Improvements in and relating to the Raising, Housing, Lowering, and Disengaging of Ships' Boats.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1896-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Raising, Housing, Lowering,
and Disengaging of Ships' Boats.
We, THOMAS EDINGTON, of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Engineer, and ROBERT
BARR of 175 Nithsdale Road, Pollokshields, in the County of the City of Glasgow,
Shipowner, do hereby declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
or arrangement and combination of the parts of appliances for raising, housing
and covering, lowering, and disengaging ships boats on board of either steam or
sailing vessels, and which improvements will enable such boats to be launched on
either side of the ship as desired with great ease and speed.
In carrying the improvements of this invention into practice the vessel would be
fitted athwartship with two strong beams supported on standards at each side, at
or within the bulwarks or rails of the vessel, on which would be carried the boats
when housed, and the raising and lowering appliances.
These beams might be formed as girder beams of H section having the central
web vertical and might be either straight, or as preferably, curved or slightly
arched towards the centre. A light deck might be supported on these beams as a
cover to the working appliances, and on this deck or on the beams would be
mounted the chocks to carry the boats; one on each side for each boat to be
carried, which might be as many in number as could be accomodated in the breadth
of the vessel. The chocks would be hinged to the beams or to the deck so as to
fall down outwards when released, and each would be fitted with a small bolt the
point of which would be made to pass through a slot in the boats keel to maintain
the chock in position when the boat was housed, the bolt being reciprocated by
means of a small hand lever pivotted to the lower part of chock and connected to
the bolt by a pin. The boat davits and the working appliances would be carried
on a strong transverse beam placed below the girder beams, and suspended from
them by means of a frame at each end fitted with two or more pulleys or wheels
running on and between the flanges of the girder beams, on the outside.
The lower flange of each beam, on the inside, being fitted with a toothed rack
along its whole length and toothed pinions on the ends of a rod or shaft carried
in bearings on the transverse beam would engage with the teeth of the rack, and
this shaft on being revolved by the mechanism to be described would traverse the
beam from one side of the ship to the other.
A frame underhung from the transverse beam would carry in bearings a vertical
spindle or shaft, the upper end of which would be fitted with a worm engaging
with a worm wheel on the transverse shaft and this would be operated by bevel
wheel gearing at its lower end from a horizontal shaft fitted with crank handles
and carried at lower part of underhung frame at a convenient height for working
same.
The transverse beam would be turned upwards at each end outside of and clear
of the girder beams and form the standards of the boat lowering davits. These
would be formed preferably as duplex horizontally projecting arms having their
inner ends bent downward and hinged or pivotted to turning rings secured on
bracket frames on top of standards. Each bracket frame would be of semicircular
shape at top, where the horizontal arm of the davit would rest on it, and be formed
with recesses or notches to receive and hold in place the davit arms.

page_text: The hingeing of the arms to the turning ring enables the arms to be lifted over
the projections between the notches when it is desired to change the position of the
arms which by this arrangement are capable of being placed in either of two
positions at about right angles to one another, so that boats can be lowered from
either side of the ship at will. By another arrangement, however, the bent down
ends of the davit arm may be rigidly secured to the turning ring, and rest upon
the smooth surface of bracket, in which case they could be secured in position by
pins or other stops.
The standards and davits would be fitted with the necessary pulleys for carrying
and guiding the hoisting ropes. The hoisting rope, preferably a steel wire rope for
strength, flexibility and economy of space, would be carried from each end of the
boat over these pulleys and conveyed through guides to opposite sides of a hori-
zontal toothed wheel underhung by a strong stud from the upper part of the frame
suspended beneath the transverse beam. This wheel would be formed with two
deep grooves one for each rope, and its teeth would engage with a loose toothed
wheel on the upper end of a spindle or shaft carried on underhung frame.
The lower part of the loose wheel would be formed as a clutch with inclined
faces, to engage with another similar clutch secured on the vertical spindle ou the
lower end of which would be secured a large bevelled toothed wheel actuated by a
bevel toothed pinion on the horizontal shaft turned by the hand cranks. This
horizontal shaft fitted with a double faced bevel pinion being fitted to shift into or
out of gear with either of the vertical shafts, can be used either for raising the
boats or for carrying them across the vessel.
When geared with the large wheel it, would revolve the rope winding wheel by
means of the clutch and pinion to wind in the ropes slowly as when a boat is being
raised, but when only the ropes were to be drawn in quickly, the rope winding
wheel would be revolved by a handle, and the clutch would rise and automatically
disengage itself from the fixed one ou vertical shaft.
A band brake preferably one making a double turn would be fitted to act on the
periphery of the lower toothed wheel, and be kept in action by a strong spring
attached to one end and to the frame, and a hand lever would be fitted to take the
brake out of action by releasing the tension of the spring when it was desired to
allow the rope to run out as when lowering a boat.
The beat lowering and disengaging mechanism would be as follows:-
At each end of the boat would be fulcrumed to the under side of a thwart, or
the like, a lever, the lower end of which would be jointed at the bottom of the boat
to a horizontal rod, and the short upper end be formed as with an angled jaws
which would engage with and securely hold the T shaped lower end of a small
bolt attached to the lowering rope and passing through a hole in the thwart above
the jaws of lever.
Towards the centre of the boat the horizontal rods would pass through guides
and be fitted with hook shaped end pieces, with angled meeting surfaces, so that
when brought together by the drawing inwards of the lever to cause their jaws to
engage with the bolts attached to rope the iuclined surfaces would enable one hook
to glide over the end of the other and becoine locked with it.
A small haud lever pivotted to the under hook would lift and disengage the
upper one by means of a pin projecting from it when desired as when a boat had
been lowered to the water. When a boat had been raised from the water and
deposited on its chocks in position, the usual canvas cover would be secured over
it in a novel and improved manner.
Instead of lacing it to small eyebolts or rings along the outside of the boat the
edge of the canvas covering would be fitted with elongated links formed to curve
outwards at their lower end, and each link would be secured over the eye in a
similar manner to a hasp by a pin passing through it.
The heads of all the pins would be made to lie in one direction and each head
would be secured to a cord passing along each side of the boat and attached at one
end to the cover.

page_text: By this arrangement when it was desired to uncover the boat, one strong pull of
the cord would instantly release every pin the shape of the links allowing them to
leave the eye freely, and the cover could be removed by the same action. The
last two pins might be secured in their place by split pins passed through them so
as to hold themselves and all the others secure till to be released.
Instead of using manual labour for working the mechanism of the appliances an
electric motor might be employed where convenient or a small steam engine on the
frame may be employed, supplied with steam by flexible pipes.
Dated this 30th day of November 1895.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
Improvements in and relating to the Raising, Housing, Lowering,
and Disengaging of Ships' Boats.
We, THOMAS EDINGTON, of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Engineer, and ROBERT
BARR, of 175 Nithsdale Road, Pollokshields, in the County of the City of
Glasgow, Shipowner, do hereby declare the nature of our invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing that is to say :-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction
or arrangement and combination of the parts of appliances for raising, housing,
and covering, lowering and disengaging ships' boats on board of either steam or
sailing vessels and which improvements will enable such boats to be launched on
either side of the ship as desired with great ease and speed.
And in order that our said invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended three sheets of explanatory drawings in which
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 is a side view partly in section on the line 1-1 in Figure 2
of a ship's boat in housed position and the raising and lowering appliances;
Figures 1A and 1B on Sheet 3 being details.
Figure 2 on Sheet 2 is a corresponding end view, Figure 2ª showing details of
the cover securing devices, and
Figure 3 on Sheet 3 is a side view of a boat showing the suspending and
releasing devices.
Referring to these drawings:
-:
In carrying the improvements of this invention into practice the vessel, part of
the deck A and bulwarks A' of which are shown, is fitted athwartship with two
strong beams B supported on standards B' at each side, at or within the
bulwarks A or rails of the vessel, on which are carried the boats C when boused,
and the raising and lowering appliances.
These beams B, as shown, are formed as girder beams of H section having the
central web vertical and might be either straight, or preferably, as shown, be
curved or slightly arched towards the centre but they may be of any other suitable
section. A light deck, not shown in the drawings, may be supported on these
beams as a cover to the working appliances and on this deck, or as shown, on the
beams B are mounted the chocks D to carry the boats C; one on each side for
each boat to be carried, which may be as many in number as can be accommodated
in the breadth of the vessel. The chocks D are hinged as at D' to the beams B
or to the light deck so as to fall down outwards when released, and each is fitted
with a small bolt D' the point of which is made to pass through a slot C₁ seen in
Figure 3 in the boat's keel to maintain the chock in position when the boat is
housed, the bolt D' being reciprocated by means of a small hand lever D³ pivotted.

page_text: on the lower part of chock and connected to the bolt by a pin D³. The boat
davits E and the working appliances are carried on a strong transverse beam F
placed below the girder beams B, and suspended from them by means of a frame G
at each end fitted with two or more pulleys or wheels G' running on and between
the flanges of the girder beams B on the outside.
The upper surface of the lower flange of each beam B on the inside is formed as
or fitted with a toothed rack B2 shown in Figures 1 and 14 along its whole length,
and toothed pinions H' on the ends of a rod or shaft H carried in bearings H2 on
the transverse beam F engage with the teeth of the rack B' and this shaft H on
being revolved by the mechanism to be described traverses the beam B from one
side of the ship to the other.
A frame I underbung from the transverse beam F carries in bearings a vertical
spindle or shaft J shown in the detail view Figure 1B, the upper end of which is
fitted with a worm J¹ engaging with a worm wheel H³ on the transverse shaft H
and this is operated by a bevel wheel J2 at its lower end being brought into gear
with a bevel wheel Ki on the horizontal shaft K fitted with crank handles K' and
carried at lower part of underhung frame I at a convenient height for working
same. The shaft K is fitted to be moved so as to bring the bevel wheel K' into
gear with the bevel wheel and be held in position by the thick part of the tapered
pin K³ Figure 1B engaging with one of the grooves K on the shaft K.
The transverse beam F is turned upwards at each end outside and clear of the
girder beams B, and form the standards F¹ of the boat lowering davits E. These
davits E are formed preferably of two plates stayed together as duplex horizontally
projecting arms E having their inner ends E bent downwards and hinged or
pivotted to turning rings E² secured on bracket frames E³ on top of standards by
a ring plate E. Each bracket frame E³ is of semi-circular shape at top, where
the horizontal arm E of the davit rests on it, and is formed with recesses or
notches E to receive and hold in place the davit arms E.
The hingeing of the arms E to the turning rings E2 enables the arms E to be
lifted over the projections between the notches E when it is desired to change the
position of the arms E which by this arrangement are capable of being placed in
either of two positions at about right angles to one another, so that boats can be
lowered from either side of the ship at will.
By another arrangement, however, the bent down ends E¹ of the davit arms E
may be rigidly secured to the turning rings E2 and rest upon the smooth surface:
of bracket E formed without notches, in which case they could be secured in
position by pins or other stops.
The standards F¹ and davits E are fitted with the necessary pulleys for carrying
and guiding the hoisting ropes. The hoisting ropes L preferably of steel wire for
strength, flexibility and economy of space, would be carried from each end of the
boat Cover pulleys L' L' and through a central opening in the plate E* and a
guide E and be conveyed over pulley's L³ through guides L to opposite sides of a
horizontal toothed wheel M underhung by a strong stud M' from the upper part of
the frame I suspended beneath the transverse beam F. This wheel M is formed
with two deep grooves one for each rope, and its teeth engage with a loose
toothed wheel N on the upper end of a spindle or shaft N carried on underhung
frame I.
The lower part of the loose wheel N' is formed as a clutch with inclined faces to
engage with another similar clutch N2 secured on the vertical spindle N on the
lower end of which is secured a large bevelled toothed wheel N³ actuated by a bevel
toothed pinion K' on the horizontal shaft K turned by the hand cranks K². This
horizontal shaft fitted with the double faced bevel pinion K K or it may be two
separate pinions, is fitted to shift into or out of gear with either of the vertical
shafts J or N and secured in position by the pin K³ and can be used either for
raising the boats or for carrying them across the vessel. When the double faced
pinion K K is geared with the large wheel N³ it will revolve the rope winding
wheel M by means of the clutch N2 and pinion N' to wind in the ropes slowly as

page_text: when a boat is being raised, but when only the ropes are to be drawn in quickly,
the rope winding wheel M would be revolved by a handle M2 and the pinion and
clutch N¹ would rise and automatically disengage itself from the fixed one N³ on
vertical shaft N. A band brake O, preferably one making a double turn, is fitted
to act on the periphery of the lower toothed wheel N³ and is kept in action by a
strong spring O' attached to one of its ends and to the frame I and a hand
actuated bell crank lever O2 is fitted to take the brake out of action by releasing
the tension of the spring by means of the connecting rod 0³ when it is desired to
allow the rope to run out as when a boat is being lowered.
The boat lowering and disengaging mechanism is constructed and fitted as
follows:-
At each end of the boat C is fulcrumed to the under side of a thwart, or the
like C, a lever P the lower end of which is jointed at the bottom of the bcat to a
horizontal rod P¹ and the short upper end P2 is formed with angled jaws to form
a clutch to engage with and securely hold the T shaped lower end of a small
bolt Qattached to the lowering rope L and passing through a hole in the thwarts
above the jaws P of lever P.
Towards the centre of the boat the horizontal rods pass through guides P² and
are fitted with hook shaped end pieces P³ with angled meeting surfaces, so that
when brought together by the drawing inwards of the levers P to cause their jaws
to engage with the bolts Q attached to rope L the inclined surfaces would enable
one hook to glide over the end of the other end and become locked with it.
A small hand lever P4 pivotted to the under hook at P is employed to lift and
disengage the upper one by means of a pin P' projecting from it when desired as
when a boat had been lowered to the water or when it was desired to release the
bolts Q. When a boat has been raised from the water and deposited ou its chocks
in position, the usual canvas cover is secured over it in a novel and improved
manner. Instead of lacing it to small eyebolts or rings along the outside of the
boat, the edge of the canvas covering C³ is fitted with elongated links R formed to
curve outwards at their lower ends, and each link is secured over the eye R' in a
similar manner to a hasp by a pin R2 passing through it.
The heads of all the pins R' are made to lie in one direction and each head
would be secured to a cord R³ passing along each side of the boat and attached at
one end to the cover C³.
By this arrangement when it was desired to uncover the boat, one strong pull
of the cord would instantly release every pin, the shape of the links allowing
them to leave the eye freely, and the cover could be removed by the same action.
The last two pins might be secured in their places by split pins passed through
them so as to hold themselves and all the others secure till it is desired to release
them, when the split pins are removed.
Instead of using manual labour for working the mechanism of the appliances
an electric motor on the frame I might be employed where convenient or a small
steam engine supplied with steam by flexible pipes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. The appliances for raising, housing, lowering and disengaging of ships
boats all substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Second. In appliances for raising, housing, lowering and disengaging of ships
boats the construction and general arrangement and combination of the parts all
substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Third. In appliances for raising, housing, lowering and disengaging of ships
boats the construction and use of girder beams fitted with toothed racks for the
purpose of carrying and traversing the raising and lowering mechanism thereon

page_text: all substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Fourth. In appliances for raising, housing, lowering and disengaging of ships
boats the construction and use of the transverse beam, standards and davit arms
carried and travelling on the girder beams by pulleys all substantially as herein
described and illustrated by Figures 1 and of the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In appliances for raising, housing, lowering and disengaging of ships
boats the construction and use of a frame pendent from the transverse beam
and fitted with the traversing and winding mechanism all substantially as herein
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. For the housing of ships boats the use and construction of hinged
chocks fitted with hand lever actuated bolts for securing them to the boats keel
all substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Seventh. In appliances for raising, lowering and disengaging of ships boats
the construction of the holding and disengaging devices all substantially as herein
described and illustrated by Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Eighth. In the housing of ships boats the mode of and means for securing
the canvas or other cover by links and pins all substantially as herein described
and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, and 2ª of accompanying drawings.
1000
Dated
October
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.