Improvements in Gear for Automatically or Non-automatically Detaching Boats and the like when Lowered at Sea or elsewhere.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 28th Nov., 1890-Accepted. 10th Jan., 1871
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear for Automatically or Non-automatically
Detaching Boats and the like when Lowered at Sea or
elsewhere.
We, WILLIAM COOPER, Neptune Engine Works, Engineer. and JOHN HOLDSWORTH,
27 John Street, Traveller, both of Hull, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In connection with a boat, life raft, or other vessel, or floating body, we employ a
bar or rol of iron, steel or other suitable in iterial, extending about two thirds the
length of either.
If applied to a boat, it is laid along the bottom, inside, and is attached to the keel
by eye-bolts, or other suitable bearings, in which it may revolve freely.
This rod has attached to it, at one, or both ends, or at any convenient distances
between them, an arm or lever, sufficiently long to be actuated above the thwarts, by
hand direct, or it may be of shorter length, and be worked under the thwarts by
means of a cord, or a light chain- passed over a suitably placed pulley or pulleys.
Two hooks are rigidly fixed at suitable distances on the bar or rod.
If desired, one, or both of the hooks may be made to substitute the above arms by
having their shanks elongated beyond the crown of the hook proper.
A short length of chain, or other band is attached to the bar or rod, about midway,
by an eye, or other attachment, then passed round it, a turn, or a half turn.
This short chain or band is drawn tight, and secured to the bottom of the boat,
under a thwart, or elsewhere, which causes the hooks to lie on their backs, but, on
the bar or rod being drawn partially round (by the arm or lever) they assume a
vertical position, and the bar or rod receives a certain amount of elasticity or spring,
through deflection produced by the winding of the chain or band partially
round it.
The tendency now, is to throw the hooks back again, and out of gear with the eyes
of the blocks with which they may be engaged; but they are held in a vertical
position by securing the lever in a recess or notch, or a similar arrangement from
which it may be easily freed when required; or by slipping a ring or loop, which is
attached to one end of the cord or light chain in connection with the shorter lever
arrangement, over a pin situated conveniently to the hand; or by some similar and
simple device.
The lower blocks of the tackles are provided with an eye, or long link (instead of
a hook) at the end of a short length of chain, or of a rod sufficiently long to reach
from the thwarts, or other guides, down to the hooks.
on.
The eyes are passed through the thwarts or guides and then hooked on; but to
ensure their not becoming detached when the tackles are slack a stop or preventer of
some yielding material, is so provided that the points of the hooks are pressed against
them when drawn into a vertical position by the lever, but which yield sufficiently
to allow the eyes of the blocks to be pressed between them in the process of hooking
Or rigid stops or preventers may be employed and a couple of recesses or notches,
in which to secure the longer, or a couple of pins, by which to secure the shorter
lever, may be provided in order that a sufficient space may be left between the points
of the hooks, and the stops, through which to pass the eyes of the blocks, when
being hooked on; the lever being then secured by the first recess or pin, i.e., the
one nearest the centre of the boat; such space to be afterwards closed up by
passing the longer lever, or the ring in connection with the shorter lever, to the
second notch or pin, i.e., the one furthest from the centre of the boat."

page_text: Or, the lever itself, or its connections, may possess a certain amount of elasticity.
The tackles being thus securely hooked on, cannot become detached, either on the
chocks, or afloat until the lever is released, when the hooks spring back, and both
blocks are immediately, and simultaneously cast off.
Or, if desired, the lever may be released immediately on the tackle lifting the boat
off the chocks; under this condition, the hooks automatically spring back, and the
blocks are simultaneously cast off, that moment the boat becomes fully water-borne ;
but not before.
The fact of the hooks being mounted on one common bar or rod, ensures this
simultaneous action.
For the purpose of hoisting a boat on board out of the water, we provide it with
a couple of ordinary hooks, or with a suitable description of lock, or snap hooks; to
engage the eyes of the tackle blocks.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of February 1890.
WILLIAM COOPER.
JOHN HOLDSWORTH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gear for Automatically or Non-automatically
Detaching Boats and the like when Lowered at Sea or
elsewhere.
We, WILLIAM COOPER, Neptune Engine Works, Engineer, and JOHN HOLDSWORTH
27 John Street, Traveller hoth of Hull in the County of York 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:-
In connection with a boat, life raft, or other vessel, or floating body, we employ a
bar, rod, or tube A. of iron, steel, or other suitable material extending about two thirds
the length of such vessel, or floating body.
If applied to a boat, it may be laid along the bottom, inside, and attached to the
keel by eye bolts, or other suitable bearings, in which it may revolve freely, as shewn
by Fig 1.
This bar, rod, or tube has attached to it, at one or both ends, or at any convenient
distance between them, an arm or arms, or lever B. either with, or without a weight
and sufficiently long to be actuated above the thwarts by hand direct; or of shorter
length (as shewn) to be worked under the thwarts by means of a cord, or a light
chain F. F. passed over a suitably placed pulley or pulleys G.
Two hooks C. C. are rigidly fixed at suitable distances on the bar, rod, or tube, and
if desired, one, or both of them may be made to substitute the arm or arms, or
lever B. by having their shanks elongated beyond the crown of the hook proper.
A short length of chain, or other band E. is attache i to the bar, rod, or tube, about
midway, by an eye, or other attachment D. then passed round it a turn or two, or a
half turn the chain or band is then drawn tight, and secured to the bottom of the
boat at E', under a thwart, or elsewhere; which causes the hooks to lie on their
backs; but, on the bar, rod, or tube being drawn partially round (by the arm or
lever B) they assume a vertical position, and the bar, rod, or tube receives a certain
amount of elasticity or spring through deflection and contortion produced by the
winding of the chain or band E. partially round it. Or more than one such length of
chain or band may be used if desired.
The tendency now is, to throw the hooks, C. C. back again, and out of gear with
the eyes of the blocks with which they may be engaged but they are held in a
vertical position by securing the lever or arm B. (if of the longer type already
described) in a recess or notch, or a similar arrangement from which it may be easily
freed when required; or by slipping a ring or loop H. which is attached to one end
of the cord, or light chain F. F. in connection with the shorter lever arrangement,
over a pin situated conveniently to the hand, or by some similar and simple device.

page_text: The lower tackle blocks are provided with an eye, or long link (instead of a hook)
at the end of a short length of chain or of a rod, or rods (J. J. Fig. 1) sufficiently
long to reach from the thwarts, or other guides, down to the hooks C. C.
The eyes or links are passed through the thwarts or guides, and then booked on,
but to ensure their not becoming detached when the tackles are slack, stops or
preventors of some yielding material (I. Fig 1) are so provided that the points of the
hooks C. C. are pressed against them when drawn into a vertical position by the arm
or lever B; but which yield sufficiently to allow the eyes of the blocks to be pressed
between the points of the hooks and the stops, in the process of hooking on.
Or rigid stops or preventers may be employed and a couple of recesses or notches
in which to secure the longer type of arm or lever already named, or a couple of pins,
by which to secure the shorter arm or lever, may be provided, in order that a sufficient
space may be left between the points of the hooks and the stops through which to pass
the eyes of the blocks when being hooked on the arm or lever being then secured by
the first recess or notch, if of the longer type, or by the first pin, if of the shorter
type i.e. the recess or notch or the pin, being the one nearer the centre of the boat in
Fig. 1. The space thus left between the hooks and the stops, to be afterwards closed
up by passing the longer arni or lever, or the ring in connection with the shorter arm
or lever, to the second recess or notch or second pin-i.e. the one further from the
centre of the boat; or the lever or arm itself, or its connections, may possess a certain
amount of elasticity.
For the purpose of hoisting a boat, or the like on board ship, out of the water, we
provide it with a couple of ordinary hooks, or with a suitable description of lock or
snap hooks to engage the eyes of the tackle blocks L. Fig. 1.
Or, if preferred, the eyes or links of the blocks may be passed through tubes as
shewn at K. Fig. 1. In this case the stops I. and hooks L. may be dispensed with
and the arm or lever B. made somewhat elastic or yielding so as to allow of the hooks
being pressed back by the eyes of the blocks in the process of hooking on.
Or, the arm or lever may be rigid, and the eyes or links of the blocks may
be first inserted into the tubes, and the books be afterwards drawn up into gear
with them.
In some cases, it may be desirable to mount the bar, rod or tube higher up in the
boat than as shewn by Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shews such an arrangement with it running
along one side of the boat and actuating by means of the lever joints 1. J. (or some
similar device) the shorter transverse rods on which the hooks are rigidly fixed.
on is
The hooks work in cases affixed to the thwarts (shewn in section). The arm or
lever B. is preferably a little elastic or yielding, and the operation of hooking
performed by pressing the hooks back by the eyes of the blocks when being passed
through an orifice in the thwarts.
Or, with a rigid arm or lever, they may be first placed into position and the hooks
be afterwards drawn up into gear if desired.
The tackles being thus securely hooked on cannot become detached, either on the
chocks, or a float until the lever is released, when the hooks spring back, and both
blocks are immediately and simultaneously cast off.
Or, if desired, the arm or lever may be released immediately on the tackle taking
the weight of the boat off the chocks. Under this condition the books automatically
spring back, and the blocks are simultaneously cast off, the moment the boat becomes
fully water-borne but not before.
The fact of the hooks being mounted on, or actuated by one common bar, rod or
tube ensures this simultaneous action.
If preferable in any case, by simply reversing the action of this principle, the hooks
may be always in gear except when drawn out by manual force.
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 method, as described, of imparting a tortuous, and deflective spring to a bar,

page_text: rod, or tube, and using it as a connection between, and as a common means of
throwing hooks, or the like simultaneously and automatically out of, or into gear with
tackle blocks or the like, either independently of, or in connection with any weighted
lever arrangement, and with the boat in any position.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of November 1890.
WILLIAM COOPER.
JOHN HOLDSWORTH.