A NEW MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CAPTURE OF WHALES AND OTHER FISH OR ANIMALS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Bennett and Richard Ward, both of
New Broad Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"A NEW MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CAPTURE
OF WHALES AND OTHER FISH OR ANIMALS."-Partly a communication
from abroad by John Clayton Randall, of Hobart Town, in the
Island of Tasmania, and partly an Invention or discovery by the
said Frederick Bennett.
Scaled the 16th April 1869, and dated the 22nd October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Bennett and
Richard Ward at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd October 1868.
We, FREDERICK BENNETT and RICHARD WARD, both of New Broad
Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW MODE OF AND MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING
THE CAPTURE OF WHALES AND OTHER FISH OR ANIMALS," partly a communi-
cation to us from abroad by John Clayton Randall, of Hobart Town, in
the Island of Tasmania, and partly an Invention or discovery made by
oncus, namely, the said Frederick Bennett, to be as follows:-

page_text: The dangers and uncertainties to which those who are engaged in the
whale fisheries are exposed render that occupation most perilous and
hazardous.
The said dangers and uncertainties arise, firstly, from the distance at
which the harpoon is necessarily thrown to strike the whale; secondly,
from the unsteady motion of the boat at the time such harpoon is thrown,
rendering it almost impossible to wound the said whale in a vital part;
thirdly, from the whale when struck diving to the bottom of the sea or
swimming off at a great velocity and towing the boat with him, thereby
frequently upsetting the same and endangering the lives of the crew;
and lastly, from the whale in his exertions to get free breaking the line
by which the harpoon is attached to the boat and escaping therewith,
thus rendering all the toil and labor of the crew of no avail.
Now this Invention relates to a method of capturing whales and other
fish or animals by the agency of electricity, galvanism, or magucto
electricity, and consists in placing in the boat or whaling vessel, as may
be found most convenient, a galvanic battery with its coils and necessary
accompaniments, or any other known galvanizing apparatus of any
required intensity, properly insulated wires being in connection with
and passing from the opposite poles of the said battery or other galvanic
apparatus, and inside of or along the line by which the harpoons or other
instruments are secured to the boat, the ends of such wires being
twisted around the harpoons or other instruments near the points thereof,
so that the said points shall be in direct communication with the polcs
of the battery or other galvanic apparatus. When practicable two
harpoons or other instruments are thrown into the whale or other fish or
animal at the same or nearly the same time, and when this battery is
charged the electric current will pass along the wires to the points
of the harpoons and through the body of the whale or other fish or
animal, thus completing the electric circuit. The whale or other fish or
animal (if the battery and its accompaniments are sufficiently powerful)
will be paralyzed by the electric shocks, and will lie on or near the top
of the water without the slightest motion, so that the boat can approach
sufficiently near to spear and capture the said fish or animal without the
possibility of the occurrence of the before-mentioned dangers. When it
is not possible to throw the two harpoons or other instruments at the
same or nearly the same time into the body of the fish or animal as
before described it will in some cases be sufficient to have the extremity

page_text: of one pole of the battery in the water as near to the whale or other fish
or animal as possible while the harpoon or other instrument attached to
the other pole of the said battery is injected into the body of the said
fish or animal; or two harpoons or parts thereof may be bound together
so as to form a single harpoon with two separate barbed points parallel
to each other, the two component parts whereof are insulated from cach
other, the wire from cach pole of the battery or other galvanic
apparatus passing down cither part of such compound harpoon, thus
forming the electric circuit. It will be evident that it is not absolutely
necessary that the instruments used for this purpose should enter into
the body of the whale, as if the poles of the battery are merely in com-
munication with the skin of the whale or other fish or animal the same
or nearly the same effect will be produced. In this way clectricity can
be employed in the capture of scals and many other fish and sea or river
animals.
For salmon and river fishing generally the insulated wires in com-
munication with the battery or other electrical apparatus may be made
to pass through fishing rods, themselves properly insulated from contact
with the human frame by a glass or other handle, the said wires being
continued therefrom in the form of a metallic thread properly insulated.
When the salmon or other fish is hooked another line may be thrown as
near the first as possible and the electric current caused to pass from the
hook in the fish's mouth to that other said line; or two persons may
have their rods and lines in close proximity to one another during the
time they are fishing, in which case no time will be lost in throwing the
second line; or a double hook upon the same principle as the double-
harpoon before mentioned may be employed, so that the instant the bait
is seized by the fish the said fish will become paralyzed and unable to
disgorge the bait; or a galvanic battery may be placed on the bank of
a river or other stream or pond, one of its poles being placed in the water
at one side and the other conveyed across the river or other stream or
picce of water to or near the other side, and it will be found that fish
passing or remaining between the two poles of the said battery will be
paralyzed and float at or near the top of the water, when they can be.
casily caught by a net or otherwise; or wires from the aforesaid battery.
or its equivalent may pass partially around or at the sides of an ordinary
net, so that fish passing over or into such net will be paralyzed and more.
easily captured.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Bennett and Richard Ward in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 20th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FREDERICK
BENNETT and RICHARD WARD, both of New Broad Street, in the City of
London, send greeting.
°
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Frederick Bennett and Richard
Ward, Her special licence that we, the said Frederick Bennett and
Richard Ward, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Frederick Bennett and Richard Ward, 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, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW MODE OF
AND MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CAPTURE OF WHALES AND OTHER
FISH OR ANIMALS," partly a communication to us from abroad by John
Clayton Randall, of Hobart Town, in the Island of Tasmania, and partly
an Invention or discovery by one of us, namely, the said Frederick
Bennett, upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Frederick
Bennett and Richard Ward, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and 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 Frederick Bennett and Richard
Ward, 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 (that is to say) :-

page_text: The dangers and uncertainties to which those who are engaged in the
whale fisheries are exposed render that occupation most perilous and
hazardous.
The said dangers and uncertainties arise, firstly, from the distance
at which the harpoon is necessarily thrown to strike the whale ;
secondly, from the unsteady motion of the boat at the time such harpoon
is thrown, rendering it almost impossible to wound the said whalo in
a vital part; thirdly, from the whale when struck diving to the bottom
of the sea or swimming off at a great velocity and towing the boat
with him, thereby frequently upsetting the same and endangering the
lives of the crew; and lastly, from the whale in his exertions to get free
breaking the line by which the harpoon is attached to the boat and
escaping therewith, thus rendering all the toil and labour of the crew of
no avail.
Now this Invention relates to a method of capturing whales and other
fish or animals by the agency of electricity, galvanism, or magnetic
electricity, and consists in placing in the boat or whaling vessel, as
may be found most convenient, a galvanic battery with its coils and
necessary accompaniments or any other known clectrical apparatus of
any required intensity, properly insulated wires being in connection with
and passing from the opposite poles or terminals of the said battery or
other galvanic apparatus, and inside of or along the line or lines by
which the harpoons or other instruments are secured to the boat, the
ends of such wires being continued to the points of the harpoons or
other instruments so that the said points shall be in direct communi-
cation with the poles of the battery or other galvanic apparatus. When
practicable two harpoons or other instruments are thrown into the whale
or other fish or animal at the same or nearly the same time, and when
the battery is charged the electric currents will pass along the wires to
the points of the harpoons and through the body of the whale or other
fish or animal, thus completing the electric circuit; or harpoons may
be thrown simultaneously or nearly so from other boats, by which
means the same result will be attained. The whale or other fish or
animal (if the battery and its accompaniments are sufficiently powerful)
will be paralyzed by the electric shocks, and will lic on or near the
surface of the water without the slightest motion, so that the boat can
approach sufficiently near to spear and capture the said fish or animal
without the possibility of the occurrence of the before-mentioned dangers."

page_text: When it is not possible to throw the two harpoons or other instruments
at the same or nearly the same time into the body of the fish or animal,
as before described, it will in some cases be sufficient to have the
extremity of one pole of the battery in the water as near to the whale or
other fish or animal as possible while the harpoon or other instrument
attached to the other pole of the said battery is injected into the body of
the said fish or animal; or two harpoons, or parts thereof, may be bound
together so as to form a single harpoon with two separate barbed points
parallel to each other, the two component parts whereof are insulated
from cach other, the wire from each pole of the battery or other
galvanic apparatus passing down or through either part of such
compound harpoon to the point thereof, thus forming the electric
circuit, it being understood that in all cases where any instruments, such
as harpoons, spears, &c., are likely to be brought into contact with the
human frame they will at such point or points be eficiently insulated
therefrom. It will be evident that it is not absolutely necessary that the
instruments used for this purpose should enter into the body of the whale,
as if the poles of the battery are merely in communication with the skin of
the whale or other fish or animal the same or nearly the same effect
will be produced. In this way electricity may be employed in the
capture of seals and many other fish and sea or river animals.
For salmon and river fishing generally the insulated wires in cont-
munication with the battery or other electrical apparatus may be made
to pass through fishing rods (themselves properly insulated from contact
with the human frame by a glass or other handle), the said wires being
continued therefrom in the form of a metallic thread properly insulated.
When the salmon or other fish is hooked another line may be thrown
as near the first as possible, and the electric current caused to pass from
the hook in the fish's mouth to that other said line; or two persons may
have their rods and lines in close proximity to one another during the
time they are fishing, in which case no time will be lost in throwing the
second line; or a double hook upon the same principle as the double
harpoon before mentioned may be employed so that the instant the
bait is seized by the fish the said fish will become paralyzed and unable
to disgorge the said bait; or a galvanic battery may be placed on the
bank of a river, or other stream or pond, one of its poles being placed in
the water at one side and the other conveyed across the river or other
stream or piece of water to or near the other side, and it will be found

page_text: that fish passing or remaining between the two terminals of the said
battery will be paralyzed and float at or near the top of the water, when
thoy can be easily caught by a net or otherwise; or wires from the
aforesaid battery or its equivalent may pass partially around or at the
sides of an ordinary not, so that fish passing over or into such net
will be paralyzed and more easily captured.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said Inven-
tion, we claim, the application and use of electricity, galvanism, or
magnetic electricity in whatever form or manner employed for
facilitating the capture of whales and other fish or animals, as hercin
described and specified.
In witness whereof, wc, the said Frederick Bennett and Richard
Ward, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day
of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.