AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RIGGING VESSELS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Webster, of Jefferson County, in the Territory
of Washington, one of the Territories of the United States of America,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RIGGING VESSELS."
Sealed the 23rd November 1858, and dated the 25th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Webster at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th May 1858.
I, WILLIAM WEBSTER, of Jefferson County, in the Territory of Washington,
one of the Territories of the United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF RIGGING VESSELS,"
to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the masts, spars, and standing rigging of
vessels.
The masts I make each of one piece of timber, and I secure them to the
bull by wire shrouds placed at an unusually large angle to each other, and so
that the lower ends of the after shrouds of the foremast will be immediately
contiguous to those of the forward shrouds of the mainmast, and so with the
others.
The yards I make. much longer than usual: they are secured to the masts
by hinged truss bands, having clamp screws to hold them at any desired point

page_text: on the mast. The yards are held in bands hinged to a bolt, which rotates
in a yoke attached to the band which grasps the mast; this attachment allows
motion to be given to the yards in any required direction. The lifts are
attached to hinged slide bands clamped to the mast at the proper distance
above their respective yards. The bolt of the hinge of these bands has a ring
at its lower end, to which the chain slings of the yards are hooked. There are
eye bolts on the sides of the bands, to which the lifts are attached. The bands
of the topsail yards are split for the reception of a grooved hoop or ring, which
may be rotated in them as a sheave is rotated in an ordinary pulley. The
yards work inside the shrouds, and can be hoisted up or lowered down upon
the rail as readily as sails are now hoisted and lowered, and when on, the rail
can be pointed nearly fore and aft. The topsail yard may be rotated on its
own axis in its band by means of the annular sheave before mentioned moving
in the slit in the band. The bowsprit I make to run inboard.
I do not connect the masts together by stays, as I rely upon the great
inclination of the shrouds to give them sufficient stability. Nor do I connect
the bowsprit to the masts by anything more than a small cord, which will
yield to a less force than would be required to carry away the bowsprit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WEBSTER, of Jefferson County, in the Territory of Washington, one of the
Territories of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Webster, Her special licence that I, the said William
Webster, and my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Webster, or 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF RIGGING VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Webster, my executors or administrators, 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 William Webster, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, in
which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ship rigged according to my improved
plan; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a mast with a main yard attached by
my improved band. Figure 3 is a top view of the truss band for topsail yard.
Figure 4 is a view of the slide band for the lift of the lower yards. The same
letter marks the same part in all the Figures.
My Invention relates to the masts, spars, and rigging.
In the Drawings, A marks the hull of the vessel; B, the masts; C, the
lower yards; D, the topsail yards; E, the topgallant yards; F, the shrouds ;
G, the bowsprit; H, the jib stay; I, the lifts; J, the slide bands, to which
the lifts are attached; K, that part of the truss band that embraces the mast;
L, that part of it which holds the yard; M, universal joint; N, chain slings;
a, hinges; b, bolts; ', clamp screws; c, eye bolts; danuular sheave for
rotating yards; e, yoke.
The masts B, B, B, I make of one piece of timber, as represented in the
Drawings. Ships' masts are now usually made of three or four pieces by
doublings, which necessitates a great deal of top hamper to secure and hold
these pieces in place, and cumbrous contrivances to hoist and lower them;
this top weight involves a decrease in the length of the spars and in the spread
of the canvas; it is also an important element in the cost of a ship; abundance
of sticks, long, straight, and large enough for a ship's mainmast, and of the
proper material, can be obtained on the north-west coast of the United
States, and probably in many other portions of the world. For smaller vessels
sticks of proper dimensions are everywhere readily obtained. The masts thus
formed are secured to the hull by wire shrouds F, F, F, placed at an unusually
large angle with each other, and so that the lower ends of the after shrouds of
the foremast are immediately contiguous to those of the forward shrouds of the

page_text: mainmast, and so with the others, as clearly shown in the Drawings in
Figure 1. A ship with masts and shrouds of this description will carry with
safety one-fourth more canvas than the ordinary amount, and will sail much
nearer to the wind.
The yards I make much longer than usual, as shown, and secure them to
the masts by an improved form of truss band and slings These bands (see
Figs. 2 & 3) are hinged at a, a, and have clamp screws B¹ to hold them at any
desired point on the mast. The yards are held in bands L hinged to a bolt,
which rotates in a yok c attached to and forming part of the band K which
grasps the mast. This attachment is a universal joint (M), and allows motion
to be given to the yards in every required direction.
The hinge
The lifts I are attached to hinged slide bands (see Fig. 4), occupying the
positions marked by J, J, J, ou the mast (see Fig. 1), that is, they are clamped
to the masts at the proper distance above their respective yards.
bolt of these bands has a ring at its
chain slings of the yard are hooked.
of these bands, to which the lifts I are attached.
lower end (see Fig. 2), to which the
There are also eye bolts c in the sides
The bands of the topsail yard are slit (see L, Fig. 3) for the reception of
a grooved hoop or sheave d, which may be rotated in them as a sheave is rotated
in an ordinary pulley.
The yards C, D, E, work inside the shrouds, and can be hoisted up or
lowered down upon the rail as readily as sails are now hoisted and lowered,
and when on the rail, can be pointed nearly fore and aft. The topsail yard
may be rotated on its own axis in its band by means of the annular sheave d
(Fig. 3), before mentioned, turning in the slit in the band.
The bowsprit, G, I make to run inboard; when it is thus run in and the
yards lowered, tho ship will present to the action of the wind only three bare
poles and a few small wire shrouds.
It will be observed that I do not connect the masts together by stays as in
ordinary ships, relying upon the great inclination of the shrouds to give them
the required stability; nor do I connect the bowsprit to the foremast by
anything more than a small cord II, which can be severed in an instant, and
would yield of itself to a much smaller force than would suffice to carry away
the bowsprit. The effect of this arrangement is, that the loss of one mast
does not involve the loss of the others, and the common accident of carrying
away the bowsprit does not endanger the masts.
Having thus fully described my Invention, what I claim under the above
in part recited Letters Patent, is,-

page_text: First, the truss bands and slide bands, constructed and operating as
described.
Second, the arrangement of the shrouds, substantially as herein described
and represented.
Third, making the masts of the largest class vessels of a single stick of
timber.
Finally, I claim, as a whole, the new system of rigging vessels, herein
described and represented.
day of
In witness whereof, I, the said William Webster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the
in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
W WEBSTER. (L.S.)