Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM JEFFERSON, of 13, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, in the County of York,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to improvements in the davits of ship's boats, and is intended
to expedite the act of lowering or of raising the boats, and to effect either, especially
the lowering, without the serious risk of accident which so frequently attends the
act of getting out the boats in rough weather, and under stress of circumstance.
In carrying my invention into effect, 1 fix the davits in the inner side of the
gunwale in order to get room enough for the boat to rest on the chocks between
said davits and gunwale. The davit tops are made long enough to allow of their
being used as fixed jibs, and the boat is suspended from them by means of falls and
blocks adapted to travel upon said tops.
The ordinary tackle may be used for raising the boat off the chocks, the top block
being adapted to serve as the travelling block.
I provide a rope and suitable pulleys upon the davit for the purpose of working the
travelling block to and fro.
The davits may be made removable by providing sockets to receive their lower
extremities, and suitable steadying devices by which they can be fixed rigidly in said
sockets.
Dated this 31st day of January 1888.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Davits for Quickly and Safely Lowering Ships'
Boats.
I, WILLIAM JEFFERSON, of 13, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, in the County of York,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in the davits of ships' boats, and is intended
to expedite the act of lowering or of raising the boats, and to effect either, especially
the lowering, without the serious risk of accident which so frequently attends the act of
getting out the boats in rough weather, and under stress of circumstances..
It is well-known that the great difficulty in getting out ships' boats with the ordinary
davits is in having to reeve them first through one davit and then through the other
before they can be put over the ships' side, and when they are over and suspended
from the davit, they hang so far out, that in rough weather, or in a sea way, they are.
liable to be stove in against the ships' side before they reach the water.
In order to avoid this, and to make the boats much quicker and safer to lower, I fix,
my improved davits on the inner side of the boat, or farther away from the ship's side
in order to allow of there being sufficient. room for the boat to rest in the chocks
between the davits and the ship's side. I make the top or projecting part of the davit
of sufficient length to enable me to use them as fixed jibs or cranes, and suspend
the boats to the jibs by means of travelling blocks capable of working to and fro on
the projecting jib of the davits.
•
:
In order to raise the boat up out of the chocks, I simply use the ordinary tackle as
usually employed for that purpose, the top block of which forms the travelling block
before mentioned. When the boat is raised clear of the chocks and it is desired to
lower it over the ship's side, one end of a rope is attached to an eye or other equivalent
in the upper blocks, and is then passed or reeved through a sheave attached to the
extreme outer end of the jibs; the rope is then brought back and passed through a
sheave or eye fixed to the upright part of the davit. This arrangement applies to both
davits therefore, by hauling on these ropes the boat is hauled out to the required
position and is ready for lowering into the water. The lowering tackle is then released
and the boat gently slides down over the ship's side into the water thus preventing it
from being damaged.
.
In order that my invention and the means by which the same can be carried into
practical effect may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe them in detail,
referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of
this specification and read therewith.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the boat resting in the chocks.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the shackle of the travelling block.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation corresponding therewith.
Fio Gisa side elevation of the outer and of a daxit-üh

page_text: Fig. 7 is an end elevation corresponding therewith.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation; and Fig. 9, a sectional side elevation of a davit-socket.
A, A are a pair of brackets fixed close to the side rails, a, and preferably outside
them. They project inwards over the deck, and support a platform, b, upon which the
chocks, c, c, are fixed.
D, D are the davits in stanchions, e, e, in which they are rigidly held by any suitable
device, e. g., cotters, ff. The davits are set far enough back from the rails to make
room for the boat to hang between them and the bulwarks or side of the vessel. They
may be fixed permanently to the deck if preferred.
G, G are the top blocks; and g, g, their falls. Both top blocks are adapted to
travel upon the forward extensions, or jibs, d, of the davits by means of the shackles, h, h.
Lines,,, are provided for the purpose of so travelling them. Each line is made fast
to a shackle on the top block, and rove through a pulley, j, at the end of the jib. The
pulley-end is lower than the other so that when the line is let go after the boat is
out of the chocks, its own gravity will take it down. The projection of the davit-
jibs is only enough to enable the boat to just clear the ship's side, which she hugs as it
were, as she drops into the water.
I provide stops k, k, upon each jib to limit the travel of the shackles h, h.
When
the shackles, h, h, are stopped by the stops, k, the falls may be let go for the boat will
then hang clear of the ship's side. When they are stopped by the stops, ¹, the boat
will hang fairly over the chocks.
It is of importance to point out that when it is desired to raise the boat
and lower it into the sea, the falls, g, of the lifting blocks G are hauled upon by
men on board until the boat is clear of the chocks. When the ropes, i, i, are
hauled upon, the boat is pulled to the end of the jib and lowered by letting go the
hauling ropes, the boat, meanwhile clinging to the side of the vessel, and thereby
escaping banging and dashing against the side and reaching the water gently. The
jibs are therefore of moderate length so as to not leave any slack between the boat and
the ship's side.
To raise a boat out of water by my invention, the falls are hooked to the boat and
both hauling ropes hauled upon until the boat is high enough, or the blocks, G,
chock-a-block. Still keeping on hauling in the ropes, the blocks with the boat
swinging to them are pulled inwards to the back stops, then when the ropes are
slackened the boat drops into the chocks and the jibs may be swung sideways out of
the way and fixed in that position in the stanchions, e, by means of the cotters, f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The combination of davits fixed within the ship's bulwarks at a distance therefrom
not less than the width of the boat; a platform raised above the level of the deck and
carrying the chocks and davit-jibs making with the horizon an angle less than a
right-angle and upon which the top blocks are adopted to travel outwards far
enough for the boat to hang only just clear of the ship's side substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Patent Agents,
22, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.