IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Walker, of the Firm of Emerson,.
.
.
Walker, and Company, of London Street, in the City of London,
Ships' Windlass Manufacturers, and William Clarke, of Gateshead-.
on-Tyne, in the County of Durham, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES."
Sealed the 10th February 1871, and dated the 4th November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Walker and
.
William Clarke at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th November 1870.
We, EDMUND WALKER, of the Firm of Emerson, Walker, and Com-
pany, of London Street in the City of London, Ships' Windlass
Manufacturers, and WILLIAM CLARKE, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, in the
County of Durham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved and more compact combination
of the working mechanism of steam and other windlasses, whereby less
room is occupied than usual, and they are more easy for working, as

page_text: well as of being less weight; also to the mode of actuating the lifters
and of throwing them into and out of gear, and to the employment of
metallic rings or bands.between the inclined surfaces of combined clip
and toothed wheels and the lifter wheels.
Hitherto it has been usual to fit four or five toothed or plain wheels
on the main axle or shaft, so that pauls or other appliances can operate
upon them for lifting purposes and for retaining the lifters at any part
of their revolution, and these wheels have been placed near the central
part of the axle, so that two standards or bearings have been required
to support them.
Now according to our Invention we employ only two toothed wheels
at the central portion of the main axle, and fit one standard or bearing
between them. These wheels are formed with circular grooves in the
sides for the clips or travellers to take into, and also inclined surfaces
on their inner peripheries for corresponding inclined surfaces on the
lifter wheels to take against when those wheels are moved along the
axle by the tightening nuts, which are of the form shown in our previous
Patent, No. 1905, 1869, and which are fitted on the threaded portions
of the axle. We fit soft or other metal rings, hoops, or bands, on
one or other of the inclined surfaces by shrinkage or otherwise to obtain
good working faces. The outer sides of the lifter wheel farthest from
the centre are provided with ratchet teeth for the stop pauls to take into
to hold them fast when the vessel is riding at anchor or for other causes.
The metal bands on the inclined surfaces of the toothed wheels not
only give the necessary bite to the chain or lifter wheels for "hauling
in" or "weighing" anchor, but they also act as frictional surfaces in
"letting go." "the chains to cast the anchors, when the speed of "giving
out" can be regulated by means of the threaded nuts, which are provided
with handles for that purpose.
When the windlass is to be used with steam power the back axle or
shaft is fitted with pinions to actuate the toothed wheels, and also other
gearing in the usual manner.
For "warping" purposes the usual cone drums and whelp wheels can
1.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Walker and William Clarke in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDMUND
WALKER, of the Firm of Emerson, Walker, and Company, of London
Street, in the City of London, Ships' Windlass Manufacturers, and
WILLIAM CLARKE, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, in the County of Durham,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Edmund Walker and William Clarke, Her
special licence that we, the said Edmund Walker and William Clarke,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Edmund Walker and William Clarke, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edmund Walker and
William Clarke, our or one of us, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or one of our 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 we, the said Edmund Walker and William
Clarke, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an improved and more compact combination
of the working mechanism of steam and other windlasses, whereby less

page_text: room is occupied than usual, and they are more easy for working, as
well as being of less weight; also to the mode of actuating the lifters
and of throwing them into and out of gear, and to the employment of
metallic rings or bands between the inclined surfaces of combined clip
and toothed wheels and the lifter wheels.
Hitherto it has been usual to fit four or five toothed or plain wheels
on the main axle or shaft, so that pauls or other appliances can operate
upon them for lifting purposes, and for retaining the lifters at any part
of their revolution, and these wheels have been placed near the central
part of the axle, so that two standards or bearings have been required
to support them.
Now according to our Invention we employ only two toothed wheels
at the central portion of the main axle, and fit one standard or bearing
between them. These wheels are formed with circular grooves in the
sides for the clips or travellers to take into, and also inclined surfaces
on their inner peripheries for corresponding inclined surfaces in the lifter
wheels to take against when those wheels are moved along the axle by
the tightening nuts, which are of the form shown in our previous Patent
No. 1905, 18, and which are fitted on the threaded portions of the axle.
We fit soft or other metal rings, hoops, or bands on one or other of the
inclined surfaces, by shrinkage or otherwise, to obtain good working
faces. The outer sides of the lifter wheel farthest from the centre are
provided with ratchet teeth for the stop pauls to take into to hold them
fast when the vessel is riding at anchor, or for other causes. The metal
bands on the inclined surfaces of the toothed wheels not only give
the necessary bite to the chain or lifter wheels for "hauling in" or
"weighing” anchor, but they also act as frictional surfaces in letting
go the chains to cast the anchors when the speed of “ giving out" can
be regulated by means of the threaded nut, which are provided with
handles for that purpose.
When the windlass is to be used with steam power a back axle or
shaft is fitted with pinions to actuate the toothed wheels, and also other
gearing in the usual manner.
For warping purposes the usual cone drums and whelp wheels can be
employed.
The Invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section, and

page_text: Figure 4, an end view of a windlass to be worked by nana power con-
structed as before spoken of.
a is the base or sole plate with standards b, b, thereon for supporting
the main axle c, which has the two toothed wheels d, d, fixed or keyed
on it, so that they turn together when the cross head e is rocked up
and down on the pivot f by manual labour operating upon the lever
handles I in the well-known manner. These toothed wheels d, d, are
undercut and formed with inclined faces for rings h, h, with corrc-
sponding faces to bear against and partake of a similar motion, these
being shrunk or otherwise fixed on the peripheries of the lifter wheels i, i,
as before explained. The toothed wheels have annular grooves j, j, in
them for feathers on the travellers k, k, to work in to guide them up
and down during the working, and also to obtain the necessary bite.
These travellers are made in two parts bolted together, and contain the
lifting pauls or drop teeth which take into the teeth of the wheels d, d,
to pull them round. In some cases these wheels d, d, have no teeth
on their peripheries, and then the travellers obtain the grip by biting
upon the edges of the annular grooves. The outer faces of the lifter
wheels i, i, are provided with ratchet teeth 1, 1, for stop pauls m, m, to
drop into to prevent the wheels slipping or the chains running out
under the weight during the lifting. n, n, are the conc drums on the
extremities of the axle c, which can be used for warping purposes, as
is usual. Portions of the axle c just inside the two outer standards are
threaded, so that tightening nuts p, p, can be moved along them by
acting upon the handles q, q, in the proper manner. These nuts can
be made to jam the lifter wheels i, i, with almost any amount of force,
so as to obtain the necessary grip upon the wheels d, d, when lifting,
and they can be drawn back to release the grip of the inclined surfaces
to enable the chain to run out at the desired speed, when a slight turn
in again will check or stop the rotation altogether. The lifter wheels i, i,
are loose upon the axle, and they only turn in one direction, when a
chain has to be lifted by means of the grip put upon them by the nuts
and cones, but they are free to turn in either direction when the grip
is released. The windlass here shown is double, so that lifting can be
accomplished from both sides of a vessel, but only one side need be in
action to lift at one time, if desired, and that would depend upon the
lifter wheel, which is tightened up by the nut. r, r, are the stems of
the lead-off bars which prevent the chains lapping round the wheels i, i.
c

page_text: When the windlass is desired to be worked by steam or other similar
power we arrange on the back of the frame a shaft 8, as seen in the views
Figures 3 and 4, which shaft carries a spur wheel t for transmitting the
motion to the main axle through the pinion u, the rocking head is
however provided with spikes sockets, as in the previous Figures, so that
a double action windlass is formed, or one which can be actuated by
either manual or steam power. The inner edge of one of the cone
drums n, has a small whelp o, for a small chain to be acted upon. as
desired.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and 1
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
claim,―
Firstly. The general construction and arrangement of windlass to be
worked by manual, steam, or other power, as herein-before described
and shown.
Secondly. The employment of inclined rings or bands on the outer
faces of lifter wheels of windlasses in the manner described and
shown.
Thirdly. We claim constructing lifter wheels of windlasses with
teeth for the stop pauls to take into, substantially as described and 2
represented.
And, fourthly. The employment of travellers working in annular
grooves to grip the power wheels of windlasses in the manner described
and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Walker, for myself and on 2
behalf of the said William Clarke, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of May One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one.
]