Sea Fishing.
Year: 1897

page_text: Sea Fishing.
I, JOSEPH BALL, of 5, Stanley Street, Great Grimsby, in the County of Lincoln,
Fish Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to towing warps for trawling and deep sea fishing and the
object thereof is to enable such warps to be coiled more easily on the drum of the
winch used for hauling in the trawl.
Warps at present in use are made in about five lengths of wire rope and each
length has a thimble spliced into an eye at each end to which eyes are connected
three or more long links of chain to which links may be attached a short towing
wire.
When hoisting in the trawl the large thimbles and links cause the warp to coil
unevenly on the drum and cuts and breaks the warp.
Now according to this invention I dispense with the links of chain and one
thimble at each junction of one length of warp with the next by splicing one
length of the warp to the next leaving a thimble at about the middle of the splice
to which thimble a towing wire may be secured.
The method of making the splice is as follows:-
The two ends of the warp to be joined are laid side by side. The two ends to
be spliced are bound near the middle with spun yarn or other suitable material
and the thimble inserted between the two pieces of spun yarn.
The end of one of the warps is then spliced into the second warp beyond the
thimble and the spun yarn on the spliced side of the thimble is then removed and the
end of the second warp spliced into the first warp on the opposite side of the thimble
leaving the thimble in the middle of the splice. I may secure a thimble to the
middle or to any other portion of a warp without cutting the warp by splicing
the ends of a short piece of rope to the warp leaving the thimble between the warp
and the short piece of rope at about the middle of the splice.
Warps connected as herein before specified may be wound on the hoisting drum
without breaking or cutting the warp.
5th
1007

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Towing Warps for Deep
Sea Fishing.
I, JOSEPH BALL, of 5, Stanley Street, New Clee, Great Grimsby, in the County of
Lincoln, Fish Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to towing warps and the thimbles used therewith for deep
sea fishing and the objects thereof are to enable such warps to pass more easily
round the bollards and coil more easily on the drum of the winch used for hauling
in the nets than is the case with the warps at present in use and to prevent cutting
and breaking of the warps.
Warps at present in use are made of wire rope and in sections each section being
about twenty five fathoms in length and connected to the next section by means
of two or more long links of chain attached to thimbles which latter are spliced
into an eye at the end of each section.
When hauling in the net these large thimbles and links cause the warps to coil
unevenly on the drum cutting and breaking the warp.
Now according to this invention I despense with the links of chain and the
usual thimbles at the ends of each section and splice each section of warp to the
next and I insert at each junction a specially shaped elliptical thimble to receive
the hooks of the messenger ropes.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will proceed to
explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawing in which
Fig. 1 represents two sections of a towing warp ready for splicing.
Fig. 2 represents the same sections spliced.
Fig. 3 is side view of my improved thimble constructed according to this
invention.
Fig. 4 is end view of same.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the figs. a is a portion of one
section of the towing warp b is a portion of another section of the warp c is an
elliptical thimble of malleable cast iron steel or any other suitable material the
said thimble being inserted at the junction of the two ends of the sections where
they are spliced together.
The method of making the splice is as follows. The ends a¹ 61 of the sections a b
are laid alongside the sections b and a as shewn by Fig. 1, the thimble c inserted
at about the middle of the splice and the ends of the sections bound round with
spun yarn dd to retain the thimble in place while splicing. The end a¹ is then
spliced into the section b and the spun yarn d¹ removed the end b' is then spliced
into the section a leaving the thimble c in the middle of the splice.
I may also secure a thimble to the middle or any other portion of a section with-
out cutting the rope by splicing the ends of a short piece of rope to the warp leav-
ing the thimble between the warp and the short piece of rope of the splice.
Warps having the different sections thereof connected as herein before specified
will pass easily round the bollards and coil on the winding drum without breaking
or cutting the warp the thimbles being alike at each end thereof pass easily round
the bollards in either direction.
My invention also does away with about seven pounds weight of iron at each
connection of one section with the next or about seventy pound weight in the whole
warp.

page_text: 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 towing warps for deep sea fishing connecting the end of one section of
the warp with the next section by splicing the end of each section into the next
an elliptical or other suitably shaped double ended thimble being inserted at about
the middle of the splice substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. The improved double ended elliptical or other suitably shaped thimble sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. Thimbles for towing warps as shewn by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Fifth day of May 1898.
T. E. HALFORD,
11, Furnival Street, Holborn, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.