AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAPSTANS AND WINDLASSES;
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RALPH
HINDMARSH, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Master
Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by Petition, humbly represent unto His most Excellent
Majesty King George the Fourth that I had invented "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CAPSTANS AND WINDLASSES;" and His said Majesty, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of February, in the
eighth year of the reign, did, for Ilimself, His beirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Ralph Hindmarsh, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, His special license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Ralph Hindmarsh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every
of them, by himself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Ralph Hindmarsh, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend
my said Invention within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also within all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad;
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Ralph Hindmarsh, to particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and

page_text: immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and b
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the sai
Ralph Hindmarsh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly describe
and as ascertained in the manner following, that is to say :-
My improvement is applicable to that kind of capstan which is commonl
used on board ships, consisting of a body or barrel made of wood, and mounte
upon an upright fixed spindle, so as to be capable of turning round about the
same. The barrel has whelps fixed on the outside of it for the rope o
messenger to coil round, with suitable chocks interposed between those whelps
to hold them in their places. The barrel of the capstan is surrounded by a
circular drum head fixed on the top of the barrel, and having holes in the
edge to receive the capstan bars or horizontal levers, by which the capstan is
to be turned round about its upright fixed spindle by the united strength of
several men, who push the said bars before them as they walk round in a
circle.
My improvement consists in applying certain cog wheels or toothed wheel-
work withinside of such a capstan, between the barrel and the drum head
thereof, in a particular manner herein-after described, and which is represented
by the Drawings hereunto annexed, in order that the said drum head (being
disconnected from its direct fastenings to be barrel of the capstan) may be so
connected therewith by means of the said interposed wheelwork as to give
the men who turn the drum head round an extra purchase to turn the barrel
of the capstan and wind up the rope or messenger which is coiled round it, for
the said wheelwork when brought into action will cause the barrel to be turned
round only once for every three times that the drum head is turned round by
the men; but that wheelwork can be readily detached from its connection
with the drum head, and the drum head can be fastened to the barrel of the
capstan, and then that barrel will be turned round at the same rate with the
drum head in the same manner as a common capstan. The said wheelwork,
which is to be applied as aforesaid withinside of such a capstan, between the
barrel and drum head thereof, consists, first, of a circular ring with internal
teeth, which is fixed fast on the circumference of the upper part of the barrel
of the capstan, beneath the drum head, in order to turn the barrel round with
the extra purchase when required; secondly, of suitable internal intermediate
pinions, which are so applied withinside of the said circular ring, as that their
teeth may work in the internal teeth thereof, and the intermediate pinions are
mounted in a metal frame, which is firmly fastened on the upper part of the

page_text: upright fixed spindle, upon which the body of the capstan turns round, so as
that the frame containing the said intermediate pinions shall be fixed and
immoveable, and this frame is contained within a suitable cavity, excavated
partly in the central part of the top of the body of the capstan, and partly in
the under side of the drum head, whereby the said wheelwork is concealed
within the capstan, between the drum head and the barrel thereof, so as to be
kept out of the way of injury. There is also a central pinion which is con-
tained within the ring with internal teeth at the centre thereof, being fitted
upon the upper end of the fixed upright spindle in such manner that it can
turn freely round upon the same. The drum head is attached to this central
pinion, so as to turn it round whenever the drum head is turned round, and
when the extra purchase is required the teeth of the central pinion are
caused to act in some of the teeth of the intermediate internal pinions, which
are mounted in, the fixed frame at the top of the upright spindle, and they by
their other teeth transmit that action to the internal teeth of the circular ring,
which is fixed to the top of the body of the capstan, so as to turn that ring
and the body of the capstan round with an increased power and with a slow
motion, which bears the same proportion to the motion given to the drum
head as the number of teeth in the central pinion bears to the number of
internal teeth in the circular ring. The drum head can be fastened to the
barrel of the capstan, in order to turn the same round with single purchase, like
a common capstan, by means of upright drop bolts, which are let down through
holes in the drum head, and enter into corresponding holes in the circular ring
with internal teeth, which is fixed on the top of the barrel of the capstan; and
when these bolts are so inserted, the central pinion must be raised up within
an opening through the centre of the drum head, so as to withdraw its teeth
from contact with those of the intermediate pinion. When the extra pur-
chase is required, the central pinion is let down into its proper place within the
centre of the ring of internal teeth, so that its teeth will engage with those of
the intermediate pinions; and then the aforesaid drop bolts, which connect the
drum head with the barrel of the capstan, being drawn up, will leave the drum
head detached from its direct connection with the said barrel, but connected
therewith by means of the interposed wheelwork, in order to give the extra
purchase thereto.
For the more complete explanation of the manner of performing my im-
provement I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings containing several
Figures of a capstan constructed according to my improvement. Figure 1
is an elevation or external view of the capstan, and 2 is a vertical section of the
A, A, is the body of the capstan with its whelps a, a, and chocks b, b.
same.

page_text: B, B, its pall head, to which the palls c, c, are applied; and D, D, is the cir-
cular pall track or rim, which is fixed to the deck for palls to act in, and prevent
the capstan running back if the men should be overpowered. E, E, is the
drum head with the holes in the edge to receive the capstan bars, by which the
capstan is to be turned round. F, F, Figure 2, is the fixed upright spindle on
which the body of the capstan revolves, and d, d, f, f, Figure 2 and Figure 9,
are collars or bushes of metal, which are fixed into the wooden body of the
capstan, and fitted truly upon the spindle F, F, which is fixed fast in the deck
of the ship at the lower part, and the upper part stands up above the same for
the capstan to turn round upon; that lower part of the spindle is angular and
should be of a square form, so as to be fixed fast in the deck that it may not
turn round; all the above-mentioned parts are so nearly the same as those in a
common ship's capstan as to require no further explanation. 3, 3, is the
circular ring with internal teeth, which is firmly fixed. on the circumference of
the upper part of barrel A, A, a, a, b, b, of the capstan, so as to turn round
therewith. The ring 3, which is separately represented in Figure 6, and con-
jointly with the pinions in Figure 5, is made of cast metal; it is fitted on the
tops of the whelps a, a, and the lower part of the ring has cells x, x, in it, see
Figure 6, to receive projecting parts of the chocks b, b, which are inserted
between the whelps a, a, and the ring 3 is fastened in its place by suitable
bolts which pass through those chocks, and also through the metal at that part
of the ring in which the said recesses x, x, are formed. The ring 3 must be
fixed on the body of the capstan so as to be very truly concentric with the
collars f, f, and d, d, which fit upon the fixed upright spindle F, about which
the ring turns with the barrel of the capstan. At the outside of the ring 3
there are projecting lugs y, y, y, Figure 6, with holes in them for the reception
of the lower ends of the drop bolts 4, 4, Figure 2, by which the drum head E, E,
can be connected with the ring 3, in order to turn the barrel of the capstan
round by a direct action when only a common single purchase is required..
The drop bolts 4, 4, pass down throngh suitable holes in the drum head E, E,
and their heads project up above the drum head; as is shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
in order that a man may take hold of those heads to lift the drop bolts up, and
withdraw the lower ends of them out of the holes in the projecting lugs of the
ring 3, 3; when the drop bolts are thus withdrawn they may be retained by
inserting small cross pins or fids through holes made through the drop bolts,
and those fids bear upon the top of the drum head. 5, 5, 5, see Figures 5
and 8, are the internal intermediate pinions, of which there may be three
disposed at equal distances round the centre of the fixed upright spindle F,
their teeth work in the interval teeth of the circular ring 3, 3. The inter-

page_text: mediate pinions 5 have each a short axis with round pivots at the upper and
lower ends, which are received into holes in the frame 6, 6, 7, 7, see
Figures 2, 5, 7, and 8, in which the said pinions are mounted; this frame
consists of a ring 7, 7, see Figure 7, and a circular plate 6, 6, which are
strongly fixed together by pillars 8, 8, see Figure 8. The circular plate 6, 6,
has a hole through the centre of a hexagonal or other polygonal figure, see
Figure 7, and is thereby fitted very firmly upon a corresponding part 2, see
Figure 2 of the fixed upright spindle, and held by a nut 18, Figure 2, which
is screwed upon the spindle above the plate 6, and fixes the plate firmly so
that it cannot move upon the spindle. The pivots at the lower ends of
the axes of the intermediate pinions 5, 5, 5, see Figures 2, 5, and 8, are
fitted into pivot holes made in the plate 6, 6, and the pivots at the upper
ends of the same are inserted into corresponding pivot holes in the ring 7, 7,
which is fastened by screws on the tops of short upright pillars 8, 8, 8,
which rise up from the plate 6, 6, in the spaces between the intermediate
pinions 5, 5, 5, see Figures 5 and 8. These parts are shewn in the separate
views, Figures 5, 6, and 7, and Figure 8 is an edge view of the frame when
put together with the intermediate pinions 5, 5, mounted in it ready for fixing
at the upper part of the fixed upright spindle F. The wood at the upper part
of the body of the capstan is excavated with a suitable cavity to receive the
plate 6, so that the wood will not touch the plate, but will allow the capstan to
turn round whilst the frame 6, 7, remains fixed and inmoveable. Number 9,
see Figs. 2, 5, 7, and 8, is the central pinion situated within the centre of
the ring 3, 3, with its teeth acting in those of the intermediate pinions 5, 5, 5,
as is shewn in Figure 5, and by them that action is transmitted to the
internal teeth of the ring 3, 3. At the upper part of the central pinion 9 a
square chuck 10, see Figure 8, is formed in the same piece of metal with
the pinion, and the chuck is fitted into a square hoop or socket 19, see
Figure 9, which is fixed fast into the central part of the drum head E, E,
as is shewn in Figure 2 and Figure 9. The square chuck 10 can slide freely
up and down thro' the central socket 19, in order to raise up the central
pinion 9, so that its teeth may be above the plane of the teeth of the in-
termediate pinions 5, 5, and out of contact therewith, and when the chuck
is let down into its central socket 19, the central pinion 9 may take its place
within the intermediate pinions 5, 5, its teeth engaging with the teeth thereof.
The hole through the central pinion 9, and its square chuck 10, is accurately
fitted to the upper end of the fixed spindle F above the nut 18, so as to turn
freely round upon that part of the spindle F, which by that means forms the
centre of motion for the drum head to turn round upon, when the wheelwork
is in action, to give the extra purchase to turn the body of the capstan. The

page_text: drum head is
The drum head
weight of the drum head and capstan bars is borne upon the upper side of the
fixed ring 7, 7, in the manner shewn in Figure 10 and 4. Small trucks or
rollers 12 are applied at the under side of the drum head to diminish the friction,
for these rollers run round upon the top of the ring 7, 7, and bear all the weight
of the drum head and capstan bars. The under side of the
hollowed out in the middle part to leave space for the ring 7, 7.
is strengthened by circular rings of wrought iron 13, 13, which are let into the
wood at the upper and under sides thereof, and are secured by bolts, which pass
through both rings and through the wood, and are rivetted. The drop bolts
4 are fitted through holes in these rings, and the inside of the lower ring 13
is adapted to fit over the outside of the circular ring 3, 3, so as to make a
close fitting and prevent dirt getting into the space containing the wheelwork.
In order to raise the central pinion upwards upon the fixed upright spindle F,
so as to lift it out of its contact with the intermediate pinions 5, 5, a screw
14, see Figure 2, is formed upon the upper end of the fixed upright spindle
F, and a tubular nut 15, see Figure 2, with a female screw which is adapted
to the screw 14, is fitted into a socket within the centre of the square chuck
10, of the central pinion 9, so that the tubular nut can turn round freely in
that socket, but it cannot rise upwards upon the spindle without raising the
chuck 10 and the pinion 9 with it. The upper end of the tubular nut 15
rises up through the socket, and has a collet fastened upon it by a cross pin,
to form a head to the nut above the top of the socket through the square
chuck 10, and a lever or cross bar 16 is inserted through that head, to turn
the tubular nut 15 round about the threads of the screw, so as to raise or
lower itself, and it carries the square chuck 10 and the central pinion 9 with
it. When the chuck and pinion is thus raised quite up or lowered quite
down, an upright pin 17, see Figures 1 and 2, is put down through a hole
in the upper end of the nut 15, and its lower end enters into a hole in the
end of the upright fixed spindle F, so as to prevent the nut turning round
upon its screw 14, whereby the nut will stand still as well as the screw when
the drum head is turned round, or the central pinion may be disengaged in
the following mode:-Instead of raising up the central pinion 9 out of
contact with the intermediate pinions 5, 5, the central pinion may be made
separate from the chuck 10, and constructed with a circular plate upon the
upper part of it, as is represented at 17, in Figure 11. This plate will
occupy the space within the ring 7, 7, but without touching that ring; in the
central part of the drum head (in lieu of the chuck 10) a metal centre
piece 20 is fixed fast to the wood, having a hole through the centre part of it,
to fit upon the upper end of the fixed spindle F, F, and thus form the
centre of motion of the drum head to turn round about. There are also other

page_text: holes through the centre piece 20, at a distance from the centre, to receive
drop bolts 21, and the ends thereof enter into corresponding holes in the
circular plate 17, so as to cause that plate and the central pinion 9 to turn
round with the drum head when the drop bolts 21 are inserted; or if they are
withdrawn, then the drum head and the central pinion will remain at liberty to
turn round independently of of each other, according to this construction, as is
represented in Figure 11. The central pinion 9 remains with its teeth always
engaged with the teeth of the intermediate wheels 5, 5, 5, but by the drop
bolts 21 it can be connected or disconnected with the drum head at pleasure.
According as the capstan is to be used with a single purchase or with the extra
purchase by its wheelwork, the drop bolts 4, which unite the drum head with
the ring 3, must always be withdrawn when the other drop bolts 21 are
inserted, and vice versa. When the capstan is used as a single purchase the
drop bolts 4 are inserted, and those at 21 are withdrawn, and then when the
capstan is turned round the internal teeth 3, 3, acting in those of the interme-
diate pinions 5, 5, cause the central pinion 9 and its circular plate 17 to turn
round rapidly, and in a contrary direction to that in which the drum head is
turned. When a capstan is of a large size, and its weight considerable, the
lower socket d, d, of the body of the capstan, which fits upon the lower part of the
upright fixed spindle F, F, may have four small rollers or trucks applied beneath
it, as is shewn in Figure 12, to bear the weight of the revolving capstan, and
diminish the friction. The said rollers rest upon a circular plate or collar 22,
which is formed on the spindle F, and they are fitted into a ring 23, which
encompasses the spindle, and serves to retain the rollers at their respective
distances from each other, when they traverse or roll round in a circle, as the
socket d, d, of the capstan turns round about its fixed upright spindle and
rolls over them. My improvement is also applicable to double capstans, such
as are used on board large ships, in the following manner :-The lower or
geer capstan is mounted upon a fixed upright spindle F, F, and has the
herein-before described wheelwork applied at the upper part of the barrel of
the capstan, between that and the drum head E, E, in the manner represented
in Figure 2. The upper or working capstan which is upon the deck above
is in every respect of the ordinary construction, and is fastened to its upright
spindle, which therefore turns round with it. This revolving upright spindle
is supported in a collar, fixed in partners at the deck beneath the upper cap-
stan, and the lower end of that spindle terminates in a pivot, which enter into a
hole in the top end of the fixed upright spindle F of the lower capstan, so as to
confine the revolving spindle of the upper capstan in its true upright position,
and support it when it revolves along with that capstan. The lower end of

page_text: the revolving spindle of the upper capstan can be connected with the drum
head of the lower capstan, and also with the central pinion 9 of its wheelwork,
according as it is required to use the lower capstan with its simple power,
or with its extra purchase, or that revolving spindle can be disconnected
entirely from the revolving part of the lower capstan, so as to give no motion
thereto, and then the upper capstan may be used by itself with a common
purchase. The means of effecting such connection is represented in Figure 13,
in which F is the upper end of the upright fixed spindle of the lower capstan,
having a hole in the upper end of it to receive a corresponding pivot at the
lower end of the revolving spindle N of the upper capstan. This spindle N
is made octagonal or hexagonal on the outside, and a sliding clutch box
24 is fitted upon that part, so that it can slide freely up or down upon the
revolving spindle, but cannot turn round upon it. The outside of this clutch
is also of an octagonal or hexagonal form, and is adapted to fit into a corre-
sponding metal socket 25, which is fixed fast into the centre of the drum bead
E, E, and as the revolving spindle N cannot turn round within the clutch
box 24, and that clutch box cannot turn round within its socket 25, the drum
head E, E, is caused to turn round along with the spindle N and the upper
capstan, and if the drop bolts 4 (see Figure 2) are inserted to connect the
drum head with the barrel of the lower capstan, then both capstans will
turn round together in the usual manner of common double capstans, with a
common purchase, for the wheelwork of the lower capstan will produce no
effect. The central pinion 9 of that wheel work is fitted loose upon the upper
end of the fixed upright spindle F, Figure 13, so as to turn round freely
thereupon, and that pinion has two claws rising up from the upper surface,
which are interlocked by corresponding claws on the lower end of the sliding
clutch box 24. Whenever that clutch box is dropped down upon the re-
volving spindle N, and then that spindle, as well as the drum head E, E, of the
lower capstan, are connected with the central pinion 9, so as to turn it round,
and the drop bolts 4 of the lower drum head being withdrawn, the barrel of
the lower capstan will be turned slowly round by the wheelwork with the
extra purchase. If the greatest power is required the lower drum head may be
furnished with its capstan bars as well as the upper one, to apply a double number
of men to act with the extra purchase. When the sliding clutch box 24 is so
much raised up upon the revolving spindle N that its claws will be raised above
the claws of the central pinion 9, then the wheelwork will be out of action,
as before-mentioned; but when the clutch box 24 is raised up bigher than
the revolving spindle N, so as to withdraw it from the socket 25, then the
revolving spindle becomes quite detached from the moving parts of the lower

page_text: capstan, and the upper capstan may be used by itself alone. The sliding
clutch box is detained in either of the positions in which it is to be placed
by means of a pin 26, which is inserted into a hole through the clutch box,
and passes through holes made through the revolving spindle N, at the proper
places. And my improvement is applicable to windlasses which are placed in
a horizontal position, as well as to capstans which stand upright. The wheel-
work for a windlass must be constructed as follows: At each end of the
body of the windlass, and between those ends and the bit heads of the windlass,
a circular ring, with internal teeth similar to that represented in Figure 6,
is fixed fast to the body of the windlass, in order to turn the same round with
an extra purchase. When required, an internal pinion, similar to those
marked 5, is applied within each of these rings, so as to act in the internal
teeth thereof. Each of these pinions is fixed fast upon the extreme end of a
short horizontal spindle, which passes through the bit head, and has another
similar pinion fixed fast upon the other end of it, the middle part of each of
the said spindles between its pinions being fitted into a socket formed in the
bit head, so that the spindle, together with the pinion at each end of it, can
turn freely round in that socket. There are two short spindles of this kind,
with two pinions to each spindle, and they are fitted through each of the
bit heads so as to answer to the two rings with internal teeth, at which are
fixed the two ends of the body of the windlass. The two ends of the windlass,
which project out beyond the bit heads, are not fixed fast upon the horizontal
spindle of the windlass (as the body of the windlass is), but the two ends of
the spindle, which project out through the bit heads, are made round, and the
windlass ends are fitted upon those round parts so as to turn round freely upon
the same, and a pinion is fixed fast at the end of each windlass end, so as to
be between the end thereof and the outside of the bit head, in a suitable
position that the teeth of the pinion may engage with the teeth of that pinion
before mentioned, which is fixed on the end of the short horizontal spindle
passing through the bit head. The action of this construction is, that when
the windlass ends are turned round by the strength of men working with
handspikes, the pinions which are fixed to the windlass ends turn the pinions at
the ends of the short horizontal spindles which pass through the bit head, and the
internal pinions at the opposite ends of those spindles turning at the same time,
and their teeth acting in the internal teeth of the rings which are fixed on the
ends of the body of the windlass, will cause the said rings, together with the
body of the windlass, to turn round with a slow motion and an extra purchase;
but when such extra purchase is not required, then the windlass ends are
to be slided so far endways along upon the round parts at the ends of the

page_text: spindle of the windlass as will remove them away from the bit heads, until the
pinions which are fixed to those windlass ends will become disengaged from
the teeth of the other pinions, at the ends of the short horizontal spindles
which pass through the bit heads, the wheelwork will then be thrown out of
action, and the windlass ends may be made fast to the spindle of the windlass,
by inserting pins through suitable holes made across the ends of the windlass,
and also through the spindle thereof, in order that the windlass ends being
turned round by men with handspikes, will turn the body of the windlass at
the same time with a single purchase, as in common windlasses.
Now I do not make claim to the Invention of the combination of wheelwork
herein-before mentioned, which consists of a circular ring, with internal teeth,
acted upon by the intermediate internal pinions, and the central pinion situated
within the ring, the same being known and in use; nor do I claim the applica-
tion of such a combination of wheelwork to capstans and windlasses generally.
But I do claim the particular applications to capstans of the above combination
of wheelwork with a fixed and immoveable spindle, round which the capstan
turns, such fixed spindle having the frame containing the intermediate internal
pinions fixed immovably thereto, so as to be between the drum head and that
part of the barrell of the capstan to which the circular ring with internal
teeth is fixed; and I do also claim that particular application of the above
combination of wheelwork to windlasses wherein the ring with internal teeth
is fixed to the ends of the body of the windlass.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Hindmarsh, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord