IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co. Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS."
-A communication from abroad by Oliver Trumbull McIntosh,
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 2nd September 1870, and dated the 1st July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st July 1870.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings, London, Patents Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-DETACHING
APPARATUS," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to apparatus for safely and expeditiously
detaching boats from the falls or davit blocks on which they are sus-
pended.

page_text: The said Invention consists in the peculiar construction and combi-
nation of the parts of the apparatus, whereby the boat may be retained
in perfect security upon the falls until it is desired to lower it into the
water, and may then have both ends instantaneously disengaged at
the same moment. The said apparatus is provided with a shaft, at each
of whose ends is a curved horn or hook on which the boat is suspended.
The said shaft is supported by slings and so arranged that it can be
rotated therein when the boat is to be disengaged. When the said shaft
is held in such a position that the points of the horns or hooks are
turned upward the rings by which the boat is suspended will be securely
retained on the said hooks, but when the shaft is turned over in the
opposite direction the rings will slip simultaneously from both of the
hooks and the boat will fall evenly into the water. I use a guard-finger
above each hook to prevent the accidental removal of the rings there-
from. In combination with the aforesaid hooks and guard-fingers I
use a sliding spring bolt and lever for effecting the rapid and simul-
taneous detachment of both rings of the suspending chains, and I
also provide a safety bolt to prevent accidents whilst the boat is sus-
pended on the davits. The hooks or horns are formed with shanks
which are fitted and secured in the ends of the tubular connecting
shaft. The said shanks are preferably secured in the shaft by cross
pins. To prevent the rotation of the whole apparatus when drawing
up or lowering the fall, the sling is made with the point of attachment
for the fall above the shaft. For the attachment of the said fall there
is an eye into which the hook of the fall block is passed at each end of
the apparatus. This construction prevents the accidental turning of
the shaft, and I prefer to use the said eyes because they allow the falls
to be unhooked from the detaching apparatus and hooked directly to
the boat when the same is to be drawn out of the water. When the
detaching apparatus has been disconnected to facilitate the hoisting,
it is to be replaced after the boat has been swung or slung from the
davits in readiness for the subsequent detaching of the boat.
In place
of the said eye a, sheave or sheaves might be fitted around a pin for
the ropes. or the fall to pass through. The sliding; bolt is supported in
rings and pressed forward, by a spring into a hole in the sling to keep
the parts, in place; a lever is connected with the sliding bolt and serves
to withdraw the same and rotate the shaft and horns when the boat
is to be disconnected. The safety bolt is placed at the other end of
the apparatus, this bolt slides in lugs or rings, and has a knob or lever-

page_text: that can be turned down on one side of the lug or ring to keep the
bolt from being drawn back accidently, this contrivance also prevents
the escape of the boat through accident or careless handling of the
lever when the boat is hanging at the davits. The lug or ring is
slotted at the top to allow the knob to pass through in fastening and
unfastening the boat. When the bolt is drawn back the boat is only
held by the spring bolt. The shaft may be made of metal tubing,
wood, or other material, which possesses both lightness and strength.
The guard-fingers are rivetted or otherwise firmly secured to the slings.
A lanyard is attached to the lever which can be pulled back and a
little to one side tripping the boat instantly. The sling made as
described economises space between the apparatus and the davits. As
soon as the boat is detached the apparatus is hoisted on board the vessel,
and itself detached from the falls leaving the ordinary falls to hook on
the boat. After the boat is hoisted to the davits she is secured to the
davit heads, and the falls are released to allow the apparatus to be
placed in its position again ready at all times to lower away. In smooth
water the apparatus need not be disconnected from the falls, but the
boat may be hooked on in the ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Southampton
Buildings, London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BOAT-DETACHING APPARATUS," a communication to me
from abroad by Oliver Trumbull McIntosh, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or ad-
ministrators, 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 Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification.
This Invention relates to apparatus for safely and expeditously
detaching a boat from falls or davit blocks on which it is suspended
above water at the side of a ship or other structure.
The said Invention consists in the peculiar construction and com-
bination of the parts of the apparatus, whereby the boat may be retained
in perfect security upon the falls until it is desired to lower it into the
water, and may then have both ends instantaneously disengaged at the
same moment. The said apparatus is provided with a shaft at each of
whose ends is a curved horn or hook on which the boat is hung by
rings or links. The said shaft is supported by slings, and so arranged
that it can be rotated therein. When the said shaft is held in such a
position that the points of the horns or hooks are turned upward the
rings by which the boat is suspended will be securely retained on the
said hooks, but when the shaft is turned over in the opposite direction
the rings will slip simultaneously from both of the hooks, and the boat
will be immediately freed at both ends. I use a guard finger above
each hook to prevent the accidental removal of the rings therefrom
when the hooks are turned up. In combination with the aforesaid
hooks and guard-fingers I use a sliding spring bolt and lever for
effecting the rapid and simultaneous detachment of both rings of the
s'ispending chains; and I also provide a safety bolt to prevent accidents
while the boat is suspended on the davits.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of the two ends of the said
improved apparatus; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a boat
suspended by the same. Like letters indicate the same parts in both
of the Figures.
The said shanks
The hooks or horns a are formed with shanks a¹ which are fitted and
secured in the ends of the tubular connecting shaft b.
are preferably secured in the shaft by cross pins a². To prevent the
rotation of the whole apparatus when drawing up or lowering the falls
the sling c is made with the point of attachment for the fall above the
shaft b; the apparatus is therefore suspended in such a manner that
there will not be any danger of its being rotated by the action of the
falls. These slings may be made as shown, or of any convenient form
so long as the point of attachment is above the shaft. For the attach-
ment of the said falls an eye d is shown, into which the hook e of the
fall block is passed at each end of the apparatus. This construction
prevents the accidental turning of the shaft b, and I prefer to use the
said eyes because they allow the falls to be unhooked from the detaching
apparatus and hooked directly to the boat when the same is to be
raised out of the water. When the detaching apparatus has been dis-
connected to facilitate the hoisting it is to be reattached to the boat
after the same has been swung or slung from the davits in readiness for
the detaching of the boat on the next subsequent occasion. In place of
the eye d a sheave or sheaves might be provided for the ropes or the
fall to pass through. The sliding bolt fis supported in the rings g, and
pressed forward by the spring f¹ into a hole in the sling to keep the
parts in place; a lever 1, forked and jointed to its fulcrum h¹, is con-
nected with the bolt f, and serves to withdraw the same and rotate the
shaft b and horns a when the boat is to be disconnected.
The safety
bolt i is placed at the other end of the apparatus; this bolt slides in
lugs or rings, and has a handle or lever ; that can be turned down on
one side of the lug or ring ¹ to keep the bolt from being drawn back
accidentally; this contrivance also prevents the release of the boat
through accident or careless handling of the lever h when the boat is
hanging at the davits.
The lug or ring is slotted at the top to allow
the handlej to pass through it in fastening and unfastening the boat.
When the bolt i is drawn back the bolt is only held by the spring bolt f

page_text: The shaft b may be made of metal tubing or of wood or other material
which possesses both lightness and strength. The guard fingers karc
rivetted or otherwise firmly secured to the slings c.
From the above description it will be readily understood that so long
as the horns a are kept in the position shown in the Drawing the rings
whereby the boat is suspended cannot escape from the said horns, but as
soon as the spring bolt is drawn back by the lever h, and the shaft b is
turned with the points of the horns downward, the rings will slip off
and the boat will be released. A ring is fitted around the pipe or
bar with an eye on its under side, to which is fastened a small rope m
running through an eye n secured to the davits above the rail of the
ship, near the turn of the davits. This rope m is secured on board the
vessel, and is lowered with the boat. As soon as the boat is detached
the apparatus may be hoisted by this rope m as well as by the falls.
When the boat is detached the apparatus is of course bottom upward,
the eye being uppermost. When the two eyes l and n are brought
together the rope m is made fast on board the vessel holding the
apparatus to the davits. The falls are then freed from the apparatus
to hook on and hoist the boat again. When the boat is hoisted to the
davit heads the line or stopper o is secured to the boat, holding it fast
while the falls are freed from the boat to hook upon the apparatus
again. A ring or thimble p is fastened to the end of the davits, to
which ring the line or stopper o is made fast. A lanyard q is attached
to the lever h, which the coxswain in the boat pulls, drawing the bolt
out of the sling, and at the same time by pulling a little to one side he
trips or detaches the boat.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it understood that I
claim,―
First. The horns a and shaft b constructed as above described and
operating together and with the other parts of the apparatus, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The sling c having the points of attachment for the fall
above the shaft 6 in combination with the horns a and guard fingers k,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Third. The spring bolt fand lever / in combination with the slings c,
horns a, and guard fingers k, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.

page_text: Fourth. The safety bolt i in combination with the horns a and slings c
for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)