Improvements in Rocket Life Saving Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rocket Life Saving Apparatus.
1, GEORGE HARRIS of 13 Walerand Road Granville Park, Lewisham, in the
County of Kent, Captain in the Naval Ordnance Department do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to rocket life saving apparatus and consists in the following
improvements.
To a rocket, preferably of the usual life-saving pattern as prescribed by the Board
of Trade, is attached in a suitable manner a three or four pronged steel grapnel of
sufficient strength should the grapnel secure a grip of a substantial projection on
the shore, to support an endless rope, a breeches buoy and the weight of a man in
the buoy.
The grapnel arins may be hinged in the head of the rocket which may be
made with springs therein to protrude the arms of the grapnel when released as
described hereinafter, or the grapnel arms may be hinged to or in the metal disk or
disks which are at present provided near or at the middle of the rocket.
The force of the pressure of the charge in the rocket is utilized to overcome the
pressure of the springs which protrude the grapnal arms so that the latter are
held folded to the sides of the rocket until the charge is nearly spent when the
springs will displace the small remainder of charge and so throw the arins
outward.
The head of the rocket may for the same purpose be provided with a buffer rod
either free or within a collapsible false head or front so that should the rocket
strike a rock or other hard surface the buffer will displace the remainder of the
charge sufficiently or otherwise act to free the grapnel arms.
The rope, which in the present case is a double or endless rope, passes through
a shackle or eye or pulley attached by a sufficient length of wire rope or wire to the
rocket itself so that the flame of the rocket will not injure the rope.
A portfire is also attached to the rocket and connected by slow fuse composition
with the charge of the rocket at a point near the head, that is to say so that the fuse
will be fired when the charge in the rocket approaches exhaustion.
It is preferable to arrange the port fire in or as part of the rocket stick by making
the latter partly tubular, and for instance at such part of papier maché, and leading
the fuse to a powder puff which will shatter the papier maché at one end of the port
fire and fire the latter.
The portfire is intended to burn for a considerable time, say twenty minutes, to
assure that the rocket is above water and to indicate as far as possible its position
to the persons on the ship. At the end of the portfire is a second puff which by its
explosion will assure the persons on the ship that the rocket has not been simply
extinguished by the wash of waves.
:
The breeches buoy is intended to be supported on the endless rope after the
rocket has found a secure hold on the shore, and for this purpose the slings of the
buoy should be made short and be attached to a pulley with three sheaves-namely
two for use one on each rope in the usual way so that the latter may be worked as
an endless rope from the ship or from the buoy, and one larger sheave so that if the
ropes are found to be twisted the buoy may be run on the twisted rope to be worked
ashore by man in the buoy.
The pulley should be a snatch block to enable the man in the buoy to transfer
the ropes from one sheave to another and yet without danger of freeing them from
the block by accident.
The breeches should be made with a baggy seat to enable the man to sit well

page_text: down and thus clear his head of the ropes and block. The seat should be perforated
with large sized eyelets to drain rapidly.
The trough for firing the rocket may be made without legs but with the usual
pry pole, the trough can be mounted on a ball and socket joint with an adjusting
thumb screw for the elevation and a second thumb screw for levelling the trough so
as to allow for the probable slope of the deck. The stanchion should fit any
stanchion hole on the deck or bulwarks or other convenient spot.
The trough may also be lengthened if found desirable owing to the weight of the
grapnel.
Dated this 9th day of May 1905
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rocket Life Saving Apparatus.
1, GEORGE HARRIS Captain Naval Ordnance Department and 13 Walerand
Road Granville Park Lewisham S.E. do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The invention consists in providing the present Board of Trade life saving rocket
with a metal head which shall contain the mechanism for holding three or more
grapnel blades down the outside of the rocket case and for throwing the blades out
at a certain time (about 4 seconds from the time of firing) or for throwing them
out on impact; and in arranging that the rocket composition shall communicate a
Hight to
to a portion of the rocket stick duly prepared as a red and blue light; also
in conveying a small block and double or endless line during its (i.e. the rocket's)
flight.
g to a portion of the rocket stick duly prepared as a red and blue light; also
in conveying a small block and double or endless line during its (i.e. the rocket's)
flight.
"The rocket when thus arranged consists of the following parts.
1. rocket case filled with rocket composition.
1 head of gunmetal or other metal with the following component parts-viz.:
3 or more grapnel arms of iron or steel.
1 dome head with steel striker.
1 crown plate for retaining the spring.
1 steel spiral spring.
1 inner ring and washer.
I lead pillar with closing disc and smaller disc.
1 rocket stick fitted with a papier mache end and filled with blue and red light
composition.
1 swivel block and hold fast chain or links.
1 endless line.
Having described the rocket as it stands complete I now proceed to detail the
action of the various parts. The grapnel head (see X Figure 1) is attached to the
fore part of the rocket case (see Y Fig. 1) by screws. The grapnel arms A Fig. 2
which are triangular shaped blades ending with an oval shaped fluke or grip B are
attached to the head by a hinge and bolt connection C, the inside face of each
blade hinge being fitted with inner pins or hooks D. The grapnel arms are
retained down the outside of the rocket case by the upward pressure of the smaller
disc E, on its lead pillar F, and closing disc G. The closing disc G rests on the
rocket composition H and this latter disc is retained in its correct place by the inner
ring I and its washer of leather. The disc G and ring I in conjunction with the
leather washer between them acts as an obturator and prevents the escape of
gas towards the head whilst the rocket composition is burning. The spiral
spring J for forcing the blades out is compressed between the inner pins or

page_text: hooks and the crown plate K. The dome head L is fitted with a steel striker M
and is specially weakened towards its base to facilitate crushing up on impact. The
holdfast chains N see Fig. 1 are connected with a single block through which latter
runs a double or endless line. The papier mache portion of the stick P Fig. 1 is
filled with blue and red light composition and is connected with the rocket com-
position by the tube Q Fig. 1 which is filled with mealed powder. This rocket
light see Fig. 1 has the following component arrangement-viz.: " is the mealed
powder in tube-"6" is a powder puff for opening the papier mache case at "c"-
"d" is the blue light composition-"e" is a further vent hole"ƒ” is the red
light composition--and "g" is a final powder puff.
a
"
-

page_text: of a detonator and the use of a light so fitted in connection with the life saving
rocket to denote its position on dry ground.
6. The method of closing the head of the rocket using the closing disc, a leather
washer, and the inner ring as an obturator to prevent the escape of a heavy body
of gas over the head.
7. The conveyance by a rocket of an endless or double line with its block as the
means of communication between two given points.
Dated this 8th day of February 1893.
GEORGE HARRIS.