MENTS IN OR RELATING TO SAILS FOR VESSELS AND THEIR RUNNING GEAR "IMPROVE
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ira Augustus Storer at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th September 1883.
IRA AUGUSTUS STORER of Newport in the County of Monmouth
MENTS IN OR RELATING TO SAILS FOR VESSELS AND THEIR RUNNING GEAR
"IMPROVE-
"
This invention relates to certain improvements in sails and their running-gear,
and it consists in the addition of certain lines which I call purchase-buntlines,
whereby a portion of the sail may be hauled up to render the clewing up of the
remainder an easier matter, and in certain strengthening-ropes upon the forward
part of the sail as will hereinafter more fully appear. My invention will be best
described in its application to a top gallant sail, and accordingly in the ensuing
description that sail and its gear will be specially dealt with.
When a sail is very large as these sails are, great difficulty is found in clewing
up. This has led to the placing upon large vessels of two yards, the upper and
lower top gallant yards, and of bending on each a top gallant sail-upper and
lower. These sails are each worked by its own set of running gear, and the
advantage obtained is in dividing a large sail into two small ones, each of which
is comparatively easy to be handled; but the obvious objections to the plan are,
that a sail is more effective as a single sail than when the same amount of canvas
is made into two sails and there is too much weight aloft, that it requires too
much gear, and that two yards and gearing are more expensive than one.
The object of my invention is to retain the single large sail, and by a proper
arrangement of additional running gear avoid the difficulty of clewing up and also
by a proper strengthening of the sail to economize in the character of the canvas
and still have the sail as strong as before. The clew lines pass up through the
cross-tree through blocks hung under the top gallant yard near the mast, here-
after called Number 1 blocks, but instead of passing thence directly to and being
secured to the clews they pass through a block attached to the clews and up to
another block, "number 3" hung under the top gallant yard nearer its end and
down again and secured to the block attached to the clews: Number 3 block is
placed some distance out on the yard with what object will be hereinafter fully
explained. The next ropes brought down to the deck or pinrail are the buntlines.
These pass up and are suitably guided over the top of the sail and down to its bunt
on the forward part of the sail. The next are the leech-lines which also are

page_text: suitably carried over on the forward side of the sail and to the leech ropes on each
side. These are the ordinary running rigging of this sail.
When there is little wind or a calm the sail can be clewed up in the usual
manner without difficulty. But when the wind is high, it is a difficult matter to
handle so much sail.
When the sheets are let go and the yard clewed down on the cap, the sail bellies
out so much that it is difficult to clew it up. To remedy this difficulty I haul up a
portion of the sail snug under the top gallant yard, thus reducing the stretch of
canvas and allowing the remaining portion to be handled by the regular running
rigging. The next ropes brought down to the pin rail I call the purchase
buntlines. These consist of manilla rope by preference up to a block on each side
round which they pass down to and are secured to the outriggers of the cross tree.
This is only one way of getting the purchase, other arrangements of tackle would
answer. Their continuations from the block upward consist preferably of wire
rope, of these there are two legs on each side both attached to the block. One leg of
these lines on each side passes up through the upper sheave of a fiddle-block, thence
out to a point near the ends of the top gallent yard when the sail is set, where
they are continued as chain and pass down through an iron cleat on the yard-
arms to a point about one third of the distance down the sail and are secured to
the leech ropes. The other leg of the wire rope passes up on each side through the
lower sheave of fiddle block thence out to the quarter of the yard through a cleat
on the forward side of the yard and down abaft the sail to a point on the same
horizontal line with the points of attachments of the other legs on the leech.
Here they are toggled through an eye which is made by carrying the upper ends of
the vertical ropes of hemp (explained hereafter) through the sail.
Now in handling the sail the first thing is to clew up the yard down on the cap
as usual, then man the purchase buntlines together with the clew lines and
ordinary buntline, let go the sheets and clew up the sail. The effect of the
purchase buntlines is to haul up about one third of the sail close under the yard.
Comparatively little wind can get in it as it is drawn snug up. This leaves a
portion of the sail to handle with the other gear. The clew lines haul up the clews
to the number 3 blocks, which by being out a little distance on the yard leave
slack leech for furling the sail.
The whole advantage of these purchase buntlines is to take up sufficient of the
sail to render it easy to handle the remainder
To sheet the sail home, let go all the gear excepting the purchase buntlines.
These by holding a portion of the sail to the yard render the hauling of the sheets
home very much easier especially in a strong breeze.
Across the forward side of the sail on a line above its centre is roped on a band
a small hemp rope horizontally and two similar ropes, (the vertical hemp
ropes already referred to-) vertically from said small rope to the foot of the Buil,
one on each side of the centre. The tops of these vertical ropes are passed through
the sail and form eyes for securing a leg of the purchase buntlines. These are
strengthening ropes and serve a double object-namely, strengthen the sail to
prevent it from splitting in hauling up the purchase buntlines, and enable me to
use lighter canvas and have the sail equally strong.