IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH COLLAPSIBLE BOATS, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE LOWERING AND DETACHING OF THE SAME AND OTHER Bosna
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lyon Berthon, of Romscy, in the County
of Hants, Master of Arts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH COLLAPSIBLE BOATS, AND ALSO IN APPARATUS
FOR FACILITATING THE LOWERING AND DETACHING OF THE SAME AND OTHER
Bosna"
Sealed the 14th October 1873, and dated the 16th April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lyon Berthon.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th April 1873.
I, EDWARD LYON BERTHON, of Romsey, in the County of Hants,
Master of Arts, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH COLLAPSIBLE BOATS, AND ALSO IN
APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE LOWERING AND DETACHING OF THE SAME AND
OTHER BOATS," to be as follows:-
1. This Invention consists in so constructing the boats known as
Berthon's collapsing life boats, Patented on the 12th June, 1851, No.

page_text: 13,659, that the jointed thwarts are dispensed with and the gunwale
stanchions instead of being jointed are made each in one piece, with a
screw at one end of galvanized iron or other metal, by means of which
they may be set up to any degree of tension of the outward and inward
skins.
2. In the method of building or constructing the fore-and-aft timbers,
viz., by bending strips of suitable wood, layer over layer, till the proper
width is reached, nailing, screwing, or bolting such strips together with
whitelead or other cement between. .
3. In the peculiar form of chain hinge by which the timbers are:
connected together, which is thus made :-A strap of metal is rivetted on
to the end of each timber, and a kind of link which passes through it
and also through the adjacent timber to hold the ends permanently in
connection.
4. The lowering gear is constructed as follows:-Inside the bulwarks
of the ship to the outside of which the boats are attached are two deeply
V grooved sheaves or rope wheels, slightly notched, roughed, or indented
to grip the rope more firmly; these grooved wheels have attached to
them whelp wheels, and an endless chain connects the two together;
one of these grooved wheels with its whelp wheel is placed at or near
each davit, and the rope of each tackle is simply passed round it and
brought to a cleat in the usual way, so that both ropes run off together
and the boat is lowered by simply paying out over the cleat either fall, or
in the event of a man being at each fall each controls the other; also in
hoisting the boat these grooved wheels are used as leading blocks, and
thus both in lowering and hoisting the boat she must always maintain
an even keel.
5. The detaching gear consists of a bolt with a lever attached to the
lower block; a simple stop prevents the bolt from coming out spon-
taneously, but when required a single blow with the palm of the hand
draws the bolt and detaches the boat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Lyon Berthon in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LYON BERTHON, of Romsey, in the County of Hants, Master of Arts,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Lyon Berthon, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH COLLAPSIBLE BOATS,
AND ALSO IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE LOWERING AND DETACHING OF THE
SAME AND OTHER BOATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edward Lyon Berthon, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, 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 to the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the boats known as
Berthon's collapsible life boats, to appliances connected therewith,

page_text: and to appliances for lowering boats and for raising them upon an even
keel, all as hereafter set forth.
The first part of this Invention consists in so constructing the boats
known as Berthon's collapsing life boats that the jointed thwarts may
be dispensed with, and that the gunwale stanchions instead of being
jointed are made each in one piece, with a screw at one end of galvanized
iron or other metal, by means of which they may be set up to any
degree of tension of the outward and inward skins.
Secondly. In the method of building or constructing the fore-and-aft
timbers of the said boats, viz., by bending and securing strips of suitable
wood singly and layer over layer till the proper width is reached and
the nailing, screwing, or bolting of such strips together, with or without
whitelead or other cement between.
Thirdly. In a peculiar form of chain hinge by which the timbers are
connected together, which is thus made:-A strap of metal is rivetted
on to the end of each timber and a kind of link passes through it and
also through the adjacent timber to hold the ends permanently in
connection.
Fourthly. The lowering gear is constructed as follows:-Inside the
bulwarks of the ship, to the outside of which the boats are attached, a
are two deeply V grooved sheaves or rope wheels, slightly notched,
roughed, or indented to grip the rope more firmly; each of these grooved
wheels is in a piece with or has attached to it a whelp wheel, and an
endless chain connects the two together; one of these grooved wheels
with its whelp wheel is placed at or near cach davit, and the rope of
each tackle is simply passed round and brought to a cleat in the usual
way so that both ropes run off together and the boat is lowered by
simply paying out over the cleat either fall, or in the event of a man
being at each fall each controls the other. In hoisting the boat these
grooved wheels are used as leading blocks, and thus both in lowering
and hoisting the boat she must always maintain an even keel.
Fifthly. The detaching gear consists of a bolt with a lever attached to
the lower block; a simple stop prevents the bolt from coming out
spontaneously, but when required a single blow with the palm of the
hand draws the bolt and detaches the boat.

page_text: The lowering gear above described is applicable to the collapsible and
other boats carried on board ship, as also the disengaging appliances.
The Invention will be more particularly understood by reference to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a boat
of the Berthon collapsible kind, with the gunwale stanchions a, a of
single pieces of wood, with tapped sockets at the ends b, b, for the
reception of metal screw connections c, c, so that when the free ends
are fitted into the steps of the thwarts d, d, the stanchions can be turned
to extend the screws outwards and thereby put the necessary tension
upon the gunwales to give rigidity when the boat is opened out.
In some cases the stanchions are made in two pieces e, f, and the
meeting ends have a hinge g upon one side only, as in Figure 2, so that
when the two pieces are brought into position to assume a straight line
the ends butt on and resist the strain; the tension in this case is
preferably effected by first stepping the foot h into one or other of the
series of notches i on the thwart, and then pressing upon the central
portion to bring the staunchion into the position shown, the staunchion
may however be first put straight and then the foot can be forced into
the desired notch.
I purpose arranging a strap j at each side of the notched piece, as
in Figure 3, to prevent the staunchion slipping or becoming loose. By
this latter method the screw adjustment is dispensed with, the stanchions
being linked to the gunwales by straps and eye bolts, so that when the
boat is collapsed the stanchions can be turned inward to lay longi-
tudinally along with the timbers. The straps j, j, stand up above the
level of the notches, and projecting bolts upon the ends of the stanchions
take under them to prevent the ends shifting.
Figure 4 shows a view of a stanchion composed of a strip of hard wood
cut to a fixed length to reach between the gunwale where the wood is
notched to the thwart, which is stepped to receive that end of it. In
fixing this stanchion in position the lower end is stepped into one of the
notches, and the upper end under the projecting edge of the gunwale,
when it is driven fore or aft, as the case may be, to put a tension upon
the boat's side and hold itself firmly.
The second part of my Invention is represented in Figure 5, where
several bent strips of wood are built up and bolted together to form

page_text: fore-and-aft timbers A, A; each strip as it is laid on is bolted,. nailed, or
otherwise fastened, and each layer may have a caulking of whitelead or
some other kind of cement if found necessary. By this means should
one of the strips become faulty from any cause it can be easily removed
and another put into its place without destroying the whole timber as is
now done. The fastening together in this manner gives great strength
without destroying the pliability of the whole, because the grain of the
wood of the several strips more or less cross each other and resist any
tendency to split under excessive strains.
The third part of my Invention is shown at Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, 1
where the ends of the timbers & have straps over them, in the corners of
which or of the timbers holes are formed for the reception of staple
links, 1, the ends of which are rivetted down upon plates m, m, to
maintain the connection of one timber with the next.
The staple links may be dispensed with and chain links, such as are 1
shown at Figure 10, used instead; these being threaded on to the straps
n, n, before they are fitted on to the timbers and secured. The staple
or the chain links are fitted upon the ends of the timbers, and form the
connection to the stem and stern posts, the looseness of the system
permitting the timbers taking the curve of the boat proper when spread 2
outwards without becoming detached.
The fourth part of my Invention is represented in Figures 11 and 12
of the Drawings. p, p, are whelp and grooved wheels combined, which
are free to turn upon their axles fastened to the bulwarks of a vessel
and close to where the davits are situated; the whelp wheels are in 2
pairs, and an endless chain passes round them, as shown, for the motion
of one to be communicated to the other; the grooved wheels have cach
a rope g, g, rove round them, one end of which is secured to the tackle
palls and the other free to be belayed on pins r, r, on the ship's side.
A boat is shown as slung, and should it be necessary to lower it a man 3
unfastens one of the fair leads and then goes to the other which he also
unfastens from the cleat, he then allows this latter one to run through his
hands and the boat is lowered thereby upon an even keel, notwith-
standing that the other -fair lead is free, because unless the whelp wheel
on that side turns the rope on its grooved wheel cannot run; each end of 3
the boat is therefore under the control of the one man, and it matters not
which of the ropes he holds in his hands as both of them are fitted in

page_text: the same manner and act in conjunction; should however a man be
placed to each rope then each controls the other and an equal lowering
of both ends of the boat is effected without danger.
s
The last part of my Invention is represented at Figure 13. 8 is a
sheave block and its strap, in the free ends of which are holes for the
reception of a bolt t, this being jointed to a lever u so that it can be
withdrawn by striking the end of the lever; I fit a drop paul to the
_lever, whose end when in the position shown bears again st the block but
which can be easily lifted by the finger to permit of the lever to be
pushed in and the bolt to be withdrawn; this disengaging block is
specially intended for releasing the boat above mentioned, but it is
applicable to other boats, and also to other purposes where an instan-
taneous releasing of goods is required, as a cord if connected to the lever n
can have a tension put upon it at any time, whereby the bolt would be
acted upon and the release take place.
Figures 14 and 15 show an improved form of rowlock for the
collapsible and other boats. This is composed of bent or curved bars w, w,
whose base x is flat to rest upon a plate y fastened on the gunwale; the
plate has a hole in it corresponding in shape to a key z upon the rowlock
base, which key is inserted into the hole and then turned one-half round
so that its lip takes under the plate and holds the rowlock firm and
secure.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The several improvements in apparatus herein-before described,
and shown in combination, as and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly. I claim the several improvements in apparatus to and for the
several uses as herein-before described and shown, taking them singly or
any two or more of them in combination.
Thirdly. I claim the arrangement of fitting and adjusting the
stanchions of collapsible life boats, as described and shown at Figure 1,
also the modified method shown at Figures 2, 3, and 4 of the annexed
Drawings.
Fourthly. I claim the method of building up the timbers of collapsible
life boats as herein-before described and shown, for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Fifthly. I claim the method of connecting or articulating the ends of
collapsible life boat timbers as and for the purposes set forth, also the
modification referred to.
Sixthly. I claim the combination of whelp wheels and endless chain to
boat lowering appliances, as and for the purposes set forth.
And, Seventhly. I claim the disengaging apparatus shown at Figure 13,
acting in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of October One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.