CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF SHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS
Year: 1840

page_text: NEWTON'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
L
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirty-first day of December in the fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Newton, my executors, administrators
and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Newton, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF SHIPS AND OTHER NAVIGABLE VESSELS," being
a communication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said. Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me the said William Newton, by an
instrument in writing, under. my hand and seal particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed; and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar, months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part. recited. Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Newton do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
=
These improvements in the rigging of ships and other navigable vessels
consist in the adaptation of a peculiar construction of lever in connection with
a sliding rack bar, or a ladder chain, by the action of which agents the shrouds
and other parts of the rigging of ships may be tightened, the windlass worked,
and heavy bodies raised or moved.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the lever formed as a long
bar, having teeth or indentations cut in its lower end. It has an aperture or
curved slot, or eye made through it of a kidney shape, which aperture receives
a cylindrical fulcrum bolt or stationary axle, whereon the lever is to work.
The indented sliding bar is represented in Fig. 2, having a ring or link
'attached to its end, which link is to be connected to the shroud or chain
required to be drawn up or tightened.
Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of the frame or box, and its sheath,
wherein the rack or indented bar slides. To the end of this box is attached
'the ring or link intended to be connected to the holdfast or staple to which the
shroud is to be secured.
Fig. 4 represents the apparatus in side elevation complete, a small
portion of the box being in section. A is the frame and sheath formed as
'a rectangular box of iron, or other suitable metal, in which the rack bar E
slides; the box A has a flap or door B on its upper side, rising upon a hinge
joint, which, when open, allows the lever D to be introduced. A movable
cylindrical bolt or pin C is passed through circular apertures in the sides of
the box, and keyed in that situation, which bolt when so fixed in the box
constitutes the fulcrum whereon the lover D works; this bolt C has a flat
projecting head at one end, and at the other a slot for the key to pass through,
which key may be attached by a chain for convenience. In applying this appa
ratus the link or ring G of the box A is first to be attached to the stationary
holdfast by which the shroud is intended to be secured. The end of the shroud
is made fast to the ring H of the sliding bar E, and then that bar is passed into
the box A, the lid B being thrown open, a dog or pawle F, hanging upon a
pin e fixed in the box, drops into the teeth or rack of the sliding bar, and
prevents its retrogression, the pawle being pressed downward by a feather
spring a.
The lever D is now to be introduced into the box as shewn in
Fig. 4, the bolt C passed through the sides of the box, and through the eye
or curved slot of the lever; the bolt is then to be keyed at its outer end to

page_text: confine it in the box securely; on pushing the lever D forward it will rise,
and its teeth c, c, c, be drawn up out of the teeth of the sliding bar E, the
fulcrum pin C then occupying the lower part of. the kindey-shaped slot, as
shewn by dots in Figure 4, but on drawing the lever backward it will fall, and
the fulcrum pin C then occupy the upper part of the kidney-shaped slot, the
toothed part of the lever being, by that means, lowered down into the rack of
the sliding bar. In this situation of the lever, the force applied to it will
cause the teeth c, c, c, at the end of the lever taking into the rack, to force. the
sliding bar E forward into. the sheath, and thereby draw up the shroud,.the
advanced position of the slider being held fast by the pawle F dropping into
its teeth. Moving the lever forward again will as before cause its teeth. to be
raised out of the rack of the sliding bar, and allow the lever to pass without
acting in the rack; but on drawing the lever back, as before, its teeth will again
act in the teeth of the rack and force the bar E onward, its advanced position
after every operation of the lever being retained by the dog or pawle F.
Thus, by a succession of alternating strokes of the lever D, the rack bar E
will be slidden forward into the sheath A, and the shroud attached to the
link H be thereby drawn into tension. The same construction of lever may
be employed in connection with a toothed wheel attached to the end of a
revolving barrel instead of the sliding rack bar.
Fig. 5 represents this modification of the Invention. D is the lever as
before; C, the fulcrum pin or bolt fixed in a suitable framing, which bolt passes
through the kidney-formed slot or eye of the lever.. I is a toothed wheel
made fast upon the end or axle of a windlass or barrel, round the periphery of
which a chain or rope is to be coiled. By drawing back the lever its teeth will
take into the teeth of the wheel I, and force it round, and with it the barrel
to which the chain or rope intended to be drawn up into tension is connected.
The barrel or windlass, of course, must be furnished with pawles as usual, to
hold it, and prevent its retrograde movement when the lever is moved in the
opposite direction, and raised out of the teeth.
Another modification of this invention consists in the adaptation of a ladder.
chain in place of the rack bar first described, in which the toothed end of the
lever is made to act upon the barrels of the several links as cogs or teeth.
This contrivance affords a more extended drawing action than the sliding
rack bar. Fig. 6 is a side view of the apparatus. A is a section of the box
constructed as in Fig..1 but without the hollow sheath; the ring or link G is
attached to the hinder part of the box by which the apparatus is to be secured to
a stationary holdfast. The rack E, E, in this instance,, is superceded by a
chain, the links of which are formed of flat side plates, connected together by

page_text: transverse: bolts and--barrels; à horizontal.. view of a portion of this chain is
shewn at Fig. 7.. The 'fulcrum pin C being withdrawn.from the box, the lever
is introduced, as shewn, when 'the pin C.is to be again fixed 'in the box passing
through the eye or kidney-formed. slot. of the lever. The reciprocating action
of the lever will, as 'before' described, cause the stationery fulcrum pin 'C to
change the situation of its bearing in the kidney-formed slot or eye of the
lever, that is, when "the lever is drawn back, the fulcrum "pin will bear
against the upper part. of the eye, and the teeth at bottom of the lever be
brought into contact with. the transverse bars or barrels of the chain; so as to
cause the chain, by the force of the lever, to be slidden forward in the box, and
thereby draw up the tension, and when the lever is moved forwards its eye will
rise upon the fulcrum pin, and its teeth 'pass' clear of the barrels of the chain.
In this, as in the former instance, there is a pawle or dog F, which 'falls in
between the barrels of the chain and holds it securely, and on the pin 'C being
withdrawn from the box 'the lever may be removed and the flap or cover B
shut down. The pin is then to be again inserted, which, by passing through a
ring or eye'g' fixed to the inner side of the' flap, confines the lid. and closes' the
'box, keeping the pawle or dog.from.rising by. means of a 'projection b on the
upper part of the pawle bearing against 'the lid; thus the shroud,' or, whatever
chain or rope may be attached to "the link or "eye' H of the rack bar, or barrel
'chain, may be held securely.." When it is required to slacken the tension, the
rack or chain may be released by opening the flap.B and raising the pawle F,
'and there is a stud.d to prevent the pawle being raised' farther than is neces-
"sary to allow the rack or chain to pass..
A modification in 'the construction of the box Alis shewn in Fig. 8, in which
the link G is so formed as to constitute the box, or a substitute. for the box,
wherein the lever acts, and througli which the ladder chain is "conducted.
The elongated sides of the link Grare spread out into circular plates A, 'A,
held together by a fixed pin e, whereon the pawle F" is mounted, and; the
fulcrum bolt c on which the lever D acts is inserted' through apertures in
'the circular plates, and fastened thereto as before explained; grooves are
formed' in these plates: 'for conducting the ladder: 'chain E, at one end of
which chain the line. His attached, that connects. the chain with the shroud.
The reciprocating operation of the lever D will draw the chain' E. onward
in the way before described," and a spring under the pawle F will raise
the pawle into its holding position. In 'employing' the sliding rack bar in
connection with the toothed' lever the extent of operation of the machine is
necessarily limited to the length of the rack, and if that. were to-be increased
there would be a great liability of the 'bar becoming bent from accidents,

page_text: which might render it useless; in order, therefore, to supersede those incon-
veniences the ladder chain is proposed, which is an articulated or jointed rack,
and, in connection with the toothed lever, affords the means of unlimited
traction; so, also, does the toothed wheel when affixed to the axle of a winding
barrel and acted upon by the toothed lever.
These general agents I am aware are well known to mechanics, it there-
fore becomes necessary that I should define exactly what are the features of
novelty to which I claim an exclusive right under the above in part recited
Letters Patent; I desire, therefore, that it may be understood that I claim,―
Firstly, the peculiar construction of lever described, having teeth or inden-
tations at its end, and an elongated slot or eye to receive the fulcrum bolt
or axle upon which the lever shall work, which elongated slot or eye may be
curved and will answer best if of a bean or kidney shape, allowing the lever
to act upon the rack wheel or chain in one direction, and to pass over free in
the opposite direction.
Secondly, the boxes or frames for the lever and slide or chain to work in,
with the appendages represented in the Drawing.
Thirdly, the sliding rack bar, or the toothed wheel, or the articulated chain,
in connection with the lever as described, for drawing up to tension the shrouds
of a vessel, or for winding a chain or rope upon a barrel, or for raising or
moving heavy weights.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Newton have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
WILLIAM (L.S.) NEWTON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Thirtieth day of June
in the year above mentioned the aforesaid William Newton came before
our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inselled the come Thirtieth day of June in the year above written.