IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING AND ALGO BO
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, of the Ship "John
Lidgett," belonging to the Port of London, Captain, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING
AND ALGO BOD
Sealed the 12th July 1864, and dated the 22nd February 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd February 1864.
I, HENRY CUTCLIFFE GAMBLE, of the Ship "John Lidgett," belonging to the
Port of London, Captain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING
AND ALSO FOR HOISTING AND SECURING SHIPS' BOATS," to be as follows:-
In carrying out my Invention I employ a roller rather longer than the
distance from one "davit" to the other, and placed parallel to the ship's rail,
above or near thereto, and the boat is suspended by "falls," one to each
"davit," the inner ends of the "falls" being coiled round and fastened to the
roller, one near to each end. A third rope is passed two or more times round
the roller about the centre, one end of the rope being made fast to the ship's
rail, so that the rope acts as a friction break; by slacking this rope the roller
is set quite free, and the boat is lowered into the water by its own weight.
For hoisting the boat the roller may be turned by means of a winch, and a
friction break is used for lowering. It will be evident that by the use of this

page_text: roller both ends of the boat must necessarily be lowered or hoisted simul-
taneously. The boat is suspended by means of balanced hooks fastened to
the thwarts, or other convenient part of the boat, one at or near each end,
and hooked into rings or eyes carried by blocks running in the "bight" of the
falls. These hooks are so balanced as to unhook themselves the instant that
the weight is taken off by the boat meeting the water, the ends of the hooks
being secured by an attachment which prevents the hooks from opening whilst
the boat is hanging at the "davits," but which is withdrawn automatically by
the lowering of the boat. It will thus be seen that upon an emergency (such
as a man overboard) the boat can be lowered and detached instantaneously,
either with or without the crew, by simply casting off (or even cutting) the
central rope. In securing the boat to the ship's side when hoisted, I employ
a piece of wood or metal about the length of the boat, hollowed out to fit the
curve of the side of the boat fore and aft, and I also employ a "gripe" or
"belly band," one end of which is fastened to each "davit-;"--this -band-passes
round and under the boat, and the central part is furnished with an eye or
thimble, which is passed over a peg fixed in the roller in such a manner that
the instant the latter commences to revolve in lowering the boat, the eye or
thimble slips off the peg, and the "gripe" is cast free, and hangs down loosely
from the "davits." When the boat is hoisted the thimble is passed over the
peg on the roller, and the ends of the "gripe" are "tautened" to the "davits,"
and fixed each by means of its own "lanyards."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CUTCLIFFE GAMBLE, of the Ship "John Lidgett," belonging to the Port of
London, Captain, send greeting.
year
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the 27th year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, Her special license that I,
the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble,
or such others as I, the said
administrators, or assigns, should
executors, administrators, and assigns,
Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, my executors,
at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS
LOWERING AND DETACHING AND ALSO FOR HOISTING AND SECURING SHIPS' BOATS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly
describo 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 Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:-
In carrying out my Invention I employ a roller rather longer than the
distance from one "davit" to the other, and placed parallel to the ship's rail,
above or near thereto, and the boat is suspended by "falls, one to each
"davit," the inner ends of the "falls" being coiled round and fastened to the
roller, one near to each end. A third rope is passed two or more times round.
the roller about the centre, one end of the rope being made fast to the ship's
rail, so that the rope acts as a friction brake; by slacking this rope the
roller is set quite free, and the boat is lowered into the water by its own
weight. For hoisting the boat the roller may be turned by means of a winch,
and a friction brake is used for lowering. It will be evident that by the use
of this roller both ends of the boat must necessarily be lowered or hoisted
simultaneously. The boat is suspended by means of balanced hooks fastened:
to the thwarts or other convenient part of the boat, one at or near each end,.
and hooked into rings or eyes carried by blocks running in the "bight" of the
"falls." These hooks are so balanced as to unhook themselves the instant
that the weight is taken off by the boat meeting the water, the ends of the
hooks being secured by an attachment which prevents the hooks from opening
whilst the boat is hanging at the davits, but which is withdrawn automatically
by the lowering of the boat. It will thus be seen that upon an emergency
(such as a man overboard) the boat can be lowered and detached instan-
taneously, either with or without the crew, by simply casting off (or even
cutting) the central rope. In securing the boat to the ship's side when.

page_text: hoisted, 1 employ a "chock," or piece of wood or metal about the length of
the boat, hollowed out to fit the curve of the side of the boat fore and aft, and.
I also employ a "gripe" or "bellyband," one end of which is fastened to each
"davit ;" this band passes round and under the boat, and the central part is
furnished with an eye or thimble, which is passed over a peg fixed in the
roller in such a manner that the instant the latter commences to revolve in
lowering the boat the eye or thimble slips off the peg, and the "gripe" is
cast free, and hangs down loosely from the "davits." When the boat is
hoisted the thimble is passed over the peg on the roller, and the ends of the
"gripe" are "tautened" to the davits, and fixed each by means of its own
lanyards.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improved
Apparatus for the Instantaneous Lowering and Detaching and also for
Hoisting and Securing Ships' Boats," I will now proceed to describe more in
letail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect. And in order that the same may be distinctly-understood,
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with
those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section, and
Figure 2 a transverse section of a ship's boat suspended to the davits by my
improved apparatus.
a, a, is part of the ship's side; and b, b, are the davits; c, c, is a roller,
which is rather longer than the distance between the davits, and which may
be either attached to the latter or to the ship's rail, as may be found most
convenient. The inner ends of the tackle falls d, d, are coiled several times
round, and the ends secured to this roller, both passing round the roller. in the
same direction, so as to lower both ends of the boat equally and simultaneously.
This roller c, c, is secured by means of a short lanyard e, e, one end of which
is attached to the ship's rail. About two turns of this lanyard are taken round.
the roller in the opposite direction to the turns of the tackle falls, and the
other end belayed or fixed to a pin on the roller. This lanyard e, e, may be
used as a friction strap or break for lowering the boat, or a foot break f, f,
may be attached, as preferred; but it must be observed that the whole
operation of lowering the boat depends on this one lanyard, as the "gripes"
9, 9, are attached by the "bight" or middle (fitted with a thimble or eye) to
another pin h, h, on the roller, and the ends are secured by lanyards to the
davits above the gunwale of the boat, so that as soon as the roller is put in
motion by the commencement of the descent of the boat, the thimble or cyc

page_text: on the "bight" of the "gripes" is thrown clear off the pin, and the boat
hangs perfectly free. The balanced hooks i, i, are attached to the thwarts of
the boat, and hook into eyes or rings fixed to the lower blocks of the tackle
falls. The points of the tumbling or balanced hooks i, i, are secured and
overlapped by means of other hooks k, k, and these hooks are kept in the
position shown in the Drawing by means of wedges 1, 2, at the back. The
two books i and together form a link, inseparable until the wedge is with-
drawn, and when hooked to the ring on the block of the boat's tackle, nothing
can detach the boat until the wedge l is withdrawn, when the securing hook k
falls back, leaving the balanced or tumbling hook i free to act as soon as the
boat touches the water. The wedge is itself withdrawn by a line m, m,
attached to the head of the davit, which may be of a length sufficient to allow
the boat to be lowered within about two feet of the water before it withdraws
the wedge (or it may be adjusted to any other height thought advisable),
thereby preventing the possibility of a sea unhooking one end of the boat until
the latter is low enough to be safe. n, n, represents the "chock," or piece of
wood or metal in which the boat fits when hoisted to the davits. This
"chock," as previously described, is hollowed out longitudinally, so as to fit
the curve of the side of the boat, and thus hold it quite steady.
The following are some of the advantages which are obtained by the use of
my improved apparatus.
Firstly, boats to which it is intended to be applied will require no alteration
or strengthening, no matter how lightly they may be built.
Secondly, it can be brought more quickly into operation, the boat being
lowered from the deck of the vessel, where it is under the control of the officer
of the watch, and can be got ready by him or any other person whilst the
crow are jumping into the boat, they having nothing to do but to take to their
oars immediately.
Thirdly, it is self-acting under any circumstances, which is an enormous
advantage where a vessel has run ashore amongst breakers, as any delay in
detaching a boat under such circumstances must result in her immediate
destruction.
Fourthly, life may be saved by a boat fitted on this plan when it would be
dangerous to send a crew in her, as she can be lowered and detached (almost
as quickly as a life buoy could be thrown overboard) without any person in
her. All seamen are aware of the difficulty of keeping sight of a life buoy or
any small object in a heavy sea, and many a life is lost in consequence, but a
boat can always be kept sight of and picked up again at leisure.
In conclusion, it has been found in practice that from the time the order

page_text: was given to man the boat fifteen seconds were sufficient to have her away
clear of the ship, but when the boat's crew was ready in the boat a much less
time was required.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improved Apparatus for the Instantaneous Lowering and Detaching and 5
also for Hoisting and Securing Ships' Boats," together with the manner in
which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the general combination and arrangement of apparatus for such
purposes as shown in the Drawing, and above described, or any mere 1
medification or imitation thereof.
And, secondly, I claim especially the peculiar construction, application, and
combination of the tumbling or balanced hooks with their securing hooks and
wedges, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, have here- 1
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
H. C. GAMBLE. (L.S.)