Improvements in or appertaining to the Protection of Hatchways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to the Protection of Hatchways.
A communication from abroad by JOSEPH AMOS HARRISON, of 25, Whitford Road,
Higher Tranmere, in the County of Chester, but at present on the high seas,
Master Mariner.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a method of protecting the hatchways, so that even
if the wedges get loose the tarpaulins are still held perfectly fast. By this invention
the cleats are formed with a sloping bottom preferably at an angle of about thirty
degrees with the vertical, the battens are slipped into these cleats in the usual manner
and the ordinary wedges are applied. In addition to this protection, however, the
batten is provided with lugs or eyes rivetted or attached to it and a hook bolt passing
up through the eye of the hatch catches into the eye or lug of the hatten. The latter
eye preferably stands out further than the eye on the hatch. When therefore the
hook bolt is screwed down it has a tendency to draw the batten against the tarpaulin
and combing, and further as it is screwed up it compresses the batten down into the
wedge-shaped space formed by the sloping bottom of the cleat and the combing side.
This further forces the batten hard up against the tarpaulin and combing. It will be
obvious that instead of a hook bolt a bolt with an ordinary head can be used and an
eye instead of a hollow bracket or hooked lug can be fixed on the batten; and also
that other details can be used to fulfil the main idea of this invention which consists in
a tightening apparatus so arranged as to force the batten firmly down against the
tarpaulin and the combing and thus supplement the action of the wedges; or be the
main fastener, the wedges being supplementary to it.
Dated this 30th day of December 1889
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to the Protection of Hatchways.
A communication from abroad by JOSEPH AMOS HARRISON, of 25, Whitford Road,
Higher Tranmere, in the County of Chester, but at present on the high seas,
Master Mariner.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street Liverpool, & 6, Bank Street Manchester both in
the County of Lancaster & 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature.of this 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 has for its object a method of protecting hatchways, so that even if
the wedges get loose the tarpaulins are still held perfectly fast.
With ordinary hatchways, it frequently happens that in heavy weather, when much
water is shipped, the successive impacts of masses of water against the hatch coamings
result in gradually washing up the hatch bar and loosening the tarpaulin. At such
times, it is almost impossible to tighten the wedges. Ultimately, therefore, the hatches
Union (1

page_text: get washed off, the waves dash in, and the vessel, in many instances, founders. In
order to prevent any chance of such a catastrophe, this invention has been designed.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 shows an application of the invention to ordinary hatches.
-
Figure 2, the same applied to hatches where the apparatus cannot be screwed down
from below.
Referring to these
:-
A A are cleats, B B are wedges, CC the battens, and D the tarpaulin covering
the hatchway.
The battens are slipped into these cleats in the usual manner, and the wedges
applied. In addition to these cleats, however, there is the following arrangement :-
E, an eye-bolt or hook bolt hooking on to, or eyed into a bracket F, either
on the hatch coaming, as in Figure 2, or on the batten, as in Figure 1, and with
its screwed end passing through a bracket on the batten as in Figure 2, or on the
coaming, as in Figure 1. By means of the nut F', this bolt can be screwed up tight
and the batten thus forced down tight between the cleat and the hatch coaming.
After this has been done, the wedges are tightened up. It will be seen that the effect
of screwing up the nut and the tightening of the wedges is to draw or force the
batten against the tarpaulin and coaming and to hold the batten down firmly, so as to
prevent it and the tarpaulin being displaced by successive impacts of masses of water.
To remove the tarpaulin, the nuts are unscrewed and the hook bolt E (Figure 1)
raised, and rotated half a turn, so that the book clears the bracket F. and permits the
hook bolt to fall clear of the batten.
It will be obvious that instead of an eye or a hooked head, any ordinary head can
be used for the bolt E, also that the bracket can be made of any desired shape.
Further, that in place of a nut, a cotter can, if desired, be used and, in any case, a
cotter or lock nut can be added, if desired, above the nut.
If desired, the cleats A can be formed with sloping sides near their bottoms, pre-
ferably at an angle of 10 to 30 degrees with the vertical. The battens C are in
that case also formed with a slight beveling near the bottom, to correspond with the
aforesaid slope of the sides of the cleats. When these battens are placed in the wedge
shaped spaces formed by the sloping sides of the cleats and the hatch coaming, their
sloping edges lie against the corresponding sloping portions of the cleats, and on
screwing up the nuts on the eye or hook bolts E, the batten is forced up hard against
the tarpaulin independently of the action of the wedges.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The apparatus for the protection of hatches, which consists (in addition to the
wedges which may or may not be applied) of the holding down bolts E and their
attachments firmly forcing down and holding the batten in position and preventing it
being washed out by the waves or otherwise, substantially as described.
2. In combination with a holding down mechanism such as that set forth in claim 1,
the arrangement of the battens and cleats in such manner that the forcing down of
the batten shall also force it against the tarpaulin and coaming, substantially in the
manner described.
Dated this 11th day of September 1890.
WM. P..THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.