IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SHIPS SQUARE SAILS, SUCH AS TOPSAILS, TOP GALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS, AND IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING AND BENDING, FURLING, UNFURLING, AND REEFING SUCH SAIIS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Anthony Hutton, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO
SHIPS SQUARE SAILS, SUCH AS TOPSAILS, TOP GALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS,
AND IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING AND BENDING, FURLING, UNFURLING, AND
REEFING SUCH SAIIS"
Sealed the 1st May 1877, and dated the 25th January 1877
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Anthony Hutton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th January 1877
ANTHONY HUTTON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant
"IM-
PROVIMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SHIPS' SQUARE SAILS, SUCH AS TOPSAILS,
TOP GALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS, AND IN THE METHOD OF APPLYING AND BENDING,
FURLING, UNFURLING, AND REEFING SUCH SAILS"
Heretofore it has been the ordinary practice in applying and bending ships' square
sails, such as topsails, to bend the top of the sail to an auxilliary yaid or Jackstay by
the means of thimbles and seizings of spun yarn The bottom of the sail is hauled
out to the lower yard arm and fixed thereto, the sail is thus peimenently attached
to the yard In furling, the sail is stowed in a horizontal position along the upper
yaid, and, in unfurling and setting, is drawn down to the lower yard In reefing,
the sail is reefed in horizontal breadths by reef points which are passed round the
bolt 10pe of the sail on the jackstay
In carrying out my Invention I dispense entirely with the before-mentioned
Jackstay, and in lieu thereof I attach to or form on the under side of the yaid by
hinging or otherwise a 1 or I piece o bar, or a grooved or slotted piece or bar
extending the whole length of the yard I provide the ends of the yard with
sheaves or pulleys, and I attach the sail to the yard by means of hangers having a
double goose neck provided with antifriction rollers which run on the before-
mentioned or I piece or bar on the under side of the yard In the case of using
a grooved or slotted piece in lieu of the 1 or I piece, I attach the sail thereto by
means of pieces having antifriction rollers which slide or run in the grooves, or by
the means of hinged hangers having rollers which run on or between the edges of
the grooved or slotted piece or bai The sail being thus bent is fastened in the
centie to the yard, and is hauled out horizontally by means of outhauls which pass
through the sheaves on the ends of the yard, the sail and its attachments being free
[Price Gd1

page_text: to be drawn out to the yard ends The sheets of the sail are of the ordinary
description and pass though blocks or sheaves on the lower yard-arms In furling
I use inhaul lines which are attached to the outhauls and then passed through
sheaves or pulleys on the mast and to the deck, where also the outhaul lines
are led
In fuiling sails I draw the sail fiom each side into the mast, where it is secured
vertically, stowed, and covered This can all be accomplished without the necessity
of sailors being sent aloft for the purpose.
In reefing square sails according to my Invention I leef in vertical breadths in
the centre of the sail instead of lioiizontal breadths at the top of the sail, as is now
the practice
I thus reduce the width of the sail instead of the depth of the sail,
and am enabled to reef or stow without lowering the yard which may be a fixture
I accomplish this by placing the reef eanings in the centre of the sail so that they
can be drawn together, and using a reefing line which is laced through cyclets or
thumbles at a suitable distance apart vertically on the sail In reefing I by
preference reduce the sail so that the diawn-in or folded part is on the windward
side.
A modification of my Invention consists in reefing the sail in vertical breadths in
the centre of the sail by diawing such breadths into the mast by means of suitable
thimbles and lines, the sail being fastened and secured either up to or round the
mast
The advantages attendant upon my Invention are sails, such as top sails, top-
gallant sails, 1oyals, sky sails, and other square sails can be drawn in and furled
instantaneously by lines leading to the deck without the necessity of sailors being
sent aloft In like nanner such suls can also be set Sails can also be reefed
without the necessity of men being sent aloft, and in much shorter time than by
any present known method Sails can be bent on unbent in dock with great easo
and iapidity, also the necessity of having to raise and lower the yards is dispensed
with, as the yards may be fixtures
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Anthony Hutton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th July
1877
ANTHONY HUTTON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO SHIPS' SQUARE SAILS, SUCH AS TOPSAILS,
TOP GALLANT SAILS AND ROYALS, AND IN THIL METHOD OF APPLYING AND BENDING,
FURLING, UNFURLING, AND REEFING SUCH SAILS"
Heretofore it has been the ordinary practice in applying and bending ship's
square sails, such as topsails, to bend the top of the sail to an auxiliary yard or
Jackstay by means of thimbles and seizing of spun yaın The bottom of the sail is
hauled out to the lower yaid aim and fixed thereto, the sail is thus permanently
attached to the yard In fuiling, the sail is stowed in a horizontal position along
the upper yard, and, in unfurling and setting, is diawn down to the lower yard In
reefing, the sail is icefed in horizontal breadths by leef points which are passed
round the bolt rope of the sail on the jackstay
In carrying out my Invention I dispense entirely with the before-mentioned
Jackstay, and in lieu thereof I attach to or form on the under side of the yard by
hingeing or otherwise a 1 01 I piece or bar, or a grooved or slotted piece or bar
extending the whole length of the yard I provide the ends of the yard with
sheaves or pulleys, and I attach the sail to the yaid by means of hangers having a
double goose neck provided with antifriction rollers which run on the before-
mentioned or I piece oi bai on the under side of the yad In the case of using
a grooved or slotted piece in lieu of the 1 or I piece, I attach the sail thereto by

page_text: means of T pieces having antifriction 1ollers which slide or run in the groove, or by
the means of hinged hangers having rollers which run on or between the edges of
the grooved or slotted piece or bar The sail being thus bent is fastened in the
centre to the yard and hauled out horizontally by means of outhauls which pass
through the shoaves on the ends of the yard, the sail and its attachments being free
to be diawn out to the yard ends The sheets of the sail are of the ordinary
description and pass through blocks or sheaves on the lower yard-arms In fuiling
I use inhaul lines which are attached to the outhauls and then passed through
sheaves or pulleys on the mast and to the deck, where also the outhaul lines
are led
In fuiling sails I draw the sail from each side into the mast, where it is secured
vertically, stowed, and covered This can all be accomplished without the necessity
of sailors being sent aloft for the purpose
In icefing square sails according to my Invention, I reef in vertical breadths in
the centre of the sail instead of horizontal breadths at the top of the sail as is now
the practice I thus reduce the width of the sail instead of the depth of the sail,
and am enabled to reef or stow without lowering the yard which may be a fixture.
I accomplish this by placing the reef earnings in the centre of the sail, so that they
can be diawn together, and using a reefing line which is laced through cyclets or
thimbles at a suitable distance apart vertically on the sail In reefing I by
preference reduce the sail so that the diawn-in or folded part is on the windward
side
A modification of my Invention consists in reefing the sail in vertical breadths in
the centic of the sail by diawing such bieadths into the mast by means of suitable
thimbles and lines, the sail being fastened and secured either up to or round the
mast
The advantages attendant upon my Invention are sails, such as top sails, top-
gallant sails, 1oyals, sky sails, and other square sails can be drawn in and furled
instantaneously by lines leading to the deck without the necessity of sailors being
sent aloft In like manner such sails can also be set Sails can also be reefed
without the necessity of men being sent aloft and in much shorter time than by
any present known method Sails can be bent or unbent in dock with great ease
and rapidity
Also the necessity of having to raise and lower the yards is dispensed with, as
the yards may be a fixture
In order that my Invention may be properly understood, I will now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is, or may be used, or practically carried into effect, and for that purpose I
have hereunto attached two Sheets of Drawings marked with letters and Figures of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation, like letters and
figures being used to denote similar parts throughout the various views
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are sections of a yard illustrating my methods of attaching
sails to such yards
Figure 4 is an elevation of a ship's square sail showing my method of attachment
and rigging, Figure 5 is an end view of Figure 4
Figure 6 is an elevation of a ship's square sail showing same reduced
Figure 7 is an elevation illustrative of a ships square sail furled according to my
Invention
Upon reference to the Drawings and more particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 3, it
will be seen that A is the upper yard of a ship's square sail, to which is attached,
as in Figures 1 and 2, a 1 piece B, on which runs a double goose neck hanger or
hank C with a loop D for attachment to the sail In Figure 2 the hanger or hank
15 shown with antifriction rollers E In Figure 3 the attachment to the yard A
consists of a guttered or grooved piece F in which run the T hangers or hanks C
Upon reference to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, it will be seen that the yard A is fixed
to the mast G, the sail H is fastened or bent to the yard by the hangers C which
run on the 1 piece B, which is hinged to the yard A by the attachments J. The

page_text: sail is hauled out on the lower yard K. by means of the sheets or outhauls L
M are the
which lead through the block or sheave L¹, and thence to the deck
lower yard inhauls, N, the upper yard inhauls, O, the upper yard outhauls, P,
the brail lines for furling the sail These lines lead through blocks or sheaves on
the mast, and thence to the deck, they are attached to the covering strip at R,
shown in dotted lines), pass round the sail and through the thumbles S Reefing
lines can be fitted on the sail in manneı similar to the brailing lines P, so as to
ieduce the sail by drawing it in in breadths as requied at the centie
Upon reference to Figure 6 it will be seen that square sails according to my
Invention can be reduced into a triangular form by drawing in on the upper yard,
Figure 7 illustrates how a square sail according to my Invention is furled by being
stowed up to and round the mast, the cover R being brought up by the brail
1opes P
It will be evident that the sail can be set by slacking away the bail ropes P and
pulling on the outhauls O and L The sail is filed by slacking the outhauls L :
and O, and pulling on the inhauls N and M and the brail hines P The sail can
also be reduced by running in and narrowing the head thereof by pulling on the
inhauls N, as shown in Figure 6 As all ropes lead to the deck these operations
can be performed without the necessity of men going aloft
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said:
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same 1s or may
be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe that what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
Firstly The method of applying and bending, fuiling, unfuiling, and leefing a
ships square sails, as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings
Secondly The application to ships' yards of a 1 piece or grooved piece, such as
shown at B or F, Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings, or any mere
modification thereof, used in lieu of the ordinary jackstay, and arranged to receive
sliding hanks, such as C, to which the sail is bent, in manner as set forth and
descubed
Thudly The method of fuiling and unfurling and reefing ships' square sails by
causing the hanks C to travel in or out along the yard, as the case may be, by
means of the outhauls and unhauls which are worked from the deck, as herein-before
described
Fourthly The method of stowing ships' square sails by brailing the same
vertically on to the mast, in manner such as shown at Figure 7 of the accom-
panying Diawings, the brailing lines being worked from the deck, as herein-before
described
In witness whereof, I, the said Anthony Hutton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and seventy-seven
ANTHONY HUTTON (LS)