AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OR METHOD AND MEANS OF APPLYING, Adapting, and SETTING SAILS FOR THE BETTER PROPULSION OF VESSELS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harvey, Naval Architect and Shipbuilder,
and George Pryer, Naval Draughtsman, both of Wivenhoe, in the
County of Essex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OR
METHOD AND MEANS OF APPLYING, Adapting, and SETTING SAILS FOR THE
BETTER PROPULSION OF VESSELS."
Sealed the 21st April 1874, and dated the 16th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harvey and George
Pryer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 16th February 1874.
We, JOHN HARVEY, Naval Architect and Shipbuilder, and GEORGE
PRYER, Naval Draughtsman, both of Wivenhoe, in the County of Essex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
SYSTEM OR METHOD AND MEANS FOR APPLYING, ADAPTING, AND SETTING SAILS FOR
THE BETTER PROPULSION OF VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to an improved system or method and
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of vessels, consists principally in employing a newly shaped sail (which
we term a compass gaffsail or "double mainsail"), which can be
applied to all vessels and especially to yachts or to other vessels which
are required to be propelled at great speed.
The Invention also comprises the improved system, method, or means
of applying, adapting, and using the said sail, the objects of the Inven-
tion being to allow the use of a greater area of canvas or other material
than it is safe to apply, set, and work on the systems hitherto in use,
which will be applied, adapted, and worked with much greater safety,
and to provide a means in case of damage to or loss of other sails of
immediately replacing them. To carry these objects into effect the gaff
or yard (or gaffs or yards) carrying the improved sail is attached or
supported by and is capable of movement in every direction on a universal
joint or its equivalent, which is supported, held, or carried by a metal or
other framework, or any other suitable supporting arrangement or device
at or to the fore side angle, or at the centre, or in the direction of the
centre, or at any other position of or on the mast or masts, or on or to the
shrouds or rigging of the vessel at any required height of the mast or
masts, and the said yard or gaff (or gaffs or yards) is managed or worked
by the use of the halliards, braces, sheets, or guys, so as to be readily put
in any required position.
The improved sail (or sails) is or may be attached or applied to the
said gaff or yard (or gaffs or yards) either previous to or after the said
gaff (or gaffs) has been thus applied by means of running hoops, lacings,
or other means, and when so attached or applied it can be more easily
and safely adapted, set, managed, or worked than spinnakers, square
sails, or other descriptions of sails hitherto in use by means of brails,
buntlings, or other ropes in general use, so as to reduce or spread any
portion of the said sail as required with great ease and safety.
The improved sail (or sails) depending from the above-mentioned yard
or gaff (or yards or gaffs) is somewhat of the form or shape of an ordinary
mainsail; it will therefore be seen that the sail thus formed or made
bears some slight resemblance to an ordinary spinnaker, but is so formed
that the outer line or edge instead of being a continuation of that of the
ordinary "spinnaker" from the topmast head to the end of the spinnaker
boom is by these means of a much greater expanse or area, and further,
enables the space from the topmast head to the end of the gaff or yard

page_text: (or gaffs or yards) to be filled with a greater area of canvas than here-
tofore.
By the employment of a double set of halliards (or by shifting one set
from side to side) and other ropes the above described improved sail can
be more quickly and safely used on either side of the vessel than any
existing form of sail can be, and in case of damage to or loss of other
sails the improved sail provides the oft felt requirement of a ready and
effectual means of replacing the mainsail or foresail or any sail set in a
fore and aft or athwart ship direction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harvey and George Pryer in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 15th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARVEY, Naval Architect and Shipbuilder, and GEORGE PRYER, Naval
Draughtsman, both of Wivenhoe, in the County of Essex, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Harvey and George Pryer,
Her special licence that we, the said John Harvey and George Pryer, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John
Harvey and George Pryer, our 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, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OR METHOD AND MEANS OF APPLYING,
ADAPTING, AND SETTING SAILS FOR THE BETTER PROPULSION OF VESSELS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Harvey and
George Pryer, our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or one of our or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: 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 we, the said John Harvey and George Pryer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said 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, and on reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :--
This Invention relates to an improved system or method and means of
applying, adapting, and setting sails for the better propulsion of vessels,
and comprises also the use of a newly shaped sail, which for distinction
we term a compass gaffsail" or "double mainsail," and we call it the
"shadow sail," and which can be applied to all vessels, especially to
yachts or to other vessels which are required to be propelled at great
speed, the objects of the Invention being to allow of the use of a greater
spread or area of canvas or other material than it is safe to apply, set,
and work on or according to the systems hitherto in use, and to provide
in case of damage to or loss of other sails a ready and effectual sub-
stitution therefor.
Such being the nature and objects of our said Invention we will now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the
same may be distinctly understood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof:
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figure 1 represents the
"shadow" sail in profile when spread to its full dimensions, with the
ironwork, rope, and blocks necessary for its working; Figure 2 repre-
sents in profile the framework (4) of the universal joint (3), which frame-
work is shewn as spanning the mast (5), and extending before and
around the heel of the topmast (6) (when in the caps), and projecting
forward and carrying the joint (3), to which an iron shoe (7) is attached,
which shoe carries the gaff (1), a brace 8 being attached to the frame-
work (4) to give it support; and Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2.
To carry the objects of this Invention into practical effect the gaff or
yard 1 carrying the "shadow" sail 2 is attached or supported by and is

page_text: capable of movement in all directions upon a universal joint (or its
equivalent) 3, which is supported, held, or carried by a metal or other
framework 4, or any other suitable supporting arrangement or means at
or to the fore side angle, or at the centre, or in the direction of the
centre, or at any other position of or on the mast (or masts) 5, or on or
to the shrouds or rigging of the vessel at any required height of the said
mast (or masts), and the said gaff or yard 1 and the "shadow" sail 2
spread thercon is managed or worked by the ordinary halliards, braces,
sheets, guys, or other usual tackle, so as to be readily put in any required
position.
The "shadow" sail 2 (or sails when more than one are used) is or
may be attached or applied to the gaff or yard 1 (or gaffs or yards when
more sails than one are used) cither previously to or after the latter has
been applied as above described by means of ordinary halliards, running
hoops, lacings, or other similar means usually employed in such cases,
and when so attached or applied it can be more easily and safely adapted,
set, managed, or worked than spinnakers, square sails, or other descrip-
tions of sails hitherto in use by means of the ordinary halliards, brails,
buntlings, or other ropes in general use so as to reduce or spread any
portion of the said sail as required with great case and safety.
The "shadow" sail (or sails) 2 is made somewhat of the form or shape
of an ordinary mainsail, and also bears some slight resemblance to an
ordinary spinnaker, but it is so shaped or formed that its outer line or
edge, instead of being a combination of that of the ordinary spinnaker
from the topmast head to the end of the spinnaker boom 9 (which is
secured to the mast with the ordinary goose neck (10) encloses a much
greater expanse or area, and also allows of the space from the topmast
head to the end of the gaff or yard 1 being filled with a greater area of
canvas than heretofore. This will be at once seen on reference being
had to Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawings.
By using a double set of halliards (or by shifting one set from the one
side to the other) and other ropes when necessary the "shadow" sail
can be more quickly and safely used on either side of the vessel than
any existing form of sail can be, and as above referred to in case of
damage to or loss of other sails the "shadow" sail provides the oft felt
requirement of a ready and effectual substitution for the mainsail or
foresail or any sail set in a fore and aft or athwartship direction.

page_text: It will be seen by those competent to judge that a sail thus formed,
applied, and worked, and adapted to the mainmast of a schooner, throws
no strain on the topmast (and this improvement and safeguard, also
applies so far to cutter or yawl rigged vessels), and can be set or spread
on either side of the vessel without detaching any of the ropes or gear
used for working the gaff or yard 1.
Having now fully and particularly described the nature and objects.
of our special Invention, together with the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, we would
remark in conclusion that we do not limit ourselves to the precise
details as herein described and delineated on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, as the same may obviously be varied without departing from
the principles of our Invention, but we claim as our Invention the
novel and peculiar form or construction of sail which we call the
"shadow" sail, and the improved system or method and means of
applying, adapting, and setting sails for the better propulsion of vessels,
substantially as above described and as illustrated on the accompanying
Drawings or any mere variation or modification thereof or therein.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harvey, on behalf of the said
George Pryer and of myself, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Solicitor and Patent Agent,
5, Serle Street,
Lincoln's Inn.
JOHN HARVEY. (L.S.)