Improvements in or relating to Anchor Cable Compressors or Stoppers.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Anchor Cable Compressors or
Stoppers.
I, WILLIAM MULLAN, of Marlborough Park, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to anchor cable compressors or stoppers, and has for its
object to provide certain improvements which will now be described.
The invention is applicable to stockless anchors when stowed in the hawse pipes,
not found
and is to take the place of the usual devil's claw and chain which
efficient or reliable for the larger size of chains and anchors. Hitherto these com-
pressors have been formed with a stationary shoulder or abutment against which
one of the cable links abuts when the anchor is raised out of the water by the
windlass. When the windlass has hauled up the anchor it will generally be
found that the end of a link does not happen to register exactly with the abut-
ment, and thus the windlass and the devil's claw, when used, is relied on for
holding up the anchor cable.
According to my invention however I use a transverse clamp adjustable longi-
tudinally along the compressor, so that it will engage a link in any required
position. This clamp is provided with a longitudinally arranged slot and under-
neath a shoulder against which the end of a cable link can abut. The ends of this
clamp, engage pins or arms projecting laterally from sliding bars mounted one
each side of the cable compressor. These bars may be rotatable and provided
at one end with nuts, or if made square or other section they are not rotatable,
and the pins are hinged to them. The bars may be provided with short spuds
against which the clamp abuts to take the strain off the pins.
In action, when the anchor is hauled up out of the water by the windlass, the
transverse clamp is applied to any of the cable links that may happen to be on
the compressor so its shoulder will abut against the link and prevent it sliding
back. The sliding bars are adjusted longitudinally so that the lateral pins
thereon can be made to come exactly opposite the transverse slots in the clamp.
They are then turned so as to engage in the slots, the nuts being tightened up
so as to couple the clamp firmly to the sliding bolts. The nuts at the end of the
sliding bars are relied upon to prevent any longitudinal movement of the bars,
thus keeping the transverse clamp firmly in position and preventing any slip-
ping back of the cable.
In thus describing my invention it is obvious that alterations may be made
without departing from the principle of the invention, thus for example, instead
of arranging the screwed arms on sliding bars I may hinge or join them to the
base of the compressor block or to the deck, and provide longitudinal bars on
each side of the compressor with nuts as before described, coupled to these screwed
arms where they engage in the transverse slots in the clamp. The clamp might
be made in halves, and each half hinged or otherwise connected by longitudinal
sliding bars, so that they may be each hinged or turned back quite clear of the
cable link when it is required to free the cable. The adjacent ends of the clamp

page_text: when made in this way can be bolted together by a bolt passed through holes in
the adjacent ends, or hinged to one half and passed through a slot in the other.
Guides may be provided if desired to prevent the sliding bars being bent or
strained. Other slight modifications in detail may however be provided without
departing from the nature of the invention.
Dated this 10th day of Novom hon 1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Anchor Cable Compressors or
Stoppers.
I, WILLIAM MULLAN, of Marlborough Park, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:
-
This invention relates to anchor cable compressers or stoppers, and has for its
object to provide certain improvements which will now be described.
The invention is applicable to stockless anchors when stowed in the hawse pipes,
and is to take the place of the usual devil's claw and chain which is not found
efficient or reliable for the larger size of chains and anchors. Hitherto these com-
pressors have been formed with a stationary shoulder or abutment against which
one of the cable links abuts when the anchor is raised out of the water by the
windlass. When the windlass has hauled up the anchor it will generally be
found that the end of a link does not happen to register exactly with the abut-
ment, and thus the windlass and the devil's claw, when used, is relied on for
holding up the anchor cable.
By my invention however these defects are avoided. It will be understood from
the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which:-
Figure 1 is a side view of my cable compresser;
Figure 2 a plan thereof;
Figure 3 a cross section through the compresser. table;
Figure 4 a cross section through the compresser table and clamp;
Figure 5 a detail view;
Figure 6 a front elevation showing a slight modification.
Figure 7 a cross section thereof.
Referring to these figures, I use a transverse clamp A adjustable longitudinally
along the table B of the compresser, so that it will engage a link in any required
position. This clamp A is provided with a shoulder a against which the end of the
cable link such as C can abut. The ends of this clamp A engage pins or arms DE
projecting laterally from sliding bars F mounted one each side of the cable com-
presser. These bars are rotatable as shown on the drawing and provided at one
end with nuts G. If however the bars are made square in section they are not
rotatable and the pins are hinged to them. The bars may be provided with short
spuds H (Figure 5) against which the clamp A abuts to take the strain off the pins.
In action, when the anchor is hauled up out of the water by the windlass, the
transverse clamp A is applied to any of the cable links that may happen to be on
the compresser so that its shoulder a will abut against the link and prevent it
sliding back. The sliding bars F are adjusted longitudinally so that the lateral
pins D E thereon can be made to come exactly opposite the slots in the clamp.

page_text: They are then turned so as to engage in the slots, the nuts de being tightened up
so as to couple the clamp A firmly to the sliding bolts F. The nuts G at the end
of the sliding bars F are relied upon to prevent any longitudinal movement of
the bars F, thus keeping the transverse clamp A firmly in position and preventing
any slipping back of the cable. Instead of providing slots at each end of the
clamp A, the slot may be provided at one end only, the other end being provided
with a round hole so that the clamp can be slipped on to the pin E at that end as
shown on the drawing, and thus the clamp A when not in use can be hinged or
turned back quite clear of the cable link, so as to free the cable.
In thus describing my invention it is obvious that alterations may be made with-
out departing from the principle of the invention. Thus for example, instead of
arranging the screwed arms on sliding bars, I may hinge or join them to the base
of the compresser block as shown in Figures 6 and 7 or to the deck.
In this case
the transverse clamp is applied exactly as before provided with a shoulder
against which the end of the cable link, such as C, can abut. When not required
for use, the nuts de are slackened and the arm D slipped out of the slot in the
clamp A. The other arm E will act as a hinge to enable the clamp to be turned
back quite clear of the cable links, Other slight modifications in detail may
however be provided, without departing from the nature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The improvement in anchor cable compressers or stoppers which consists in
forming them of a compresser table for one or more of the links to rest on, an adjust-
able clamp provided with a shoulder against which the end of a cable link can abut,
and arms or bars (with nuts) hinged at one end to fixed points and at the other
adapted to engage with the clamp, whereby if the nuts be screwed up the clamp
abutting against a link will firmly resist any backward movement of the cable,
substantially as described.
2. In anchor cable compressers or stoppers, the combination of a compresser
table for one or more links of a cable to rest on, an adjustable clamp provided with
a shoulder against which the end of a cable link can abut, sliding bars mounted
in guides on each side of the compresser, and arms projecting from said sliding
bars in such a manner that they can be brought into engagement with the clamp
to lock it firmly against the end of a cable link, said arms and sliding bars being
so arranged that they can be adjusted longitudinally of the compresser table, to
bring the clamp into register with a cable link and clamp it on the compresser
table, substantially as described.
3. In anchor cable compressers or stoppers of the kind set forth, providing the
bars which carry the locking arms for the clamp with short spuds against which
the clamp abuts to take the strain off the locking arms, substantially as described.
4. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming my
improved anchor cable compresser or stopper substantially as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of August 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.