Improved Diagonal Sails.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Diagonal Sails.
THOMAS WHITE RATSEY of Cowes Isle of Wight, Sailmaker & EDWIN
LAPTHORN, GEORGE ROGERS RATSEY & EDWIN WALTER LAPTHORN all of
Gosport in the County of Southampton Sailmakers & Copartners trading as
Ratseys & Lapthorn or Lapthorn & Ratseys do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Improved diagonal sails with cloths standing at right angles to leech and foot
and especially applicable to the following sails, and vide plan annexed.
Mainsails,
Lugsails,
Trysails,
Jibs of all description,
Foresails,
Spritsails,
Mizens, &
Topsails of all description.
Dated this 9th day of December 1892.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Diagonal Sails.
THOMAS WHITE RATSEY of Cowes, Isle of Wight, and EDWIN LAPTHORN,
GEORGE ROGERS RATSEY and EDWIN WALTER LAPTHORN all of Gosport in
the County of Southampton, Sailmakers trading as Ratseys & Lapthorn or
Lapthorn & Ratseys, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to construct or make up sails for ships, yachts
or boats so that they will stand much better during damp or wet weather than
those of the ordinary cut or any previously designed diagonal sails, as there will
be no stretching on the leech and foot in our improved diagonal sails. This being
the case these sails will be made to the full size of the spars and will stand as well
at first as a month afterwards or in other words they do not require to be stretched
to bring them into shape.
According to this invention which we illustrate in the drawings accompanying
our Provisional Specification we make a sail from two or more pieces of any fabric
used or which may be used for sails and join them by sewing or otherwise in such
manner that the warp stands at right angles to the leech and foot of the sails, by
this means the fabric is prevented stretching inasmuch as the weft runs parallel
with the leech and foot and as there is practically no "stretch" in the weft of any
sail cloth it follows that these sails cannot stretch as other diagonal sails which
have the warp (which stretches very much) parallel to leech and foot. Further-
more owing to the nonshrinkage of the weft of any sail cloth it is obvious that
these improved diagonal sails cannot shrink on the leech or foot.

page_text: The invention is applicable for mainsails lugsails, trysails, jibs of all descriptions,
foresails staysails, mizens, and topsails of all descriptions and as mentioned before,
there is no stretching, the sails can be made to the full size of the spars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The improved construction or make up of sails for ships yachts or boats,
substantially as set forth for the purposes described.
2. Constructing or making up a sail for ships yachts or boats from two or more
pieces of any fabric used or which may be used in such a manner that the warp
of the fabric stands at right angles to and the weft runs parallel to the leech and
the foot of the sail, as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 17th day of February 1893.
THOMAS WHITE RATSEY.
EDWIN LAPTHORN.
GEORGE ROGERS RATSEY.
EDWIN WALTER LAPTHORN.