IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND DETACHING SHIPS” Boats
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Nelson, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RAISING, LOWERING, AND DETACHING SHIPS” Boats.”
Sealed the 8th November 1870, and dated the 17th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Nelson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1870.
I, GEORGE NELSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means or apparatus for raising and
lowering ships' boats and for affording increased safety in detaching.
them from the davits when lowered ready for launching. For this.
purpose a bar or beam is suspended by ropes and pulley blocks at each
end thereof to the eyes of the davits, the opposite ends of the ropes being.
wound around windlass barrels carried by an axis mounted at the lower
.

page_text: ends of the davits. The axis is furnished with winch handles, by which
means the bar or beam (to which the boat is suspended, as herein-after
described) can be raised or lowered with great facility. The axis is
furnished with a ratchet and pawl to retain the boat at any desired
elevation, and also with break power, by which means the boat can be
Jowered gently and with perfect safety by one man only. Sliding bolts
are arranged in connection with the bar or beam above referred to, the
outer ends of such bolts passing across a recess and into a bearing formed
at each end of the bar or beam. The ends of the sliding bolts within
the recess pass through eyes or hooks carried by rods or chains attached
to each end of the boat, by which means it is suspended to the bar or
beam. The inner ends of the bolts have pins or projections thereon
which pass into curved eccentric slots formed in a disc or plate mounted
upon a pin or axis at the centre of the bar or beam. The inner ends of the
bolts have pins or projections thereon which pass into curved eccentric
slots formed in a disc or plate mounted upon a pin or axis at the centre of
the bar or beam. Lever arms are fixed upon the disc or plate, with ropes
or chains attached thereto, one passing up to the deck of the vessel and the
other descending into the boat, by either of which the disc or plate can be
caused to make a partial revolution, thus causing the curved slots therein
to act upon the sliding bolts to move them inwards or outwards
simultaneously. The inward movement of each bolt withdraws the ends
thereof, disengaging them from the eyes or hooks by which the boat is
suspended, each end of the boat being thus detached from the beam and
davits at the same moment. One of the lever arms may have a tripping
cord attached to it so as to raise the arm when the boat is lowered to a
certain point, and thus detach the boat by self-acting means. It will
thus be seen that the boat can be detached by persons either upon deck
or in the boat; or the detaching operation can be rendered automatic or
self-acting.
The mechanism for holding and releasing the eyes or hooks simul-
taneously, which suspend the boat at each end, may be varied without
departing from the nature of this part of my improvements. The
davits to which the bar or beam and boat are suspended are mounted so.
as to be capable of rotating in their supports, by which arrangement
the boat can be moved inboard or outboard as required. The upper
ends of the davits are connected by a tie bar with swivel joints. The bar
or beam being light and portable it can be moved from one pair of davits

page_text: to another, or be stowed away at sea in any convenient place ready for
use at a moment's notice; or each boat can be suspended to a bar or
beam and davits so as to be always ready for launching.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Nelson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
NELSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Nelson, Her special licence, that I, the
said George Nelson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Nelson, 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 and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
RAISING, LOWERING, AND DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Nelson, 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 George Nelson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention relates to improved means or apparatus for raising and
lowering ships' boats, and for affording increased safety in detaching them
from the davits when lowered ready for launching.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a side view and Figure 2 an end view of a ship's boat i
and apparatus for raising, lowering, and detaching the same arranged in
accordance with my Invention.
..
a is a bar or beam (soparate views of which are shown at Figures 3
and 4) suspended by ropes and pulley blocks b, b, at each end thereof
to the eyes c¹ of the davits c, the opposite ends of the ropes 6 being 1
wound around windlass barrels & carried by an axis d mounted at
the lower ends of the davits c. The axis d is furnished with winch
handles ³, by which means the bar or beam a (to which the boat e is
suspended, as herein-after described) can be raised or lowered with great
facility. The axis d is furnished with a ratchet and pawl d³ to retain
the boat e at any desired elevation, and also with a break d', by means
of which the boat can be lowered gently and with perfect safety by one
man only. Sliding bolts a', a¹, are arranged in connection with the
bar or beam a above referred to, the outer ends of such bolts passing
across a recess a* and into a bearing formed at each end of the bar or
beam a.
The ends of the sliding bolts a¹, a', within the recess a* pass
through eyes or hooks carried by links, rods, or chains e¹, e¹, attached
to each end of the boat e, by which means it is suspended to the bar or
beam a. The inner ends of the bolts a', a¹, have pins or projections a³
thereon which pass into curved eccentric, slots a³, a³, formed in a disc or
plate a mounted upon a pin or axis a³ at the centre of the bar or beam a.
Lever arms a arc fixed upon the axis of the disc or plate with ropes or
chains a³, a', attached thereto, one passing up to the deck of the vessel
and the other descending into the beat e, by either of which the disc
or plate a' can be caused to make partial revolution, thus causing the
curved slots a³, a', formed therein to act upon the sliding bolts a', a', to
move them inwards or outwards simultaneously. The inward movement
of each bolt a withdraws the ends thereof, disengaging them from the
eyes or hooks e¹ by which the boat is suspended, each end of the boat
being thus detached from the beam a and davits o at the same moment.
One of the lever arms a³ may have a tripping cord attached to it so as
to raise the arm when the boat e is lowered to a certain point, and thus
2.

page_text: detach the boat by self-acting means. It will thus be seen that the
boat e can be detached by persons either upon deck or in the boat; or
the detaching operation can be rendered automatic or self-acting.
The mechanism for holding and releasing the eyes or hooks e' simul-
taneously, which suspend the boat at each end may be varied without
departing from the nature of this part of my Invention. The davits c to
which the bar or beam a and the boat e are suspended are mounted so as
to be capable of rotating in their supports, by which arrangement the
boat can be moved inboard or outboard as required. The upper ends of
the davits are connected by a tie bar c¹ with swivel joints. The bar or
beam a being light and portable it can be moved from one pair of davits
to another, or be stowed away at sea in any convenient place ready for
use at a moment's notice, or each boat can be suspended to a bar or
beam and davits, so as to be always ready for launching launching.
'
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of carrying the same into practice, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the exact details herein described and shown
in the Drawing hereunto annexed so long as the principal character of
my Invention be retained; but what I claim is, the improved arrange-
ment and combination of parts or apparatus for raising, lowering, and
detaching ships' boats, substantially in the manner herein described and
shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Nelson, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this First day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
GEORGE NELSON. (L.S.)