A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HAULING NETS, AND WHICH IS APPLICABLE FOR HAULING PURPOSES GENERALLY to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, GEORGE SOUTER, of the Town and County of Elgin, North Britain, Engineer
and Iron Founder do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HAULING NETS, AND WHICH IS APPLICABLE FOR
HAULING PURPOSES GENERALLY to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in net hauling Machines for use on
fishing beats, and for hauling purposes generally, and has for its object to obviate
the disadvantages attending the working of analogous Machines already in use, such,
for example, as danger to the lives of those working them, arising from weak or
faulty design, liability to break at several parts when a heavy strain is upon them,
and so as to precipitate the men overboard, or expose them to other dangers.
The gear wheels of sucli Machines as hitherto constructed being uncovered, are
dangerous, and the paul for checking the Machines is placed in such a position that
it exposes the hand of the operator to danger when the pawl requires to be shifted.
The shafts for carrying the sheaves round which the headback rope of the net is
passed when hauling on existing Machines being only provided with one bearing
to each shaft and having the sheaves on one end of the shafts and the gear wheels
for transmitting the motion to each other on the other end of the shafts with the
bearings between, the bushes very soon become slack, and when the strain of the
rope is put upon the sheaves they are forced from their true position, so that their
edges are caused to rub on or against the frame of the Machine, and the gear
wheels are at the same time, locked, thus making it extremely hard work for the
operator to haul what, in a properly constructed Machine, ought to be very easy.
The nature and novelty of the present improvements which are designed to remedy
the aforesaid defects, consist in mounting three sheave pulleys upon a metal frame,
the centre sheave being a little lower than the outer ones, and with bushes and
bearings for each shaft.
The sheaves are keyed upon the ends of their shafts, and the gear-wheels are
arranged close behind the aforesaid bushes, the shafts projecting through the gear-
wheels long enough for the bearings. Another metal frame similar to the front one
also with bushes for each shaft is attached behind the wheels and bolted to the front
frame thus enclosing entirely the gear-wheels and providing two bushes for each
shaft, the frame being thus rendered very strong and rigid.

page_text: The shaft, by which the Machine is rotated, has a square or squares on one or
both ends of it projecting through the frame for a fly wheel or winch handle or
handles, or the Machine may also be worked by mechanical power. The pawl for
checking the machine is placed inside the frame in such position as to engage with
the teeth of the lowermost gear wheel; and the shaft to which the pawl is secured
has further fixed to it at the outside of the frame a handle or lever for reversing or
neutralising the action of the said pawl. When the pawl is thrown out of gear
with the gear wheel, a sliding stop or projection formed on the handle or lever falls
into a recess formed on the frame, and by means of which the pawl is maintained
in a neutral position. Vertical rollers are placed at each end of the frame to guide
the rope on to the sheaves and prevent it from rubbing against the frame. The
stand or foundation plate of the Machine, by which it is held in its place, is hollow
and of sufficient size.to admit the base of the frame on this part of which a row of
teeth is cast round it, and when the frame is placed in the stand these teeth come
opposite a pawl which projects through the stand and falls between two teeth.
The Machine is held or put at any desired angle. The Machine may be bolted to
the deck of the boat, or it may be set upon two planks, similar to a lathe bed,
placed across the deck, and it may be fixed at any part of this bed by one or more
bolts or screws.
4

page_text: I, GEORGE SOUTER, of the town and County of Elgin, North Britain, Engineer
and Iron founder do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for A NEW
OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HAULING NETS, AND WHICH IS APPLICABLE FOR
HAULING PURPOSES GENERALLY and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My Invention relates to improvements in net hauling machines for use on
fishing boats, and for hauling purposes generally, and has for its object to obviate
the disadvantages attending the working of analogous Machines already in use,
such disadvantages for example, as danger to the lives of those working them,
arising from weak or faulty design, liability to break at several parts when a strain
is upon those parts and so precipitating or tending to precipitate overboard the
men working the hauling Machine, besides exposing them to other resulting
dangers. The gear wheels of such Machines as hitherto constructed, being
uncovered, are dangerous, and the pawl, for checking the Machines, is placed in
such a position that it exposes the hand of the operator to danger when the pawl
requires to be shifted. The shafts for carrying the sheaves round which the head-
back rope of the net is passed when hauling on existing Machines being only.
provided with one bearing to each shaft and having the sheaves on one end of the
shafts and the gear wheels for transmitting the motion to each other on the other
end of the shafts with the bearings between, the bushes very soon become slack,
and when the strain of the rope is put upon the sheaves they are forced from their
true position, so that their edges are caused to rub on or against the frame of the
Machine, and the gear wheels are at the same time locked, thus making it
extremely hard work for the operator to haul what, in a properly constructed
Machine, ought to be very easy.—The nature and novelty of the present improve-
ments which are designed to remedy the aforesaid defects, consist in mounting
three sheave pulleys upon a metal fraine the centre sheave being a little lower than
the outer ones and with bushes and bearings for each shaft.
The sheaves are keyed upon the ends of their shafts, and the gear-wheels are
arranged close behind the aforesaid bushes, the shafts projecting through the gear
wlieels long enough for the bearings, another metal frame similar to the front one
also with bushes for each shaft, is attached behind the wlieels and bolted to the
front frame, thus enclosing entirely the gear-wheels and providing two bushes for
each shaft, the frame being thus rendered very strong and rigid.
The shaft by which the Machine is rotated, has a square or squares, on one or
both ends of it, projecting through the frame, for a fly wheel or winch handle or
handles, or the Machine may also be worked by mechanical power, The pawl for
checking the Machine is placed inside the frame in such position as to engage
with the teeth of the lowermost gear wheel; and the shaft to which the pawl is
secured has further fixed to it at the outside of the frame, a handle or lever for
reversing or neutralising the action of the said pawl.-When the pawl is thrown

page_text: out of gear with the gear wheel, a sliding stop or projection formed on the handle
or lever falls into a recess formed on the frame, and by means of which the pawl
is maintained in a neutral position.-Vertical rollers are placed at each end of the
frame to guide the rope on to the sheaves and prevent it from rubbing against the
frame. The stand or foundation plate of the Machine, by which it is held in its
place, is hollow and of sufficient size to admit the base of the frame on this part of
which a row of teeth is cast round it, and when the frame is placed in the stand
these teeth come opposite a pawl which projects through the stand and falls
between two teeth. The Machine is held or put at any desired angle.―The
Machine may be bolted to the deck of the boat, or it may be set upon two planks
similar to a lathe bed, placed across the deck, and it may be fixed at any part of
this bed by one or more bolts or screws.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed:―
Figure 1. is a front elevation of a net hauling machine constructed according to
and constituting my present Invention.
Figure 2, is a plan of the same..
In carrying my present Invention into practice, the sheaves a, are keyed or
otherwise secured upon the ends of their shafts b, the toothed gear wheels c,
represented in dotted lines upon the annexed Drawings are arranged close behind
the frame d, which is provided with bearings for the several shafts of the machine.
A metal frame e, similar to the front frame d, and provided. with similar bearings
for the several shafts, is situated behind the gear wheels c, and bolted to the said
front frame d, by the bolts f. thus entirely enclosing the gear wheels c, and their
directly connected parts and providing two bearings for cach shaft, and at the same
time rendering the frame very strong and rigid. The shaft g, by which the machine
is rotated through the toothed pinion wheel 8, has a squared part on each of its
ends, for a fly wheel r, and winch handle, or for two such fly wheels or winch
handles, or the machine may be operated by mechanical power such as that of a
steam or other engine. The pawl h, (represented in dotted lines upon the annexed
drawings) for checking the machine, is placed between the frames d, and c, adjacent
to the toothed gear wheel connected with the lowermost sheave, and engages with
the teeth of such gear wheel. This pawl h, can be reversed by the handle or lever i,
at the back of the frame e, the said handle or lever i, being secured to the shaft
carrying the pawl h, or the said pawl h, may be kept clear of the wheel by placing
the handle in an upright position and allowing the projection n, on the point of
the handle or lever i, to fall into or engage with a corresponding notch in the
frame e, it being retained in that position by the spiral spring o, on the pawl
shaft.
The stand or foundation j, by which the Machine is held in its place, is hollow
and of sufficient size to admit the base k.-The base ; has formed around it a row
of teeth, and when the frame is placed in the stand these teeth come opposite the
pawl, which projects through the stand and falls between two teeth so that the
Machine may be turned to, and retained by the said pawl at any desired angle.―
The Machine herein before described may be bolted to the deck of the boat or as
represented upon the annexed Drawings it may be set upon two planks m, in a
manner similar to that of a lathe bed, the two planks being placed across the deck
of the boat, and it may be fixed at any part of this bed by one or more sets of bolts
and nuts p, or their equivalent.
The vertical rollers q, are provided at each end of the machine so as to guide the
rope on to the sheaves a, and prevent it from rubbing against the frame d.
It is to be understood, although I have hereinbefore described and shewn upon
the annexed Drawings, a Machine constructed in accordance with my present
Invention, that I do not bind myself to the precise form or detail so described and
shewn, as the same may be varied in many ways without departure from the
essential features of my Invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The general construction, or combination of the parts, of a vertical net
hauling Machine, having three or more sheaves a, with a frame enclosing the gear
wheels c, and all parts immediately connected therewith, the same being provided
with two bearings for each shaft, substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the annexed Drawings.
Second. The pawl h, combined with the handle or lever i, for the purpose of
allowing it to engage with, or for holding it in a position in which it is disengaged
from the teeth of the wheel c, substantially as hereinbefore set forth reference to
the annexed Drawings.