A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MADE MASTS
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
GREEN, of Blackwall, in the County of Middlesex, Ship Builder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fifth day of February, in the tenth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Green, His especial licence, that I, the said Richard Green, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard
Green, my executors, adininistrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MADE MASTS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Richard
Green, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Green, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention of a certain

page_text: improvement in the construction of made masts to consist in joining the butts
of such baulk or pieces of timber as are used in the construction of made
masts by means of square mortices, and tennons, and double dovetailed metal
plates or braces, in manner herein-after described; and in further compliance
with the said proviso, I, the said Richard Green, do hereby describe the
manner in which my said Invention is to be performed by the following
lescription thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents my Invention as applied to joining the butts of two
pieces A, B, of square baulk or timber, such as is used in forming the larger-
sized made masts. e is a square tennon, formed on the piece B and fitting
into a corresponding mortice cut in the end of the piece A. r, r, s, s, is a
wrought-iron brace let into the pieces A, B, so as to be flush with their
surfaces; there is a corresponding wrought-iron brace at the opposite side of
the pieces A, B, and the two braces are bolted through the timber to each
other. It will be observed, that the brace is wider at the two ends r, r, than
it is in the middle, thus forming a double dovetail; the ends r, r, are also
thicker than the rest of the brace, forming a shoulder on the under-side and
consequently let deeper into the wood. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the said
brace drawn to a larger scale, in order to show more clearly the increased
thickness of the ends 7, 7; Figure 3 is a plan of the said brace, and it will be
observed that the width of the metal is increased at every bolt hole; Figure 4
is a transverse section of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a transverse section of a mast
composed of four three-sided pieces of timber; the section is supposed to be
made just at the butt of the piece D, and e represents the square mortice to
receive a square tennon before mentioned. It will be evident, that when
pieces of timber of this shape are used to form the mast, the two braces, which
must in this case be placed, as shewn in Figure 5, cannot be bolted through to
each other, and screws, therefore, only must be used to hold them to their
places, as shown by the dotted lines; Figures 6 is a perspective view of the
piece D united after the manner of my Invention to the piece F. The upper
end of the piece D is prepared to receive other similar braces, and G is a
square tennon, as before alluded to. It will be seen by this Figure that the
three-sided pieces are held together by cokes in the ordinary manner, and
may be bolted through, if necessary, and fitted with drift or other hoops in the
usual mode. Now, whereas it is evident that a solid double dovetailed plate
would answer the same purpose as the open brace here shown if let into the

page_text: wood in a suitable manner, but whereas I claim as my Invention the uniting
together of the butts of such baulk or pieces of timber as are used in tho
construction of made masts by the double-dovetailed brace or plate herein-
before described, fitted and applied in manner aforesaid, and aided by the
square mortice and tennon aforesaid; and such my Invention being to the
best of my knowledge and belief entirely new and never before used within
that part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, His said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, I do hereby declare this to my Specification of the same, and that
I do verily believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully
and without reserve or disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to main-
tain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Green, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and tiranty ning
RICHARD (L.s.) GREEN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1829, the aforesaid Richard Green came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-nine.