Iм- PROVEMENTS IN LIFE AND OTHER BOATS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING THE SAME.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George James Coombe, of Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Master Mariner, for the Invention of “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN LIFE AND OTHER BOATS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING
THE SAME.
"

page_text: waterproof material. Cork or other light substance is attached to the
framework in such manner that the desired amount of buoyancy is
secured. In life boats the bottom may be open to the water. Buoys
or rafts may with advantage be constructed in accordance with this
Invention.
The advantages secured by the use of wickerwork in boats, rafts, and
buoys, constructed as above described are elasticity and lightness
combined with strength and durability:
E
Second. In securing longitudinally in life and other boats requiring
to be lowered from ships' decks and similar places a rocking bar provided 1
at each end with a hollow slotted socket, into which sockets bolting
picces working on pins and secured to the boat are free to fall.
To secure a boat to its suspending ropes or their equivalents, a ring
with a rope or its equivalent attached is slipped over each of the bolting
pieces, the ends of the said pieces are caused to fall through the slots
in the hollow sockets, and the rocking bar is partly rotated on its axis
so to remove the slots in the sockets from over the ends of the bolting
picces, and thus prevent their withdrawal by any strain on the rings.
To free the boat from the rings when thus secured it is only necessary
to rotate the rocking bar until the slots in the sockets allow the bolting
picces to be simultaneously withdrawn by the weight of the boat; the
rings then slip off.
The two ropes or their equivalents which are secured to the rings arc
joined together at a short distance above the boat and continued thence
as a single rope to the davit, one davit only being required when a boat
is fitted as above described. A stretcher is used to counteract end strain
on the rings when a boat is suspended as above described.

page_text: '
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George James Coombe, Her special
licence that I, the said George James Coombe, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George James Coombe,
my 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN LIFE AND OTHER BOATS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING THE
SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
James Coombe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in.
writing under my, 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 I, the said George James Coombe, do hereby'
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to bo performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of illustrative Drawings and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-

page_text: The advantages secured by the use of wickerwork in boats, rafts, and
buoys constructed as above described are clasticity and lightness
combined with strength and durability.
Second. In securing longitudinally in life and other boats requiring
to be lowered from ships' decks and similar places, a rocking bar
provided at each end with a hollow slotted socket, into which sockets
bolting picces working on pins and secured to the boat are free to fall.
To secure a boat to its suspending ropes or their equivalents a ring
with a rope or its equivalent attached is slipped over each of the bolting
picces, the ends of the said pieces are caused to fall through the slots in
the hollow sockets, and the rocking bar is partly rotated on its axis so
as to remove the slots in the sockets from over the ends of the bolting
pieces and thus prevent their withdrawal by any strain on the rings.
To free the boat from the rings when thus secured it is only necessary
to rotate the rocking bar until the slots in the sockets allow the bolting
picces to be simultaneously withdrawn by the weight of the boat; the
rings then slip off.
The two ropes or their equivalents which are secured to the rings are
joined together at a short distance above the boat and continued thence
as a single rope to the davit, one davit only being required when a boat
is fitted as above described. A stretcher is used to counteract end strain
on the rings when a boat is suspended as described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a sectional longitudinal clevation, Fig. 2, a plan view, partly
in section, Fig. 3, a sectional transverse view, and Fig. 4 a perspective
view, all of a life boat constructed in accordance with my Invention.
In all these views like letters denote the same parts.
Under the first part, a, b, c, is the keel, bow, and stern, formed of
rigid material by which wickerwork d is carried to form the outsides
of the boat. Above the keel a is a second keel a' which supports the
wicker flooring. The space between a and a¹ is utilized for water
ballast, e are pieces of cork contained between the inner and outer
wickerwork to give buoyancy to the boat; water-tight spaces ƒ are left
in the cork filling to hold provisions and necessarics. 9, longitudinal
stiffening piece which also serves to support the inner ends of the
seats h. To prevent the said scats / from being broken by lateral

page_text: compression of the boat, their ends are free to slide in g. i, buoying and
steadying belt of cork and wickerwork.
It will be obvious that wickerwork boats rendered buoyant by cork or
otherwise can be variously constructed and various materials used for
the wickerwork. I prefer cane, and also that buoys or rafts can be with
advantage constructed of the said materials.
Under the second part, j is the suspending rope; k, stretcher, and
1, rings, shown separately in Fig. 5. The said rings are held by the
bolting pieces m working on the pins n, the bolting pieces are in their
turn retained in position by the rocking bar o provided with slots p
through which the bolting picces can be instantaneously and simul-
taneously released on rotating the bar o by the handle q.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and par-
ticularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to carry
my improvements into effect, I claim :—
First. Constructing boats, rafts, and buoys, with rigid framework in
combination with wickerwork and buoying power.
Second. Constructing boats with rigid keel, bow and stern, in
combination with wickerwork and light material or buoying com-
partments, substantially as described.
Third. The rocking bar with hollow slotted socket and bolting pieces
all in combination, substantially as described for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. The retaining rings in combination with the suspending ropes
and stretcher, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George James Coombe, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, the Seventh day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
GEORGE JAMES COOMBE. (L.S.)
In the presence of,
ELFORD EVELEIGH TREFffry.