IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING BOATS AND DISENGAGING THEM FROM THEIR TACKLE
Year: 1865

page_text: 1
LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Steel, of Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park,
in the County of Middlesex, Master in the Royal Navy, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING BOATS AND
DISENGAGING THEM FROM THEIR TACKLE."
Sealed the 2nd May 1865, and dated the 25th January 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Steel at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th January
1865.
I, THOMAS STEEL, of Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Master in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING BOATS AND
DISENGAGING THEM FROM THEIR TACKLE," to be as follows:―
My Invention has for its object the combination and arrangement of appa-
ratus by means of which boats may be lowered from the decks of ships or other
vessels simultaneously at both ends, by means of a rope passed from the blocks
on each davit, such two ropes being brought together and passed round a
cleat fixed to the deck. Then the boat is disengaged from its tackle by the
opening of a connector, caused by the pull of a chain, which becomes in a
state of tension when the boat has been lowered to the required extent.
the purpose thus stated the connector is composed of two parts, one of which
is a link fixed to the usual blocks of each davit, and the other is a second link
united with the former, and from which the boat is suspended at each end by
the ordinary slings. The last-mentioned link is formed with a stem extending
upwards, with its upper end inclined inwards, such upper end being con-
For

page_text: Then to
this shackle is connected one end of the chain, which is fixed at its other end
by means of a hook and shackle to the davit; the effect of this arrangement
being that while the said chain is loose the shackle of the connector is in a hori-
zontal or nearly horizontal position and confines the lower link of the connector;
but when the chain is brought into a state of tension by the lowering of the boat,
the last-mentioned shackle is drawn into a vertical or nearly vertical position,
and allows the said lower link to fall out of the shackle, and the boat is thereby
at once disengaged. When it is required to raise the boat again the upper ends
of the two chains are unhooked from the shackle fixed to the davits, and the
stems of the lower links of the two connectors, after being passed through
the rings of the ordinary slings of the boat, are inserted in the shackles of the
connector and confined therein, by which means the required connection
is formed between the two parts of the connector.
fined by a shackle jointed to the upper link of the connector.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Steel in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the
25th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
STEEL, of Gloucester Terrace, Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex,
Master in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Steel, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Steel,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Steel, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR LOWERING BOATS AND DISENGAGING THEM FROM THEIR TACKLE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Steel, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Steel, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
5 formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "improvements in apparatus for lowering boats and dis-
engaging them from their tackle, has for its object the combination and
arrangement of apparatus by means of which boats may be lowered from the
decks of ships or other vessels simultaneously at both ends by means of a
rope passed from the blocks on each davit, such two ropes being brought
together and passed round a cleat fixed to the deck or other convenient part
of the ship. Then the boat is disengaged frnm its tackle by the simultaneous
opening of a connector at each end, caused by the pull of chains of suitable
length, which become in a state of tension when the boat has been lowered
to the required extent. For the purpose thus stated the connector at each
end of the boat is composed of two parts, one of which is a link suspended from
the usual blocks of each davit, and the other is a second link connected with the
former, and from which the boat is suspended at each end by the ordinary
slings. The last-mentioned link is formed with a stem extending upwards,
and with its upper end inclined inwards, such upper end being confined by a
shackle jointed to the upper link of the connector. Then to this shackle is
connected one end of the chain, which is fixed at its other end by means of a
hook and shackle to the davit; the effect of this arrangement being, that
while the said chain is loose the shackle of the connector is in a horizontal
or nearly horizontal position, and confines the lower link of the connector ;
but when the chain fixed to the shackle of cach connector is brought into &
state of tension by the lowering of the boat, the shackles are drawn into
a vertical or nearly vertical position, and allow the said lower links to
fall out of the said shackles, and the boat is thereby at once disengaged
simultaneously at both ends. When it is required to raise the boat again
the upper ends of the two chains are unhooked from the rings or shackles
fixed to the davits, and the stems of the lower links of the two connectors
after being passed through the rings of the ordinary slings of the boat are
inserted in the shackles of the connectors and confined therein, by which means
the required connection is formed between the two parts of the connectors.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed by

page_text: or apparatus above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is an elevation shewing the apparatus applied to a ship or vessel
with a boat suspended ready for lowering; Fig. 2 is a plan or horizontal view
of the same; Fig. 8 represents on an enlarged scale a front view of one of
the connectors detached; Fig. 4 represents a side view of the same with the
connection unbroken; Fig. 5 is a similar view shewing the connection
broken. In these several Figures the same letters of reference indicate cor-
responding parts.
means of a
A is the deck of the vessel; B, B, are the ordinary davits from which the
boat is suspended by means of the ordinary tackle C, C. Instead, however,
of lowering the boat in the usual manner
rope at each davit,
there are two blocks D, D, fixed to the bulwark or top rail of the vessel
through which both the ropes are passed, and being brought together are
passed round a cleat E fixed to the deck or other convenient part of the ship,
and the boat is lowered as required by slackening the two ropes together
from the cleat; F, F, are the blocks from which the connectors G, G, are
suspended.
On reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5, it will be seen that the connector
consists of an upper link g', and a lower link g; at the top of the link g' is
formed a ring by which it is suspended from the book of the block F; the
lower link is jointed by a pin to the lower end of the link g', on which pin
it is capable of turning; H is a shackle jointed in a similar manner to the
link g at or near the middle of the same. To the outer part of this shackle
is connected one end of the chain I, the other end of which is hooked on to
the shackle K fixed to the outer end of the davit. The length of the chains
I, I, may be varied as required by means of connecting links between the
upper ends of such chains and the books by which they are fixed to the davits;
Lis the ring connected to the ordinary sling of one end of the boat; through
this ring the link 9 has been passed. By the means thus described a con-
nection has been formed between the suspending blocks F, F, of the davits
B, B, and the rings L, L, connecting the slings of the boat; and it will be
seen, on reference to Fig. 4, that this connection will continue unbroken as
long as the shackle E continues in the position shewn in that Figure, the
tension on the upper end of the link g' and on the lower part of the link 9
having a tendency to maintain the connection by pressing the stem of the
link g against the inside of the shackle H. But the connection will be broken

page_text: by the tension of the chain I pulling the outer end of the shackle H upwards,
as shewn in Fig. 5, and releasing the link g from its confinement therein.
The lowering of boats by means of the apparatus is effected in the following
manner:-The two ropes leading from the davits B, B, are slackened from
the cleat E, and when the boat is thus lowered to a convenient distance from
the water the ropes are let go, when by the further descent of the boat the
chains I, I, are brought in tension, and caused to draw the shackles H, H,
into the position shewn in Fig. 5, by which the links 92, 93, become simul-
taneously released, and allow the boat to drop into the water; then in order
to sling the boat ready for lowering again the ends of the chains I, I, are
unhooked from the shackles K, K, of the davits and the connectors lowered
to the boat; then the links 9, 9, are passed through the rings L, L, and
confined in the shackles H, H; the boat is afterwards drawn up, and the
chains I, I, are hooked on to the rings or shackles at the ends of the davits.
There are safety pins (not shewn in the Drawings) which may be passed
through eyes M, M, in the stems of the links 9, 9%, in order to prevent the
shackles H, H, from being drawn out of their horizontal position by the
motion of the vessel or other cause when not required. These safety pins
are or may be suspended by small chains from the hooks of the blocks F, F.
Ilaving thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
of my Invention is, the use of connectors composed of upper links and lower
links, with confining shackles for connecting the slings of the boat with the
suspending blocks of the davits, and the combination therewith of chains for
withdrawing the shackles and releasing the lower links of the connectors
simultaneously at both ends of the boat, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Steel, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
THOMAS STEEL. (L.S.)