IMPROVEMENTS IN YARDS AND SPARS OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mary Ann Rylands, of the Borough of Kings-
ton-upon-Hull, Widow and Administratrix of Joseph Rylands,
deceased, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN YARDS AND SPARS
OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."-A communication from her late
husband, the said Joseph Rylands.
Scaled the 15th September 1853, and dated the 22nd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mary Ann Rylands
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with her Petition,
on the 22nd July 1858.
I, MARY ANN RYLANDS, of the Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull,
Widow and Administratrix of Joseph Rylands, deceased, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN YARDS
AND SPARS OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS" to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object improvements in building up
pieces into a yard or spar, and consists of dividing a stick of timber
(which is shorter than the desired yard or spar) longitudinally, and
causing the two thick ends to be overlapped, and dowelled and hooped
together. The two outer ends being made up by scarfing pieces by
dowells and hoops. By this mode of construction yards and spars

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Mary Ann Rylands in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 21st January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MARY ANN RYLANDS, of the Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull, Widow
and Administratrix of Joseph Rylands, deceased, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Mary Ann Rylands, Eler special licence
that I, the said Mary Ann Rylands, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Mary Ann Rylands, my exccu-
tors, 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN YARDS AND SPARS OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," communi-
cated to me by my late husband, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I the said Mary Ann. Rylands, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Mary Ann Rylands, 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 thereof (that is to say):
This Invention has for its object improvenients in building up pieces

page_text: into a yard or spar, and consists of dividing a stick of timber (which is
shorter than the desired yard or spar) longitudinally, and causing the
two thick ends to be overlapped; and dowelled and hooped together.
The two outer ends being made up by scarfing pieces by dowels and
hoops. By this mode of construction yards and spars will be of more
uniform strength, and be made from less costly tiniber than heretofore.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same. Heretofore in the
manufacture of yards it has been most generally the practice to
employ a piece of timber of a length equal to the intended yard,
and a yard has been formed by cutting the piece of timber tapering
from the centre to the outer ends, and a similar practice has been
pursued in making spars, the pieces of timber for each yard or spar
being of a length equal to the length of the yard or spar, the
shaping of the yard or spar being by cutting away of the wood at
the different parts, to produce the desired form, by which means a yard
or spår is unequal in its strength on either side of the thickest part by
reason of one end of a yard or spar being made from the lower end
of a tree, and the other end of a
yard or spar being made of the
wood of the upper part of the tree. It should, however, be stated that
built yards and spars have before been made, but by reason of the
manner of forming and putting the parts together they have not been
approved of or found to be useful. The object of this 'Invention is to
employ pieces of timber of a loss length than the intended yard or
spar, and so to cut them into parts, and to combine the parts that the
proper length for a yard or spar may be obtained, and at the same time
the strength on one side of the thicker parts should correspond with
the strength of the other side by reason of like parts of the wood
coming to the outward parts of a yard or spar; and it is preferred
that the wood of the root..end of the. tree should come to the centre,
and that the upper end of the tree should come outwards or towards
the ends of the spar, as will readily be understood by reference to the
Figures of Drawing hereunto annexed. Figure 1, shows a piece of
timber suitable for being made into the two principal parts of a yard,
such as is shown at Figures 3, 4, and 5. Figure 2, is another piece of

page_text: timber for making the two end filling pieces. The pieces of timber
used it is preferred should not be squared, but be employed of the
natural taper; but, whether squared or not, it is preferred that the
root end of the trec should come towards the middle of the length,
and that the longutidinal join should be vertical; but these may be
varied. The piece of timber Figure 1, is cut into the two parts a, a,
as indicated by the Drawing, and they come together as shown at
Figures 3, 4, and 5, and the yard is completed by the end pieces b, b,
cut from the piece of timber Figure 2. The parts of the yard are
fastened together by hoops c, c, and pins or dowels d, d, as shewn, and
in a similar manner are other forms of spars made.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not.
confine myself to the precise details, as the same may be varied without
departing from the Invention. But what I claim is, the mode herein
described of manufacturing yards and spars for ships and vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mary Ann Rylands, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Eighteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
four.
Witness,
MARY ANN RYLANDS. (..)
WILLIAM HARTLIFFE, jun
Cashier
to the Hull Flax & Cotton Mill Cº,
Hull.