th January 1858, and dated the 10th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Wain at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th July 1858.
I, GEORGE HENRY WAIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Block
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REEPING AND FURLING SAILS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a method by which the topsails, top-gallant sails,
and courses of square-rigged vessels can be reefed, unreefed, furled and
unfurled from the deck. I suspend the yards and attach the sails by jackstays
or otherwise in the ordinary manner; to the sail is affixed by eyelet holes and
points or otherwise, a parallel spar or roller made of wood, galvanized iron
tubing, or other suitable material extending over the width of the sail and to
which is affixed two flanged bosses or sheaves at each end, and when neces-
sary one in the centre; to these bosses or sheaves, which I prefer making
octagonal with flat sides, having on each a raised stud, I fasten, when the
sail is close reefed, chains made with iron links of the same length as the flats
on the bosses, and with holes in each to catch the studs, affixed to the two

page_text: chains working in bosses at the extremities of the parallel spar, are common
chains or ropes, which are led upwards through cheek blocks fixed on the
yards, thence through blocks attached to the crosstrees, and then downwards
to the deck or elsewhere, and fastened; the chains or ropes affixed to the two
chains on the bosses or sheaves inside of those last described are short, and
have blocks attached to the ends; through these blocks pass ropes or chains,
the one of which is attached to the lower yardarm, and the other to the deck
as a downhaul. The flanged boss or sheave in the centre is attached by two
slack hoops, one on each side of it to a parrall on the mast; when this boss
and parrall is used an opening or division in the sail is required. On my
principle, suppose a topsail was close reefed and it required to be set by
unfastening the downhaul which is attached to the chains leading from the
inner bosses or sheaves on the parallel spar, and pulling the haulyards, the
spar will revolve and unroll that part of the sail reefed or wound on it by
raising the topsail yard, the chains in all the bosses or sheaves will be wound
on and the chains or ropes attached to the two outer bosses or sheaves on the
spar at the one end, and the other on deck kept tight so that they will still
support the weight of the parallel spar. Again, suppose a topsail set, and it
required to be reefed, by unfastening the haulyards, and pulling the downhaul
attached to the chains or ropes on the inner bosses or sheaves, the spar will
revolve and roll on the reef or reefs by unwinding the chains on the bosses or
sheaves already mentioned. For reefing and unreefing I attach the parallel
spar or roller a little above the middle of the sail, so that when it has wound
on to itself the top part of the sail, it will lay snug under the yard and be close
reefed. For furling and unfurling (by which also reefing can be done) I
attach the parallel spar or roller a little below the middle of the sail, so that
the whole of it is wound on, when the spar lays snug under the yard.
I claim as my Invention the application of a revolving spar attached to the
sail with the bosses or sheaves and gearing arranged as described, and for the
purposes set forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Henry Wain in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY WAIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Block Maker; send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Henry Wain; a
special license that I, the said George Henry Wain, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Henry Wain, 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 REEFING AND
FURLING SAILS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Henry Wain, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Henry Wain, 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 (that is to say):
My Invention for improvements in reefing and furling sails, consists of a new
and novel means by which the topsails, top-gallant sails, and courses of
square-rigged vessels can be reefed, unreefed, or furled and unfurled from the
deck; the machinery and appliances I use for performing the above
operations will be better understood and described by referring to the accom
panying outline Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents the topsail h, h, unfurled and set; A is the topsail-
yard, B the lower yard, C is a revolving spar or roller made of wood,
galvanized iron tubing, or other suitable material, and is made fast to the sail
in any convenient manner; d, d, are iron flanges or bosses made fast to each
end of the revolving spar; J, K, are ropes made fast round each flange or boss,
the rope J is wound around the flange in a opposite direction to rope K, the
ropes J passes through blocks i, g, and p, and down to the deck; the rope K
passes through blocks e and f, and also down to the deck; from this arrange-
ment it will be seen that if the topsail-yard A be lowered or brought nearer
the yard B by pulling at the rope or haulyard J, the spar or roller C will
revolve and furl up the sail in proportion as the topsail-yard is lowered by
fastening up the topsail-yard A and slacking off the rope J, the unfurling or

page_text: setting of the sail is performed; L represents a parrel which encircles the mast
and is made to slide up and down, and is kept close to revolving spar by a
haulyard passing through a block attached to the parrel of topsail-yard; a
side elevation of which is shewn at Fig. 2.
M is a rest for revolving spar C;
attached to the centre of this spar is a strip of canvas or broad band, the other
end of which is made fast to the round top, and is held in its place by roller n.
Fig. 3 shews a side elevation of Fig. 1, with the sail close reefed. Fig. 4
represents the topsail h, h, with an opening or division in the centre of the
same, the sail is split or divided as low as the cap or close reef point. In this
arrangement I dispense with the ropes or downhauls J, also the blocks i, g,
and P (shewn in Fig. 1), to the end of topsail-yard I attach a swivil block e,
another block is attached to saddle of topsail-yard; through those blocks the
ropes or haulyards k are past, and thence down to the deck. The plan of reefing
and unreefing is performed as described in Fig. 1, and as a safeguard against
the wind unreefing any portion of the sail during the opperation of reefing, I
attach to the centre of the said roller a catch wheel with a flange on each
side, as shewn at Fig. 5. T is the catch wheel, V the flanges, U the catch
or fall which can be thrown in and out of goar by a hauling line. The
catch wheel in revolving spar and fall are attached to parrel L, and as the
spar C revolves the catch U holds it in its place.
Fig. 6 represents the sail h, h, with revolving spar C placed below the
centre, and is reefed and unreefed as before described; x is an auxilliary
roller, to which is attached the lower portion of the sail, which lower portion
is divided from the upper portion. The auxilliary roller a is suspended from
revolving spar C in iron suspenders, and has a rotary motion given to it by
hauling down the rope J, and letting go the topsail sheets W, thus entirely
furling up the lower portion of the sail. Fig. 7 shews the revolving spar C,
with the sail attached to it, incased in the topsail-yard A. When this
arrangement is used, I prefer the topsail-yard to be made hollow, and of
homogeneous steel, with a slot or division R from the one end of the yard to
the other, and fitted with iron caps V at each end. These caps have a hole
drilled in the centre, through which hole a spindle or shaft g, made fast to
each end of revolving spar C turns round. On the spindle or shaft g are
fixed. small rollers Z; a rope K, or other suitable haulyard is wound round
those rollers, and passed through blocks e and f, and down to the deck. When
this sail is set, by lowering the topsail-yard and hauling on rope K, the
revolving spar turns round, and the furling and reefing of the sail is per-
formed. Fig. 8 shews a side elevation of the topsail yard in Fig. 7; C is
the revolving spar with the sail h, h, attached; A is the hollow topsail-

page_text: yard; S, the friction rollers to facilitate the sail working in and out of the
slot, and 9, the spindle or shaft attached to revolving spar C, and projecting
from each end; M, rest for supporters revolving spar C. Fig. 9 represents a
parrel, with two friction rollers A 1, working on suitable shafts, and made to
encircle the mast B 2, which I use on some occasions.
Although I have described my Invention under certain forms and arrange-
ments of the different parts, as exhibited in the Drawings, still I do not
conform myself thereto, as such may be varied or modified without departing
from the principle of the same; but I claim as my Invention, and which to
the best of my knowledge and belief has not been hitherto used :-
First, I claim as original and new the application of a revolving spar or
roller made fast to any portion of the sail, as before described, which spar is.
made to turn round and furl up the sail in two directions, with the application
of every such spar for every such purpose.
Secondly, I claim the peculiar arrangement of ropes or other haulyards for
giving the required rotary motion to the revolving spar.
Thirdly, I claim the combination and general arrangement of machinery
and parts before described, and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Wain, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Signed, by the said George Henry
Wain, in the presence of
GEORGE HENRY WAIN. (L.S.)
JOHN WHITLEY, Sol",
Liverpool.