IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS AND CAPSTAN WINDLASSES CHAIN CONTROLLERS AND STOPPERS, AND IN CHAIN SHACKLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Horatio Harfield, of No. 2, Royal
Exchange Buildings, in the City of London, Engineer for the
Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS AND CAPSTAN WINDLASSES
CHAIN CONTROLLERS AND STOPPERS, AND IN CHAIN SHACKLES."
Sealed the 24th August 1869, and dated the 13th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Horatio
Harfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th March 1869.
I, VILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of No. 2, Royal Exchange
Buildings, in the City of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS AND CAPSTAN
WINDLASSES, CHAIN CONTROLLERS AND STOPPERS, AND IN CHAIN SHACKLES," to
be as follows:-
In order to work a windlass by means of a capstan through toothed
gearing where the cable is taken to the under side of the windlass I
propose to employ skew bevil gearing (in place of the ordinary bevil
[Price 8d.]

page_text: gearing as heretofore used when the chain has been taken to the top of the
windlass) so as to enable the vertical shaft to pass the horizontal
shaft.
In this arrangement the chain is first taken to the under side of the
cable holder, then over the top and round the standard, and the cable
holders have disc brakes, as described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me. In between the two cable holders I key to the
shaft two ratchet or pawl wheels, and the inner side of one of these ratchet
wheels is formed with skew bevil teeth. This wheel gears into and is
actuated by a pinion which is keyed to the vertical or capstan spindle.
This spindle is supported at its lower end by step, and passing through
the pinion is further supported by a bearing formed by a projecting boss
of the standard, which also forms a bearing for the windlass spindle.
The capstan spindle has simply a head keyed to it for single decked
ships, or when it is required to work the windlass from an upper deck
the spindle is continued to the upper deck where a capstan head and
hody are attached to same.
a
Hitherto also it has been customary with all capstan windlasses to
have the pawls arranged with their spindles or bolts in a fixed position
that is to say, either attached to what is commonly known as a pawl bitt
or counterbalanced pawls attached to a fixed deck plate.
In place
thereof I now propose to arrange the pawls for preventing the windlass
revolving backward in carriers with connecting links similar to those
commonly used with the heaving purchase of what are known as lever
windlasses.
Where the windlass is placed under a deck the connecting rods of the
pawl carriers are taken up through the upper deck and connected to a
lever, which latter when made with holes for manual levers gives the
further advantage besides pawling the windlass, when it is rotated by a
capstan, of enabling the windlass to be actuated by levers should any
accident occur to the capstan purchase.
The novelty of this part of my Invention consists in the use of skew
bevil
gear for driving a windlass by means of a capstan; and, secondly,
in constructing the pawling arrangement so that the windlass can be
actuated by it either with or without the assistance of the capstan.
The second part of my improvements consists in adding to an ordinary
capstan windlass driven by bevilled toothed gearing two nipping lever

page_text: pawls, the backward revolutions of the windlass being prevented by the
nipping lever pawls when the long arm of same rests either upon a
block (moveable or fixed to the deck), or when they are carried by
connecting links as described in the first part of these improvements.
By thus using nipping lever pawls in capstan windlasses a constant
pawling action is obtained without the "backlash" common to ratchet
teeth, and what I claim is, the use of such nipping lever pawls for
capstan windlasses either simply for the purpose of pawling the windlass,
or for actuating a capstan windlass when connected to a cross lever to
be worked by manual power. I also claim the use of nipping lever
pawls in capstans generally for the purpose of preventing the backward,
action of same.
Another part of my Invention consists of an improved chain controller
and stopper. This controller is placed over and forms a continuation of the
deck pipe from chain lockers. The mouth of the controller is rounded with
a bold sweep so as to offer little resistance to the paying out of the cable.
On the foreside of hole a little below the point from which the rounding
(or "bell mouthing ") of the pipe commences the metal is "set back," form-
ing an overhanging shoulder in the pipe, but it is important to observe
that this enlargement of the pipe offers but very slight if any impediment
to the chain running out. Recesses are formed on each side and after
end of the pipe of the controller which form the guides for a sliding
block, the lower surface of which is in the same plane as the shoulder
in the pipe of the controller. The after end of this block is jointed to a
lever which is continued upward to a convenient length for a man to
work. There are pins or axes projecting from the sides of the lever a short
distance from the jointed end, and these pins are received in slotways or
recesses on each side of the lever, which recesses are at right angles to the
plane in which the sliding block travels, so that when the lever is turned
on these pins or axes which form the fulcrum on which the lever vibrates
the pins or axes slide up and down in the slotways. The action is a s
follows: When the sliding block is out of action it is contained in a recess
formed for it in the after part of the controller, leaving the whole aperture
of the deck pipe, open for the free passage of the cable. When it is
required to check the running out of the cable the hand lever is pulled
down, and as the lower end of lever can only move backward and
forward with the sliding block the pins which form the fulcrum of
ever move down in their recesses in the same time as the sliding block

page_text: is thrust forward, and the aperture for the passage of the cable is then
contracted. The effect of the block pressing against the running cable
is to check its egress, and when it is required to stop the cable the
hand lever is pressed down to the deck till the sliding block is moved
as far forward as it will go, the fulcrum pins having moved down their
recesses till the lever is in the same "dead line" as the sliding block.
In this position it will be found that one of the cable links is held
flatwise against the fore side of the pipe by the sliding block (the
thickness of which will just allow it to enter between the shoulders of
the links above and below), the lower link being securely held on the one
side against the under side of the block, and on the other against the
shoulder in the pipe, so that for the last part of the forward movement
of the sliding block when the block is being pressed against the
chain the lever is acting with great force upon the block. The
novelty of this part of the Invention consists in the arrangement
of sliding block and lever with moving fulcrum as above described;
also having the sliding block of such a thickness that it will enter
between the shoulder of two links and thus permit a cable to be
checked in its egress by pressure and afterwards to hold the cable firmly
by locking it.
In constructing shackles for jointing together two lengths of chain,
I form the two parts of the shackle so that they may be connected
together with hook scarfed joints. The shackle is made like one of
the links of the chains to be joined together divided at its two
sides with a scarf joint so that the side limbs of one portion of the
shackle shall overlap the side limbs of the other portion, and each of the
scarfed ends of the limbs has a hooked projection upon it. The two
parts of the shackle are put together with the hooked ends of the two
parts towards one another, and a key is driven between these hooked ends
to force them apart, and at the same time to force the extremities of
the side limbs of one portion of the shackle into corresponding undercut
grooves in the side limbs of the other portion. The side limbs of the two
parts of the shackle are then firmly connected together. A filling block
is placed in the centre of the shackle to keep the sides apart, and through
this filling block a pin is passed which also passes through the key and
keeps it securely in place.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Horatio Harfield in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HORATIO HARFIELD, of No. 2, Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City
of London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Horatio Harfield, Her
special license that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Horatio
Harfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN CAPSTANS AND CAPSTAN WINDLASSES, CHAINS, CONTROLLERS
AND STOPPERS, AND IN CHAIN SHACKLES," upou the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Horatio Harfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
In order to work a windlass by means of a capstan through toothed
gearing where the cable is taken to the under side of the windlass, I
propose to employ skew bevil gearing (in place of the ordinary bevil
gearing as heretofore used when the chain has been taken to the top of
the windlass) so as to enable the vertical shaft to pass the horizontal
shaft.

page_text: In this arrangement the chain is first taken to the under side of the
cable holder, then over the top, and round the standard, and the cable
holders have disc brakes, as described in the Specification of a former
Patent granted to me. In between the two cable holders I key to the
shaft two ratchet or pawl wheels, and the inner side of one of these
ratchet wheels is formed with skew bevil teeth. This wheel gears into
and is actuated by a pinion which is keyed to the vertical or capstan
spindle. This spindle is supported at its lower end by a step, and
passing through the pinion is further supported by a bearing formed by
a projecting boss of the standard, which also forms a bearing for the
windlass spindle, The capstan spindle has simply a head keyed to it for
single-decked ships, or when it is required to work the windlass from an
upper deck the spindle is continued to the upper deck, where a capstan
head and body are attached to same.
Hitherto also it has been customary with all capstan windlasses to have
the pawls arranged with their spindles or bolts in a fixed position, that
is to say, either attached to what is commonly known as a pawl bitt or
counterbalanced pawls attached to a fixed deck plate. In place thereof
I now propose to arrange the pawls for preventing the windlass
revolving backward in carriers with connecting links similar to those
commonly used with the heaving purchase of what are known as lever
windlasses.
Where the windlass is placed under a deck the connecting rods of the
pawl carriers are taken up through the upper deck, and connected to a
lever, which latter, when made with holes for manual levers, gives the
further advantage, besides pawling the windlass when it is rotated by a
capstan, of enabling the windlass to be actuated by levers should any
accident occur to the capstan purchase.
Figure 1 is a front view of a combined capstan and windlass con-
structed according to this part of my Invention; Figure 2 is a side view
of the same with a portion of the windlass removed; Figure 3 is a plan
of the windlass.
a, a, a, are the windlass standards firmly bolted to the deck beams, of
the vessel; they carry in suitable bearings the windlass axis b, upon
which the ratchet or pawl wheels c, c, are keyed. These wheels have on
their inner sides skew bevilled teeth c¹, c', gearing, with a corresponding
pinion d upon the vertical capstan spindle d, which is supported at its
lower end by a step or end bearing fixed in the deck on which the wind"

page_text: lass is fixed. It has also an intermediate bearing on the centre standard
of the windlass, and an upper bearing on the deck above. e is a capstan
of ordinary construction fixed upon the spindle d; when it is rotated it
actuates the ratchet wheels c¹ with which the chain holders f, f, or either
of them can be made fast. These rings are mounted loosely upon the
windlass axis b, and are when required clutched to the ratchet wheels c¹
by means of disc brakes, such as are described in the Specification,
No. 442, in the year 1867, and which are brought into operation by
turning the hand wheels g, g. The chain cables, as before mentioned,
are led to the windlass on the under sides of the chain holders f, by
which the strain on the standards is rendered less severe than it would
be were the cables led on over the axis of the windlass. After passing
half around the chain holder the cable is led away and around the end
standard of the windlass to the deck pipe or passage by which it passes
into the chain locker. h, h, are moveable pawl bitts or carriers similar
to these employed in lever windlasses for heaving, but here their main
object is to prevent the windlass from turning in a reverse direction;
they have lips on either side embracing the toothed flange of the ratchet
wheel with which they are thus held in contact, and the pawls h³, h',
which they carry work into the ratchet teeth. i, i, are rods by which
the pawl carriers are suspended from the lever k turning at on a
standard fixed on the upper deck. The lever k has sockets formed in it
to receive manual levers, by which the windlass may be worked either
with the capstan or independently of it.
Another part of my improvements consists in adding to an ordinary
capstan windlass driven by bevil toothed gearing two nipping lever
pawls, the backward revolutions of the windlass being prevented by the
nipping lever pawls when the long arm of same rests either upon a block
(moveable or fixed to the deck), or when they are carried by connecting
links, as described in the first part of these improvements. By thus
using nipping lever pawls in capstan windlasses a constant pawling
action is obtained without the "backlash common to ratchet
teeth.
Figure 4 is a front view, and Figure 5 a plan of a capstan windlass
thus constructed; Figure 6 is an end view of same with a portion of
the windlass removed.
a, a, are the standards carrying the windlass axis b, upon which are keyed
the flanged wheels c, c, for the nipping lever pawls to operate upon; c² are

page_text: bevilled teeth on the sides of these rings, with which gear the pinion d'
upon the vertical capstan axis d carried in a bearing in the central
standard of the windlass, and having a capstan head upon it; f, f, are
chain rings or holders, capable of being made fast with the flanged
wheels c by means of friction breaks, as in the former case; h are the
pawl levers; they turn on centres hx in the holders h¹; these holders
have lips embracing the flanges of wheels c, as in windlasses in which
nipping lever pawls are used as the heaving purchase. The outer ends
of the levers h are in the Drawing represented as suspended by rods i, i
so that when the windlass tends to revolve in the reverse direction the
holders being carried down a short distance by it the noses or inner
ends of the levers become jammed against the flanged wheels c, and so
the windlass is firmly held. In place of suspending the levers h by
means of rods i their ends may rest on a movable or fixed block. When
links are used they are connected with a rocking lever k made with
sockets to receive manual levers, by rocking which the pawl levers are
made to operate as a heaving purchase in aid of or independently of the
capstan.
t
Another part of my Invention consists in combining nipping lever
pawls with capstans for the purpose of preventing the backward action
of the same. I make the lower flange of capstans of a T section at the
edge, and I place horizontally one or more ripping lever pawls somewhat
similar to those used in windlasses but made with a double nose, and so
arranged by means of either a spring or counterbalance weight that
either nose of pawl may be thrown in gear according to the direction in
which it is required to pawl the capstan, or when the capstan is required
to revolve freely the pawl may be placed so as to have no pawling action
on the capstan.
.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, and Figure 8 a plan of a capstan provided
with a nipping lever pawl. a is the capstan barrel with a flange ring a¹
of form in section; b is the lover pawl carrier made in two parts
bolted together with bolts b', and with flanges on their inner edges which
embrace the flanged ring of the capstan; c is the pawl lever pinjointed
to the carrier at.c¹, and also connected by a stud or pin on which it is
able to turn with a plate & bolted to the platform on which the capstan
is mounted; * is a spring arm fixed to the carrier b at one end, and at
the other end it is provided with a handle and a locking bolt 62. There
are three holes in the pawl lever at c², c², into either of which the bolt 2

page_text: can be inserted. In Figure 8 the bolt is shewn in the centre hole, and
when so placed it holds the lever c square with the carrier and with both
the noses at its inner end out of contact with the capstan flange; the
capstan is then free to turn either way, its flange being out of contact
with both the pawl lever and the carrier. In Figures 9 and 10 the
bolt 62 is shewn in the side holes, and the lever c is then thrown into an
inclined position in relation to the carrier b. One or other of the noses
of the pawl lever c is thus caused to bear on the capstan flange, and then
the capstan in commencing to revolve in either direction takes the
carrier and pawl lever c with it for a minute distance until either the
capstan flange is freed from the pressure of the nose of the pawl lever,
and then the capstan continues to revolve without impediment from the
pawling apparatus, or if the capstan commences to revolve in the other
direction then the nose of the pawl lever at once becomes so firmly
pressed against the capstan flange as to check the motion of the
capstan.
out.
Another part of my Invention consists of an improved chain con-
troller and stopper. This controller is placed over and forms a con-
tinuation of the deck pipe from the chain lockers. The mouth of the
controller is rounded with a bold sweep so as to offer little resistance to
the paying out of the cable. On the fore side of the hole a little
below the point from which the rounding (or "bell mouthing ") of the
pipe commences the metal is "set back," forming an overhanging
shoulder in the pipe, but it is important to observe that this enlargement
of the pipe offers but very slight if any impediment to the chain running
Recesses are formed on each side and at the after end of the pipe
of the controller which form the guides for a sliding block, the lower
surface of which is in the same plane as the shoulder in the pipe of the
controller. The after end of this block is connected with a lever which
is continued upward to a convenient length for a man to work; there are
pins or axes projecting from the sides of the lever a short distance from
the jointed eud, and these pins are received in slotways or recesses on each
side of the lever, which recesses are at right angles to the plane in which
the sliding block travels, so that when the lever is turned on these pins
or axes which form the fulcrum on which the lever vibrates the pins or
axes slide up and down in the slotways. The action is as follows:-
When the sliding block is out of action it is contained in a recess formed
for it in the after part of the controller, leaving the whole aperture of the
deck pipe open for the free passage of the cable. When it is required

page_text: to check the running out of the cable the hand lever is pulled down, and
as the lower end of lever can only move backward and forward with
the sliding block the pins which form the fulcrum of lever move down
in their recesses in the same time as the sliding block is thrust forward,
and the aperture for the passage of the cable is then contracted. The
effect of the block pressing against the running cable is to check its egress,
and when it is required to stop the cable the hand. lever is pressed down
to the deck till the sliding block is moved as far forward as it will go,
the fulcrum pins having moved down their recesses till the lever is in the
same dead line" as the sliding block; in this position it will be
found that one of the cable links is held flatwise against the fore side of
the pipe by the sliding block (the thickness of which will just allow it
to enter between the shoulders of the links above and below), the lower
link being securely held on the one side against the under side of the
block and on the other against the shoulder in the pipe, so that for the
last part of the forward movement of the sliding block, when the block
is being pressed against the chain, the lever is acting with great force
upon the block.
Figures 11 and 12 are longitudinal sections, Figure 13 a horizontal
section, Figure 14 a vertical transverse section, Figure 15 a plan, and
Figure 16 a back view of a chain cable controller constructed according
to my Invention.
a, a, is a casting fixed by bolts passing through the bolt holes a¹, a¹,
to the deck, and it forms the mouth of the deck tube by which the
cable passes down into the locker. The passage for the chain through
this casting is bell-mouthed, as is shown, so that the chain may pass
freely through it. At a an overhanging shoulder is formed which,
however, by itself will offer little or no impediment to the chain running
out. c is a sliding block capable of being moved to and fro horizontally
in a guide passage formed in the casting a, as the Drawing shews.
Figure 11 represents this block in its most forward position, in which
position it locks the chain, the chain is thus held when the ship is
riding at her anchor. Figure 12 represents the block drawn back to the
full extent, and in this position it offers no impediment to the chain
running out. In an intermediate position it will press on the links of
the chain as they pass and check the chain, but without stopping it. dis a
lever by which the block c is actuated; its lower end enters a slot in the
bolt and is there jointed to it. At its outer end it has a socket in it to

page_text: receive the lengthening piece shown at Figure 17.
Midway of its length
the lever d turns on a pin d¹, which serves as a fulcrum to the lever ;
this pin is carried by blocks d², d, and these blocks are able to move up
and down in a vertical guide passage formed for them in the casting a
so that whilst the lever rocks on the pin d' its inner end may travel in
a horizontal line with the block c. e, e, are moveable covers to exclude
water.
In constructing shackles for jointing together two lengths of chains I
form the two parts of the shackle so that they may be connected together
with hook-scarfed joints. The shackle is made like one of the links
of the chains to be joined together, divided at its two sides with a scarf
joint so that the side limbs of one portion of the shackle shall overlap
the side limbs of the other portion, and each of the scarfed ends of
the limbs has a hooked projection upon it. The two parts of the
shackle are put together with the hooked ends of the two parts
towards one another, and a key is driven between these hooked ends to
force them apart, and at the same time to force the extremities of the
side limbs of one portion of the shackle into corresponding undercut
grooves in the side limbs of the other portion. The side limbs of the two
parts of the shackle are then firmly connected together. A filling block
is placed in the centre of the shackle to keep the sides apart, and through
this filling block a pin is passed, which also passes through the key and
keeps it securely in place.
Figure 18 is a plan, and Figure 19 is a side view of a joining shackle
thus constructed.
a, a, are the two parts of the shackle link fitting together with the
block or stay b between them; c is a key passing between the parts of
the link and through the block or stay b, so as to hold all the parts
together; is a pin securing the key.
Figure 20 is a plan and Figure 21 is a side view of a joining shackle
of a
slightly modified form. The parts a of the link go together
sideways and are then kept from separating by the block or stay b,
which is in two parts. The parts of the block or stay are put on from
opposite sides and are fixed together by a tap screw. Recesses in the
sides of the link prevent the block or stay moving lengthways on it.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,

page_text: First. The combining a windlass and capstan in such manner that the
windlass is driven from the capstan by means of skew bevil gearing, as
described.
Second. The arranging the pawls of capstan windlasses in moveable
carriers connected by links to a lever in such manner that if need be the
pawls can be used for heaving by rocking by manual levers the lever to
which the pawl carriers are linked, as described.
Third. The combination of nipping lever pawls with capstan wind-
lasses for pawling the windlass, and also in some cases for actuating the
capstan windlass, the pawl levers being then connected to a cross lever to
be worked by manual power, as described.
Fourth. The constructing capstans with nipping lever pawls, as above
described.
Fifth. The construction and arrangement of chain controller with a
sliding block and lever with a moving fulcrum, such sliding block being
of suitable thickness to enter between the shoulders of two links, so that
the block may act both to check a cable in its egress by pressure, and
afterwards to hold or lock it firmly by entering between the links, as
described.
Sixth. The constructing joining shackles chains, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Horatio Harfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
W. H. HARFIELD. (L.S.)