IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS For ATTACHING TO, SUSPENDING, AND DISENGAGING OR DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS OR SIMILAR BODIES FROM THE LOWERING TACKLE
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Gardner Colton, of W..P. Thompson and Co.'s
Patent Agency, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS For
ATTACHING TO, SUSPENDING, AND DISENGAGING OR DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS
OR SIMILAR BODIES FROM THE LOWERING TACKLE." A communication from
abroad by Henry Ashford, of the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsyl-
vania, United States of America.
Sealed the 10th April 1879, and dated the 15th October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Gardner Colton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th October 1878.
EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of W. P. Thompson and Co.'s Patent Agency, 6,
Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING TO, SUSPENDING, AND DISENGAGING
OR DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS OR SIMILAR BODIES FROM THE LOWERING TACKLE."
(A communication from abroad by Henry Ashford, of the City of Philadelphia,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to the construction of inechanism for instantly and posi-
tively releasing a boat simultaneously at both ends from the tackle blocks suspended
from the davits, or other means of suspension of the boat; also for retaining the
disengaging books in position, and causing their subsequent automatic engagement
with the tackle blocks or other means of suspension of the boat.
At each end of the boat, preferably to the bottom or keel, is attached an upright
standard. To the upper end of each standard there is pivoted a vertically-extending
elbow lever, the lower end of which is weighted, a latch, and a disengaging
hook.
The lever is below, the hook is above, and the latch occupies a position at
one side adjacent to a point between the said lever and hook. There is a cam head
projecting from the hook towards the axis of the latch, and engaging with the
latter at a curved surface thereon, so as to hold said latch.

page_text: An arm extends from the elbow lever below its axis towards and engaging with
a foot at the lower end of the latch, the said arm and foot projecting in opposite
directions.
At or near the centre of the inner face of the latch there is an arm which projects
therefrom so as to enter between the cam head before mentioned and the arm on
the elbow lever. The upper end of the said lever engages with the heel of the
hook, the arm on the lever with the foot on the latch, and the cam head with the
upper portion or curved surface of the latch, and owing to the disposition of the
axes of the lever, hook, and latch, the upward strain of the hook is communicated
to the upper end of the elbow lever, so that said end is prevented from outward
movement. This causes the arm on the lever to hold the foot on the latch, which
in return causes the head of the latch to engage with the nose of the hook, whereby
the latter will be firmly locked. The boat will be suspended from the ship's davits
or elsewhere by means of tackle blocks or ropes attached to the aforesaid hooks,
which, as has been stated, are firmly secured or locked; consequently the boat may
be lowered with safety.
33
To the upper end of the lever there is connected a chain or cord, which is
attached to another elbow lever pivoted to the lower end of the standard before
mentioned. To the lower limb of said lever there is pivoted a rod extending hori-
zontally and pivoted to the lower end of a lever, forming one end of a "lazy-tongs
arrangement, whose axis is on a standard fixed between the ends of the boat, pre-
ferably in the centre. The end of the other "lazy-tongs" lever is jointed to a
similar rod connected to the lower elbow lever of the other operating apparatus at
the other end of the boat. The upper end or axis of the "lazy tongs" is attached
to an operating handle or lever pivoted on the intermediate standard.
When the boat is lowered and reaches the water the officer or other person in
charge slightly raises the lever working the "lazy tongs." This operates them so as
to quickly draw in the horizontal rods working the lower elbow levers and chains
which move the upper end of the large elbow levers, causing them to face outward
or from the heels of the hooks.
This raises the arms on the upper elbow levers and causes them to leave the feet
on the latches and press against the upper arms of the latch, the cam heads being
free from holding contact with the latches whereby the heads of the latches are
moved from the noses of the hooks, which being no longer controlled immediately
turn on their axes and present their noses upward, the tackle or rope being thereby
quickly disengaged from the hooks, setting the boat free. As the upper elbow
levers promptly return to their normal position, the hooks restrained by shoulders
on them which engage with the said levers remain open, and are supported on said
levers, the cam heads assuming somewhat horizontal positions. When the tackle or
ropes are again to be attached to the boat the rings or hooks of said tackle or ropes
are placed on the cam heads of the hooks, the superimposed weight thereon causing
the hooks to return or swing downward. Cam surfaces on the hooks, near the
heels thereof, now ride on the upper inner corners of the upper elbow levers so that
the latter are forced outward. When the said levers have cleared the aforesaid cam
surfaces the cam leads bear against the upper arins on the latch, the levers again
engage with the heels of the hooks, and the arms on the levers with the feet on the
latches, whereby the hooks are again secured or locked, and the boat may be
raised.
This apparatus also can he used for life-raft and similar bodies.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Gardner Colton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1879.
EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of W. P. Thompson and Co.'s Patent Agency,
6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING TO, SUSPENDING, AND DIS-
ENGAGING OR DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS OR SIMILAR BODIES FROM THE LOWER-
ING TACKLE. (A communication from abroad from Henry Ashford, of the City of
Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention consists of mechanism for instantly and positively releasing a
boat simultaneously at both ends from the tackle blocks suspended from the davits,
or other means of suspension of the boat; also for retaining the disengaging hooks.
in position and causing their subsequent automatic engagement with the tackle
blocks or other means of suspension of the boat. Drawings illustrative of my.
Invention accompany this Specification. The Figures are side elevations of the.
apparatus embodying my Invention as communicated to me, certain face plates
being removed to shew the operative parts. Referring thereto, A represents
standards which are secured at opposite ends to the bottom of the boat or its keel,
and B represents an upright or support, likewise secured to the bottom or keel of
the boat, but intermediate of the standards A. When applied to a life-raft or.
similar body the apparatus is similarly arranged.
To the upper end of each standard A there is pivoted a vertically-extending
elbow lever C, the lower end of which is weighted, a latch D, and a disengaging
hook E. The lever C is below, the hook E is above, and the latch D occupies a
position at one side, adjacent to a point between the said lever and hook.
Frepresents a cam head projecting from the hook E, towards the axis of the
latch D, and engaging with the latter at the curved surface a, so as to hold said
latch. G represents an arm extending from the lever C, below its axis, towards and
engaging with a foot H at the lower end of the latch D, the said arm G and foot H
projecting in opposite directions.
At or near the centre of the inner face of the latch D there is an arm J, which
projects therefrom so as to enter between the cam head F and the arm G.
It will be noticed in Fig. 1 that the upper end of the lever C engages with the
heel of the hook E, the arm G with the foot H, and the head F with the latch D,
and owing to the disposition of the axes of the lever, hook, and latch the upward
strain of the hook E is communicated to the upper end of the lever C, so that said
end is prevented from outward movement.
This causes the arm G to hold the foot H, which in return causes the head of the
latch D to engage with the nose of the hook E, whereby the latter will be firmly
locked.
The boat will be suspended from the ship's davits or elsewhere by means of the
tackle blocks or ropes attached to the hooks E, which as has been stated, are firmly
secured or locked, consequently the boat may be lowered with safety.
To the upper end of the lever C there is connected a chain or cord d, which is
attached to an elbow lever K pivoted to the lower end of the standard A. To the
lower limb of said lever there is pivoted a rod L, extending horizontally and
pivoted to the lower end of a lever e, of a system of levers M whose axis is on the
uprights or supports B, the upper end of said levers being attached to an operating
lever or handle N.
All these parts excepting the levers M and lever or handle N are duplicated, so
that there is a standard with its connected mechanism at each end of the boat.
It will be seen that when the boat reaches the water the officer or other person
in charge slightly raises the lever N. This operates the levers M so as to quickly
draw in the rods L and swing to the elbow levers K and chains d; the upper end
of the levers C are faced outward or from the heels of the hooks E, see Fig. 2.

page_text: This raises the arms G and causes them to leave the feet H and press against the
arms J, the heads F being free from holding contact with the latch D, whereby the
heads of the latch D are moved from the noses of the hooks E, which being no
longer controlled immediately turn on their axes and present their noses upward
(see Fig. 3), the tackle or rope being thereby quickly disengaged from the hooks
setting the boat free.
As the levers C promptly return to their normal positions the hooks restrained
by shoulders which engage with the levers remain open, and are supported on
said levers, the heads F assuming somewhat horizontal positions.
When the tackle or ropes are again to be attached to the boat the rings or hooks
of said tackle or ropes are placed on the heads F, the superimposed weight thereon
causing the hooks to return or swing downward. The cam surfaces f on the hooks,
near the heels thereof, now ride on the upper inner corners of the levers C, so that
the latter are forced outward.
When the levers C have cleared the cam faces f, the heads F bear against the
arms J, the levers again engage with the heels of the hooks, and the arms G with
the feet H, whereby the hooks are again secured or locked and the boat raised.
Having thus described my Invention as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,
1. The hooks E, with cam heads F, and locking lever C with arms G in combina-
tion with the latches D, whereby the latches are doubly held by the heads F and
arms G, substantially as described.
2. The hooks E with heads F, the latches D with arms J. and feet H, and the
lever with arms G, combined and operating substantially as described.
3. The hooks E, with shoulders e and cam faces fin combination with the levers C,
substantially at described.
4. The cross levers M and lever N, in combination with the rod L and elbow
levers K, connections d, levers C, and hooks E, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Gardner Colton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord 1879.
E. GARDNER COLTON. (L.S.)