Improvements relating to the Running Rigging of Ships and other Vessels.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 189
Complete Specification Left, 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Running Rigging of Ships and other
Vessels.
We, JAMES SHAW, of Glenville, Holmhead Road, Cathcart, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Marine Surveyor, and JOHN HASTIE, and WILLIAM
HASTIE, of Kilblain Engine Works, Greenock, in the same County, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
Our said invention has for its object to apply improved apparatus or arrange-
ments in connection with the running rigging of ships and other vessels.
:-
In carrying out our invention in the case, for example, of the chains or ropes
for raising and lowering a topsail yard we have the yard suspended by a chain or
rope which passes over a pulley fitted to the mast in a position a little above the
highest position of the yard, the chain or rope descending thence to apparatus on
deck. The chain or rope is not fixed to the yard but passes round a pulley con-
nected to the yard if the yard is of an ordinary kind without a rolling arrangement
for reefing. From the yard the chain or rope proceeds to a pulley fitted to the
mast in a position higher than that of the pulley first referred to as fitted to the
mast or in any other suitable position; and the part of the chain or rope passing
over the upper pulley descends thence to a tackle block to which it is attached.
The part of the chain or rope descending from the first-mentioned mast pulley
passes round a pulley in the apparatus on deck thence up to and through the tackle
block to which the other part of the chain or rope is attached and thence down to
a fixed point on deck. At the said fixed point there may be a barrel or other
mechanism for adjusting the tightness of the chain or rope; and this mechanism
may be combined in the same framing with the other apparatus or it may be
arranged separately as may be found most convenient. Either part of the rope
(when a rope is used) may be hauled upon by hand; or the pulley of the apparatus
at the deck may be a chain pulley or other driving pulley, the apparatus com-
prising parts for turning such driving pulley by means of intermediate gearing
when required from a winch handle or from any suitable motor appliance together
with arrangements for braking or to prevent slipping and for securing the parts in
any desired position.
In the operation of the apparatus there is no winding upon or unwinding from a
barrel nor is there any free length of chain or rope, at any time to be coiled or
stowed out of the way. The effect of the tackle-block arrangement which has
been described is, that the part of the chain or rope attached to the tackle block
moves up or down at half the speed of that part of the chain or rope which
extends from the deck apparatus directly up to the mast pulley. Thus if the
driving pulley is turned so as to haul on the part of the chain or rope going
directly up to the mast pulley it draws twice as much over the lower mast pulley
as the tackle block gives out to the upper pulley and the consequence is that the
yard is hoisted to the extent of half the movement imparted by the driving pulley,
the reverse action taking place when the driving pulley is turned the other way.
A chain sufficiently long for all the required action on it of the driving pulley may
be supplemented by any suitable kind of rope, for the remainder of the required
length.
The arrangement is obviously applicable to any of the running rigging for what-
ever purpose on board a ship hauling action may be required and the power
needed is such as to make its use advantageous.
When any of the yards of a ship are arranged for reefing sails by a rolling
action the chain or rope instead of passing round a pulley attached to the yard

page_text: may be passed round the yard or roller or round a pulley rim fixed thereon, so as
to turn the yard or roller to wind-up or unwind the sail at the same time as the
yard is being lowered or raised.
Dated this Twenty-first day of September 1891
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Running Rigging of Ships and other
Vessels.
We, JAMES SHAW, of Glenville, Holmhead Road, Cathcart, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Marine Surveyor, and JOHN HASTIE and WILLIAM
HASTIE, of Kilblain Engine Works, Greenock, in the same County, Engineers, 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, that is to say :-
Our said invention has for its object to apply improved apparatus or arrange-
ments in connection with the running rigging of ships and other vessels.
Our improved apparatus comprises a peculiar arrangement of block and tackle
gear combined with mechanism for acting on the gear. In the operation of the
apparatus there is no winding upon or unwinding from a barrel, nor is there any
free length of rope or chain at any time to be coiled or stowed out of the way.
The part of the rope or chain acted on by the mechanism is on one side led to and
through a block and thence to a fixed point on deck or other part of the ship. The
block which in consequence of the arrangement so far described, moves at half the
speed imparted by the mechanism to the rope or chain, has attached to it the end
of a rope or chain which after passing through guide blocks or over guide pulleys
and through a block or round a pulley attached to the yard or other part to be
acted on joins the other part of the rope or chain acted on by the mechanism. The
rope or chain, as a whole, thus forms a loop one side of which moves oppositely to
the other and at half the speed, so that the resultant movement of the yard or
other part acted on takes place at one quarter of the speed of the motion imparted
by the mechanism to the rope or chain, and of course with four times the effective
strain.
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings
to be hereinafter referred to and showing, by way of example, the application of
our invention for raising and lowering a topsail yard.
Figure 1, of the drawings is a diagram showing the arrangement in connection
with a ship's mast and topsail yard and Figures 2, and 3, are front and side
elevations of mechanism suitable for acting on the ropes or chains.
...In these drawings the same reference letters are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The topsail yard; A, is suspended by means of a pulley, B, in the loop, C, of a
rope, the two parts, C1, C2, of the looped rope passing over separate pulleys, D,
at the top mast head and continuing thence downwards towards the deck. One
part, C 1, has attached to it a block, E, having rove through it'a rope or chain, F,
which is a continuation of the other part, C2, of the rope extending down from
the topmast head, this latter part passing through the mechanism, G, and thence up
to the block, E, whilst the end of the rope, F', is fixed to the deck.
The mechanism, G, is arranged to act on and control the movement of the
rope, C2, F, and comprises two bottom pulleys, H, which guide the rope so that
it passes round in a groove in a large pulley, J, to the extent of a large portion of
its circumference in order, that the pulley may have a sufficient frictional grip of it.
The large pulley, J, is driven by means of a train of spur gearing from a shaft, K,

page_text: made with squared ends for winch handles, there being a second motion shaft, L,
and a third motion shaft, M, a pinion on which last gears with a spurwheel formed
with or fixed to the pulley, J. The third motion shaft, M, has on it a friction
pulley, N, to which is applied a differential self-holding brake strap, P, with a
loaded lever, Q. For acting on the brake and thereby controlling the raising or
lowering of the yard, there is provided a spindle, R, having on it a handwheel, S,
and a worm, T, the last gearing with a worm wheel, U, frictionally held on the
projecting end of the shaft of the pulley, J. This wormwheel, U, can be held
more or less firmly on the pulley shaft by screwing up or unscrewing a clamp by
means of a handwheel, V, the arrangement and action of these parts being the same
as what is described in Hastie's Patent Specification No. 15601 of 1886.
On hauling down the rope, C 2, by means of the mechanism, G, the part, F, of
the rope on the other side of the mechanism will be paid out, but by the action of
the block, E, the part, C 1, of the rope will let go upwards to only half the extent
of the downward movement of the part, C 2, and the result will be the raising of
the yard to one quarter of the extent of the said downward movement of the
part, C 2.
The rope may be of any suitable fibrous material, or of wire, and it may be all
of the same material or partly of one and partly of another material. The part
acted on by the mechanism, G, may be a wire or other rope or a chain; and if a
chain is used there may be substituted for the pulley, J, what is known as a chain
pulley, having a groove shaped to engage with the links of the chain, or a clip
pulley may be used for acting on the rope or chain.
At the point where the end of the rope, F, is fixed there may be a barrel or
other mechanism for adjusting the tightness of the chain or rope; and this
mechanism may be combined in the same framing, G, or it may be arranged
separately as may be found most convenient. Where the power required is not too
great the rope, C2, may be hauled by hand when required; and in general the
mechanism and the block and tackle apparatus for acting on the rope may be
modified to suit the power required in each case, and may be arranged in any con-
venient way.
The arrangement is obviously applicable to any of the running rigging for what-
ever purpose on board ship hauling action may be required and the power needed
is such as to make its use advantageous.
When any of the yards of a ship are arranged for reefing sails by a rolling
action, the chain or rope instead of passing round a pulley attached to the yard,
may be passed round the yard or roller or round a pulley rim fixed thereon, so as
to turn the yard or reller to wind-up or unwind the sail at the same time as the
yard is being lowered or raised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :
The arranging or disposing of the running rigging of ships in the improved
manner substantially as hereinbefore described, there being in each case a rope or
chain or combination of rope and chain one end of which is secured to a fixed
point whence it passes through one or more blocks, next through hauling
mechanism, from which it proceeds round one or more guide pulleys to a pulley
or block attached to a yard or other part to be acted on, and finally round one or
inore other guide pulleys to the first of the mentioned blocks.
Dated this Twentieth day of June 1892.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.