IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING CHAIN CABLES, AND FOR CLEARING A SHIP'S HAWSE WHEN FOUL, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR ACTING ON AND PRESENTING STRAIN TO THE CHAIN CABLES WHEN SHIPS ARE RIDING AT ANCHOR
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Randoll Smith, of No. 7, Delamere Street;
in the Parish of Paddington, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING CHAIN CABLES, AND FOR CLEARING A SHIP'S HAWSE
WHEN FOUL, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR ACTING ON AND PRESENTING STRAIN
TO THE CHAIN CABLES WHEN SHIPS ARE RIDING AT ANCHOR."
Sealed the 12th April 1864, and dated the 15th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Randoll Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1863.
İ, STEPHEN RANDOLL SMITH, of No. 7, Delamere Street, in the Parish of
Paddington, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING CHAIN CABLES, AND FOR CLEARING A SHIP'S HAWSE
WHEN FOUL, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR ACTING ON AND PRESENTING STRAIN TO
THE CHAIN CABLES WHEN SHIPS ARE RIDING AT ANCHOR," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for connecting
chain cables, and for clearing a ship's hawse when foul, and also in apparatus
for acting on and presenting strain to the chain cables when ships are riding
at anchor. When a ship is at anchor, and two anchors and cables are used,
the two cables are liable, by the swinging of the ship, to become crossed, or, as
it is called, fouled, which prevents the getting of either of the anchors till
the crossing or fouling of the cables has been cleared. In order to clear cables

page_text: thus circumstanced a length of chain cable, of similar strength to those used
to ride the ship is employed and passed over the bows of the ship. To the
end of this length of cable a clamping instrument is applied, consisting of two
plates hinged together at one end, and it is to the pin or axis of the hinge
that the outer end of the length of cable is attached; there are also near the
end of such length of cable a few links of similar cable to which a screw or
fixing bolt is attached, by which screw or bolt the two parts of the clamping
apparatus are fastened together when the parts have been closed over a link
of one of the two chain cables. In using this apparatus to clear a ship's
hawse the clamping apparatus is lowered down, and made fast to one of the
ship's cables at a point below the crossing or fouling of the two cables, then
on slacking away the other cable the ship will be only riding from the cable
and anchor to which the clamping apparatus and length of cable have been
attached. The chain cable thus held may be then unshackled inboard, and
the part of the cable between the bows of the ship and the clamping appa-
ratus may then be cleared from the other chain cable, the parts of the chain
cable which have been unshackled may then be again shackled and the anchor
got. In the event of its being desirable to act on both cables by which a ship
is riding, then a spring is used, and similarly connected to the second cable
below the part where the crossing or fouling is situated, and then the second
cable may be unshackled inboard, by which for a time the ship will be riding
by the two cables though both unshackled inboard, and the crossing or fouling
of the two cables between the two clamping apparatus and the ship may
readily be cleared.
The clamping apparatus above explained is used under varying circum-
stances for connecting two chain cables together, and in some cases two parts
of the same chain cable, and in some cases the parts of a clamping apparatus
are made to receive between them two links of two separate chain cables. By
the use of such clamping apparatus springs may be put on to cables very
readily, and the springs used for any of the purposes for which springs are
usually employed on board ship. In order to act on and produce strain to a
chain cable, by which a ship is riding at anchor in such manner as to retard
the straightening of the cable between the ship and the anchor, I apply an
apparatus, which is constructed and used in the following manner :-Two
plates, by preference of iron, are hinged together, so that they may fold flat,
or nearly so, one against the other when sinking edgewise, whilst on being
raised quickly they open out and present their whole area to the water above,
and they will thus offer a resistance depending on the depth the two plates
are below the surface of the water. These two plates bave a weight, by pre-

page_text: ference of lead, attached to them, in order to cause them to sink as quickly as
possible, when by a lull in the wind the cable sinks, and the ship comes more
up towards the anchor. This apparatus is attached to the cable intermediate of
the ship and the anchor; hence when the ship is suddenly acted on by the
wind the straightening of the cable between the ship and the anchor will be
retarded by the apparatus above described, and thus will the sudden action of
the wind on the ship be caused to come gradually on the cable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Randoll Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
RANDOLL SMITH, of No. 7, Delamere Street, in the Parish of Paddington,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Stephen Randoll Smith, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen
Randoll Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Stephen Randoll Smith, 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 APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING CHAIN CABLES, AND FOR CLEARING
A SHIP'S HAWSE WHEN FOUL, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR ACTING ON AND PRE-
SENTING STRAIN TO THE CHAIN CABLES WHEN SHIPS ARE RIDING AT ANCHOR," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Randoll Smith, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Randoll Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: In
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say, when a ship is at anchor and
two anchors and two cables are used, as is represented ate and f, Figure 1.
the two cables are liable, by the swinging of the ship, to become crossed,
or, as it is called, fouled, which prevents the getting of either of the
anchors till the crossing or fouling of the cables has been cleared.
order to clear the cables e and f thus circumstanced, a length of chain
cable A, of similar strength to those used to ride the ship, is employed and
passed over the bows of the ship. To the end of this length of cable a
clamping instrument B is applied, consisting of two plates hinged together at
one end, and furnished at the other end with a screw or fixing bolt B', by
which screw or bolt the two parts of the clamping apparatus B are fastened
together when the parts have been closed over a link of one of the two chain
cables. A clamp constructed in this manner is shewn on a larger scale at
Figure 3. In using this apparatus to clear a ship's hawse the span B and
clamping apparatus B is lowered down, and made fast to one of the ship's
cables at a point below the crossing or fouling of the two cables, then on
slacking away the other cable the ship will be only riding from the cable and
anchor to which the clamping apparatus and length of cable have been
attached. The chain cable thus held may be then unshackled inboard, and
the part of the cable between the bows of the ship and the clamping appa-
ratus may then be cleared from the other chain cable, the parts of the chain
cable which have been unshackled may then be again shackled and the anchor
got.
In the event of its being desirable to act on both cables, by which a
ship is riding, then a spring is used, and similarly connected by a clamping
apparatus C, such as is shown at Figure 2, to the second cable below the part
where the crossing or fouling is situated, and then the second cable may be
unshackled inboard, by which for a time the ship will be riding by the two
cables though both unshackled inboard, and the crossing or fouling of the two
cables between the two clamping apparatus and the ship may readily be
cleared.
Clamping apparatus composed, as above described, of two parts hinged
together at one end, and at the other connected together by a screw or bolt,
may be used under varying circumstances for connecting two chain cables
together, and in some cases two parts of the same chain cable, and in some
cases the parts of a clamping apparatus are made to receive between them
two links of two separate chain cables. A clamp suitable for this purpose is
shown at Figure 7; this clamp may either be used for clamping one link of a
chain, or two links of two separate chain cables, or two links of different parts

page_text: of the same chain cable. Figure 6 shows similar views of a clamp for clamp-
ing one link only of a chain cable. By the use of such clamping apparatus
springs may be put on to cables very readily, and the springs used for of
any
the purposes for which springs are usually employed on board ship. In order
to act on and produce strain to a chain cable, by which a ship is riding at
anchor, in such manner as to retard the straightening of the cable between
the ship and the anchor, I apply an apparatus, which is shewn at Figures 4
and 5, constructed and used in the following manner :-Two plates a, b, by
preference of iron, are binged together at c, so that they may fold flat, or
nearly so, one against the other when sinking edgewise, as shewn at Figure 5,
whilst on being raised quickly, or being suddenly checked, they open out and
present their whole area to the water above, as shewn at Figure 4, and they
will thus offer a resistance depending on the depth the two plates are below
the surface of the water and their own superfices. These two plates a and b
have a weight d, by preference of lead, attached to them, in order to cause
them to sink as quickly as possible when by a lull in the wind the cable sinks
and the ship comes more up towards the anchor. This apparatus is attached
to the cable intermediate of the ship and the anchor, hence, when the ship is
suddenly acted on by the wind the straightening of the cable between the ship
and the anchor will be retarded by apparatus above described, and thus
will the sudden action of the wind on the ship be caused to come gradually on
the cable.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Randoll Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
STEPHEN KANDOLL SMITH. (L.S.)