AN APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING, LOWERING, AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fitzjames Russell, of No. 9, Duke
Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "AN APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING, LOWERING, AND
RAISING SHIPS' BOATS"
Sealed the 8th September 1858, and dated the 14th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fitzjames
Russell at the Office of the Commissioners, of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 14th May 1858.
I, GEORGE FITZJAMES RUSSELL, of No. 9, Duke Street, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING, LOWERING, AND
RAISING SHIPS' BOATS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to disengage, lower, and raise ships
boats by a more safe and convenient method than now in use.
By reference to the accompanying Drawing this method will be
readily understoorl.

page_text: In the first place, though the boat has the greatest advantage of
resting its whole weight on two heel crane, (see A, Fig. 1,) the act of
lowering immediately disengages the boat from them without hoisting
the boat, (see A, Fig. 2,) and at the same time projects the boat
several extra feet from the ship's side; and as both pendants lead to
one barrel of the winch, (sce A, Fig. 3,) both ends of the boat must
consequently be lowered together, and when in the water one man can
instantaneously disengage the boat fore and aft (sce disengaging appa-
ratus, Fig. 4) by the handle or lever B. Nor by any chance can one end
be freed without the other, as a rod which passes along the top of the
keel inside of the boat is connected with the lowering apparatus at both
ends, (see Fig. 4, A, & C,) the, one shewing the toggle fast, and the
other as freed by the lever B, Fig. 4.
And, secondly, the winch is placed flush with staunchons inside the
bulwark (Fig. 3, A,) of the ship, and, having a multiplying power,
the boat can be either raised by one man or by shifting the winch
handle more rapidly when more help is available. The winch is also
furnished with a break, (Fig. 3, B,) and by which one man in the boat
can lower the boat full, or by a lanyard attached to the handle of the
break B, Fig. 3, one man in the boat can lower and regulate its
descent without any one remaining on deck.
Thirdly, the same tackle is always available to hoist the boat, and
the winch being placed at a distance from the cranes, (see Fig. 3, A,)
which turn in board, the boat can be easily brought on deck.
The boat can also be stowed underneath the kecl cranes, as shown
in the dotted line Fig. 1, with her gunwale flush with bulwarks, as
at B 1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Fitzjames Russell in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 12th November 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I.
GEORGE FITZJAMES RUSSELL, of No. 9, Duke Street, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Fitzjames Russell, Her
special licence that I, the said George Fitzjames Russell, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Fitzjames Russell, my 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 Inven-
tion for "AN APPARATUS FOR DISENGAGING, LOWERING, AND RAISING SHIPS'
BOATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Fitzjames Russell, by au instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tlie said
Invention, and in what manner the samic was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Fitzjames Russell, 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 thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):
I would first observe, that the methods now in general use for
raising, lowering, and disengaging ships boats in cases of emergency
are effected with great difficulty, and are not unfrequently attended
with danger and loss of life. If the boat be filled with persons before
it is lowered, there is great difficulty in disengaging it from the keel
rests by reason of the great superincumbent weight thereon; and
in lowering, from the lowering tackle being in the hands of at least two
different persons, unless great care be taken, and from the hurry and
confusion attending an accident, one end of the boat is generally lowered
before the other, and the persons therein are thus too often precipitated

page_text: into the water.
when the boat is being lowered it is also in danger of
being dashed against the side of the vessel, the "davits," as now con-
structed, not throwing it out a sufficient distance from the sides of the
vessel. And when the boat reaches the water two persons at least are
required to disengage the tackles, one fore and the other aft, an opera-
tion which, from the great pressure on the hooks, is attended with
great difficulty, and the releasing of the two tackles can seldom be
done simultaneously. The object of my Invention is to meet these
several difficulties, by enabling ships boats to be raised, lowered, and
disengaged with safety and convenience, or, when raised, to be stowed
away conveniently and safely. By a reference to the accompanying
Drawing, and the following description, the means I employ will be
readily understood.
Figures 1, and 2, represent, by two views, parts of a ship's side
arranged according to my Invention, with a ship's boat raised and safely
stowed. Figure 3, represents a similar view to Figure 1, but with the
parts as they would appear when a boat is in the act of being lowered
to the water. a, a, are supporting rods or frames, in substitution of the
ordinary davits." These rods are at their lower ends a', fixed by pin
joints to the bulwark of the ship, as shewn, and they are each con-
nected by the hinged connecting rod a², ², to an upright rod b, by
which their extent of motion is controlled. Upon each of the rods a, is
formed or affixed a keel rest a³, to receive and support the boat when it
is raised and stowed, as shown by Figure 1. c, are the chains forming
the raising and lowering tackles, the mode of operating with which,
according to my Invention, will be liereafter described. The act of
lowering a boat will cause the parts a, b, to be separated, and the rests
a, being then inclined, the boat will be slided therefrom without the
necessity of first hoisting it, and at the same time the boat will be pro-
jected from the side of the ship, as shewn by Figure 3. The chains c,
support the boat, one at each end, and each is connected at one end
at c', to its supporting rod a, and thence passes through a block c², over
the guide pulleys c, c, thence partly around guide pulleys c', ', to
winding apparatus d, placed flush with the stauncheons within the bul-
wark of the ship. The winding apparatus consists of a barrel divided

page_text: into two parts, one to receive each chain c, in order to prevent the two
chains fouling. The barrel d, is turned by means of the winch handle e.
affixed to the pinion f, which takes into and drives the pinion 7, upon
the axis of the barrel d. By both supporting chains being thus attached
to the same barrel and moved at the same time both ends of the boat
will, on being raised or lowered, be kept horizontal; or in the same plane
as the ship, and will be lowered or raised together by one movement of
the winding apparatus. The barrel d, is provided with ratchet teeth
and a pall, and also with a break y, to which I attach a line to hang
down the ships side, by which one man in the boat, though the boat be
full of persons, can lower it, regulating the velocity of its descent, as
required, without assistance from persons on the deck of the ship.
Figure 4, shews a longitudinal section of a boat, with apparatus applied
thereto, for simultaneously disengaging a boat from the raising and
lowering tackle. h, is a bar that passes along the bottom of the
interior of the boat, and I prefer that such bar should be enclosed in a
suitable casing, so as not to be interfered with by persons in the boat.
This bar is connected at each end by pin joints to a lever i, which
levers i, move on pivots at it, forming their fulera, and are at their upper
ends formed with a catch to pass into the rings of the blocks, when
those rings are passed through holes formed for that purpose in the fore
and after thwarts. m, is a lever handle, which turns upon a centre pin
at m', and at its lower end is slotted to receive a pin h', from the bar h,
by which the levers i, are simultaneously moved into position to hold
the rings of the blocks c, or to release them, as desired, and thus by
one man to disengage the boat fore and aft from the supporting tackles.
The handle or lever m, acts through an iron-bound slot in the centre of
one of the thwarts, which is cut to form a locking plate to secure the
handle in position when the attachment of the boat to the tackles is
secured.
In place of the rings of the blocks &, being held by the catches
formed at the upper ends of the levers i, an arrangement may be
adopted, such as shown by Figure 5, where the rings of the blocks c²,
are received on to the hinge pieces 1, 1, the ends of which are held

page_text: by the catches at the upper end of the levers i, until those ends are
withdrawn by the movement of the rod h, when the hinge pieces will
be released, causing the boat to fall from its suspending means. And
in place of withdrawing holding instruments i, by means of a single
rod, actuated by a lever handle, as described, two rods h, may be em-
ployed, one to each instrument i, the rods h, being connected to opposite
ends of a lever m, (as shewn by Figure 6.) which is affixed to an
axis m, by turning which the required movements to instruments i,
may be effected. The same tackle which is available in case of
distress is also available for hoisting the boat under ordinary circum-
stances. The supporting bars may be made to turn inward, to sustain
the boat within the bulwarks, as when using ordinary "davits," or the
boat can also be stowed underneath the keel cranes or rests a³, as shewn
by the dotted lines in Figure 1, with the gunwale of the boat flush
with the bulwark of the ship. When stowed, the boat can be lashed
by any convenient mode now in use, but I prefer adopting a gasket t,
Figure 3, which, being permanently attached to the keel rest, is at all
times ready for lashing the boat, either when hoisted above or stowed
below the keel rests a³. These gaskets may also serve, by being held by
persons in the boat whilst lowering it, as means of steadying the same.
The extremities of the gaskets may be lashed to the crane or the
bulwark, as convenient, when the boat is stowed.
I would state, that although I have shewn the connecting rods h, to
be placed along the bottom part of the boat as being the most con-
venient, I do not confine myself to that arrangement, and the parts
may be arranged so that the connecting rods may be immediately
below the thwarts or in other available position; and at Figure 7, I
have shewn another arrangement of the disengaging means.
In this
case, in place of a ring to the blocks c, or other the supporting means,
I form a ball c, thereto, which is capable of being received and held
by the sort of pincers i, i, which have a tendency to open by reason of
the spring, but which are drawn together by the inclined sides of the
plate, which, when it receives the part i, at the parallel parts ³, is
capable of holding them so as to retain between them the ball c", or of

page_text: instantly releasing the ball, and consequently the boat, from the sus-
pending tackles, by the drawing back of the plate i'. Figures 8, 9,
and 10, shew separate views, on a larger scale, of some of the parts.
Figure 11, shows another modification of the disengaging means. In
this case sliding bolts i, simply pass through the ends of the suspending
chains or tackle, and they are connected to levers i, which are con-
nected together by a rod h, so as to be worked simultaneously; and one
of those levers i, is formed with a socket at ', to receive a handle,
for working the same,
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the best
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
shewn and described, so long as the peculiar character of any part of
the Invention be retained. But what I claim is, arranging, combining,
and working an apparatus for disengaging, lowering, and raising ships
boats, as explained.
In witness whereof, 1, the said George Fitzjames Russell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
0
Witnes,
C. H. COLLETTE,
57, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
Solr.
G. F. RUSSELL. (L.S.)