IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COVERING RENTS OR HOLES IN VESSELS AT SEA
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Alexander Laws at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th October 1875.
I, GEORGE ALEXANDER LAWS, of Tynemouth, in the County of
Northumberland, Shipowner and Manager, formerly a Captain in the
Mercantile Marine, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR COVERING RENTS OR HOLES IN VESSELS
AT SEA," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction and application of water
sails for the purpose of covering large rents or holes in the sides of
vessels at sea caused by collisions, cannon shot, or otherwise.
My improved means or apparatus consist,—
First. Of a strong sail which may be of any size or shape required,
but I prefer to make it of two or more parts or thicknesses of strongest
American cotton, sail cloth, or No. 1 flax canvas, one side of which may
be thrummed with Manilla yarn, worsted, or woollen yarn, or otherwise,
the whole sail being strongly roped round and across where required,
and fitted with the necessary cringles and other devices for attaching
ropes and other gear; this sail may be used with or without a yard, as
herein-after described.

page_text: Secondly. Of a hollow roller or tube of copper or other metal, about
one foot in diameter, more or less, and of a length according to the size
of the sail; this roller or tube is provided with water-tight plugs at the
ends, having lanyards attached thereto, so that the roller may float when
its ends are closed and sink when the plugs are withdrawn, as may be
required. The roller is attached to the foot of the water sail, which
with the thrummed side out is tightly rolled round it up to the head of
the sail or to the yard to which it is attached by parbuckle lines; these
parbuckle lines are so rove and arranged as to control the lowering or
unrolling of the sail, the foot lines of which may be coiled round the
ends of the roller so as to govern or assist the unrolling of the sail if
required. The sail thus prepared is ready for use and can be lowered
into the water and floated to that part of the vessel's side which is
exactly above the rent or hole to be covered. The yard or head of the
sail is then made fast in the ordinary way with head ropes, bow ropes,
and stern ropes. The plugs are then pulled out and the parbuckle lines
slacked away, when the roller will fill with water and sink the sail
which will gradually unroll and cover the portion of the vessel's side
through which the rent has been made; at the same time the foot lines
which have previously been passed under the bottom of the vessel must
be hauled on and made fast, thus keeping the sail in its place, and it
should be further secured by ropes from forward and aft, made fast to
the sides of the sail by nettles of smaller ropes.
The Invention further consists in a method of strengthening the back
of the sail, so that it may be used when the rent or hole is of large area
and when the sail without such strengthening would be forced through
the rent and rendered useless. For this purpose I apply at the back of
the sail copper or other metal tubes of 2 or 3 inches diameter, more or
less, which are provided with plugs and extend across the sail to about a
foot or 18 inches from the edges, and parallel to each other at intervals
of a foot or otherwise, according to the strength required. This sail is
rolled up and used in the manner herein-bofore described, except that
the large hollow roller is unnecessary.