IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MASTS AND RIGGING Of SHIPS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Finch, of Bridge Works, Chepstow,
Engineer, and Charles Lamport, of Workington, Ship Builder
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MASTS AND RIGGING Of
SHIPS"
Sealed the 16th January 1854, and dated the 16th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Finch and
Charles Lamport at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents.
with their Petition, on the 16th August 1853.
We, EDWARD FINCH, of Bridge Works, Chepstow, Engineer, and
CHARLES LAMPORT, of Workington, Ship Builder, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MASTS AND
RIGGING OF SHIPS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction
and fixing of wrought iron masts, the distribution of the shrouds of
ships, the use of an elastic material at the mast partners to allow the
mast to oscillate from the foot, the formation of the foot of the mast to
allow for oscillation, and the housing of the top mast on the after side
of the mast head.

page_text: And the improvements consist of applying tec or angle iron verti-
cally, and rivitting thereto iron plates to form wrought iron masts.
And in order to get rid of a mast with facility when circumstances
require it, the mast is made to separate above the deck, the parts
ordinarily being fixed securely together with flanches, screws, and nuts,
with slotted passages and locking parts, so that by a partial rotation
the
upper part of the mast may be separated. The upper part of the
mast has a plate introduced to enable the part above to be formed suitable
for receiving a top mast, and such plate sustains the trussel trees and the
foot of the top mast. The mast is formed with a recess to receive the
top mast, and to allow of its being shipped and unshipped without dis-
turbing the hoop through which it is made to pass. The shrouds are
attached to different parts of the mast, from the cap to the truss hoop of
the lower yard, by means of shackles and eyes, so as to distribute the
support over that portion of the mast subject to transverse strain, and to
avoid the chafing of the foremast shroud when the yard is braced sharp
up; to prevent the liability to rot, from the huddling together of the
shrouds at the hooding and to allow the shrouds to be more casily
detached when required from the foot. To allow a certain degree of oscil-
lation in the mast without unnecessarily taxing the material or construc-
tion of parts, and which oscillation is essential to a column supported by a
partially elastic material, as rope, a yielding buffer or cushion of vul
canized india-rubber or cork, or other clastic material, is introduced at
the mast partners, so that the mast may vibrate from the foot as much
as the shrouds stretch and collapse from the movement of the ship and
the pressure of the sails, without straining to the mast. And to intro-
duce a ball and socket joints at the foot of the mast to attach to the
'keelson to allow the mast to oscillate as the rigging expands, and as
the elastic material of the partners gives way. And whereas hitherto
the topmasts of ships have been housed or fixed to the forcside of the
'mast head, and require that the truss of the lower yard shall be de-
tached, and the yard otherwise temporarily secured, to allow the said
topmast to be lowered; it is intended to fix them to the after side,
whereby greater strength will be secured in the mast head by having
more metal to resist the crushing strain, in place of having the mast
;

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Finch and Charles Lamport in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 16th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,.
EDWARD FINCH, of Bridge Works, Chepstow, Engineer, and CHARLES
LAMPORT, of Wokingham, Ship Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Edward Finch and Charles Lamport,
Her special licence that we, the said Edward Finch and Charles
Lamport, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Edward Finch and Charles Lamport, our executors, admi
nistrators, 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 THE
MASTS AND RIGGING OF SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Edward Finch and Charles Lamport, or one of us, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the sanic was to be per-
formed, 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 Edward Finch, on behalf of
myself and the said Charles Lamport, do hereby declare the nature of
:
.
----

page_text: 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:
Our first improvement consists in the introduction of a breaking
joint in the mast at the deck of the vessel, or thereabouts, by means
of which the upper part of the mast may be separated instantaneously
from the lower or that part which passes through the body of the vessel,
so that in case of emergency the shrouds and ropes may be cut away,
and the masts be allowed to fall overboard.
Our second improvement consists in the introduction of vertical
tee iron or angle irons for the porpose of strengthening the masts and
increasing their elasticity, and at the same time forming the vertical
seam or joints of the plates of which the masts are built, aud in large
masts by attaching to these tee or angle irons vertical plates extending
the whole length of the mast, which shall form webs and give addi-
tional strength and stiffness to the masts, and which webs may or may
not be united at the cutter of the mast. And in order to give an
elastic support to a mast where it passes through the mast partners we
introduce a collar or surrounding ring of vulcanized india-rubber, cork,
or other suitable material.
Our third improvement consists in the introduction of a plate at the
upper part or termination of the barrel or circu'ar part of the mast,
and between that part and the head of the mast, the use of which plate
is to facilitate the deviation in shape of the head of the mast from the
lower part, to form a seat or ledge upon which to rest the trestle trees,
or to answer instead of trestle trees, and at the same time to form a
secure support for the foot of the topmast.
Our fourth improvement consists in so shaping the head of the
mast that a recess shall be formed, and be tapered at the top so as to
allow the topmast to be thrust through the broad hoop that is there
formed, and when at a sufficient height to drop into this recess with
the foot resting upon the plate last described.
Our fifth improvement consists in causing each pair of ropes which
go to form the shrouds of the vessel to take hold of the mast at differ-

page_text: ent points or heights, and thereby to distribute their strain over a con- s
siderable portion of the mast, and at the same time to leave more room
for the working of the yards of the vessel.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same by reference to the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
Drawings A Figure 1, Figures 2 and 11, represent the breaking
joint of the mast, and the means by which the mast is locked whilst
in ordinary use, and parted asunder in case of emergency, or when
required to be unshipped. The mast consists of two separate parts, the
one extending from the keel of the vessel to the breaking joint, the
other forming the mast from the breaking joint upwards. At the lower
part of the upper portion of the mast, and at the upper part of the
lower portion of the mast, angle irons, extending all round the mast,
are firmly rivetted.
At intervals, all round the angle iron at the lower part of the upper
portion of the mast, studs are firmly rivetted or fastened in with nuts of
the shape shewn in the Drawing.
In the angle iron surrounding the upper part of the lower portion of
the mast, holes are formed, corresponding in number, shape, and posi-
tion with the studs just described, and made so that these studs shall
pass freely through them when the upper portion of the mast is brought
down and made to rest on the lower portion, and the two angle irons
are thereby brought together. Underneath this angle iron flange on
the lower portion of the mast there is placed a ring, shewn in section
in Figures 1, and 2. In this ring there are also holes made to cor-
respond exactly with those in the angle iron immediately above it, so
that the studs, when they pass through the angle iron, shall pass through
this ring also, and the length of the studs shall be such that the
shoulders on them shall come level with the under side of this ring
when the two portions of the mast are brought together, as shewn in
Figure 2.
On one side of each of these holes made in the ring there is an
extension made smaller than the holes, but of sufficient width to allow
that portion of the stud immediately under the head to pass freely

page_text: through; see Figure 1.
are cut, as shown at A;
Upon one side of this ring a number of teeth
and into these teeth a worm, firmly attached
by brackets to the lower portion of the mast, is made to work. This
worm is moved round by levers placed into the holes made for that
purpose in the overhanging ends of the worm.
Figure 12, Drawing C, shows a mode of applying vulcanized india-
rubber, cork, or other clastic matter, around the mast where it passes
through the inast partners.
The operation of attaching and separating the masts at the junction
is as follows: The upper portion, with the studs attached to the angle
iron on its lower extremity, is placed immediately above the lower
portion of the mast, which is supposed to be in the vessel. It is let
down until the two angle irons meet face to face, by which the studs
attached to the upper angle iron will have passed through the flange of
the angle iron on the lower part, and through the ring immediately
below this flange. When this has been done the worm is to be turned
round, by which the ring will be moved a small portion of a turn, just
enough to bring the extended portion of the hole underneath the heads.
of the studs; and this portion of the hole being only of the diameter of
that part of the studs underneath the heads, the heads will be made to
press against the ring, and the two portions of the mast will consequently.
be firmly locked to each other. It will be clear that to unlock the mast
or break joint it is only necessary to turn the worm in a contrary
direction until the large portions of the holes in the ring come opposite
the heads of the studs; there will then be nothing to prevent the
upper part from separating from the lower part of the mast; the joint
consequently is broken.
Drawing A, Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and Drawing B, Figures 1, 2,.
and 8, show the mode of strengthening the masts by the use of vertical
tec irons..
.
Drawing B, Figures 4, and 5, show the mode of strengthening the
masts with vertical angle irons.
Drawing B, Figure 2, shews the mode of attaching plates to the tee
irons, or to the angle irons, to form vertical webs to give additional
strength to large masts.

page_text: Drawing B, Figures 3, and 4, show these webs carried to the centre
of the mast and attached together, thereby making the mast still-more
'strong.
-
Drawing B, Figures 1, and 5, and Drawing A, Figure 8, show, bar
iron stays, which are put at intervals in the mast when the verticals
webs are not used.
Drawing A, Figures 4, 5, 9, and 10, show the plate which forms our
third improvement. This is attached firmly to the top of the circular
part of the mast, in the way shown on the Drawing. This plate may
be made to extend to any required shape to receive the trestle trees, or
may be made to answer the purpose of trestle trees. Upon this plate,
and firmly rivetted to it, the head of the mast is built, as shown.more
particularly in the Drawings.
Drawing A, Figures 5, 6, 7, and 9, illustrates our fourth improve-
ment, and show the head of the mast in section, and the recess formed
to receive the topmast. The tapered portion of the mast at the top of
this recess to allow the top mast to be shipped and unshipped, and the
position for the topmast resting on the plate.
Drawing C, shows our fifth improvement, whereby it will be seen
that pieces of iron are passed through slots which have been been left
in the mast; these pieces have eyes at cach end, and to these eyes the
shrouds are attached; the shrouds are made to take hold of the mast at
different points, and by this means the strain on the mast is diminisher
and the room for working the yards encreased.
We claim the making of masts with breaking joint.
We claim the mode of forming and strengthening ships' masts by
introducing vertical tee irons and angle irons, and of increasing the
strength of these again by introducing vertical webs, either attached to
the angle irons or tee irons alone, or attached to these and attached
also to cach other, in the manner shown.
We also claim the application of an elastic cushion of vulcanizedl
india-rubber, cork, or other elastic matter, as shown.
We claim the use of the plate at the head of the mast for facili-
tating its construction for supporting the trestle trees and the foot of
the topmast.

page_text: We claim the mode of shaping the head of the mast for shipping
and unshipping the topmast, and for receiving the topmast.
We claim the mode of attaching the shrouds so that the strain shall
be distributed.
In witness whereof, T, the said Edward Finch, have hereunto set 5
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
W. TONGUE.
EDWARD FINCH. (L.s.)