IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CATCHING OF FISH
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Hector, of Montrose, in the County of
Forfar, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CATCHING OF FISH."
Sealed the 22nd January 1864, and dated the 28th July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Hector at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
July 1868.
I, ALEXANDER HECTOR, of Montrose, in the County of Forfar, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CATCHING OF FISH," to be as
follows:-
I form the nets with compartments or chambers and closing apertures to
retain the fish in the net until the net is drawn ; and according to one arrange-
ment, which I call a "cage net," I keep the mouth or mouths of the net
open to admit of the entry of the fish by ropes attached to spars or other parts
from the ships or other vessels, and with buoys and weights to keep the saule
floating.
According to another arrangement I form the mouth of the net, which I
"fan net," with wings kept extended by ropes from separate vessels, kept
in motion or in the way of a current, and placed in position to keep the parts
of the net distended.

page_text: According to another arrangement, which I call a "diving net," the buoys
or floats and the weights are disposed to cause the net to sink to any desired
distance below the surface of the water. The "diving net" can be kept on
the surface or lowered to such depth as is desirable to be in the run of tho fish.
The object is to let the fish pass into a chamber, and that looked at now and
then, the fish emptied into the vessel, and the "diver net" set to pass through
the water for a fresh capture.
Figure 1 shows an outline sketch of a "cage net." a is the mouth end of
the net; b, b, the sides; c and d, partitions forming inner chambers or com-
partments e, f. These partitions have vertical openings at c', d', which are
capable of extension by the pressure of the fish, and then of closing to retain
them within the chambers. The head g of the net is kept distended by spars,
and it has drag ropes h connected to buoys and weights, by which that end of
the net is kept at the desired elevation in the water. The mouth end a, a, is
kept open by ropes i, i, attached to spars or other parts from the ships or
vessels.
Figure 2 shows an outline plan, Figure 3 a side view, and Figure 4 a view
of the mouth end of a "fan net." a is the mouth end of the net; b, b, wings;
c, d, the partitions of network forming compartments or chambers e and f.
These partitions have long narrow openings c', d', which are capable of exten-
sion by the pressure of the fish in entering, and then of closing to retain them
in the compartments. j is what I call a false bottom to the net, extending to
j. The net is kept distended at the head g by spars aided by weights and
buoys; k, k, are ropes attached to separate vessels to keep open the mouth of
the net.
Tho "diving net" is obtained by regulating the weights and buoys to the
depth the net is desired to sink in the water. The details may be varied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Hector in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
HECTOR, of Montrose, in the County of Forfar, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said Alexander Hector, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Hector.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Hector, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CATCHING OF
FISH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Hector,
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 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 Alexander Hector, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following,
statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements relate to means of constructing and employing nets to
facilitate the catching of fish. I forin the nets with compartments or chambers
and closing apertures to retain the fish in the nets, until the nets are drawn;
and according to one arrangement, which I call a "cage net," I keep the
mouth or mouths of the net open to admit of the entry of the fish by ropes
attached to spars or other parts from ships or other vessels.
Figure 1 of the Drawings shows an outline sketch of a "cage net;" a is
the mouth of the net; b, b, the sides; c and d partitions forming inner chambers
or compartments e, f. These partitions have vertical openings at c', d',
which are capable of extension by the pressure of the fish, and then of closing
again to their ordinary form to retain those fish within the chambers. The
sides of these openings may have rope, tough wood, whalebone, steel, or other
suitable material applied to them. The head y of the net is kept distended
by spars, the upper one of which I prefer to be of wood and the lower one of
iron, and the head also has drag ropes / connected to it, and to buoys and
weights, by which that end of the net is kept at the desired elevation in the
water. The mouth end a, a, is kept open by ropes i, i, attached to spars or
other parts from the ships or vessels. In calm weather I also attach to the
drag ropes a concave basin, which may be formed of zinc or galvanized iron,
and somewhat like a lamp shade with an opening in the centre of it capable

page_text: of being closed by a concave plate acted upon by a spring regulated by
a screw, so that the passage in the basin may be closed when the vessel
does not make sufficient way to keep the net distended. This concave
basin with its parts may be suspended in position by a buoy, and steadied
by a weight, when it will act as an adjustable drag on the net.
According to another arrangement I form the mouth of the net, which I
call a "fan net," with wings kept extended by ropes from separate vessels kept
in motion, or in the way of a current, and placed in position to keep the parts
of the net distended. Figure 2 shows an outline plan, Figure 8 a side view,
and Figure 4 a view of the mouth end of a "fan net."
a is the mouth end of the net; b, b, wings; c, d, the partitions of network
forming compartments or chambers e and f. These partitions have long
narrow openings c', d', which extend from the upper to the lower part of the net
and are capable of extension by the pressure of the fish in entering, and then
of closing or resuming their original form to retain the fish in the compart-
ments of the net; j is what I call a false bottom to the net extending to j¹,
and 6', 6', are what I call slips formed of light netting attached to the sides
or wings and to the top and bottom of the net at an angle to the sides
or wings; are other slips attached to the outer ends of the wings and to
the mouth of the net. The object of these slips is to intercept the fish in the
event of their turning back from the chambers. The net is kept distended
at the head g by spars aided by weights and buoys; k, k, are ropes attached
to separate vessels to keep open the mouth of the net. Buoys or floats are
distributed over the upper surfaces of all the nets in order to keep the same
floating near the surface of the water, and weights or sinkers are attached at
the lower part thereof for the purpose of keeping the parts of the net distended
with the mouth or mouths and the chambers of it open. In the inner chamber
of the net I sometimes apply a curtain or a series of curtains of light network
extending from the bottom of the net to near the top and side of it. The
object of this curtain is to serve as an inner trap to hold or mesh the fish.
When several curtains are employed in the same chamber they may be of
different sized meshes, and they are passed into the chamber of the net or
removed from it through an opening in the cover or top of the net, such
opening being held closed by lacing, and the curtains may be kept distended
across the chamber of the net by pulley ropes or other suitable means. The
wings may be formed in several parts connected together by eyes to their
ropes and lacing to the netting, so that they may be used in different lengths
according to the weather and other circumstances. The chambers of these
nets are formed with openings in their top or cover by which fish caught

page_text: therein may be removed by a scum or landing net into a boat whilst the nets
are still floating for fishing, and without disturbing the fishing operations.
These openings are at other times closed by lacing.
According to another arrangement, which I call a "diving net," the buoys
or floats and the weights are disposed to cause the net to sink to any desired
distance below the surface of the water. The "diving net" can be kept on
the surface or lowered to such depth as is desirable to be in the run of the
fish; the object is to let the fish pass into a chamber, which may be looked at
occasionally, and the fish emptied when desired into the vessel, and the
"diver net" again set to pass through the water for a fresh capture. The
"diving net" is obtained by regulating the weights and buoys to the depth
the net is desired to sink in the water, otherwise it is similar to the "cage
net." The netting of these three nets, wings, and chambers, may be formed
of soft fine hemp, flax, or lint, so as to mesh the fish in every part thereof.
When cotton twine is used in the formation of such nets, whilst it is much
more durable it is not so suitable for "meshing" fish. The netting of the
wings of the "fan net," I prefer to be of the lightest cord to facilitate the net
passing through the water, and to lessen the weight of the whole, as the
lighter nets are in their construction the more efficient will they be found in
the capture of fish. The details may be varied.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Hector, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
ALEXANDER HECTOR. (L.B.)