IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WORKING ANCHORS ON BOARD SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Daniel Davis and William
Hopcraft at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 3rd August 1871.
We, GEORGE DANIEL DAVIS, of 16, Woodstock Road, Poplar, in the
County of Middlesex, and WILLIAM HOPCRAFT, of 124, Fenchurch
Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WORKING ANCHORS ON BOARD
SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
The objects of these improvements are to save time, and to give greater
facility, power, and security in letting go and in "heating" or raising
the anchor."
To obtain this I use two cable holders to work on two separate vertical
spindles; each cable holder has on its upper, lower, or both surfaces
grooves, rings, hoops, or common friction surfaces; below the cable
holders are pall heads key'd on the spindles and separate from the cable
holders; on the upper side of the pall heads are corresponding grooves
or rings to those on the cable holders, and on the outer circumference of
the pall heads are palls working in pall rings fitted in the ordinary way;

page_text: above the cable holders are the break drum heads, with bar holes or
lever slots, and on the under side of the drum heads are also corre-
sponding grooves or rings, as before named; the centres of the drum
heads are cut screws or threads to screw on the spindles, thus when
the drum heads are made to revolve they rise or fall on the spindles,
compressing or releasing the frictional surfaces as required; above the
drum heads are spur wheels which revolve on the spindles, and when
required are connected with the drum heads by ordinary connecting
bolts, or by indentations formed on the lower side of the spur wheels, and
similar indentations on the upper part of the drum heads; these are
put in action when required by screws, as before mentioned. Between
the two spindles and the spur wheels above mentioned is the main
spindle (on which an ordinary capstan can be worked independently of
the other parts), and on which is fitted a pinion or smaller wheel work-
ing into the spur wheels above named. On the outer side of the cable
holders are bitts, round which the cables pass and are guided to and
from the cable holders as required. Between the different friction
surfaces are placed india-rubber washers to raise and relieve the friction
surfaces when necessary.
The second part of my Invention consists in riding bitts, being so
constructed as to revolve when the cable is being hove in, and to retain
the usual stationary position when the cable is running out. To obtain
this most important result I construct the bitts with pall heads and
palls, the palls keeping the bitts stationary when required. The bitts
round which the cables are wound revolve when heaving in on spindles
securely fitted to the deck, and the cables remaining always round the
bitts are at any moment ready for letting go or heaving in without loss
of time.
I wish it to be understood that in manufactory the parts made usually
in cast iron I intend using malleable iron. which I think superior to any