IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIPS' BOATS AND FOR HOLDING AND LETTING GO TACKLE
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Martin Saxby, of Brussels, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIPS'
BOATS AND FOR HOLDING AND LETTING GO TACKLE."
Sealed the 8th September 1853, and dated the 8th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Martin
Saxby at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th July 1853.
I, STEPHEN MARTIN SAXBY, of Brussels, do hereby declare that the
nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
LOWERING SHIPS' BOATS AND FOR HOLDING AND LETTING GO TACKLE "
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a peculiar construction and combination of
the apparatus used for lowering ships boats; and according to my im-
provements the davits are made in the form of cranked levers; the boat
is suspended to the upper arms, and its keel rests on the lower. arms of
the cranked lever davits, by which the boat, when being lowered, is
guided off the side of the ship. The boat is fitted with stanchions or

page_text: uprights, with snatch blocks or pulleys which receive the rope by which
the boat is raised; and one end of this rope is fixed to one part of raising
tackle, the other is held fast by a lever nip having a curved surface
with increasing radius, which holds more securely, according to the
weight of the boat thereon; but on the boat coming to the water and
floating thereon the weight will be relieved, and the nipping lever will
no longer hold the rope, by which arrangement the boat will be released
from the lowering tackle on its being fairly afloat; and such will be the
action when using the nipping apparatus for holding other tackle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Martin Saxby in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 6th January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
STEPHEN MARTIN SAXBY, of Brussels, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth 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 Stephen Martin Saxby, Her special
licence that I, the said Stephen Martin Saxby, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Stephen Martin
Saxby, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any timo
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING SHIPS BOATS AND
HOLDING AND LETTING GO TACKLE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Stephen Martin Saxby, 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

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Martin Saxby, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
My Invention consists in a peculiar combination of the apparatus
used for lowering ships boats when employing the ordinary tackle falls,
by means of which the boat cannot tilt, but wil reach the water upon
an even keel.
My Invention also consists in arranging or combining the fastenings
of the holding tackle in such manner that the boat is released upon its
reaching the water, and the risk of the boat being dragged along by the
tackle otherwise than headforemost is prevented.
My Invention also consists in the construction and application of a
cleat or lever nip to the releasing of a boat, and for holding and letting
go other tackle, such as standing and running rigging, cables, warps,
hawsers, lashings, and others, either on board ships or at docks, pier
heads, wharfs, warehouses, manufactories, and other places, in all of
which the application is the same.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figures 1, and 4, represent
the one part of my Invention for lowering the boat upon an even
keel when using the tackles in ordinary use. The boat is suspended
from the ends of the davits (which are in the form of curved levers
pivoted to the ship's side at "n." The lowering ropes (or tackle falls) a,
to one end of which the boat is fastened, pass over pulleys on the top
of the fixed stanchions o, o, and on the boat being hoisted are coiled
round the two drums upon the axle b, the ends of the ropes being
hitched or belayed upon the axle ends. When the boat is chock up to
the davits, as shewn in the Drawing at Figure 4, the axle and lowering
ropes are held secure by means of the paul and ratchet wheel d, and e.
In lowering the boat it is only necessary for one man to release the
ratchet, and by holding on to the friction strap e, (which takes one or
more turns round the drum f, according to the weight of the boat)
allow the axle b, to revolve and the lowering ropes to uncoil them-

page_text: selves from the drums. While lowering, the davits will bear outwards
with the boat and assume the position indicated by the dotted lines,
Figure 4, causing the boat to pass clear of the ship's side.
Another part of my Invention for releasing the boat from the lower-
ing tackle is illustrated by Figures 2, and 3. The lower block y, of the
fore tackle is a tail block; the tail rope h, passes through a block i
fixed to the head of the boat, thence through the block k, fixed to the
stern of the boat, and up through the block 7, upon the after lowering
tackle. The end m, of the tail rope h, is belaid upon a cleat on the
block k, or upon the boat. By this arrangement it will be evident that
upon the boat reaching the water by releasing the end m, of the tail
rope h, from its cleat the rope h, will run through all the blocks l, k,
and i, and the boat will float off from the ship clear of all tackle, as
shewn at Figure 3, where the tail rope h, is shewn passing through
the last block i, at the head of the boat. The releasing of the boat
from its tackle is at pleasure made entirely self-acting by fixing the
end m, of the tail rope h, to my stopper cleat, to be hereafter described.
Another part of my Invention of a stopper cleat or lever nip consists
of a pulley, pivoted excentrically, such excentricity producing a surface
of increasing radius, so that a rope or chain passing between it and a
fixed surface will allow of such rope or chain running through in one
direction, but in the opposite direction any strain upon the rope will
increase the nipping or holding action of the cleat by forcing the
increasing radii of the excentric pulley more closely against the fixed
surface: Figure 5, shews its application to a sheaved block for the
purpose of releasing a boat from its tackle when lowered. p, is the
cleat or nipper, pivoted eccentrically to the block 1. The rope », (cor-
responding with the rope h, in Figure 2,) passes between the nipping
pulley p, and the fixed surface s. The weight, acting by gravity down-
wards, holds the rope fast between these surfaces; but upon the boat
reaching thic surface of the water the pressure is relieved and the
counterbalance weight t', by descending opens the nipping cleat and
allows the rope to run through. The wedge key t, is for the purpose of
holding the nipper secure upon the rope when the boat is suspended to
the davits; the line attached to it being fixed to the ship, and of such

page_text: a length as to be drawn out by the lowering of the boat when the boat
reaches nearly the surface of the water. Figure 6, shews the application
of the stopper cleat or lower nip to the securing of the anchor to the
cat head. One end of the cat stopper is fastened to the cat head,
and the other end, after being passed through the ring of the anchor,
is held fast between the nipper p, and a fixed surfaces. A key is
introduced at the back of the nipper p, to prevent a sudden jolt from
a heavy sea releasing the rope. In letting go the anchor the key is
withdrawn and the nipper cleat is opened by a small lever, or by a
marline spike, as at v. Figures 7, and 8, shew the application of the
said stopper cleat or lever nip as, a bitt for the holding and letting go
of a ship's cable. p, is the nipping cleat or deck stopper which holds fast
the cable while the cable is being taken to the capstan, or while the
capstan is being used to heave in cable. Another arrangement of the
stopper cleat is seen at a. a, is a flanched disc or flat drum revolving
excentrically upon the fixed shaft or pivot a¹. A second stationary
flanched disc is fixed solidly to the deck at w, the cable passing around
and between the two discs or bitts w, and x. From the riding of the
ship or any strain from the anchor being exerted upon the cable so
placed between the belt w, and a, the drag on the cable, acting on
the longer radii of the excentric and moveable bitt æ, closes the said
bitt a, upon the cable, and holds it firmly with a power increasing
with the strain. When it is required to veer the cable, instead of
doing it by means of deck stoppers, as at present, the two bitts x,
and w, are opened by means of a lever y, being pressed in the
direction of the arrow in the Drawing, Figure 8. By thus opening
these bitts more or less with the lever one man may let out gradually
or stop the cable instantly at pleasure. In vessels of small tonnage
either the double disc arrangement or the deck stopper cleat would
respectively be alone sufficient. Figure 9, shews the application of
the same Invention to the holding and letting go of ship's running
rigging, where p, is, as before, the stopper cleat or nipper, and z, the
rope, which is held fast or let go at pleasure.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner of performing the same, I will have it understood that what
I claim is,―
First, the combination of apparatus described for lowering ships' boats
when using the ordinary tackle falls, allowing the boat to float away
clear of the lowering tackle without risk of the boat being towed other-
wise than head foremost.
Secondly, I claim the combining and applying the described excentric
nipping apparatus to the making fast and letting go tackle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Martin Saxby, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
S. M. SAXBY. (L.S.)
Witness, GEORGE PITT.