IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF ACTING TACKLE HOOKS OR APPLIANCES FOR HOISTING, LOWERING, AND DISENGAGING HEAVY WEIGHTS, *SUCH AS BALES OF GOODS, ANIMALS BOATS, AND OTHER ARTICLES.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Thorne Roe of Wandsworth in the County of
Surrey for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF ACTING TACKLE HOOKS
OR APPLIANCES FOR HOISTING, LOWERING, AND DISENGAGING HEAVY WEIGHTS,
*SUCH AS BALES OF GOODS, ANIMALS BOATS, AND OTHER ARTICLES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Thorne Roe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th September 1882.
JAMES THORNE ROE of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-ACTING TACKLE HOOKS OR APPLIANCES FOR HOISTING LOWERING AND
DISENGAGING HEAVY WEIGHTS SUCH AS BALES OF GOODS, ANIMALS, BOATS AND
OTHER ARTICLES
"
The object of my Invention is to provide a very safe and effective self acting
hook for hoisting and lowering and for picking up heavy goods and in such
manner that the article being lowered will be immediately released as soon as it
reaches the ground water or other resting place.
According to my invention I provide a bar or rod with eye at one end through
which the fall chain or other lowering gear passes, the eye of the rod is preferably
bent over almost to a right angle with the rod in order that the fall may pass
freely through the same; the lower end of this chain is attached to an eye loop or
other suitable attachment on one end of a second lever or rod which latter passes
through a slot in and is mounted on an axis passing through the first bar or rod
aforesaid. Below the axis the second lever or rod is made with a hook or hooked
shaped projection which when in its normal position that is when the fall is
slackened or slack is separated from and does not touch the first rod but when the
chain or other fall which is connected to the other end is tightened this hook is
drawn and maintained against the lower arm of the first lever and would not be
removed or disengaged from same until the lowering gear or fall is slackened in
fact the more the weight (within reasonable limits) the greater would be the
holding power of the hook. As soon as the load reaches the ground or other
resting place and the fall is loosened the second hook opens and the weight is

page_text: free but to facilitate the disengaging action a cord is attached to the first named
lever which on being tightened when the gear for hoisting or lowering is slackened,
takes the strain off the second lever and allows the hook to let
go its grasp. The
lower end of first lever is provided with hook or hook shaped projection which may
be used for lowering and hoisting purposes when the disengaging hook or appliance
is not required or the latter hook may be used in combination with the first named
hook by passing the tackle to hold the suspended article from the ordinary tackle
hook to the disengaging hook before mentioned. To quicken the action of the
disengaging hook and this is particularly applicable when hoisting animals a
spring may be placed between the two levers or rods and sometimes I place a
weight on the head of the disengaging hook lever or form the head of same heavy
in order to quicken the action and this may be used in combination with or
without the spring. The disengaging and holding hook may be made to take into
a recess or notch on the lever and the shape of the two must thus be arranged
accordingly to accommodate themselves the one to the other. To use the appliance
as a grapnel or hook for getting up wreckage or other material from the bottom of
the sea for example the action as before described for hoisting and lowering and
disengaging would be reversed and the appliance would be lowered by the hook
tackle; when the article to be raised is caught this tackle is released and the
appliance is raised by the main fall or tackle which in the other case was used for
the hoisting and lowering. The hooks may be made of any convenient shape
according to the purpose to which the apparatus is applied and whether that be
for hoisting and lowering cattle to and from ships and wharfs, for lowering boats
from davits or for raising and lowering heavy goods to and from warehouses and
the like places so the shape of hook must be varied according to circumstances.
When used for horses they are free immediately their feet touch the ground and
this applies to other animals. The attendant can lead them off immediately they
touch by halter or head piece which would be previously put on having length
sufficient for the groom to take hold of just before the animal touches.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Thorne Roe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th March 1883.
"
JAMES THORNE ROE of Wandsworth in the County of Surrey IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF ACTING TACKLE HOOKS OR APPLIANCES FOR HOISTING, LOWERING, AND
DISENGAGING HEAVY WEIGHTS, SUCH AS BALES OF GOODS, ANIMALS, BOATS, AND
OTHER ARTICLES."
The object of my Invention is to provide a very safe and effective self-acting
book for hoisting and lowering and for picking up heavy goods and for any
purpose where a very safe self-acting hook is required and in such manner that the
article being lowered or otherwise will be immediately released if required as soon
as it reaches the ground water or other resting place and in order that my,
Invention may be fully understood I will now proceed to describe the same with
the aid of the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side, and Figure 2 is an end elevation of a self acting tackle book
constructed according to my Invention. Figure 3 shows the same hook drawn on a
somewhat smaller scale with a weight suspended therefrom. Figure 4 shows the
same tackle with the weight released. Figure 5 shows the Invention applied as a
railway wagon coupling Figure 6 shows the Invention as applied to a horse trace
hook and Figure 7 as applied to grappling. Similar letters of reference refer to
like parts in all the Figures.
According to my Invention I provide a bar or rod a with eye b at one end
through which the fall, chain, or other lowering gear c passes; the eye 6 of the rod
is preferably bent over or otherwise almost to a right angle with the rod in order
that the fall c may pass freely through the same; the lower end of this chain is
attached to an eye d loop or other suitable attachment on one end of a second
lever or rod e which latter passes through a slot in or is mounted on the axis a¹
passing through the first bar or rod a aforesaid. Below the axis the second lever
or rod e is made with a hook for hook shaped projection which when in its normal
position that is when the fall is slackened or slack is separated from and does not
touch the first rod a but when the chain or other fall c which is connected to the
other end d is tightened, this hook is drawn and maintained against the lower arm
of the first lever a and as shown at Figures 1 and 3 and would not be removed or
disengaged from same until the lowering gear or fall c is slackened; in fact the
more the weight (within reasonable limits) the greater would be the holding power
of the hook. As soon as the load reaches the ground or other resting place and the
fall c is loosened the second hook e opens and the weight is free but to facilitate
the disengaging action a cord is or may be attached to the lever a at g which on
being tightened when the gear for hoisting or lowering is slackened, takes the
strain off the second lever e and allows the hook f to let go its grasp. The lower
end of first lever or rod a is provided with hook or hook shaped projection h
which may be used for lowering and hoisting purposes when the disengaging hook
or appliance is not required or the latter hook h may be used in combination
with the first named hook e by passing the tackle to hold the suspended article
from the ordinary tackle hook to the disengaging hook before mentioned. To
quicken the action of the disengaging hook and this is particularly applicable
when boisting animals a spring may be placed between the two levers or rods a
and e shewn at Figure 4 and sometimes I place a weight on the head of the dis-
engaging hook lever as shown in Figure 3 or form the head of same heavy in
order to quicken the action and this may be used in combination with or without
.

page_text: the spring. The disengaging and holding hook f may be made to take into a
recess or notch on the lever or rod a and the shape of the two must thus be
arranged accordingly to accommodate themselves the one to the other. To use the
appliance as a grapnel or hook for getting up wreckage or other material from
the bottom of the sea for example the action as before described for hoisting
and lowering and disengaging would be reversed and the appliance would be
lowered by the hook tackle g; when the article to be raised is caught the
tackle is released and the appliance is raised by the main fall or tackle c which
in the other case was used for the hoisting and lowering. The hooks may be made
of any convenient shape according to the purpose to which the apparatus is applied
and whether that be for hoisting and lowering cattle to and from ships and wharfs
for lowering boats from davits or for raising and lowering heavy goods to and from
warehouses and the like places; the shape of book must be varied according to
circumstances.
When used for horses they are free immediately their feet touch the ground and
this applies to other animals. The attendant can lead them off immediately they
touch by halter or head piece which would be previously put on having length
sufficient for the groom to catch hold of just before the animal touches.
With reference to the coupling which I have shown at Figure 5 in illustration of
my Invention when applied to railway couplings I have shown the same letters to
indicate the parts which correspond with the parts of the book shown at Figure 1.
The hook f has a guide lip formed in it to facilitate the eye or connecting rod on
the wagon entering into or coupling with the said hook which then falls into its
place through the action of the weight or a spring or the two combined and to still
further facilitate the action I provide an additional length to rod a which comes or
strikes against a lip or plate on the wagon directing the lip f to its connecting rod
whereby carriages of varying heights can be coupled, rod a having a joint at g to
enable the lip to adjust itself to the necessary height when the draw takes place
the strain is taken by the rod or lever e and the hook fis pressed against rod a
which latter is provided with a guide and thus making the coupling secure. The
uncoupling is effected by simply reversing or throwing the strain on the rod a or
throwing up lever or rod e by means of a lever clutch g' chain or other convenient
means and the book f is released whereby it is unnecessary to go between the
carriages to couple or uncouple the action being automatic: many accidents are
thereby prevented. I do not confine myself to the form size or material of which
these couplings are made because the same may be varied according to the
circumstances under which the Invention is used without departing from the
Invention.
Self acting tackle books or appliances constructed according to my Invention are
applicable for lowering boats from davits of ships and other places, for general
crane work, for shipping horses and other animals, for connecting railway trucks,
for horses traces, and carriage connections or hooks for same and saddle stirrups,
wheel skids, grappling wreckage from bottom of sea and inland waters, for pile
driving, for colliery work, for releasing towing boats and vessels and for many
other useful purposes.
Some of the essential features in my Invention are-
1. To be able to release instantaneously.
2. To release when the load is landed by simply slackening the fall by taking
the weight of rod a by cord or otherwise.
3. To release drop or let go the load by taking the weight upon a chain or
otherwise attached to the bar or rod with the eye or guide through which the fall
chain passes
4. The greater the strain or weight upon bar a the greater the holding power
becomes up to the breaking point.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I claim.
In tackle hooks or appliances for hoisting lowering and disengaging the

page_text: employment of two levers or rods jointed together on a common axis the long arm
of one rod when pulled causing the short arm of same to press against the short
arm of the other and so to tightly hold between the two any cord or chain with
weight attached that may be there until the fall or tackle holding same is slackened
all constructed and acting substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing&
In witness whereof I the said James Thorne Roe have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
JAS THORNE ROE (L.S.)