IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND SECURING SHIPS BOATS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Franklin Stevens, of Henrietta Street,
Covent Garden, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND SECURING
SHIPS BOATS."-A communication from abroad by William Maxwell
Wood, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, United States of
America Midshinman in the United States Navy.
•
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Franklin
Stevens at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 26th June 1872.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEVENS, of Henrietta Street, Covent Garden,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING, AND
SECURING SHIPS' BOATS," a communication to me from abroad by William
Maxwell Wood, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, United States
of America, Midshipman in the United States Navy, to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of apparatus for
raising and lowering ships' boats, and also to apparatus for securing the

page_text: same for sea when hoisted, and consists as regards the raising and
lowering apparatus in passing the rope or standing part of the tackles
by which the boat is raised or lowered through an eye in the head of
each davit, and in leading both the ropes through another eye common
to the two, which is fixed to one of the masts of the ship, or to any
other convenient fixed point. These two ropes unite in onc, which is
secured to an ordinary cleat in any convenient situation on board the
ship. The other ends of the ropes pass from the davit head blocks
in the usual manner to separate cleats, and may be used in the ordinary
way for hauling up the boat, or if desired for lowering the boat, but
according to this Invention the boat is intended to be lowered by
releasing the ropes which pass through the before-mentioned eye, thereby
ensuring both ends of the boat being lowered equally, which can be
readily accomplished by one man.
So far as regards the apparatus for attaching and detaching the boat
to and from the tackles, the said Invention consists in fitting at or near
the stem and stern of the boat a hinged metal loop, the opening in
which is narrower at the ringed end. Into each loop enters a round
headed bolt which is attached to the lower block of each tackle, and
when inserted into the loops these bolts are retained in the narrow part
of the opening by counterbalanced tumblers or levers attached to the
boat. The lower and under ends of the two hinged loops are held
downwards by means of two chains passing under guide pullies in the
bottom of the boat and connected together at the after end of the boat
by a small slip hook which enables them to be instantaneously dis-
connected so soon as the boat is in a proper position for being detached,
the releasing of the said chains permitting the hinged loops to turn
upwards, and allowing the round headed bolts to slip out through the
wider portions of the openings simultaneously. The chains are then
connected again and the boat is ready to be re-attached to the tackles
for hoisting.
In order to secure the boat for sea when hoisted I substitute for the
ordinary bands passing over and under the boat employed heretofore for
this purpose, two metal supporting levers centred one to each davit, and
having each a notch or recess on the outer end for the reception of the

page_text: sponding hole in an arm projecting from each davit, thereby fixing the
supporting levers for the time being. On withdrawing these pins the
levers drop down leaving the boat free for lowering.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Franklin Stevens in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN STEVENS, of Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Benjamin Franklin Stevens, Her special license
that I, the said Benjamin Franklin Stevens, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Franklin
Stevens, my executors, administrators, or 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 SECURING SHIPS'
BOATS," a communication to me from abroad by William Maxwell Wood,
of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, United States of America,
Midshipman in the United States Navy, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Benjamin Franklin Stevens, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Benjamin Franklin Stevens, 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, reference being had to the accom-

page_text: panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of apparatus for
raising and lowering ships' boats, and also to apparatus for securing the
same for sca when hoisted.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a
boat when hoisted; Figure 2 is a similar view showing the boat
detached; Figure 3 is a stern end view of a boat hoisted and secured for
sea; and Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged front and side detail views of the
detaching apparatus.
In constructing the raising and lowering apparatus according to this
Invention the ropes or standing part A, A, of the tackles by which the
- boat B is raised or lowered are passed severally through a small eye C
in the head of each davit D, D, and both the said ropes are then led
through another and larger eye E common to the two, which is fixed to
one of the masts F of the ship, or to any other convenient fixed point.
These two ropes A, A, after passing through the eye E unite in one rope
or single end G, which is secured to an ordinary cleat in any convenient
situation on board the ship. The other ends A', A³, of the ropes pass
from the davit head blocks H, H, in the usual manner to separate cleats
not shown in the Drawings, and may be used in the ordinary way for
hauling up the boat, or if desired for lowering the boat, but according
to this Invention the boat is intended to be lowered by releasing the
ropes A, A, which pass through the before-mentioned eye E, thereby
ensuring both ends of the boat being lowered equally, which can be
readily accomplished by one man having hold of the single end G.
So far as regards the apparatus for attaching and detaching the boat
to and from the tackles, the said Invention consists in fitting at or near
the stem and stern of the boat a metal loop I, I, hinged at a (see also
Figures 4 and 5), the opening in which is narrower towards the hinged
end as shewn at b. Into each of these loops enters a round headed
bolt K, K, which is attached to the lower block L, L, of each tackle, and

page_text: .
when inserted into the loops these bolts are retained in the narrow part
of the opening by counterbalanced tumblers or levers M, M, hinged to
a stud or metal bracket attached to the boat, the lower and wider or
more open ends of the two hinged loops I, I, are held downwards by
means of two slip chains N, N¹, passing under guide pullies O, O, in the
bottom of the boat, and connected together by preference at or near the
after end of the boat by a small slip hook P, which enables them to
be instantaneously disconnected so soon as the boat is in a proper
position for being detached, the releasing of the said chains permitting
the hinged loops I, I, to turn upwards, and allowing the round headed
bolts K, K, to slip out through the wider portions of the openings in the
loops simultaneously. The chains are then connected again, and the
boat is ready to be re-attached to the tackles, for hoisting, the bolts being
prevented from becoming accidently disengaged from the loops by the
counterweighted tumblers M, before referred to.
In order to secure the boat for sea when hoisted it is proposed to
substitute for the ordinary bands passing over and under the boat,
employed heretofore for this purpose, two metal supporting levers Q
(one of which is shewn in Figure 3) centred one to cach davit at c, and
having each a notch or recess d on the outer end for the reception of
the keel of the boat. These supporting levers are each secured in an
elevated position so as to hold the kcel of the boat by a pin e inserted
into one or other of a set of holes made in a web ƒ forged on or secured
to each davit, the said pins forming stops to the short arms R of the
levers Q, and thereby fixing the supporting levers for the time being.
On withdrawing these pins the levers drop down, as shown by the dotted
lines, leaving the boat free for lowering.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited letters Patent is,- .
First. The passing the ropes or standing part of the tackle of a boat
lowering apparatus separately through eyes in the heads of the two
davits, and leading both these ropes through another eye common to the
two attached to any convenient fixed point, and uniting them in a single
end for lowering, which end is to be secured to an ordinary cleat, sub-

page_text: stantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated
by my Drawings.
Second. The combination of the peculiar shaped hinged metal loops
attached to the boat, the slip chains and hook, the headed bolts attached
to the lower block of each tackle, and the counterbalanced tumblers or
levers, all arranged and operating together, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third. The application and use of the notched or recessed supporting
levers hinged to the davits, and the mode of fixing the same for the
purpose of securing the boat for sea when hoisted, as herein-before 1
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Franklin Stevens, have
to this my Specification set my hand and seal, this Twentieth
day of December, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEVENS. (L.S.)