AN IMPROVED METHOD OF PUTTING SHIPS BOATS OUT READY FOR LOWERING
Year: 1884

page_text: JAMES MCAULEY No 5 Kenilworth St Bootle Cum Linacro in the County of
Lancaster Master Mariner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF PUTTING SHIPS BOATS OUT READY FOR LOWERING, to be as
follows:
To do so I propose to step or bend the Davits in such a manner that their natural
inclination will be to swing outboard and to regulate this motion I propose to put
a Horizontal wheel or disc on each Davit say down near the covering board. On
this wheel or disc I will put a brake said brake to be worked by a bar running, fore
and aft inside or inboard of the boat, and on the end to have a levor (Their being
two Davits at present to cach boat, this will give two levers which I propose to
place close enough for one man to work) I also propose to work on the aforesaid
for and aft bars a collapsing boat chock so that when the levers are moved a given
way tho chock falls from under the boat and the brakes close on the disc on the
Davit and any end of the boat put out first which may be suitable To improve
the putting out power I intend to use the end of the boats falls making it fast to
ships side through a block or pulley on the davit head.
The chocks being part of my novelty and working in combination with the
brakes I will now describe them, The bed part is made to fit under the boat and
may be of wood or metal it has two grooves running from the outer and inner
parts of it to the keel of the boat it is supported on four legs fastened at the foot
to the deck in a joint the heads to incline towards each other and so fixed that
they only fall in towards each other The top part of the legs are bolted together
through the groove or slot the whole to be kept spread or in position by two long
arms or hooks which are fastened to the bolts on the two outer legs and drop into
the bolts in the two inner ones these hooks are connected to two cranks on the
aforesaid fore and aft bar the whole combination being worked by one man at the
levers and the heaviest boat on a large steamers deck put out in less than a minute
ready for lowering where as without my improvements it is considered good work
for ten men to put one, out in five minutes and to secure at all times sufficient
angle to put out a weather boat, in some cases the davit can be worked in a loose
block with screw-connections or the end of the fall can be applied round a pulley
with tooth pinion-wheels to make the weight of the boat put her self out.
Dated this 25th day of March 1884.

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I JAMES MCAULEY of 5 Kenilworth Street, Bootle-cum-Linacre in the County
of Lancaster, Master Mariner do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVING THE PRESENT METHOD OF PUTTING SHIPS BOATS OUT READY FOR
LOWERING and in. what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The following is a full, clear and exact description of the construction of
apparatus according to, and operation of my Invention sufficient to enable others
skilled in the art to which it belongs to make, use, and put the same into practice
reference being had to the accompanying sheets of drawings making a part of this
specification and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, like letters
and figures being used to denote the same, or corresponding parts throughout the
various views.
The object of my said Invention is to provide an easy and efficient means of
"clearing" ships boats from their position in their supporting chocks and from their
gripping hooks and securing appliances so as to be ready to swing outboard to be
lowered; also a means of swinging the boats outboard into a position in which
they are ready for lowering from the ships side into the water and at the same
time utilizing the davits at present employed.
In practico under the ordinary system of clearing ships bonts from the chocks in
which they rest and aro supported it is necessary to employ a considerable number
of "hands" to first raise the boat by the boat tackle from the chocks before the
outer chocks can be knocked, or cleared away to allow the boat to swing outboard
by the davits. It is also the general practice to secure by lashings to the deck or
equivalent part of the ship the ropes or chains by which the boat is gripped and
secured and these lashings have to be loosened or cut away before the boat is
released. The ships davits are generally so shaped and stepped that their inclination
is to swing inboard and in getting a boat ready to lower with davits so stepped, it
is necessary to employ an extra number of "hands, or to take advantage of the
rolling of the ship to swing the boat and davits outboard. These various operations
occupy a considerable amount of valuable time.
My Invention provides an easy and efficient means of clearing the chocks from
the boat and releasing the boat grips and facilitating the swinging outboard of the
boat, thereby obviating the disadvantages entailed in clearing ships boats, ready
for lowering in the manner above set forth.
The essential features which constitute my Invention are a lowering, or dropping
chock; a device for holding and releasing the boat grips; the stepping, or bending
of the ordinary davits in such a manner that the natural inclination of the davit
and boat when released will be to swing outboard; also mechanism for regulating
such outward swing.
The principal parts of the apparatus in connection with each end of the boat,
which I use in carrying out the improvements according to my Invention consist
as follows In connection with the clearing of the boat; a lowering, or dropping
chock and appertaining parts; a device for holding and releasing the boat grips;
an operating lever and shaft. In connection with the davit; a horizontal wheel,
or disc and a brake.
The examples of the general arrangements which I adopt for carrying out this
Invention are shown in the following figures of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Figure 1 is an elevation viewed from inboard showing some of my improvements
applied to a ships boat operating gear.
1

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 are details of Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a detail of the chock.
Figure 64 shows an alternative construction of the chock.
Figure 7 is a detail of the mechanism for operating the chock.
Figure 7 is an end view of Figure 6*.
Figures 8 and 9 are views in detail of the grip device as applied in reference to
Figure 1.
Figure 10 is an end view showing my Improvements applied to a ships boat
operating gear.
Figure 11 is an end view showing the grip holding and releasing device in
position.
Figure 12 is an end view showing the boat chock in a lowered, or dropped
position.
Figure 13 is an elevation viewed from inboard, and Figure 14 is a plan of my
improvements applied to a ships boat operating gear.
In reference to Figures 1. 6. 7. 8. 9 and 11 A is the lowering, or dropping chock
which is provided with slots a. The chock is carried, supported and held in position
by a mechanism consisting of the levers B and levers B¹; the levers B are carried
on the shaft C and supported by the bracket D. The levers B₁ aro carried on the
spindle Cand supported by the brackets D. The chocks A are supported on the
levers B B¹ by the pins E E' which pass through the slots a in the chock A, F F
are levers provided with gabs F1 F1 which connect the pin E¹ with the pin E by
the gabs F F taking over the pin E when the chock is held in position for
supporting the boat. The ends of the levers F F are connected by bars F² to the
levers F3 which are mounted and fixed on the shaft C. I may use single levers B B¹
and FF F and a double chock as shown at Figures 6 and 7ª.
The device for holding and releasing the boat grips consists of a bar G provided
with bolts g which are arranged to work in and out of openings g³ provided in the
brackets G¹. These brackets also serve as guides for the bar G. On the bar G
there is provided a pin, or its equivalent which when the grips are in position
and held by the bolts g bears up against a pin, or projecting piece h, fixed, or formed
upon, or in the shaft C. H is the general operating lever which is mounted and
fixed upon the shaft C and through the instrumentality and moving of which the
chocks A are dropped and the bolts g withdrawn and the boat is in the shortest
possible time "cleared" and made ready for swinging outward and made ready for
lowering.
The operation of clearing a ships boat ready for swinging outward and ready
for lowering according to this part of my Invention is effected by one man in the
least possible time in the following manner. By pulling and moving the lever H
to an inward direction the shaft C is partly turned and by this turning movement
the levers F (which are fixed on that shaft) lift the gabs F F of the levers F off
the pin E thereby permitting the pins E E¹ to approach one another and slide to
the opposite ends of the slots a and in so doing, partly by their own weight and
partly by the weight of the chocks A, they, namely the levers B B' and chock A
fall, or lower on the deck and clear of the boat.. Simultaneously with this operation
and by the same rocking of the shaft C the arm h (on the shaft C) through the
pin g will have thrown back the bolts g from out of the openings g' thus releasing
the grip I at the same time and by the same action as that of the lowering of the
chock A. Both these actions occupy the least possible time, that is to say, that
the chocks; grips and tackles are all released and cleared and the boat ready for
swinging outboard within that space of time taken up in a single stroke of the
lever H
In all cases and also with reference to the alternative designs shown in the
figures of the Drawings, I prefer to stop the davits slightly outboard, that is, the

page_text: axis of the davit will have a slight outboard inclination. By this method a great
desideratum is obtained, namely, that the weight of the davits and boat instead of
acting as a hindrance to the swinging outboard of the boat as occurs in most cases
now in use, serves as a large factor of, if not the whole of the power required to
swing the boats outboard ready for lowering. But it must be understood that the
operation of the apparatus according to my Invention for "clearing" the boat
ready for swinging outboard may be employed with great advantage and saving of
"hands" either with, or without stepped, or outboard inclined davits. But in the
latter case, namely, with vertical, or inboard inclined davits, the only expedient
method of swinging the boat outboard exists in utilizing the rolling of the ship
and it depends solely upon this rolling, but when such circumstances do not exist
then the swinging outboard of the boat requires many "hands" and a large amount
of power.
In reference to the arrangement shown at Figures 2. 3. 4 and 5 it will be seen
that the gripping bar G and bolts g are contrived to work within the brackets D D'.
The openings g¹ with which the bolts g engage in this case are formed in a portion
of the brackets D D'. The other parts of the apparatus remain substantially tho
same as above specified. This arrangement of parts occupies slightly less space
than that above set forth.
With reference to Figures 10. 11. 12. 13 and 14 also of which Figures 6. 7. 8
and 9 are details. In these Figures is illustrated the means which I employ in
governing the swinging of the boat outboard due to the inclination of the davits.
Upon reference it will be seen that the apparatus for lowering the chocks and
releasing the grips is essentially the same as that described with reference to other
Figures of the Drawings. But addition to the boat clearing mechanism there is
provided a disc J which is d to the davit, having an outboard inclination.
Round the disc J is passed a strap K which is held by the adjustable rod L. This
rod is attached to and worked from the shaft C by the lever M; this mechanism
forms a brake. The shafts C are brought together in this case so that the levers H
aro close to one another and so that they may be worked by one man and at the
same time. The operation of this method of getting boats ready and swinging
them outboard ready for lowering is as follows: The first of the operation relativo
to the clearing of the chocks and releasing the grips is identical with that as above
described in reference to Figures 1 and 2. The chocks A having been dropped and
the grips I released by the pulling inboards of the levers H, the levers are instantly
reversed and moved in an outboard direction until the straps K are brought into
contact with the discs J through the rocking of the shafts C, which draw the rods L
inboard by the levers M, hence the davits are held by those brako mechanisms
against the inclination of the boat to swing outboard, which is due to the inclined
position of the davits and auxiliarated by the weight of the boat on the inclined
davits. Having quickly braked the davits the boat can be swung outboard by its
own weight at either end by releasing the brakes.
Thus by my Invention the heaviest as well as the lightost boats on any ship can
be put out ready for lowering by one man, in less than one minute, whereas by the
ordinary means of putting out ships boats it is considered good work for ten men
to put out one in five minutes.
To secure at all times an inclination of the davits sufficient to effect the swinging
outboard of the boat on the "weather" side of a ship I may provide sliding
bearings N for the davits, which are secured by set screws n.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In apparatus in connection with ships boats the combination of mechanism
for lowering, or dropping the chocks and mechanism for releasing the boat grips
whereby the boat is "cleared" ready for swinging outboard and lowering, as herein

page_text: 2. In apparatus in connection with ships boats the combination of mechanism for
lowering the chocks and mechanism for regulating the swing of the davits as herein
set forth.
3 In apparatus in connection with ships boats the combination of mechanism
for lowering the chocks, mechanism for releasing the boat grips and mechanism for
regulating the swing of the davits as herein set forth.
4. The combination of a brake mechanism, shafts O and lever H for the purposes
specified.
5. The combination of a lowering chock A, shaft C and lever H for the purposes
specified.
6. The combination of a lowering chock A shaft C, arm G pin g² and bolts g for
the purposes specified and operating substantially as herein set forth.
7. The combination of a chock provided with slots such as a, levers such as B B¹,
levers such as F provided with locking openings such as F' substantially as set
forth and operating as described.
8. The combined arrangement of parts substantially as herein described as shown
in reference to Figure 1 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
9. The combined arrangement of parts substantially as herein described as shown
in reference to Figure 2 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
10. The combined arrangement of parts substantially as herein described as shown
in reference to Figures 6 and 74 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
11. The combined arrangement of parts, substantially as herein described as
shown in reference to Figures 13 and 14 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this twenty fifth day of November 1884.