IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Harold Barry, of 133, Cannon Street, in the
City of London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
LOWERING AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Harold Barry at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th January 1881.
JAMES HAROLD BARRY, of 133, Cannon Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lowering and
detaching ships' boats, whereby the labour of the operation is greatly diminished,
and such boats are instantaneously released, either automatically or by hand,
immediately they are waterborne.
My improved lowering and detaching apparatus is as follows:-The boat is
lowered by its falls being brought down in a line with the davits through leading
blocks or their equivalents. From thence the falls are taken round grooved sheaves.
and rollers, and are then brought back under a suitable brake, by which they are
controlled. The sheaves are so connected that one cannot revolve without the
other.
If preferred, chain sheaves may be used instead of the sheaves before mentioned,
and single chains employed in lieu of the ordinary boat's falls, and such lowering
gear may be placed either on the ship's waterway, the bulwarks, or the skids, or in
any other convenient position.
To disengage the boat when lowered, I fix a hook at each end of the boat
in the ordinary position. Each of such hooks consists of a standard and a moving
arm. The standard arm terminates at its upper end in a curved jaw, while its
lower end is secured through the keel of the boat in the ordinary manner.
The moving arm is attached to and works on the standard arm by means of a
pin conveniently placed at the base of the jaw, while its upper end is provided

page_text: with a suitable tooth or projection, which locks into a recess in the upper extremity
of the jaw of the standard arm. The lower part of the moving arm is made
sufficiently heavy to keep the jaw closed, and attached thereto is a ring or eye to
which a line is made fast, and carried round one side of the boat to near its centre,
and secured to a suitable weight which automatically releases the jaws of the hooks
directly the boat is waterborne.
The standard arms are provided with suitable guard plates, in order to prevent
the hooks being accidentally forced open by the motion of the boat. Safety pins pass
through such guard plates, in order to hold the hooks in position until they
are required to act automatically, as above mentioned; at the same time, if
required, boats so fitted may be released by hand without removing such safety
pins.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Harold Barry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th July 1881.
JAMES HAROLD BARRY, of 133, Cannon. Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lowering and
detaching ships' boats, whereby the labour of the operation is greatly diminished,
and such boats are instantaneously released, either automatically, or by hand,
immediately they are waterborne.
And in order that my said Invention may be better understood and readily
carried into effect, I will now proceed with the aid of the accompanying Drawings
to more particularly describe and ascertain the same.
My improved lowering apparatus is as follows:-The boat is lowered by its
falls being brought down in a line with the davits through leading blocks or their
equivalents. From thence the falls are taken round grooved sheaves and rollers,
and are then brought back under a suitable brake by which they are controlled.
The grooved sheaves before mentioned are made either with a spiral V groove,
or they may be made with a plain V groove, having projections formed therein,
so as to nip the falls. Such sheaves are connected by means of two cog wheels
or their equivalents, which are so arranged that one cannot revolve without the
other.
If preferred, however, chain sheaves may be used instead of such grooved sheaves,
and single chains employed in lieu of the ordinary falls. Such lowering gear may
be placed either on the ship's waterway, the bulwarks, or the skids, or in any other
convenient position.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews a plan view of my improved
lowering gear.
Figure 2 shews a front elevation, and
Figure 3 shews a side elevation thereof.
Figures 4 shew views in detail of the plain V grooved sheave with the projections
formed on the inside thereof, as above mentioned.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. a are the grooved
sheaves; a', toothed wheels fitted to the sheaves, which toothed wheels lock
together; b, the rollers; c, the brake.
My improved disengaging gear consists of two hooks, each of which consists
of a standard and movable arm. The standard arm terminates at its upper end in
a curved jaw, while its lower end is secured through the keel of the boat in the
ordinary manner.
:
The moving arm is attached to and works on the standard arm by means of a
hinge or pin conveniently placed at the base of the jaw, while its upper end is
provided with a tooth or projection which locks into a recess formed in the upper.
extremity of the jaw on the standard arm.
The lower part of the moving arm has a weight attached thereto, as seen in
Figure: 5, or is made sufficiently heavy so as to keep the jaw closed and attached.to
such weight, or to the jaw is a ring or eye to which a line or wire is made fast,
and carried round the side of the boat by suitable leads to near its centre, and
secured to a weight or lever in the centre of the boat, which automatically releases
the jaws of the hooks directly the boat is waterborne, by falling down when the
strain is taken off the falls. A similar line or wire is attached to each hook; or
instead of attaching a weight to the moving arm as just described, I
may release ⭑
such arm by means of a hooked lever working on a pin or stud on the standard
(as seen in Figures 9, 10), to which hooked lever the before mentioned lines or
wires running round the sides of the boat are made fast at one end, while their
other ends are attached to the weight or lever in the centre of the boat, and both
.

page_text: hooks are released simultaneously upon such centre weight or lever, falling down
as already mentioned.
A hinge piece is fitted either on the moving or standard arm (as shewn in
Figures 7 and 8), so that when the hook is released, such hinge piece flies open,
and frees the boat.
The standard arms are provided with guard plates, in order to prevent-the hooks
being accidentally forced open, and safety pins pass through such guard plates to
hold the hooks in position until they are required to be released, either automatically
or by hand, as above mentioned.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, shew various views of my improved detaching book.
Figure 9 shews an independent view of the hooked lever for releasing the moving
arm.
Figure 10 is a partial view in end section of a boat fitted with my improved
detaching apparatus.
Figure 11 is a view in longitudinal section of the centre portion of a boat so
fitted.
Figure 12 is a partial view of a boat in transverse section at the centre, shewing
the weight which actuates the central weight or lever to which the cords or wires
leading from the detaching hooks are attached.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
d is the standard arm, and d' the hinge piece thereon.
e is the moving arm, and e¹ the hinge piece thereon.
fis the pin whereon such moving arm works, and g is the tooth or projection
thereon, locking into a recess formed in the upper extremity of the jaw on the
standard arm.
h is the weight attached to the moving arm, and h¹ the ring or eye formed on or
fastened thereto.
is the lever or weight in centre of boat.
k is the hooked lever working on a pin or stud k¹, and provided at its lower end
with an eye ², to which the line or wire is made fast, such hooked lever and
pin being substituted when desired for the arrangement of the weight h, as shewn
at Figure 5.
m is the guard plate fitted with safety pin n.
w, the line or wire attached at one end to the weight or hooked lever, and at the
other to the centre lever i.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention of improvements in
apparatus for lowering and detaching ships' boats, I would have it understood
that what I claim and desire to secure by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
Firstly. The improved arrangement of lowering gear, consisting of grooved
sheaves a, toothed wheels a¹, rollers b, and brakes c, combined and fitted substan-
tially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth and described.
Secondly. The improved arrangement of disengaging gear, consisting of
standard d, hinge piece d', moving arm e, hinge piece e¹, pin f, projection.g,
weight and eye h, h', centre weight or lever i, hooked lever k with pin or stud k¹,
and eye k², guard plate m, safety pin n, and lines or wires w, all arranged,
combined, and fitted substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Harold Barry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.