AN IMPROVED BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Henry Newby, of No. 39, King William
Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS."-A communication from
abroad by Jacob Heinrich Gustav Lange and Theodor Zeise, both of
Otensen, Germany.
Sealed the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 7th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Henry Newby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th April 1868.
I, EDWIN HENRY NEWBY, of .No. 39, King William Street, in
the City of London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS," a com-
munication, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an apparatus-whereby a boat suspended
from davits or other supports may be instantaneously released at its two
ends, so that when lowered from the side of a ship or other position into

page_text: the water it may be quickly detached without danger of draging or
hanging at either the bow or stern.
The said Invention consists chiefly in the peculiar method and devices
for securing the ends of the ropes by which the boat is suspended. The
said ropes are passed through eyes or rings fixed in the bow and stern
of the boat, and the end of each rope is placed in a clamp which has
two moveable arms operated by a slide on a vertical shaft. The latter
is fitted to work through a nut and is provided with a lever or handle,
whereby the clamp is operated to hold or release the rope ends; the
clamp is placed midway between the two ends of the boat, and when
by the adjustment of its moveable part the ropes are released, each of
them being loose in its eye or ring sets the boat perfectly free at both
ends at the same instant. The vertical shaft of the clamp is supported
in the nut which is secured in any convenient manner to the fixed part
or bed of the clamp. The said fixed part or bed of the clamp may be
secured to the middle seat or to a piece of timber extending across the
boat. The moveable arms of the clamp are pivoted between ears fixed
at the outer edges of the plate or bed, and extend under the central
portion of a bar which is fitted to slide freely upon the vertical shaft.
The two arms may be guided and kept in the proper position by
standards or brackets projecting upward from the bed of the apparatus.
The shaft may be provided with a lever or handle of any convenient
form, or with a wheel instead of a lever; when the boat is to be secured
the end of each rope is placed upon the fixed part or bed of the clamp
between the same and the moveable arms, which by means of the
adjusting devices above described are forced downward to compress
and grip the ropes which are thus held firmly. When the clamp is
opened the weight of the boat acting on the ropes which run freely
through the eyes or rings draws their ends longitudinally from the said
clamp.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edwin Henry Newby in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
HENRY NEWBY, of No. 39, King William Street, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edwin Henry Newby, Her special
licence that I, the said Edwin Henry Newby, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin Henry Newby,
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 Invention for
"AN IMPROVED BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edwin Henry Newby, my executors or ad-
ministrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Edwin Henry Newby, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings forming a part of this Specification:-
My Invention relates to an apparatus whereby a boat suspended from
davits or other supports may be instantaneously released at its two ends,
so that when lowered from the side of a ship or other position into the
water it may be quickly detached without danger of dragging or hanging
either at the bow or stern.

page_text: The said Invention consists chiefly in the peculiar method of and
devices for securing the ends of the ropes by which the boat is suspended..
The said. ropes are passed through eyes, rings, or other guides fixed in
the bow and stern of the boat, and the end of each rope is placed in a
clamp which has two movable arms operated by a slide on a vertical
shaft. The latter is fitted' to work through a nut and is provided with
a lever or handle, whereby the clamp is operated to hold or release the
rope ends. The clamp is placed midway between the two ends of the
boat, and when by the adjustment of the movable part the ropes are
released, each of them being loose in its eye or ring sets the boat
perfectly free at both ends at the same instant. The vertical shaft of
the clamp is supported in the nut which is secured in any convenient
manner to the fixed part or bed of the clamp. The said fixed part or
bed of the clamp may be secured to the middle seat or to a piece
of timber extending across the boat. The movable arms of the clamp
are pivotted between ears fixed at the outer edges of the plate or bed,
and extend under the central portion of a bar which is fitted to slide
freely upon the vertical shaft. The two arms may be guided and kept
in the proper position by standards or brackets projecting upwards
from the bed of the apparatus. The shaft may be provided with a
lever or handle of any convenient form or with a wheel instead of a

page_text: griping or biting part of the apparatus. The arms e are guided at'
their inner ends by the standards or brackets a', which are formed with
central apertures a³ to receive the end of the said arms, which are
thereby allowed to move freely in a vertical direction, but are kept from
lateral displacement by the strain on the ropes when the same are
supporting the boat. The bar g through which the shaft d passes allows
the said shaft to turn freely therein while it rests on the upper edge
of arms e, and transmits an equal pressure to each of the same when the
vertical shaft is screwed down to gripe the ropes; the neck d' of the
said shaft inside the bar g is preferably formed with a groove d³, and the
end of the screw h which projects through the side of the said bar into
this groove connects these two parts together in such a manner that.
the bar 9 follows the vertical movements of the shaft d while the
latter is allowed to turn independently of the said bar. This bar is
formed with the handles g', whereby it may be adjusted when necessary
to allow the arms to rise and admit the ropes when the boat is to be
secured. If desired the parts as whereon the ropes rest may be
hollowed out, as shown on dotted lines in Figure 2, so that the rope
is slightly bent or curved at this part when held in the clamp. The
edges of the holding parts of the clamp should be curved or rounded
to prevent injury to the ropes. The wheel i whereby the screw shaft
is operated to open and close the clamp is firmly fixed on the end of
the said shaft, and the collar d' between the said wheel, and the bar g
receives the thrust when the said bar is screwed down. When the
boat is to be secured the end of each rope A is brought through one
of the rings j, or other suitable guide, and placed upon the fixed part a³
on the bed a of the clamp between the same, and one of the movable
arms e, which by means of the adjusting devices above described are
forced downward to compress and grip the ropes which are thus held
firmly. When the clamp is opened the weight of the boat acting on the
ropes which run freely through the eyes or guides j draws their ends
longitudinally from the said clamp, releasing both ends of the boat at the
same instant.
My improved apparatus occupies very little space, requires only one
man to adjust or operate it, and offers no obstruction to the loading of the
boat.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to

page_text: conveniently and advantageously carried into practise, I claim, the
clamping apparatus consisting of the screw d fixed and movable parts a
and e, and the bar 9 constructed, combined, and operating together, and
arranged in a boat in combination with the rings j or other guides,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
g
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Henry Newby, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.