AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS ON ANCHORS
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CHRISTOPHERS, of New Broad Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the fourth year of His
reigu, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Christophers, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John Christophers, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Christophers, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
ON ANCHORS; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said John Christophers, shall cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said John Christophers, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say:-

page_text: My Invention consists in forming the shanks of anchors with eyes or
openings, the length of which shall be more than twice the width, for the
reception of wooden stocks, as will be fully described hereafter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 represent two views of an anchor constructed according to
my Invention, the said letters referring to similar parts in both Figures, a
being the ordinary flukes, and 6 the shank. So far the anchor is constructed
according to the usual practice. c, Figure 1, represents an eye or opening
formed in the shank b, care being taken that the sides thereof are so strongly
made as to bear a strain equal to the other parts of the shank. This eye or
opening c is about two and a half times the length of its width, which are
about the dimensions I prefer for a wooden stock. The object of having the
stock more than twice the width of its thickness is, that less than these
dimensions would not be sufficiently strong without making the opening or eye
so much wider than would be convenient; and by my improvement the width
of such eye or opening need seldom be more than twelve inches for the
largest description of anchor, the strength being obtained by the length of the
eye or opening formed in the shank, and the consequent depth of the wooden
stock to fill the same. The two ends of the stock are bound round with iron,
as shewn at d, d, to protect the ends from splitting. e is a hoop of iron which
is permanently affixed on the stock by the pins or bolts, Figure 1; g is an
iron hoop which is passed on to the stock close to the shank; and h is another
iron hoop, which is also passed on the stock close to the hoop g, and there
retained by means of the pins or eye bolts i, which are passed through, and
retained by collets or pins passed through the eyes at ends, whilst the heads at
the other ends prevent their coming through the stock; j, j, are two iron wedges
or nails driven between the hoop 9 and the hoop h, and into the two holes
which are made through the stock, till the stock is securely affixed to the
shank b of the anchor, which will be effected by the hoops g and e, they being
respectively brought closely in contact with the two sides of the shank by the
driving of the wedges or nails j, j.
It will be evident from the above description that by this arrangement an
anchor may be stocked and unstocked with great facility, and in case of acci-
dent to the stock the same may be replaced, or a temporary one inserted, with
much less difficulty than in stocking an anchor with wood according to the
ordinary practice; and in case that one thickness or depth of wood cannot
readily be obtained, then two or more thicknesses or depths may be united
into one, and inserted in the eye or opening c. I prefer the wooden stock to
consist of well-seasoned oak, or other sufficiently tough wood, free from knots,

page_text: and the part of the stock which is inserted in the eye or opening of the stock
should be protected at the two edges with iron plate.
In stocking an anchor when constructed according to my Invention the end
is to be passed through the eye or opening c till the hoop e comes in contact
with the shank b. The hoop his then to be passed over the end k of the
stock; then the hoop g is to be passed on to the stock, and affixed in its
proper place by the pins or eye-bolts i, as shown in the Drawing. The
wedges or nails are then inserted between the hoops g and h, and driven till
the hoops g, e, bind sufficiently tight against the two sides of the shank to
retain the stock securely in its place.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
applying the same, I would observe that I am aware that the shanks of some
anchors have before had eyes or openings formed therein for the purpose
of receiving the stocks, but in such instances the eyes or openings for the
stocks have been in no way suitable for receiving the wooden stocks above
described; and I would have it understood that my Invention in no way
relates to iron stocks, nor do I confine myself to the precise manner of fixing
the wooden stock in the eye or opening, as above described, as it will be
evident that the same may be varied. But what I claim as my Invention is,
the forming the shanks of anchors with eyes or openings, the length of which
are more than twice their width, for the reception of wooden stocks, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Christophers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three