IMPROVE- MENTS IN WINDLASSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Horatio Harfield, of the Mansion House
Buildings, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDLASSES."
Sealed the 10th November 1874, and dated the 4th September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Horatio
Harfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 4th September 1874.
I, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of the Mansion House Buildings, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to the means for reversing the action of the
purchase wheels of windlasses so as when required to heave chain from
the lockers.
The nipping pawls, which are jointed to carriers, and used as heretofore
in combination with levers and rods to actuate purchase wheels to heave

page_text: in cable, are formed with double noses, which will act both ways. A
rocking lever also is loosely jointed or connected with the pawls or their
carriers, and vibrates with them. This lever can be raised, bringing with
it the carriers and pawls. Raising the carriers brings the reverse nose of
the pawls into action, and thus causes the purchase wheels and windlass
to be revolved in the opposite direction.
When "ratchet" purchase wheels and pawls are used, I either form
the pawls with double points capable of acting either on the lower or
the upper face of the ratchet teeth, or else I arrange two sets of pawls
to act in contrary directions.
In the above arrangements the rods in the forward action of the
windlass are alternately pulling up the pawls, and are in tension. In
the reverse action of the windlass the rods alternately press down the
pawls, and are thus in compression.
In some cases in place of fitting them to the ordinary heaving in
carrier pawls I arrange separate carriers for the reversing pawls and
place them by preference on the reverse side of the windlass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Horatio Harfield in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HORATIO HARFIELD, of the Mansion House Buildings, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Horatio Harfield, Her
special license that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Horatio Harfield, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
2

page_text: 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the means for reversing the action of the
purchase wheels of windlasses so as when required to heave chain from
the lockers or for other purposes.
The nipping pawls, which are jointed to carriers and used as heretofore
in combination with levers and rods to actuate purchase wheels to heavo
in cable, are formed with double noses which will act both ways. A
rocking lever also is loosely jointed or connected with the pawls or their
carriers, and vibrates with them. This lever can be raised, bringing
with it the carriers and pawls. Raising the carriers brings the reverse
nose of the pawls into action, and thus causes the purchase wheels and
windlass to be revolved in the opposite direction.
ار
When: "ratchet" purchase wheels and pawls are used, I either form
the pawls with double points, capable of acting either on the lower or
upper face of the ratchet teeth, or else I arrange two sets of pawls
to act in contrary directions.
the
In the above arrangements the rods in the forward action of the
windlass are alternately pulling up the pawls, and are in tension. . In.
the reverse action of the windlass the rods alternately press down the
pawls, and are thus in compression.
.

page_text: In some cases in place of fitting them to the ordinary heaving in
carriers I arrange separate carriers for the reversing pawls, and place
them by preference on the reverse side of the windlass.
In some cases in place of fitting them to the ordinary heaving in
carriers I arrange separate carriers for the reversing pawls, and place
them by preference on the reverse side of the windlass.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 is a front view of a windlass worked with frictional nipping
lever pawls, and having my improved reversing gear attached.
Figure 2 is a side view with the reversing lever (a) out of gear, so that
the action is the same as in an ordinary windlass, and chain will be hove
in by the up-and-down motion of the manual levers (b), (b).
"
Figure 3 is a side view with the reversing lever (a) in gear, so that the
up-and-down motion of the manual levers (b), (b), rotates the purchase
wheels c, c, and with them the cable holders (d), (d), in the opposite
direction, thus heaving cable from the lockers. This is effected in the
following manner :-The nipping pawls (e), (e), are formed with double
noses (e), (e). These pawls are loosely jointed by links (f), (f), to a
rocking lever (g), which vibrates with the pawls as they are alternately
raised and lowered by the manual levers. The centre of this lever fits
loosely on the end of another lever (h) which is pivotted in the standard
at i. The other end of this lever has a spring (%) fixed to it. The
reversing lever (a) is pivotted on the same centre i as the other lever (h).
When it is required to reverse the windlass the lever (a) is forced down
as far as it will go, and kept in its place by a pin (1), Figure 3.
It will be seen that forcing down the reversing lever has compressed
the spring (k) and caused the other end of lever (h) to rise, bringing
with it the rocking lever (9) and also the two nipping pawls e,
their carriers, and that the lower noses of pawls e², e², are forcibly pressed
against the edges of purchase wheels. It will now be found that on
working the manual levers up and down the rods (m), (m), which pre-
viously lifted the pawls alternately, now force them down alternately,
causing the windlass to rotate in the opposite direction. The rods in the
forward action of the windlass, Figure 2, are alternately pulling up the
pawls and carriers, and are in tension. In the reverse action of the
windlass, Figure 3, the rods alternately press down the pawls, and are
.

page_text: thus in compression. The spring (k) causes the action to be more
smooth and allows for any slight inequalities of thickness in the purchase
wheels. The use of this spring is however not absolutely essential.
Figures 4 and 5 shew modifications of my Invention to suit cases in
which ratchet toothed purchase wheels are used. It is understood that
there are two purchase wheels with pawl carriers, rods, and manual
levers for rotating the purchase wheels by the up-and-down motion of
the manual levers, as in an ordinary windlass.
Figure 4 shews a purchase wheel (a), pawl carrier (6), lifting rod (c),
pawl with double points (d). The upper-point is shewn in gear to
rotate the windlass in a forward direction; when the pawl is thrown into
the position shewn by.dotted lines, the windlass would be rotated in the
opposite direction. Figure 5 shews an arrangement with two separate
pawls, one (e) to rotate the windlass in a forward direction, and the
other pawl (ƒ) to reverse the direction, the pawls not in use to be fixed
out of gear by a pin (g).
"
In some cases in place of combining the reversing pawls with the
ordinary heaving in pawls I arrange separate pawls and carriers for
reversing, placing them by preference on the opposite side of windlass.
When the windlass is placed on one deck and the manual levers on
another, if preferred I place the reversing levers on the same deck, as
the manual levers are worked from communicating with the pawls by
rods or chains. Though a windlass is shewn suitable for being worked
by an endless chain from a steam winch, yet I do not confine my
Invention for use to such windlasses, but use it either for plain manual
power windlasses, or windlasses worked by a steam engine direct or by a
capstan, and either with purchase wheels with smooth rims for nipping
lever pawls or ratchet toothed purchase wheels.
Having now described my Invention and the manner of carrying the
same into practice, I would state that I claim as my Invention,-
1st. The method of reversing the rotation of a windlass by frictional |
nipping lever pawls with double noses, substantially as described and
illustrated at Figures 1, 2, and 3.
2nd. The method of reversing the rotation of a windlass by counter-
balanced double-ended pawls working into ratchet teeth on purchase
wheels, substantially as described and illustrated at Figure 4.

page_text: 3rd. The method of reversing the rotation of a windlass by separate
pawls acting in contrary directions, substantially as described and illus-
trated at Figure 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Horatio Harfield, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-fifth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five
W. H. HARFIELD. (L.S.)
25th February 1875.