IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS."-A communication from abroad by
James Foster, Junior, Noah Hand, and Charles Sloan, all of Camden,
New Jersey, United States of America.
Sealed the 20th July 1869, and dated the 20th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 20th May 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Consulting Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in constructing and arranging
the different constituent parts of the apparatus or device, substantially
as herein-after. described and set forth, so that the weight of the boat

page_text: when suspended thereby will keep the hook securely closed, but wheu
the boat reaches and is supported by the water the said hook conse
quently opens and instantly releases the said boat.
Two corresponding metallic plates are connected together parallel with
each other by an intervening block of like material, leaving proper spaces
for the insertion of three adjustable parts, an upper, a middle, and a
lower part. The lower part is carved at one end and forins the hook
proper, its other end being articulated to and between the lower ends of
the connected plates, so as to swing freely below the connecting block
of the said plates. The upper side of the hook has a projection, one side
of which fits against the corresponding side of the block when the said
hook is in a horizontal position. The opposite side of the projection has
a rectangular notch in which (when the hook proper is in its horizontal
position) the lower or lighter end of the central adjustable part fits. This
part is a lever having unequal arms, and turns freely upon a fulcrum
pin, so that when left free its longer or heavier arm falls down and rests
upon the fixed block, but when turned into connection with the hook
proper its shorter or lighter arm fits in the notch of the latter. The
upper adjustable part is also a lever having unequal arms, and turns
freely in the upper end of the two plates on a fulerum pivot. Its shorter
or lighter arm has a projection on its under side, which when the
apparatus is adjusted for supporting a boat fits against the end of the
central adjustable part, and its longer arm is fitted with a swiveling loop
whereby the said boat-detaching hook is to be connected to and sus-
pended from the usual davit tackle. When a boat is suspended from
the usual davit tackle by a pair of these boat-detaching hooks, the
different parts of the latter having been adjusted in the
proper relative
positions, the weight of the boat (attached thereto by its ends) will keep
the three adjustable parts firmly in such positions till the boat enters
the water, and then the boat is released. To prevent the tilting of the
hook a spike or bolt may be readily inserted in a hole provided in the
upper adjustable part or lever, the said spike or bolt bearing against
the edges of the plates. By making the end of the middle lever or
adjustable part somewhat longer, and attaching the swiveling loop
thereto, the upper adjustable part or lever may be dispensed with and
the plates shortened accordingly.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the International Patent Office, No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year
of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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
terin 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 BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under ny, 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 William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
The nature of my Invention consists in constructing and arranging.
the different constituent parts of the apparatus, substantially as herein-
after described and set forth, so that the weight of the boat, when,
suspended thereby will keep the hook securely closed, but when the boat;
reaches and is supported by the water the said hook consequently opens
and instantly releases the said boat.

page_text: Figure 1 is a vertical section of the said improved apparatus, as when
a boat is suspended thereby; and Figure 2 a like section of the same, as
when the boat has just been detached therefrom. Like letters and
numbers of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures.
Referring to the Drawing, A, B, is one of two corresponding metallic
plates connected together parallel with each other by an intervening
block 6' of like material, and leaving proper spaces for the insertion of
the three adjustable parts C, D, and E. The part E is curved at one
end e', and forms the hook proper, its other end e" being articulated to
and between the lower ends of the connected plates A, B, so as to swing
freely below the connecting block &' of the said plates. The upper: side
of E has a projection e", one side of which fits against the corresponding
side of the block 6' when E is in the horizontal position shown in
.Figure 1. The opposite side of e"" has a rectangular notch 4, in which
(when the hook proper E is in its horizontal position) the lower or lighter
end of the part D fits as shewn in the same Figure. This part D is a
lever having unequal arms d', d", and turns freely upon a fulcrum
pin d, so that when left free its longer or heavier arm d' falls down
and rests upon the fixed block b', see Figure 2; but when turned into
connection with the hook proper E its shorter or lighter arm d" fits in
the notch 4 of the latter, as shewn in Figure 1. The part C is also a
lever having unequal arms c', c", and turns freely in the upper end
of A, B, on a fulcrum pivot c. Its shorter or lighter arm c¹ has a pro-
jection on its under side, which when the apparatus is adjusted for
supporting a boat fits against the end d' of D, and its longer arm c" is
fitted with a swiveling loop 6, whereby the said boat-detaching hook is
to be connected to and suspended from the usual davit tackle. When a
boat is suspended from the usual davit tackle by a pair of these boat-
detaching hooks, the different parts of the latter having previously been
placed in the relative positions shewn in Figure 1, it will be seen that
the weight of the boat (attached thereto by its ends) will consequently
keep the parts C, D, and E firmly in the relative positions shewn in the
said Figure, and that as the boat enters the water the strain on the
tackle diminishes until the whole weight of the boat is transferrod to the
water, and consequently the lower ends of the dotaching hooks will rest
the respective ends of the boat, as indicated by the dotted line t, u,
upon

page_text: and thus cause the loop end e" of the lever C to tilt downward so as to
release the lever D, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1; and as
the boat moves away the hook proper (E) falls open into the position
shown in Figure 2. In attaching for the purpose of hoisting the boat
the parts C, D, and E are brought into the relative positions shown in
Figure 1; and to prevent the possibility of any accidental tilting of the
hook proper (E) a spike or bolt may be readily inserted in the hole 7
provided in the lever C for the purpose, and the said spike or bolt
bearing against the edges of the plates A, B, will effectually prevent the
said lever C from tilting. All the different parts described should be
made of wrought iron and strongly secured together.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim, in a boat-detaching apparatus
the combination and arrangement of the levers C, D, and E, substantially
as and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert William Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-ninc.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
HARRY J. GEDGE,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.