IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOWING SHIPS, VESSELS, OR BOATS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Whittaker Scott, of the Firm Scott Brothers,
Knutsford Vale Works, Longsight, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers and Wire Rope Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOWING SHIPS, VESSELS, OR BOATS."
Sealed the 12th Aust 1970 and dated the 20th February 1870
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Whittaker
Scott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February
1879.
FREDERICK WHITTAKER SCOTT, of the Firm Scott Brothers, Knutsford Vale
Work, Longsight, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and
Wire Rope Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOWING SHIPS,
VESSELS, OR BOATS."
My Invention refers more particularly to arrangements for towing when wire
ropes are used, which are deficient in elasticity and put undue strains both on the
vessel towing and the vessels being towed, and the object of my Invention is to
remedy this defect in towing ropes.
One modification of my Invention consists in an arrangement of one or more
springs which are caused to act upon a bar or plate similar to a piston and its rod,
which is or may be arranged in a cylinder that is securely hinged, jointed, or pivotted
to plates firmly secured to the frame or deck of the ship or vessel. To the end of
the piston rod is attached a gripping arrangement which is or may be on the
principle of a vice, and the rope from a reel passes through and is firmly secured
and held by the gripping arrangement, and thus the strain in towing is brought
upon the springs which give way to excessive strains and thus prevent injury to
the rope or vessels towing and being towed.
There is or may be a similar elastic arrangement both on the vessel towing and
on that being towed, the rope passing between the two arrangements. A spring
or buffer arrangement is also used to modify the recoil of the springs in the
cylinder.
Another modification of my Invention consists in a similar arrangement of springs
to that above described with a piston but without piston rod, or with two hollow
rods, one attached to the piston and passing on to or into the other attached to the

page_text: end of the cylinder. The rope in this case passes through the axes of the springs
and piston or hollow piston rod, and the gripper is attached to the piston.
The rope passes from the reel which may be fixed on the deck, or it is carried on
the cylinder for the springs, which cylinder has or may have trunnions placed
vertical so as to swivel in bearings firmly secured to the framing or deck of the
ship or vessel.
Instead of a cylinder, a frame of bars united together at the ends may be used.
The arrangement of springs above described is or may be placed vertically below
deck, and a chain or rope brought up from the piston through the deck and passed
over a swivel pulley, the end of this chain having a gripping arrangement for holding
the rope as it goes from the reel to the vessel being towed.
Another modification of my Invention consists of a reel or pulley for the rope to
be wound upon, which is or may be placed with its axis vortical.
This pulley fits so as to rotate on or above a drum on the same axis as the pulloy
which is a strong stud formed on a plate bolted to the frame or deck of the ship or
vessel.
Firmly attached to the stud is one end of a strong spiral or volute spring which
is or may be formed of several plates combined together, as in the case of flat carriage
springs; the other end of this spiral spring is firmly secured to the interior periphery
of the drum.
On the drum there is a gripping arrangement, and when the rope is to be used
for towing it is guided off the reel and on to this drum and through the grippers in
which it is secured, and thus the strain of towing is brought upon the spring or
springs acting upon the drum.
There is a toothed wheel formed on or fixed to the pulley which gears with a
pinion by which the pulley may be rotated when the rope is disconnected from the
gripper on the spring drum to wind the rope on or off the pulley.
Instead of a spiral spring a series of springs is or may be used, acting by com-
pression, or the drum or another on its axis has or may have one end of a chain
connected to it, the other end being attached to the piston of an arrangement of
springs in a cylinder, as herein before described.
In all the modifications above described the rope is not liable to be damaged by
working to and fro against its own coils on the reel as it would be if springs or
elasticity were combined with the reel on which the rope is stored.
No strain whatever comes upon the rope on the reel in the act of towing, the
rope between the drum and reel being slack.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick Whittaker Scott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th August 1879.
•
FREDERICK WHITTAKER SCOTT, of the Firm Scott Brothers, Knutsford Vale
Works, Lonsight, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and
Wire Rope Makers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS FOR TOWING SHIPS,
VESSELS, OR BOATS."
My Invention refers more particularly to arrangements for towing when wire
ropes are used, which are deficient in elasticity and put undue strains both on the
vessel-towing-and-the-vessel- being towed; and the object of my Invention is to
remedy this defect in towing ropes.
One modification of my Invention consists in an arrangement of one or more
springs which are caused to act upon a bar or plate similar to a piston and its rod,
which is or may be arranged in a cylinder or frame of bars that is securely hinged,
jointed, or pivotted to a stud or to plates firmly secured to the frame or deck of the
ship or vessel. To the end of the piston rod is attached a gripping arrangement
which is or may be on the principle of a vice, and the rope from a reel passes through
and is firmly secured and held by the gripping arrangement, and thus the strain in
towing is brought upon the springs which give way to excessive strains and thus
prevent injury to the rope or vessels towing and being towed.
There is or may be a similar elastic arrangement both on the vessel towing and
on that being towed, the rope passing between the two arrangements. A spring or
buffer arrangement is also used to modify the recoil of the springs in the cylinders
when desired.
The rope passes from the reel which may be fixed on the deck, or it is carried on
the cylinder or other arrangement for the springs, which cylinder or other arrange-
ment has or may have trunions placed vertical so as to swivel in bearings firmly
secured to the framing or deck of the ship or vessel.
The arrangement of springs above described is or may be placed vertically below
deck, and a chain or rope brought up from the piston through the deck and passed
over a swivel pulley, the end of this rope or chain having a gripping arrangement
for holding the rope as it goes from the reel to the vessel being towed.
Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 is a side view at a right angle to the view
shown by Fig. 1, illustrating an elastic arrangement according to one modification
of my Invention.
It consists of four bars a secured by screw nuts to end plates. To one end plate b
short rods 61 are secured by screws or by being rivetted to the plate (b), and the
ends of these rods are screwed for nuts which secure a cross picce 62 on the rods (b'),
this cross piece forming the attachment to a stud or bolt c' firmly secured to the
frame or deck of the ship or vessel.
The other end plate (d) has a hole in its centre through which a rod e slides
which is connected with a plate e¹ that may have holes in it to slide on the
bars (a).
On the rod (e) volute springs (✓) are placed with flat plates f¹ between them.
The outer end of the rod e is forked and has a gripping arrangement bolted to it
which consists of a lower plate g to which an upper plate g' is hinged or jointed,
which upper hinged plate has a slot or fork at one edge for a bolt g² jointed on the
lower plate (g); this bolt g² has a nut handle g³ screwed upon it.
By slackening this screw nut handle (g) the bolt and nut can be turned to one
side, then the upper hinged plate (g¹) can be lifted or opened and the rope can be
placed in the groove formed partly in the upper plate (9') and partly in the lower
plate (g), then the upper hinged lid or plate (g') can be shut upon the rope and
the nut brought into its place and screwed up tightly so as to firmly grip the
rope.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of another elastic arrangement according to my
Invention, and Fig. 4 is a cross section thereof.
This arrangement consists of a series of four bars (a) secured together as
described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2, but there is an eye b* secured by a single
screw nut in the end plate b, and this eye has a ring (b) connected with it to hook
upon a hook stud (c') secured in the frame or deck of the ship or vessel.
There is a central rod e, as in Figs. 1 and 2, which has the gripping arrangement
attached at its outer end, and its inner end is secured to a plate e¹ which has a hole
for each bar (a), the plates (e) sliding to and fro upon the bars (a).
Upon the bars (a) helical springs fare placed one or more on each bar (a) with
plates between the springs when there are more than one, which plates (ƒ³) have
holes in them to slide upon the bars (a).
If desired there may also be springs on the central rod e.
Fig. 5 is a side view showing another modification in which two or four bars (a)
are connected at the ends as before explained, and there is a central slide bar e, to
the outer end of which the gripping apparatus is attached.
Around the central slide bar e one helical spring f is placed, or several are so
placed; but if more than one, there are dividing plates on the rod e between the
springs. Helical springs are or may be placed upon each bar (a) in the modifications
hereinbefore described between the plato c' secured on the end of the slide bar e
and the plate b, so that the plate e¹ which may have holes in it for each bar (a)
will come against these springs (h) see Fig. 3) which will thus act as a buffer
against the reaction of the main springs f.
I have only shown in the Drawings steel springs of the volute and helical form,
but it is obvious that other forms of steel springs may be employed, and also india-
rubber springs. Bars (a) have only been illustrated for the frame of the elastic
arrangement, which form of frame is the simplest and least expensive, but a
cylinder having ends secured to it may be substituted for the bars (a) if preferred.
Fig. 6 is an illustration of the mode of applying my Invention when the elastic
arrangement is placed in a vertical position below the deck, the lower end being
firmly secured to the frame of the ship or vessel.
In this case the central bar (e) has an eye to which a rope or chain is attached
which passes over a pulley (i) secured on deck (j), and to the end of this short
rope or chain a gripping arrangement (g, Fig. 6) is attached for holding the towing
rope.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. An elastic arrangement for towing ships or vessels combined with an
arrangement for gripping. the rope, substantially as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. An elastic arrangement placed below the deck of the ship or vessel
and combined with a gripping arrangement for holding the rope, substantially as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated by Fig. 6 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Whittaker Scott, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.