IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIP'S BOATS, AND DIS- ENGAGING SAME FROM THE TACKLES."
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Taylor, of Lee Terrace, Blackheath,.
in the County of Kent, a Captain in the Merchant Service, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIP'S BOATS, AND DIS-
ENGAGING SAME FROM THE TACKLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
September 1860.
I, JOHN HENRY TAYLOR, of Lee Terrace, Blackheath, in the County of
Kent, a Captain in the Merchant Service, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIP'S BOATS AND DIS-
ENGAGING SAME FROM THE TACKLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain novel mechanical arrangements or con-
trivances to be adapted to ships' boats for the purpose of lowering and dis-
engaging same as follows:-To the middle thwart of a ship's boat, and resting
therein by a hinge, I adapt a lever which passes through the eye of a long
bolt extending downwards through the support of the thwart into a hole, this
bolt takes into or passes through two rings or two eyes fastened on two sepa-
rate chains, one leading to the forward part of the boat, and the other aft
through suitable guides, the other end of each of the aforesaid chains has a
bent pin or staple connected thereto, over which is passed the looped end of
two ropes, one leading by a pulley through a hole in the forward thwart, and
the other rope through a hole in the after thwart, the ends of each of the
aforesaid bent pins is passed into a hole in a shock fixed to the boat's bottom,
so that supposing the boat to be slung from a ship's davits by the fore- and
aft ropes in the manner above mentioned, and to be lowered, therefrom by

page_text: pulling the bolt in the middle thwart by means of the lever, the chains and
bent pins will be released, and thus disengage the boat from the tackles fore
and aft at the same instant of time.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY TAYLOR, of Lee Terrace, Blackheath, in the County of Kent, a Captain
in the Merchant Service, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September, in the year: of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty, 'in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Henry Taylor, Her special license that I, the said John Taylor, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Taylor,
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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING
SHIP'S BOATS, AND DISENGAGING SAME FROM THE TACKLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Taylor, 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 John Henry Taylor do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to, be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
.
This Invention consists of certain novel mechanical arrangements or con÷
trivances to be adapted to ship's boats for the purpose of lowering and dis
engaging same as follows:-To the middle thwart of a ship's boat, and resting
thereon by a hinge, I adapt a lever which passes through the eye of a long
bolt extending downwards through the support of the thwart into a hole, this

page_text: bolt takes into or passes through two rings or two eyes fastened on two
separate chains, one leading to the forward part of the boat and the other aft
through suitable guides, the other end of each of the aforesaid chains has a
bent pin or staple connected thereto, over which is passed the looped end of
two ropes, one leading by a pulley through a hole in the forward thwart, and
the other rope through a hole in the after thwart, the ends of each of the
aforesaid bent pins is passed into a hole. in a shock fixed to the boat's bottom,
so that supposing the boat to be slung from a ship's davits by the fore and
aft ropes in the manner above mentioned, and to be lowered therefrom by
pulling the bolt in the middle thwart by means of the lever, the chains and
bent pins will be released, and thus disengage the boat from the tackles fore
and aft at the same instant of time.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible,. I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
5 same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of refer-
ence marked thereon respectively as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE SHEET OF DRAWINGS.
TION
2
Figure 1 is a longitudinal and vertical section of a boat shewing the adap-
tation of my improvements thereto; Figure 2 is a transverse and vertical
section of the boat at A, B, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detached view of some of
the parts herein-after particularly described and referred to. At each of the
foregoing Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding
parts in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures
respectively.
.
A, B, C, respectively represent the forward,. middle, and. aft thwarts of a
boat, the thwarts A, C, have each a large hole made through. them. at the
centre of their length and width, through which a pendant rope or chain D
passes, one end whereof has a ring a affixed thereto, and the other end of said
O rope is formed into a loop b; E, G, H, I, are pieces of metal securely fixed to
a plank K fastened to the bottom of the boat, the pieces E have each a
roller c connected loosely thereto, which_serve to guide the pendant ropes D in
a proper direction, the pieces G and H have holes formed through them, the
pieces G have each two holes 1, 2, as at Figure 4, and the pieces I have
5 each one hole 3, as at Figure 5, the holes 2 and 3 are formed sufficiently
large to allow the chains, or they may be rods of iron instead of chains L, L,
to move freely through them, and the holes 1 are formed to receive the bent
pins M which fit thereinto, said pins being respectively connected to the

page_text: chains L, L; N, N, are plates of metal respectively connected to the other
end of the chains L, L, these plates are formed with large holes at 4 for the
purpose herein-after explained; O is a piece of wood to stiffen the thwart B;
P is a long pin or bolt passing freely through a hole in the pieces O and I,
the upper end of the bolt P is formed with an eye, through which is passed a
rod Q serving as a lever or handle for raising and lowering the bolt P;
,5 is the fulcrum of the rod Q; R, R, represent ordinary "ship's davits," and
S, S, blocks and falls for raising, lowering, and holding suspended ship's boats.
The operations of the above described improvements are as follows:-Suppose
the several parts to be in the position exhibited at Figure 1, and it is desired
to lower and disengage the boat from the davits, the boat is first lowered to
within a few inches of the surface of the water, the lever is then raised, thereby
withdrawing the bolt from the holes in the plates, the effect of which is that
the weight of the .boat causes the ropes to pull the pins out of the holes in
the plates, and the loops of the cords sliding over said pins as at Figure 3, the
boat is thus released from the tackles, stem, and stern at the same time, and
passes from the ship's side, leaving the ropes suspended from the blocks.
In practice it will be found desirable to carry two spare ropes in the boat
so that they may be connected to the pins and chains, and all made fast and
ready for hoisting the boat when she returns alongside the ship.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of "Improved Apparatus for Lowering Ship's Boats, and Disen-
gaging same from the Tackles," together with the best means I am acquainted
with for carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I hereby declare my Invention to consist in, and I claim the parts
marked D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in the
construction of apparatus for lowering ship's boats, and disengaging same
from the tackles as above described, substantially as set forth and repre-
sented.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Taylor, have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. HANCOCK.
JOHN HENRY TAYLOR. (L.S.)