CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHING SHIPS' ANCHORS, STEERING VESSELS, REEFING SAILS, AND OTHERWISE MANAGING SHIPS, BOTH AT SEA AND IN PORT; ALSO FOR CAPSTERNS, CRANES, OR OTHER USEFUL PURCHASES ON SHORE, ON WHARPS, OR IN. WAREHOUSES, &C., &c.
Year: 1799

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LONSDALE, of Harrington, in the County of Cumberland, Mariner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourth day of November, in the fortieth year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said William Lonsdale, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
during the term of fourteen years, to make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEIGHING SHIPS' ANCHORS, STEERING VESSELS, REEFING SAILS, AND OTHERWISE
MANAGING SHIPS, BOTH AT SEA AND IN PORT; ALSO FOR CAPSTERNS, CRANES, OR
OTHER USEFUL PURCHASES ON SHORE, ON WHARPS, OR IN. WAREHOUSES, &C., &c. ;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
William Lonsdale, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and cause the same to be inrolled
in the High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and imme-

page_text: diately after the date of the said recited Letters, as in and by the same
(relation being thereunto bad) may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Lonsdale, in pursuance of and
compliance with the said proviso, do, by this Instrument under my hand and
seal, particularly explain and describe the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows, viz:-
The improvement on steering vessels by cog and pinion is to have one
machine of cast iron, or other metal, having two segments, each something
more than one quarter of a circle, firmly fixed upon the rudder head of the
ship or vessel, one segment being before and the other behind the rudder, one
being inverted, having each two rows or sets of cogs or teeth, and one spindle
or axis, which passes over one and under the other segment fore and aft, on
which two double pinions that engage the cogs in the two segments and act
in conformity with each other. The spindle or axis passes thro' two head-
stocks, they being placed between two paralel standards, one before and the
other behind the rudder's head, so that the rudder can rise or fall on the ship's
striking or taking the ground. The standards may be made of wood or iron,
and secured fast to the ship's deck; and by a vertical wheel put on the end of
the spindle, either before or abaft the rudder head, the vessel may with the
greatest case be steered at sea. For light-steering vessels, one segment either
before or behind the rudder head, will answer the same purpose, but not with
the same security, as the stress of the rudder will be only on one side. Also
another method of steering vessels by cog and screw, consisting of one segment,
something more than a quarter of a circle, with a number of cogs or teeth
upon it, firmly fixed upon the head of the rudder, with a case or frame of cast
iron or other metal over the same, and secured on different sides by upright
standards or frames fixed fast to the ship's deck, leaving liberty for the rudder
to rise and fall, as occasion may require; and on one side of the frame or cave
is fixed on a spindle or axis an endless screw, that engages the teeth or cogs in
the segment on the rudder head; and thus by a small wheel put on the end of
the spindle which stands vertically, the ship is steered or guided with ease;
and ships whose rudder heads do not come above the uppermost deck may,
by the addition of one or more small wheels, be steered upon the main or
quarter deck, &c., as may best suit the build or trade the vessel is designed for.
The improvement on windlasses is with one wheel of cast iron, or other
metal, firmly fixed on each end of its body within the bitts, each wheel having
cogs or teeth all round them, also a wence or roller above, and its own
diameter before the centre of the windlass, with a wheel of like metal on each
end, and right opposite to those on the windlass, with an endless screw placed

page_text: upon an iron spindle or axis, and passing between the wheels on each end of
the windlass and roller, and securely fixed to the bitts at each end, on which
may be fixed two cranks or handles on each spindle to set the windlass and
roller in motion. Underneath the windlass is placed a brack, or lever, to stop
or hold the cable to the windlass, in order to fleet or shift the rope upou, the
cable, commonly called a figger rope, one block for which being made fast in
some convenient place abaft in the ship, thro' which the figger rope is reeved,
one end of it being made fast to the roller, and the other end to the cable;
thus, by turning the endless screw by the crooks or handles, the cable is with
case hove in, and at the same time beld on by the same persons. This is also
applicable to capsterus, cranes, or any other purchases where there is little
room but heavy lifts. Also windlasses by cog and pinion must have a wheel on
each end of the windlass, as above, with one or two smaller wheels, with teeth
and pinions connected with each other, together with a wence or roller above
the windlass to wind up the figger rope and hold the cable on, with a crook
or crank put on the axis of one of the smaller wheels, and by turning of which
the cable is holden on and hove in, and the anchor weighed by the same
persons. These wheels are necessarily fixed on both ends of the windlass and
bitts. These rollers may be applied to sheeting home sails, as also reeving
them, in the following manner:-to have as many sheeves in each yard arm
as there are reefs in the sail; these sheeves have catchpoles in them, and the
earings or reef tackles have knots or mouses wrought upon them to stop and
hold them fast when the reefs are hauled out. The reef tackle must be in
length according to the depth of each reef, with one block on each quarter of
the yard, thro' which blocks runners or ropes must be reeved, in order to
hook the reef tackles above the yard. These runners being hooked to the reef
tackles, and the ends of which made fast to the wence or roller, one man will
baul both earings out, and the catchpoles will secure them at the same time
the sails are clewing down.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth
day of November, One thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine
Sealed and delivered by the said
William Lonsdale, in the presence
of
ISABLE KEAT.
W LONSDALE. (LS.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1799, the aforesaid William Lonsdale came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according
to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine.