IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Wastenoys Smith, of Newcastle-on-Tyne,
in the County of same Town, Civil and Consulting Engineer, for
T
Sealed the 8th June 1875, and dated the 12th December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Wasteneys
Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th December 1874.
I, WILLIAM WASTENEYS SMITH, of Newcastle-on-Tync, in the County
of same Town, Civil and Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements in anchors now
known as "stockless anchors," for which Letters Patent was granted to
me 2nd day of March 1871, No.'552.
I form a shank with cross piece at one end in form of a letter T, the
shank may be hollowed or fluted at the sides to save weight without

page_text: materially reducing the strength; the cross piece which is at right
angles to shank has a hole through it, a spindle passes through this hole,
each end of which is tapered for the arms to fit on (the tapering enables
the arms easily to be removed even after having been on for a long
time), and it is also reduced in diameter a large portion of its length,
leaving only sufficient for bearings, thus lessening the friction and
chance of rusting; if required a lug may be formed on the cross piece
opposite to the shank for the buoy shackle, the shank is also fitted with
a fish shackle formed so as one loop of it is always open to receive the
fish hook, and is fixed in position nearly to balance the anchor.
The arms, which may be of cast steel or other material, are fixed on
tapered ends of the spindle and secured by keys passing through them
and cutting into the spindle; they are in many respects similar to those
described in my former Patent, but taper every side from heel to point,
and the surfaces of resistance-are concave the whole distance, serving to
lighten the arms, enter the ground more freely, and hold much better in
soft anchorage, as they will gather and hold the material in front of
them instead of ploughing through it. The arms revolve freely to an
angle of about 42° each side of shank, when they are stopped by a part
of them coming in contact with the cross piece.
.
Another improvement consists in making the shank a plain forging
with a shoulder on it, and hole through at crown end. I form a cross
head of cast steel or other suitable material with hole in it for shank to
pass through until up to the shoulder, in which position it is secured by
a key through the shank in front, there is also a hole through the middle
of the cross head at right angles to the shank, which hole is chambered
a large portion of distance to reduce bearing on spindle, the arms are
secured on a spindle passing through the cross head and shank.
1
I also by another plan forge a plain shank with hole through crown
end, but instead of a solid cross head I make it of two pieces chambered
as before and secured to sides of shank at crown end by strong rivets or
bolts, and to prevent any undue strain on the rivets or bolts I form
bosses on the side piece which are let into the shank and must therefore
be sheared off before rivets or bolts can be damaged. In any of these
plans the arms may be either rigidly secured to spindle or free to work
independently.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Wasteneys Smith in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 11th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WASTENEYS SMITH, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of the same
Town; Civil and Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Wasteneys Smith, Her special licence
that I, the said William Wasteneys Smith, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Wasteneys
Smith, 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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, tho said William Wasteneys Smith, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, 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 Scal 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 Wastencys Smith, 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 :—
known as
This Invention consists of certain improvements in anchors now
"stockless anchors," for which Letters Patent, No. 552, was
granted to me 2nd day of March 1871, and may thus be described by
reference to annexed Drawing.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent one plan in which I form a shank A
with cross piece B at one end in form of a letter T, the shank may be
.0

page_text: hollowed or fluted at the sides a to save weight without materially
reducing the strength; the cross piece B which is at right angles to
shank A has a hole through it; a spindle 6 passes through this hole, each
end of which is tapered for the arms C, C, to fit on (the tapering enables
the arms easily to be removed even after having been on for a long time),
and it is also reduced in diameter a large portion of its length, leaving
only sufficient for bearings, thus lessening the friction and chance of
rusting fast; if required a lug c may be formed on the cross piece B
opposite to the shank for the buoy shackle d to be secured to; the shank
is also fitted with a fish shackle e formed so as one loop of it is always
open to receive the fish tackle hook, and is fixed in position nearly to
balance the anchor.
The arms C, C, may be of cast steel or other suitable material and
fixed on the tapered ends of the spindle 6 and secured by keys f‚ƒ,
passing through them and cutting into the spindle b; they are in many
respects similar to those described in my former Patent, but taper every
side from heel to point; and the surfaces of resistance are concave g. the
whole distance, serving to lighten the arms, enter the ground more
freely, and hold much better in soft anchorage, as they will gather and
hold the material in front of them instead of ploughing through it.
The arms revolvo freely to an angle of about 42° each side of the shank,
when they are stopped by a part of them coming in contact with the
cross piece B.
Another improvement, Figures 4, 5, and 6, consists in making the
shank A a plain forging with a shoulder a on it and hole through at
crown end. I form a cross head B of cast steel or other suitable
material with hole in it for shank A to pass through until up to the
shoulder a, in which position it is secured by a key b through the shank
in front of the cross head; there is also a hole through the middle of
the cross head B at right angles to the shank A, which hole is
"chambered" a large portion of distance to reduce the bearing of the
spindle c on which the arms are secured.
I also by another plan, Figures 7, 8, and 9, forge a plain shank A
with hole through crown end, but instead of a solid cross head I make it
of two pieces B, B, "chambered" as before, and secured to the sides of
the shank at crown end by strong rivets or bolts a, a, and to prevent
any undue strain on these rivets or bolts I form bosses b, b, on the side

page_text: pieces which are let into the shank A, and must therefore be sheared off
before rivets or bolts can be damaged. In any of these plans the arms
may be either rigidly secured to spindle or free to work independently.
-
Having described the nature of my improvements, and how the same
are to be performed, I claim the arrangement and combination of cross
piece, cross head, and shank, and forming the resisting surfaces of the
arms concave, as herein-before described and illustrated in the several
nlans
pieces which are let into the shank A, and must therefore be sheared off
before rivets or bolts can be damaged. In any of these plans the arms
may be either rigidly secured to spindle or free to work independently.
-
· Having described the nature of my improvements, and how the same
are to be performed, I claim the arrangement and combination of cross
piece, cross head, and shank, and forming the resisting surfaces of the
arms concave, as herein-before described and illustrated in the several
plans
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wasteneys Smith, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Tonth day of June, in tho
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
WILLIAM WASTENEYS SMITH. (L.S.)