AN IMPROVED METHOD OF BUILDING AND ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE STERN THE
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Empson Edward Middleton, Bachelor and
Gentleman, residing at No. 9, Anglesea Place, Southampton, in
the County of Hampshire, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF BUILDING AND ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE STERN THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Empson Edward
Middleton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th April 1874.
I, EMPSON EDWARD MIDDLETON, Bachelor and Gentleman, residing
at No. 9, Anglesea Place, Southampton, in the County of Hampshire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF BUILDING AND ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE STERN THE AFTER
HULL OF YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL," to be as follows:-
:-
The process of building and altering by lengthening by the stern, the

page_text: consists in,-
Firstly. Carrying the stern post aft by the lower end, the deck end
retaining the same relative position to the length on deck as if the stern
post was raked in the usual manner, or was perpendicular.
Secondly. In carrying aft or lengthening the keel until it meet the
new line of inclination of the stern post.
Thirdly. In connecting the after end of the counter with the after end
of the keel at whatever inclination the keel may be.
Fourthly. In the advantage of a long, roomy, and commodious
counter.
Fifthly. In the adjustment of the rudder, the blade of which requires.
to be at right angles to the slope of the stern post; this new inclination
of the stern post is directly contrary to present usage.
To carry out this Invention practically, carry aft the lower end of the
new stern post to the angle determined on; in a new vessel this angle
may be 45 degrees, but in lengthening an old vessel the angle will be
determined by the strength of the wood to work in. The deck end of
the stern post retains its original or chosen position relative to the
vessel's length on deck; run the keel aft until it meet the stern post;
drop a strong connection from the end of the counter to the end of the
keel. The rudder blade should be set at right angles to the stern post,
and when the angle of the latter is narrowed to, say, twenty-five degrees,
the rudder blade should project above the water line.
A double rudder blade is shown in the Drawing; the inner one is for 2
an angle of 45 degrees of stern post, but the outer one is shown pro-
jecting above the water line, just to show what is meant by the
projection above the water line, should the angle of stern post be
narrowed.
I claim that my Invention shall include all carrying aft of the stern 3
post at an angle of more than ten (10) degrees aft of the vertical dropped
from the stern post head on deck, at the fore part of the same, in con-
nection with the carrying aft of the keel, and that at each or any
inclination or curve of the said keel.

page_text: I also claim as my Invention the dropping of the counter support
from the end of the counter to the end of the keel.
And further, I claim the adjustment of the rudder and the whole after
11
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Empson Edward Middleton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 5th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EMPSON
EDWARD MIDDLETON, of 9, Anglesea Place, Southampton, in the County
of Hants, Gentleman, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Empson Edward Middleton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her special licence that I,
the said Empson Edward Middleton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Empson Edward Middleton,
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 METHOD OF BUILDING AND ALTERING BY LENGTHENING BY THE
STERN, THE AFTER HULL OF YACHT, SAILING BOAT, AND OTHER VESSEL," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Empson Edward Middleton,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: brought on the after side of the stern post at the deck end, or the stern post
can be broader, as fore and aft measurement, at the top, by which means.
much of the slip of the rudder can be overcome; but the rudder works
well at an angle of 30 degrees, and I see no reason why it should not
work well as sufficiently at a much greater angle.
The post connecting the counter with the keel is to make the vessel
feel her mainsheet when turning to windward; without such connection
the vessel would fail to turn to windward with the necessary quickness
for racing purposes, and where the angle of the stern post was large the
vessel would fail to feel the rudder as quickly without the above con-
nection. Further, the connection is a great support to the counter
itself, and also prevents the vessel from giving down at the counter
when hard pressed to windward. This aftermost connection is best made
of metal or wood, but a rope or chain set up with a tackle is a possible
connection. The connection of metal or wood should be curved at the
The
bottom, in order to give full room for rudder down below.
dimensions of the connection need hardly exceed, even for a large
yacht, five inches in fore and aft measurement, by one and a half inch
in thickness, the same being made in metal, and being sharp fore and
aft.
A post of such dimensions has been tried by myself, and will drag
very little water, very much less in fact than is dragged along by even
the fastest yacht, as constructed on the present unfinished system of.
building, necessitating a large, heavy, unfinished stern, and a consequent
sucking of the water after the vessel.
The post remains free from weed, on account of the action of the tide,
the speed of the vessel, and angle of post (supposing an angle), but even
an upright post would remain free from weed, and by weed I mean.
loose floating seaweed. The angle of this aftermost connection depends
the caprice of the builder in connection with the length of counter
and angle of stern post. As regards keel, great depth of keel makes the
vessel unhandy. The greater the angle of stern post, the more the keel
will require to be rockered or rounded up fore and aft.
upon
The counter has several advantages. It acts as a powerful lever to
hold the vessel up to the wind; it saves the main boom from buckling,.
and thus causes the mainsail to stand well to the wind in a strong
breeze, the main horse being at the extreme end of the counter. As an
accommodation in racing craft, the counter-makes a capital sail locker.

page_text: The construction admits of the counter being brought well down on the
water line, if preferred, so that its length is no disadvantage as weight to
carry.
One of the chief advantages of this Invention is the clean delivery of
the water aft, attained by the stern being nearly as fine as the bow.
The Invention is peculiarly adapted for steamers, and would give an
ocean-going steamer just that hold in the water for want of which
numbers have lately driven ashore in gales of wind.
Further, the fineness of the stern offers an opportunity of advancing
twin screws well under the counter, where in fighting ships they would
not be so easily injured by an enemy's fire. A third screw might occupy
the place usually filled by the rudder, and the rudder might be hung
from the aftermost connection, or take the place of such connection,
which may in any vessel be easily made to revolve or turn as a rudder
post by the mere action of the vessel.
The Invention causes vessels to run very straight in a seaway, and
thus adds greatly to their speed; it also makes vessels very weatherly
and fast when sailing to the wind.
The Invention would of course save coal, both directly to the steamers
and indirectly to the nation at large.
The Invention is especially suitable to large ocean-going sailing
vessels, where speed is a great commercial economy.
Three-masted vessels would be able to carry a fourth mast aft, as
a yawl's mast stepped on the counter.
It remains to be stated that the Invention has been carried out 2
practically, at a moderate angle of stern post (about 30 degrees), and as
applied to my own yacht the speed has been increased, and the sail
carrying power has been increased to an extent which has quite borne
out my expectations, and which I feel sure could not have been attained
by any other process to the same extent, keeping the tonnage of the 3
vessel what it is.
I claim that my Invention shall include all carrying aft of the stern

page_text: from the stern post head at the deck end at the fore part of the same, in
connection with the carrying aft of the keel, and that at each or any
inclination of the said keel.
I also claim as my Invention the dropping of the counter support
from the end of the counter to the end of the keel.
And further, I claim the adjustment of the rudder and the whole after
hull, as shown as improved by the Invention.