Improvements in Anchors.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
Improvements in Anchors.
We, DANIEL HOYT, of 194 South Main Street, South Norwalk, Connecticutt,
Inventor WILLIAM FLETCHER OATMAN, 546 Park Avenue, East Orange, New
Jersey, and HENRY DEXTER HOBSON, 66 Quincy Street Brooklyn, New York,
do hereby declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This invention refers to anchors for anchoring vessels of all kinds.
The objects of the invention are to provide an anchor which when dropped into
the water will before or upon reaching the bottom, and as tension is being applied
to the cable to which the anchor is secured, readily assume the position best adapted
to accomplish its purpose: also to so construct the anchor that under continued
heavy strain applied to its cable, it will cut into the bottom and will bury iself
therein deeper and deeper, so as to firmly and safely hold a vessel even in an
exceedingly rough and choppy sea. A further object is to so shape the anchor and
particularly its upper surface as to permit of readily breaking ground when the
anchor is to be raised.
These and other useful purposes are accomplished by the means hereinafter
specified.
In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of an anchor constructed
according to the invention, and shown in a position which it will assume while partly
buried in the bottom and while holding a vessel. Figure 2 is a ground plan of the
anchor, and Figure 3a vertical section along line 3-3 in Figure 2, showing,
however, a modification with reference to the form of the shank of the anchor
and the mode of fastening it to the head. Figure 4 is a section along line 44
in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 a section along line 5-5 in Fig. 1.
The two principal parts of the anchor are, a head H, which is made dishing in
its general outlines and with flukes extending from its periphery, and the shank S
fixedly secured thereto, both said parts possessing valuable and novel features
and being so adjusted in their positions with reference to each other as to insure
of the anchor taking bottom quickly after it strikes the same.
Referring first to the dishing head H, the same comprises a central crown
piece c, arms a, a, extending outward therefrom, a rim connecting the outer
ends of said arms, and flukes f, f, f, f, extending outwardly from said rim and
so shaped as to make the periphery of the head appear scalloped. The preferred
form of the head is such that the undersides of the arms, and of the portion of the
rim directly adjoining said arms lie upon the surface of a cone while the flukes
are turned upward slightly, so that after the underside of the anchor strikes the
bottom one of the sides of the cone will come to rest flat upon the bottom and
that immediately after tension is applied to the cable C and a slight tilting side-

page_text: ways of the head is produced thereby, one or two of the flukes will begin to take
bottom at once. The arms a are made narrowing, or wedge shaped, toward their
upper surfaces, for the reason that after the anchor has become embedded in the silt
or mud forming the bottom, the said arms will readily cut through such overlying
material when the anchor is being raised, and the holes h between said arms will
then permit the free passage of such material. The upper surfaces of arms a and
rim may be made either concave or straight or of any other suitable configura-
tion. The flukes f are preferably arranged symmetrically around the periphe:y
of the head and made of an uneven number for reasons hereinafter explained.
The shank may either be made of a bar of metal straight throughout, as shown
in Figure 1, or may be made curving where it approaches the head so as to permit
of passing its end through the crown c at right angles thereto, as shown in Figure 3,
it being, however, desirable and important to place the axis of the outer or free
end of the shank which contains the eve to which the chain or cable is attached
at an oblique angle with the plane of the head, and in a plane at right angles
to the plane of the head which will intersect the latter plane between the two
nearest flukes f¹ f¹ and in line with the most distant finke f2. The fluke f³ which
are nearest the fluke f I prefer to turn upward more abruptly than the remaining
flukes, and especially fluke f2.
Where the shank passes out from the underside of crown e it is preferable to make
it project sufficiently so as to produce there a knob or projection or extending
beyond the apex of the conical surface on the underside of the head of the anchor.
The means for confining the shank in fixed connection to the head may be
varied according to the judgment of the manufacturer. Thus, in Fig. 1, the lower
end of the shank is shown to be upset so as to form the head of a rivet, while in
Fig. 3, a key y passes through the lower reduced end of the shank. The portion
of the surface of the shank facing the head is shown to be made wedge shaped,
as at w, so as to permit said wedge shaped portion to facilitate the operation of
the anchor by cutting into the bottom as said anchor is gradually working its way
downward into the mud or silt.
In general, the operation of the anchor is as follows: As the anchor is being
dropped it will, principally owing to the fact that its center of gravity is at one
side of the axis of the head, have a tendency to assume an inclined position, so
that, providing the bottom be approximately level, the underside of the head
between flukes f¹ f¹ will accommodate itself to said bottom, said flukes still
slightly projecting above the same until tension is applied to cable (when the
head will tilt further so that said flukes will begin to open bottom, the scallopped
portions of the rim between and adjoining said flukes aiding therein-particularly
as they are brought to an edge, until, under the influence of the tension so applied
said anchor will crowd its way sufficiently to become partly or wholly imbedded
in the bottom. As the shank is placed symmetrically with reference to the
nearest two flukes fi f¹, they will simultaneously take ground and thereby increase
the hold of the anchor.
When the anchor is to be raised, it is only necessary to tilt and raise the same
in the usual manner and the wedge-shaped edge; of arms a will facilitate the
cutting of the anchor through the overlying material as explained above, and such
material will pass downward through hole h without seriously obstructing the
raising of the anchor.
If for any reason some other portion of the under surface of the head should first
strike bottom, kuobs or projections or will, as tension is being applied to
the cable serve as fulcrums around which said head will swing until it assumes
the position above described, and illustrated in Fig. 1.
The peculiar forms given to flukes f f will come into play in case in dropping
the anchor the portion of the underside of its head nearest to fluke f² should come
to rest flatly on the bottom. Then, if swinging of the anchor around projection k
should be feasible said flukes f³ would not interfere with said operation in either
direction, as they are sufficiently deflected not to open bottom while if for

page_text: instance a stone or other obstruction should interfere with said swinging of the
anchor, their inclination with reference to the shank will be such as to jointly
and together with fluke f insure a firm hold of the anchor in the bottom even
in this abnormal position.
It will readily be seen that many of the details of the anchor might be varied
without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus the underside of the
head might be given any other suitable configuration and the cross section of the
shank might be given any other proper form.
This action of sinking will be understood as occurring with the cable payed
out at length, as usual. The slight concavity which has a radius much longer
than the shank, permits the disk to cut down through the sand or mud, in a
direction, which is a resultant of the force of tension of the cable, and the direction
of resistance of the material of the bottom. This could not occur with a cup
shaped head, which could only scoop and half bury itself, the upper side of the
cup offering resistance to full subsidence.
In raising the anchor, the cable is hauled short as usual, and the head breaks
out, the upper edge of the radial arms facilitating the rising and cleaning. The
cleaning is also aided by the smallness of the concavity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. An anchor consiting of a dish shaped head, and a shank fixed centrally in
said head, said head having a sharp scalloped edge with flukes between the
scallops around the edge and having a concavity whose radius is greater than
the length of the shank, substantially as described.
2. An anchor consisting of a dish shaped head slightly concave on its upper
side, and an inclined shank fixed in the center of the head, the whole being so
constructed and arranged as to sink in the mud or silt, substantially as described.
3. An anchor consisting of a dish shaped head slightly concave on its upper
side and having sharp pointed flukes, and an inclined flattened shank fixed in
the center of the head, the whole being so constructed and arranged as to sink in
the mud on silt, substantially as described.
4. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head, of a shank fixed to the
crown or center of said head and having its free end portion placed at an oblique
angle with the plane of the head when the anchor is in its operative position.
5. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head, of a straight shank
adjusted to pass obliquely through the crown or centre of said head.
6. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head comprising flukes extend-
ing outward from its crown, of a rigid shank fixed to said crown, the axis of its
free end being placed at an oblique angle with the plane of the head and in a
plane at right angles to the plane of the head and intersecting the periphery of
the head between the two nearest flukes
7. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head comprising flukes extend-
ing outward from the crown, of a shank fixed to the crown of said head, the axis
of its free end being placed at an oblique angle with the plane of the head and in
a plane at right angles to the plane of the head and intersecting the periphery
of the head in line with the most distant fluke the two flukes nearest said most
distant fluke being turned upward more than aforesaid flukes.
8. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head comprising Aukes extend-
ing outward from the crown, of a shank fixed to the crown of said head the axis
of its free end being placed at an oblique angle with the plane of the head, and
the surface of said shank facing the head being made in the form of a wedge
extending longitudinally along said shank.
9. In an anchor, the combination with a dishing head, of a shank fixed to the
crown or centre of said head and having its free end portion placed at an angle

page_text: with the plane of said head-the surface of said shank facing the head being wedge-
shaped substantially throughout its length.
Dated this 23rd day of August. 1897
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent.