IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-LASHINGS, AND IN BLOCKS AND APPARATUS USED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Clifford, of the Temple, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-LASHINGS, AND IN BLOCKS AND APPARATUS USED
FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 28th November 1856, and dated the 18th June 1850.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Clifford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
June 1856.
I, CHARLES CLIFFORD, of the Temple, do hereby declare the nature of tho
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-LASHINGS, AND IN BLOCKS AND APPARATUS
USED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of improvements in boat-lashings and in apparatus
and blocks used for raising and lowering boats and other articles. For these
purposes the davits at the side of a ship are each made with two prongs with
their points downwards, or the prongs may be on the ship's sides, or some on
the davits and some on the ship's sides. Each lashing is made of a suitable
strap or band (each consisting of one or two parts) with an eye at each end.
The eye near one end is formed to pass up the upper prong of the davit when
about to lash a boat thereto. Each strap or band is passed under the boat, the
other end of the lashing coming above the boat, and whether composed of one

page_text: or two parts tho ends of the parts are to be laced together, and if desired, also
lashed to a thwart. The part of the band or strap which comes under the boat
may have a short strap or band attached thereto, with an eye formed at the end,
which may pass up the lower prong formed on the davit. The short strap or
band when used below the boat may bo in two parts, laced together by a
cord, in order that it may be drawn tightly towards the davit; or the bands
may each be of only one piece, and not require lashing or lacing, in which
case one end of each strap or band will be fastened to the side of the ship, or
to the davit, and partly embrace the boat.
In making blocks each with three sheaves or pulleys, in place of the pin or
axis of the middle sheave or pulley passing through the frame of the other two
sheaves, such pin passes through and is fixed in a separate frame, which moves
at one end on the pin or axis of one of the other pulleys or sheaves, and by a
pin or stop this inner frame is fixed to the outer frame; or, in place of such
arrangement of the three sheaves, in some cases the two outer sheaves are
made to approach or move, or a like action may be given to the centre sheave
without the moveable inner case, before described.
In some cases I arrange the apparatus so as to lower the boat by the
ordinary tackle; but in place of the ends of the ropes being hitched or fastened
to the sides of the ship, the ropes descend into the boat, and each passes under
a pulley fixed at the bottom or other convenient part of the boat, and thence
to a barrel or roller on which the ropes are wound, and so that the boat
will remain suspended to the davits by the ordinary tackle, and will be also
bound to the side of the ship by lashings, such as are above mentioned, and
then the lowering will be by a man in the boat allowing the ropes to unwind
from the barrel or roller; and the tackle is arranged self-acting in such
manner that when the beat will be free of the ship immediately the ends of the
ropes are off the barrel or axis, the blocks and ordinary tackle will be hanging
to the davits.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 30
by the said Charles Clifford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th December 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
CLIFFORD, of the Temple, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Clifford, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Clifford, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Clifford, 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 BOAT-LASHINGS, AND
IN BLOCKS AND APPARATUS USED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS AND OTHER
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Clifford, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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, tho said Charles Clifford, 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:-
The first part of my Invention consists in a method of arranging davits for
raising and lowering ships' boats, and also of arranging boat-lashings to be
used in connection therewith; and the object of this part of my Invention is to
obviate the necessity of unlashing the boat before lowering it.
Figure 1 is a back view, and Figure 2 a side view of the davit; and in this
view a boat with its lashing is shown in connection therewith. This davit only
differs from those ordinarily used in having prongs a, a', over which the loops
b, b, at the ends of the lashing pass. The lashing, shown in the Drawing, is
made in two parts, which are drawn together tightly by the lacings c, and,
if it is preferred, similar lacings may also be used in the part of the lashing
which passes under the boat at the point d. By thus arranging the davits and
lashings, it will be seen, that as the boat is lowered the loops b, b, will slip off*
the prongs a, a, and so free the boat. It is evident that one or both of the
prongs a, a', may, if it is preferred, be fixed to the side of the ship in place of
to the davit, without departing from this part of my Invention.
The second part of my Invention consists in a method of arranging friction
blocks with three sheaves or pulleys, so that the position of the sheaves of
pullies may be changed and adjusted, so to increase or diminish the friction,

page_text: as may be required. Figure 3 shows a section and an edge view of a block
constructed according to this part of my Invention. a, a, is the main frame of
the block, which carries the axes of the pulleys and c; on the axis of the
upper pulley is also mounted the inner frame d, in which is contained the
outer pulley c. The frame d is held in the position shown in the Drawing by
means of the pin f, which passes through holes in the two frames a and d, and
this is the position in which the pulley e is retained so long as it is required to
put friction on the rope, but when it is desired that the rope should run free,
then the pin fis withdrawn, and the frame d takes the position shown by dotted
lines in the sectional view. Figure 4 shows a section and an edge view of a
block in which the position of the end pullies can be adjusted. In this form
of block the end pulleys b and c are mounted in frames b, c, which slide in
slots in the main frame a; d, e, are screws, having plain shanks or ends which
pass through holes in the frames ', c', and heads at the extremities of such
shanks or ends, which prevent them from drawing out of the holes in the
frames. In the ends of the frame a are holes, having screws cut therein to
correspond with the screws d and e; thus, by turning the said screws d and e,
by means of keys fitting heads at their ends, the position of the pulleys b and c,
and so the friction is adjusted. Figure 5 show a section and edge view of a
third form of block constructed according to this part of my Invention. In
this block the position of the centre pulley is capable of adjustment, and is
mounted in a frame, and is furnished with a screw similar to those already
described, and it is carried by a projection a¹ from the side of the main frame
a; this projection a¹ is similar to the ends of the main frame a of the block,
Figure 4, and it may be permanently fixed to the main frame, or may be made
to turn down on a hinge when out of usc, as is shown by the Drawing.
The third part of my Invention consists in a method of arranging apparatus
in connection with the ordinary tackle used for lowering ships' boats, so that
the lowering may be regulated by a person in the boat, and so also that when
the boat enters the water the tackle is set free and unhooked by self-acting
apparatus. The tackle ordinarily used consists of a block on the end of the
davit working with a lower block which is hooked to the boat. In Figure 6,
a is the lower block of such an arrangement of tackle; this, according to my
Invention, is hooked to the link b, which carries at its lower end the axis of
the forked piece c, from which hangs the short chain d; e is a catch, turning
on the centre f; it passes through one of the links of the chain d, and it is held
down (till the boat reaches the water) by the end of the lever g, which turns on
the centre h. To the other end of the lever g is attached a cord i, connected
at its other end to the ship, and the length of this cord is so adjusted as to pull

page_text: on the lever g just after the boat has entered the water, or at other required
points, and so the tackle becomes unhooked. On the horns of the forked piece
c are hooked the ends of the steadying ropes k and k, which pass to the sides of
the boat. The end of the rope a' (passing over the block a) is taken down into
the boat, and is passed through a block at the bottom thereof, and afterwards
wound on a barrel placed at the bottom of the boat. (This barrel is similar
to that described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me). The
ends of the ropes in connection with both the falls are placed through a hole in
and are wound on the same barrel, together with a third rope, which is held
and slacked off by the person loworing the boat. Figure 7, shows another
method in which the ordinary tackle used for lowering boats may be made
self-acting, that is to say, to introduce or force itself. a represents the lower
block of the ordinary fall, to the bottom of which is attached, in place of a
hook, the catch b, which at one end turns on the centre c; this catch passes
through the ring in connection with the boat, and is retained by turning round
the half socket d into the position in which it is shown in the Drawing. This
half socket is mounted on the axis d', having at its end the lever or arm d²,
to which a corde, the length of which is adjusted as in the former case, is
attached. When the strain comes on this cord it draws up the lever or arm
ds, and so liberates the catch 6 and frees the tackle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Clifford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
CHARLES CLIFFORD. (L.B.)