AN IMPROVED DETACHABLE OR DISENGAGING EYE FOR LAUNCHING BOATS FROM THE SIDES OF SHIPS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED DETACHABLE OR DISENGAGING EYE FOR LAUNCHING BOATS FROM THE
SIDES OF SHIPS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."-A communication from abroad.
by Samuel Brown and Leon Level, both of San Francisco, San Francisco
County, California, United States of America.
Sealed the 13th July 1866, and dated the 29th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. William Clark at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
January 1866.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED DETACHABLE OR DISENGAGING EYE FOR LAUNCHING BOATS
FROM THE SIDES OF SHIPS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
Fig. 1 is an edge view of a block with the improved eye closed; Fig. 2
is a side view of the same eye closed; Fig. 3 is an edge view of block with
eye opened; Fig. 4 exhibits the two sections of the eye in a closed position;
Figs. 5 and 6 show sections of the eye when opened; Fig. 7, a detached side
view of the eye in an inverted position; Fig. 8 is a side view of the Invention
applied to a small boat. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
Darts.

page_text: The nature of this Invention consists in furnishing an eye which, while
forming a perfectly secure connection, may when necessary instantaneously
be disengaged. The Drawings show the application of this eye to a block,
but it is not intended to restrict the application to this speciality, but to claim
the same as applied in any situation where an eye is needed which combines
facility of instant disengagement with perfect security.
A is a block with sheaves S, S, to which is attached by a strap K along
the sides the iron bed piece J, from which projects the jaws I, I, surrounding
Within the
these jaws is the slide F, having a projection G recessed at e.
space enclosed between the jaws I, I, and the slide F work the sections E, E
of the eye proper. The form of these sections is shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6;
Fig. 4 shows their position when the eye is closed, Figs. 5 and 6 when it is
opened. These sections E, E, when in place are secured by rivets T through
the jaws I, I, and passing the one through the aperture U, the other
through V. These rivets when in place allow the eye to be closed or opened,
but do not admit of the sections being displaced from the jaws I, I. The
motion of the slide E upward opens the eye, its downward motion closes it.
The slide E is moved by a lever L working on a hinge N, and provided with
an arm M, the outer extremity of which lever plays in the recess e. The
long lever arm M is slotted to slip over an eye o attached to the strap k; the
lever may be secured there by a pin P until a few moments before it is wished
to disengage. A ring R, to which a lanyard C is attached, slips loosely upon
the upper end of the lever arm M, and is prevented from sliding down too far
by a projecting hook d. The ironwork of the device should be well finished
and galvanized. The operation of the device may be illustrated by reference
to one of its common uses, to wit, disengaging a boat from the tackles after
lowering. While the boat is being lowered by the tackles the lever L is in
position shown in Figs. 1 and 2; the pin being in place guards against any
aecidental displacement of the lever. So soon as the boat having nearly reached
..the water is ready for disengaging the pins P, P, are removed from the blocks
at each end of the boat, and at the signal for letting go the lanyards C, C, are
smartly pulled, the levers take the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the eye
opens, and the boat is launched. The rings R, R, slip off from the end of
the lever, and remaining attached to the lanyards are drawn into the boat
This eye may be attached for many purposes and operated in a variety of
ways.
In Fig. 8 the device is shown applied to a small boat, one being at the bow
and the other at the stern of the boat. In this application of the Invention
the hooks of the blocks are fitted in the eyes which are closed, and the levers L

page_text: have cords or chains a* attached to them, which pass under rollers 6* at the
bottom of the boat, and have their inner ends connected to a ring j*: On
drawing upward this ring the levers M will be actuated to open the eyes E at
both ends of the boat simultaneously, so that the boat will be disengaged at
once at both ends and drop horizontally down on the water. The ends of the
levers M when the device is applied to a boat may be loaded or have weights
attached in order to keep the jaws in a closed state.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, 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
"AN IMPROVED DETACHABLE OR DISENGAGING EYE FOR LAUNCHING BOATS FROM THE
SIDES OF SHIPS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," a communication to me from abroad,
by Samuel Brown and Leon Level, both of San Francisco, San Francisco
County, California, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst;
others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals;;
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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next,
and immediately after the date of the said Letters, Patent.
NOW KNOW YE,, that I, the said William Clark; do hereby declare.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be:

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Figure 1 is an edge view of a block with the improved eye closed;
Figure 2 is a side view of the same; Figure 3 is an edge view of the block
with eye opened; Figure 4 exhibits the two sections of the eye in a
closed position; Figures 5 and 6 show sections of the eye when opened;
Figure 7, a detached side view of the eye in an inverted position; Figure 8
is a side view of the Invention applied to a small boat. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
The nature of this Invention consists in furnishing an eye which, while
forming a perfectly secure connection, may when necessary instantaneously be
disengaged. The Drawings show the application of this eye to a block,
but it is not intended to restrict the application to this speciality, but to claim
the same as applied in any situation where an eye is needed which combines
facility of instant disengagement with perfect security.
Within
A is a block with sheaves S, S, to which is attached by strap K along the
sides the iron bed piece J, from which project the jaws I, I, surrounding
these jaws is the slide F, having a projection G recessed at e.
the space enclosed between the jaws I, I, and the slide F work the
sections E, E, of the eye proper. The form of these sections is shown in
Figures 5 and 6; Figure 5 shows their position when the eye is closed,
Figure 6 when it is opened. These sections E, E, when in place are secured
by rivets T, T, through the jaws I, I, and passing the one through the aperture U,
the other through V. These rivets when in place allow the eye to be closed
or opened, but do not admit of the sections being displaced from the jaws I, I.
The motion of the slide F upward opens the eye, its downward motion closes
it. The slide F is moved by a lever L working on a hinge N, and provided
with an arm M, the outer extremity of which plays in the recess e. The
long lever arm L is slotted to slip over an eye o attached to the strap K; the
lever may be secured there by a pin P until a few moments before it is wished
to disengage. A ring R, to which a lanyard C is attached, slips loosely upon
the upper end of the lever arm L, and is prevented from sliding down too far by a
projecting hook d. The ironwork of the device should be well finished and gal-
vanized. The operation of the device may be illustrated by reference to one
of its common uses, to wit, disengaging a boat from the tackles after lowering.
While the boat is being lowered by the tackles the lever L is in position
shown in Figures 1 and 2; the pin being in place guards against any
accidental displacement of the lever. So soon as the boat having nearly

page_text: reached the water is ready for disengaging the pins P, P, are removed from
the blocks at each end of the boat, and at the signal for letting go the lan-
yards C, C, are smartly pulled, the levers take the position shown in Figures 3
and 4, the eye E opens, and the boat is launched. The rings R, R, slip off from
the end of the lever, and remaining attached to the lanyards are drawn
into the boat. This eye may be attached for many purposes and operated in
a variety of ways.
In Figure 8 the device is shown applied to a small boat, one being at the
bow and the other at the stern of the boat. In this application of the Inven-
tion the hooks of the blocks are fitted in the eyes which are closed, and the
levers N have cords or chains a* attached to them, which pass under
rollers 6 at the bottom of the boat, and have their inner ends connected to a
ring c*. On drawing upward this ring the levers N will be actuated to open
the eyes E at both ends of the boat simultaneously, so that the boat will be
disengaged at once at both ends and drop horizontally down on the water.
The ends of the levers N when the device is applied to a boat may be leaded
or have weights attached in order to keep the jaws in a closed state.
Having described the nature of this Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is the bed piece J with
jaws I, I, and the segments E, E, operating by the slide F, with recessed
arm G and lever L, M, or their equivalents, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)