Improved Means for Bracing the Yards in Square-rigged Ships.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 26th June, 1891-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Bracing the Yards in Square-rigged Ships.
I, JOHN CHARLES BARRON JARVIS of Albert Villa Albert Street, Tayport,
Fife, Scotland Shipmaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to certain improved means for bracing the yards in square
rigged ships and consists in a combination of two or more sets of drums, of conical
form, as will hereinafter appear according to the number of yards which it is
desired to bring under control.
As at present practised each yard is braced by itself to the port and starboard
sides of the ship. When the ship is sailing and is required to go on a new tack
the one side has to be eased off and the other side hauled in by members of
the crew.
In this the braces are carried from the yard-arms of the foremast to the main-
mast and thence through blocks to the set of drums or winches upon which the
hauling will be effected. The number of drums will be according to the number
of yards. As example suppose there be six yards on the foremast, viz. lower yard,
upper and lower top sail yards, upper and lower top gallant yards and the royal
yard. The braces of the first third and fifth yards are carried to the corresponding
drums, that is the port brace to the port drum and the starboard brace to the
starboard drum. The second fourth and sixth yards are worked by ordinary rope
braces as at present, but the yards being all connected together by the sails the
pulling round of the lower yards will bring the other yards round also.
"
The said drums are made conical for the purpose that when the yards are square,
that is at right angles to the line of the keel each drum will be half filled by the
wire rope brace wound upon it the fixed ends being in each case next the centre.
As the yard is slewed the " sum of the length of the two braces becomes shorter
than their " sum was when the yard was square, consequently the conical drum
becomes necessary in order to take up more of the brace hauled in and to give off
less of the brace paid out. The drums are held in position by friction pulleys and
by pawls so they can be worked together or independently or be adjusted to the
required lengths.
The pinion for driving may be toothed as 1 to 5 of the purchase wheel; the cogs
connecting the drums are all of the same size and number of teeth so that the drums
all make the same number of revolutions.
The coning of the drums must be proportional to the difference in the length of
the braces when squared and when slewed. The sizes of each drum or pair of
drums must be proportional to the actual lengths of braces governed by distance
apart of masts and lengths of yards.
The difference between lower yard drums and third and fifth yard drums must
be proportional to the difference in lengths of the respective yards and these
gradations can be most easily settled in each case by making cast iron frames
preferable with six, twelve or twenty four faces and piecing up with hard wood
blocks which can be turned and bevilled to the required dimensions.
Dated this 26th day of September 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Bracing the Yards in Square-rigged Ships.
I, JOHN CHARLES BARRON JARVIS of Albert Villa, Albert Street, Tayport,
Fife, Scotland, Shipmaster, 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 thereof that is to say :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in the rigging tackle for square
rigged ships and consists in means for bracing the yards.
As at present practised each yard is braced by itself to the port and starboard
sides of the ship. When the ship is sailing and is required to go on a new tack the
one side has to be eased off and the other side to be hauled in by members of
the crew.
According to this invention the means for bracing the yards consist in a
combination of one or more sets of drums of conical form the number of which will
depend on the number of yards which it is required to bring under control. The
braces are carried from the arms of the yards, to be acted upon, through leading
blocks to the set of drums or winches by which the bracing is to be effected. The
number of drums as above stated will vary according to the number of yards; for
example supposing there are three yards on one mast to be acted upon, there will
be provided six drums, three for each side that is the port braces to the port drums
and the starboard braces to the starboard drums. The drums are made conical in
order that when the yards are square, that is at right angles to the line of the keel
each drum will be half filled by the wire-rope brace wound upon it, the fixed ends
of the braces being in each case preferably next the centre, that is, the brace will
be attached to the smaller end of the conical drum. As the yard is "slewed" the
sum of the lengths of the two braces becomes shorter than their sum was when the
yard was square, consequently the conical drum becomes necessary in order to take
up more of the brace hauled in and to give off less of the brace paid out.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 represents a plan of apparatus adapted for working three yards upon one
mast.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of same taken through line x, x of Fig. 1 and
Fig. 3 is a detail of clutches for operating driving gear.
a, a, are the end frames and a¹ the centre frame these being fixed to the deck of the
ship. In these frames are mounted three shafts b, b', 62 upon which are fixed three
pairs of spirally grooved conical drums c, c', c², of varying diameter. These drums
are geared together by toothed wheels d, d', da so that when revolving the central
pair turn in an opposite direction to the two outer pairs.
The shafts 6 and 62 are capable of sliding endwise in their bearings to allow for
the disengagement of either or both pairs of drums when the whole series are not
required to act simultaneously.
:
e is the main driving shaft squared at the ends for winch handles and provided
with a grooved driving pulley when steam power is employed. Change gearing is
provided in order that the speed of hauling may be varied according to the
amount of power required.
The gearing shown in the drawings is designed to give three rates of speed the
fastest of which is imparted by a toothed wheel e¹ gearing with the wheel don
the end of the drum c¹, see Figs. 1 and 3. This wheel is mounted loosely on its
shaft but can be caused to revolve therewith by means of a sliding clutch e² operated
by fork e³ on shaft e on the end of which is a lever handle e In the drawings
the apparatus is shown geared-up for the slowest speed which is desired through a
pinion mounted on the shaft e and sliding on a feather. The pinion of gears with
a wheel mounted loosely upon a fixed stud f2 and formed integrally with the
wheel is a pinion f³ which gears with a large toothed wheel /* fixed to one of the

page_text: drums c. In Fig. 2 the lower half of the wheel f¹ is broken away to show
the pinion 3 more clearly.
Fixed to or formed integral with the wheel is the strap-brake g the lever g' of
which is raised or lowered by screw 92 according as it is required to tighten or
slacken the belt g³. Similar brakes may be applied to the other drums but double
pawls h, capable of sliding on the tie rods so as to be readily placed out of the
way when not wanted, will generally be found to answer the purpose.
The intermediate speed of hauling is obtained by throwing the wheel f' and
pinion out of gear which is done by sliding them upon the stud 2 as far as the
pin . The pinion is then thrown into gear with the large wheel ƒ by means
of clutch operated by handle j'.
When either pair of small drums requires to be worked separately they are
thrown out of gear with the central pair and worked by winch handles the ends of
the shafts bb being squared to receive the same.
As the scope for the use of my invention is very great the mechanical details
connected with gearing and driving the drums will be subject to many modifications
according to the size of vessel; the example given must therefore be regarded
as a typical form of the apparatus and not as one calculated to meet every
requirement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is--
1. The improved rigging tackle for square rigged ships consisting of the
winding drums adapted to be connected by suitable braces with the arms of the
yard, said drums being conical and attached and operating together as and for
the purpose hercin set forth and illustrated by the drawings.
2. In rigging tackle for working the yards of square rigged ships the coned
bracing drums c, c', c², arranged in double sets the port and starboard drums being
connected and operating together for working the port and starboard braces of the
yards simultaneously, constructed arranged and operating as and for the purpose
substantially as set forth.
3. In rigging tackle such as described, the combination with the yard, of drums
secured to the vessel connected with each other and operating together, and
adapted to be connected respectively with the starboard and port yard arms,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of June 1891.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.