CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS: IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANCHORS
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RODGER; of Norfolk 'Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex; Lieutenant
in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great. Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of August, in the tenth year of
His reign, give and grant unto me; the said William Rodger, His especial
licence, that I, the said William Rodger; my executors, adniinistrators, and
assigns and such others' as I, the said William Rodger, my executors, admi-
nistrators, or assigns; should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all. times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS: IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANCHORS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said. William Rodger, shall cause a' particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner 'the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said

page_text: in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Rodger, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following
description thereof (that is to say):
My said Invention of Certain Improvements in the Construction of Anchors
partly consists in improvements upon a former Patent, taken out by me on the
Thirteenth day of March, in the year One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-eight, for "Certain- Improvements on Anchors," and which said
improvements are the result of experiments made by me with a view to
determine the best and strongest forms which could be given to anchors made
upon the principle of my said Patent. Thus I have found it advisable, in
order to give additional strength to the shanks of anchors formed of combina
tions of wood and iron, to alter the form of the iron. plates of. which the
shanks are constructed, and to introduce several additional plates, as will bo
herein-after described, and to combine them together with or without the
interposition of a central piccé or core of wood, and which central piece is
only used to facilitate the operation of combining them, and not with a view
to giving an additional strength to the shank, but which also will prevent so
much water from entering. as would be the case if. the shank were left hollow.
The whole is to be bound together by means of iron bands or hoops. in place of
bolts or pins and hoops, as in my former Patent above mentioned; and like-
wise, in order to strengthen the arms or flukes, I have adopted another method
of connecting. or uniting them to. the iron. plates of which the shanks are
formed, as is also herein-after described. In; the annexed Drawing the same
letters of reference indicate the similar parts.
:
:
Fig. 1 is a side view of an anchor, formed upon my last improved construc
tion, and Fig. 2 a plan of the same,, Fig. 3 being an end view of. the crown
and flukes or arms. Fig. 4 represents the two principal iron plates. A, A, A, A,
of which the shank consists, bent so as to form parts.of. the stump arms to
which the flukes are to be joined or .connected, the method of. forming which
is represented in Figures 12 and 13, the former of which is, shewn straight,
but it is notched at B in order to afford a facility in bending or curving it, as
shewn in Fig. 13, the. large gap occasioned. by bending it being to be after-
wards filled up with one or more pieces of iron firmly welded .therein, so as to
form the knee into the shape shewn by the dotted lines at. C in Fig. 13, and
also as shewn at C, C, in Fig. 4. Fig. 14 is a plan of one of the plates. before

page_text: it is bent. The shank plates being ready for joining together, it now becomes
necessary to describe the centre piece with which they are to be united.
Fig. 15 is a side view of one of two thin iron plates, of which the said centre
piece is partly composed. Fig. 16 an edge view of the two plates combined.
Fig. 17 a view of one of two other thin iron plates, which are to be united to
the two former in the manner to be described hereafter. Fig. 18 is a section
of the four iron plates of which the centre piece of the shank is composed,
taken at the dotted line in Figs. 15 and 16, by which it will be seen that the
said centre piece is a hollow square frame, and which it may be desirable to
fill with wood for the reasons already mentioned and herein-after to be
described. The two plates D, D, D, D, Fig. 16, and D, D, in Figs. 15
and 18, have their. ends thickened, as shewn at E, E, in Fig. 16, and which.
are to be welded together. The two other iron plates, similar to the one
shewn at F, F; in Fig. 17, are then to be placed within the former one, as
shewn in the section Fig. 18, and to be welded firmly to them at their ends, as
shewn at G, G, in Fig. 16. Previously however to placing the plates F, F,
within the plates D, D, a core or central piece of wood should be introduced
between the plates D, D, to keep the plates F, F, in their proper place, and to
prevent their collapsing during the operation of welding them to the thickened
ends of the plates D, D. This wooden core or central piece, which should be made
of African oak or other durable wood, should not, however, approach so near
to the ends as to be liable to be burnt in the act of welding them. The centre
piece is now to be placed between the plates A, A, A, A, Figs. 1 and 4, as
represented by II, H, in those Figures, and to be confined therein by temporary
hoops of iron. The ends of the iron plates A, A, are then to be welded to
the centre piece H, H, and to each other at the end I, Fig. 4; and the hole J
for the shackle pin, and also another hole K. for the fore-lock key to pass
through, which secures the stock upon the shank, (as will be described here-
after), are to be punched through that end of the shank, as shewn in Fig. 19.
The crown piece shewn in Figs. 5 and 6 is then to be welded to the stump
aims C, C, Fig. 4, as well as to the end L of the centre piece H, H, and as
shewn in Fig. 1, and the scarphs M, M, Fig. 6, are to be cut to receive the
arms or flukes Figs. 10 and 11, and which are also to be scarphed to correspond
therewith. Previous however to uniting or connecting the arms or flukes with
the stump arms the crown and throat of the anchor are to be strengthened
by the application of the crown slabs N, N, Fig. 6, one of which is shewn at
N, Fig. 7, which are to be welded one on each side of the crown, over-
lapping the end L of the centre piece-H, H, and the throats or knees C, C, of

page_text: .
the stump arm's Fig. 4, and also the crown piece Fig. 5, as shewn by the
dotted lines O, O, in Fig. 1. The stump arms are then to be strengthened in
a similar manner by the thin flat pieces P, P, P, P, Figs. 6 and 7, being
upon
welded each side of them. The palms Q, Q, are united by welding to
the flukes in the usual manner, and the said flukes or arms are to be also
united or connected with the stump arms by means of the long scarphs M, M,
Fig. 6, and R,. R, Figs. 10 and 11, as shewn in Figs. 3, 6, 10, and 11,
and as has been already done in making anchors of the old.construction..
When the shank of the anchor has been thus formed and united with
the flukes or arms, the anchorsmith's work may be said to be completed.
The temporary hoops are then to be removed, and to be replaced by others,
as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2; and in order to prevent the hoops from shifting
their places in the case of the shank being strained, small pins are driven
through holes formed in the hoops and the thin side plates II, H,to
receive them, and as shewn in Fig. 1. Figs. 21 and 22 are sections of the
shank of the anchor taken at the dotted lines S, S, in Fig. 1; but in
order to shew the parts more distinctly they are represented on an enlarged
scale in Figs. 23 and 24, in which it will be seen that the edges T, T, T, T,
of the principal plates A, A, forming the shank, are chamfered, in order
that after the shank has been hooped the adjacent edges of the side
plates D, D, of the centre piece may be set up over them by hammering, so as
to render the whole as secure as possible.
i
:
Another of my said improvements in the construction of anchors consists-in
a new method of affixing the stock upon the shank of the anchor, and which
I effect in the following manner: -In Fig. 2 the stock U; U, is shewn in
plan as being affixed to the anchor. Fig. 25 is a top view of the stock, ready
for affixing upon the shank of an anchor, and which stock may be made either
of one or two pieces of timber, as may be most convenient. It is however to
be observed that the stock is to be completed before affixing it upon the shank
and which said affixing is done in the following manner:-After. the stock is
shaped a hole V, shewn in Fig: 25, is to be made through the centre of it to
fit that part of the shank upon which it is to be affixed. Two stock plates
one of which is shewn by a top view of it in Fig. 26, and edgeways in Fig. 27
are then to be placed one on each side of the stock, and let in nearly flush
therewith, and secured by means of countersunk headed nails and two bands
or hoops W, W, as shewn in Fig. 25. Middle and end; hoops are also to be
fitted upon the stock as usual. In place of the nuts formed upon the shank
of an anchor in order to secure the stock in its place, I use a hoop X, Figs

page_text: 1, 2, 19, 20, and 28, which is so situated upon the shank as to prevent the stock
from going nearer to the crown of the anchor than it. ought to do;. and upon
this hoop the stock rests, and is prevented from sliding towards the shackle
of the anchor by means of the forelock key Y, Figs. 2, 20, and 29, which is
passed through a hole K made in the shank for that purpose, and as before
described, and as shewn in Figs. 1 and 19. Previous, however, to putting in
the forelock key, the oval ring or collar Z, shewn in Fig. 29, is to be placed on
the shank, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. As fitting the stock to the shank of
an anchor by this method prevents the use of the ring, as in the ordinary
manner, I in all cases substitute a shackle for the ring, and which is all that
is required for a chain cable; but when an hempen cable is to be used I
connect a ring a to the usual shackle by means of a joining shackle, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 2. This however I do not mention as a new Invention, having
already employed it with an anchor of a different construction, and for which
I obtained a Patent in the month of December, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and nineteen. Fig. 30 is a side view, and Fig. 31 a plan
of a shank of a common anchor, adapted to be stocked in the manner
above described, by substituting a collar or shoulder 6 in the place of tho
ordinary nuts.
I do not mean or intend hereby to claim as my Invention any of the
various parts herein shewn and described which have already been included
in my former Patents, or which may be known or in use, nor do I claim the
manner of strengthening the crown of the anchor by means of the crown
picce Fig. 5, or the manner of connecting the arms or flukes as shewn in
Figs. 3, 6, 10, and 11, such having already been practised. But I do hereby
claim the peculiar method of forming and combining the different parts of
which the shank of this anchor consists, as herein-before described, which by
combining the said shank with the other parts, in the manner also herein
described, produces an improved anchor on this new construction. I also
claim the method of fitting the stock upon the shank of the anchor in the
manner herein described and shewn, which admits of its being put on or taken
off without removing the hoops, in order to separate it into two parts as usual,
and consequently without the assistance of a carpenter.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rodger, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty.
W RODGER. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1830, the aforesaid William Rodger came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification:
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form.
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made.for that purpose.
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One ..
thousand eight hundred and thirty.