IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DETACHING BOATS, BUOYS, AND OTHER FLOATING OBJECTS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer Clark, both of
Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DETACHING BOATS, BUOYS, AND OTHER FLOATING
OBJECTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jacob Hill and
Josiah Latimer Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
9th December 1881.
EDWARD JACOB HILL and JOSIAN LATIMER CLARK both of Victoria Street in
the City of Westminster, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DETACHING BOATS,
BUOYS, AND OTHER FLOATING OBJECTS."
Our Invention relates to an improved method of disengaging boats and other
floating objects when lowered at sea, by the employment of a float suspended from
the boat or buoy, which float, as soon as it reaches the water, causes the disengage-
ment of the boat or other object. We generally employ this float in conjunction
with the ordinary and well known slip hooks, or with other similar contrivances
such as are used for disengaging boats from ships.
In conjunction with this float we usually employ a third slip hook or trigger of
small dimensions which serves as the attachment by which the ordinary slip hooks
are held and released, or in some cases we allow the float line itself when raised by
the water to slacken out the disengaging line without the intervention of the third
trigger.
In one form of the apparatus we suspend the boat on two simple slip or tumbler
hooks which are fixed in the ends of the boat and are connected and at the same
time prevented from releasing by a rope or chain which is tightened by means of
a small tackle line, and while so held the hooks cannot turn over and become
disengaged. This connecting rope or chain is attached at one end to the slip hook
in the bow and is led to the other end of the boat behind the after slip hook
(where it forms a bight) and its other end is carried back to the after slip hook
and attached to it in the usual way. The bight of this rope is constantly kept

page_text: tight by means of the small tackle line; the free end of this tackle line instead of
being hitched on a cleat in the usual way is led to a third slip hook or trigger
fixed at any convenient point aft, this smaller slip book is in turn held closed by
the slight strain caused by the weight of a float suspended on a line. The float
hangs a little below the bottom of the boat, and as soon as it reaches the water,
the weight being taken off, it allows the small slip hook to disengage itself,
slackening out the small tackle line, and this taking the strain off the connecting
rope or chain, ensures the disengagement of the other hooks. The third slip hook
may be kept locked until the boat is ready to be lowered.
It is evident any form of disengaging apparatus may be so arranged as to work
with a float in the manner above described, and it is also evident that the liberating
float may be made in different forms and may be attached to the boat by hinges or
guides, or it may assume the form of a piston working through the bottom of the
boat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Jacob Hill and Josiah Latimer Clark in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th June 1882.
"
EDWARD JACOB HILL and JOSIAH LATIMER CLARK both of Victoria Street in
the City of Westminster. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DETACHING BOATS,
BUOYS, AND OTHER FLOATING OBJECTS."
Our Invention relates to an improved method of disengaging boats and other
floating objects when lowered at sea, by the employment of a float suspended from the
boat or buoy, which float, as soon as it reaches, the water, causes the disengagement of
the boat or other object. We generally employ this float in conjunction with the
ordinary and well known slip hooks, or with other similar contrivances such as are
used for disengaging boats from ships. In conjunction with this float we usually
employ a third slip hook or trigger of small dimensions which serves as the
attachment by which the ordinary slip hooks are held and released, or in some
cases wo allow the float line itself wlien raised by the water to slacken out the
disengaging line without the intervention of the third trigger.
In one form of the apparatus wo suspend the boat on two simple slip or tumbler
hooks which are fixed in tho ends of the boat and are connected and at the samo
time prevented from releasing by a rope or chain which is tightened by means of
a small tackle line, and while so held the hooks cannot turn over and become
disengaged. This connecting rope or chain is attached at one end to the slip hook
in the bow and is led to the other end of the boat behind the after slip hook.
(where it forms a bight) and its other end is carried back to the after slip hook
and attached to it in the usual way. The bight of this ropo is constantly kept
tight by means of the small tackle line; the free end of this tacklo line instead of
being hitched on a cleat in the usual way is led to a third slip hook or trigger
fixed at any convenient point aft and this smaller slip hook is in turn held closed
by the slight strain caused by tho weight of a float suspended on a line. The
float hangs a little below the bottom of the boat and as soon as it reaches the
water, the weight being taken off, it allows the small slip hook to disengage itself,
slackening out the small tackle line, and this taking the strain off the connecting
rope, or chain ensures the disengagement of the other hooks. The third slip hook
may be kept locked until the boat is ready to be lowered.
It is evident any form of disengaging apparatus may be so arranged as to work
with a float in the manner above described, and it is also evident that the liberating
float may be made in different forms and may be attached to the boat by hinges or
guides, or it may assume the form of a plunger working up and down in a tube or
well rising from a hole in the bottoin of the boat.
In the accompanying Drawings wo have illustrated our Invention by way of
example as applied to a ship's boat in which the ordinary slip hook is employed,
but we would have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to this particular
form of hook, and that the Invention is equally applicable to buoys and other
floating objects which require to be lowered at sen by means of tackle.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a ship's boat and Figure 2 is a plan of the
same. AA are slip or tumbler hooks pivotted in frames attached by slings or
otherwise to the bow and stern of the boat in the usual manner. They are of
ordinary and well known construction and therefore noed no particular description
as their action will be apparent from the Drawings. These hooks are shown in
Figures 1 and 2 in position for suspension from the lowering tackle and are
retained in that position by a rope (or chain) B attached to their long arms a and

page_text: by a small tackle line C attached to a bight of said rope so as to keep it constantly
taut and act equally on both slip hooks. This tackle line C passes round sheaves
and through guide eyes and is booked onto a third slip hook or trigger D. E is
the float suspended overboard by a line e passing through a hole in the gunwale
of the boat and attached to the slip hook or trigger D, the weight of this float
being sufficient in the air but insufficient in the water to prevent the slip hook D
releasing the line C under the strain due to the weight of the suspended boat.
In practice a cork float resembling a life buoy would be employed by preference
and the float would hang a short distance below the boat so that it shall reach the
water and relieve the slip hook D of its weight before the boat is waterborne, thus
allowing the weight of the still suspended boat to act on the slip hooks A, and
cause them to become disengaged, as shown in Figure 3.
Having described the nature of our Invention for "Improvements in Apparatus
for Detaching Beats, Buoys, and other Floating Objects," and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The employment in combination with slip or disengaging hooks operating
substantially as specified, of a float or buoyant weight controlling another slip
hook or trigger to which the suspension hooks are connected, whereby they are
automatically released at the proper moment, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2nd. The combination with slip or disengaging books operating, substantially as
specified, of a float applied to act directly on the suspension hooks and control them
without the intervention of a slip hook or trigger, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof I the said Edward Jacob Hill for myself and on behalf of
the said Josiah Latimer Clark have hereunto set my hand and seal this
Eighth day of June A.D. 1882.
Witness,
C. G. CLARK,
Clerk to A. M. & W. Clark,
Patent Agents,
53, Chancery Lane.
EDWARD JACOB HILL. (L.S.)