IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SAILS FOR VESSELS AND THEIR RUNNING GEAR
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I IRA AUGUSTUS STORER, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth, Master
Mariner do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR RELATING TO SAILS FOR VESSELS AND THEIR RUNNING GEAR" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My Invention relates to certain improvements in sails and their running gear,
and it consists in the addition of certain lines, which I call "purchase-buntlines,"
whereby a portion of the sail may be hauled up to render the clewing up of the
remainder an casier matter, and in certain strengthening ropes upon the forward
part of the sail, as will bereinafter fully appear.
My Invention will be best illustrated in its application to a top-gallant sail, and
accordingly I have herein represented that sail and the gear appertaining thereto.
When a sail is very large, as these sails are, great difficulty is found in clewing
up. This has led to the placing upon large vessels of two yards-the upper and
lower top gallant yards-and of bending on each a top gallant sail-upper and
lower. These sails are each worked by its own set of running gear, and the
advantage obtained is in dividing a large sail into two smaller ones, each of which
is comparatively easy to be handled; but the obvious objections to the plan aro,
that a sail is more effective as a single sail than when the same amount of canvas
is made into two sails, that there is too much weight aloft, that it requires too
much gear, and that two yards and gearing are more expensive than one.
The object of my Invention is to retain the single large sail, and by a proper
arrangement of additional running gear avoid the difficulty of clewing up, and
also, by a proper strengthening of the sail, to economize in the character of the
canvas and still have the sail as strong as before.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of the after part of
the sail, showing the purchase bunt-lines in connection with the usual running
rigging. Fig. 2 is a view of the forward part of the sail, showing the strengthening
ropes and a part of the purchase-buntlines. Fig. 3 is a view of the after part of
the sail, showing the purchase bunt-lines alone for better inspection.
Let A represent the deck of a vessel, B the upper portion or head of the top
mast, C the top gallant mast, D the top gallant yard, E the top sail yard, and F the

page_text: top mast cross-tree with outriggers f. I have here shown also the top gallant
back-stays c, and the top-mast back-stays b.
S represents the top-gallant sail bent to the top gallant yard, and its clews
hauled to the sheave-holes of the top sail yard by the sheets a.
Qare the halyards of the top gallant yard.
P represents a pin-rail, which for convenience I here show as a means of
securing the running-rigging.
The innermost ropes & are the clew-lines. These pass up through the cross tree
through block t but instead of passing thence directly to and being secured to the
clews, they pass through a block t', attached to the clews, up to another t bung
under the top gallant yard, and down again to block to which they are secured.
The block is placed some distance out on the yard, with what object will be
hereinafter fully explained. The next ropes are the buntlines c.
These pass up
and are suitably guided over the top of the sail and down to its bunt on forward
part of sail. The next are the leech lines Z, which also are suitably carried over on
forward side of sail and to the leech rope on each side. These are the ordinary
running-rigging of this sail.
When there is little wind or a calm, the sail can be clewed up in the usual
manner without difficulty; but when the wind is high it is a difficult matter to
handle so much sail.
When the sheets are let go and the yard clewed down on the cap, the sail bellies
out so much that it is difficult to clew it up. To remedy this difficulty I haul up
a portion of the sail snug under the top gallant yard, thus reducing the stretch of
canvas and allowing the remaining portion to be handled by the regular running
rigging. The outermost ropes I call the "purchase bunt-lines." The-e will be
seen to advantage in Fig. 3. They consist of Manilla rope up to a block w-on-each
side through which they pass down to and are secured to the outriggers ƒ of the
_cross_tree___ This only shows one way of getting the purchase, though any suitable
arrangement of tackle would answer. Their continuations (marked ²) consist of
wire rope. Of these there are two legs on each side, both attached to the block w.
One leg of these lines on each side passes up through the upper sheave of a fiddle
block thence out to a point near the ends of the top gallant yard when the snil
is set where they are continued as chain and pass down through an iron cleat on
the yard-arms to a point about one third of the distance down the sail, and are
secured to the leech ropes as shown. The other leg of the wire passes up on each
side through the lower sheave of fiddle block a thence out to the quarter of the
yard, through a cleat on the forward side of the yard, and down abaft the sail to a
point on the same horizontal line with the points of attachments of the other legs
on the leech. Here they are toggled through an eye y. which is made by carrying
the upper ends of the vertical ropes R' (explained hereinafter) through the sail.
Now in handling the sail the first thing is to clew the yard down on the cap as
usual, then man the purchaso bunt-lines h together with the clew lines and the
ordinary bunt-line, let go the sheets, and clew up the sail. The effect of the
purchase buntlines is to haul up about one third of the sail close under the yard.
Comparatively little wind can get in it, as it is drawn snug up. This leaves a
portion of the sail to handle with the other gear. The clew lines baul up the clews
to the block, which by being out a little distance on the yard leave slack leech
for furling the sail.
The whole advantage of these purchase buntlines is to take up sufficient of the
sail to render it easy to handle the remainder. To sheet the sail home let go all
the gear excepting the purchase bunt lines. These by holding a portion of the sail
to the yard, render the hauling of the sheets home very much easier, especially in
a strong breeze.
Across the forward side of the sail, on a line above its centre, is roped on a band
a small hemp rope R borizontally and two similar ropes R' vertically from said
rope R to the foot of the sail-one on each side of the centre. The tops of these
ropes R¹ are passed through the sail and form eyes y for securing a leg of the

page_text: purchase bunt lines. These are strengthening ropes and serve a double object-
namely strengthen the sail to prevent it from splitting in hauling up the purchase
buntlines, and enable me to use lighter canvas and have the sail equally strong.
Having now described my Inventioh and the best manner known to me of
carrying it into effect I claim as my Invention to be secured, under the Letters
Patent the general arrangement and combination of parts of running gear
substantially as and for the purposes described in the first paragraph of the before
mentioned description of my apparatus as afterwards explained in detail and with
the help of the accompanying Drawings, and also the two following combinations
of parts taken separately -
1. In combination with a sail änd- running-rigging to haul it up, the purchase
bunt lines and h', the latter having two legs, one of which is attached to the
leech on each side below the yard, and the other attached to the after part of the
sail on the same line as the first legs are attached and on each side of the vertical
centre of the sail, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
2. The sail S having the horizontal strengthening rope R and the vertical
strengthening ropes R' and running-rigging to haul it up to the yard; in combination
with the purchase buntlines h and the legs of the latter being attached to the
leech on each side, at the ends of rope R; as shown, and to the after part of the
sail, to the tops of the ropes R', all arranged substantially as and for the purposes
herein described.
Da das of Taoui