Improvements in Means for Raising and Lowering Boats.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Raising and Lowering Boats.
We, JOSEPH STEVENS, Mechanic, and DOUGLASS WRIGHT DANA, Druggist,
both residing in the Village of Trenton, in the County of Wayne, and State of
Michigan, United States of America, and GEORGE EDGAR BEERS, Merchant,
residing Corner of Broadway Avenue and Twentieth Street, New York City,
State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in boat raising and
lowering devices, and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of winding
drums arranged in the bottom of the boat, and of apparatus for rotating said
drums to wind up the rope, and the friction brake to be used in lowering the boat,
and
Further in the peculiar combination, construction and arrangement of the
various parts, all as more fully hereinafter described and pointed out.
In the drawings,
Fig. 3 is a section on linea in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of one of the winding drums.
Our device is especially designed to be applied to boats swung upon davits or
life boats, or other boats of that kind which are lowered from an elevated position
into the water.
A represents a boat in the bottom of which we secure a double windlass B, which
consists of the shaft a, and the winding drums bb, one at each end of the boat,
and of the winding mechanism c. This winding mechanism consists of the gear
wheel & secured to the shaft a and meshing with the gear pinion e which is secured
to the shaft slidingly secured in the vertical standards g. The shaft is provided
with notches with which the handle i engages, being held therein by the tension
of the spring.
k is a handle upon the end of the shaft whereby it may be moved horizontally
so that the pinion e engages with or is disengaged from the gear wheel d.
I is a friction wheel secured upon the shaft a and having the ratchet wheel m
upon one side thereof, with which the pawl n engages.
C is a rope, connected at its upper end to the davit or at any suitable support,
and provided at the lower end with the loop D which engages over the pin E. This
rope passes through guides in the scat, preferably formed by means of rollers
journalled in an aperture in the seat.
To raise the boat, the loop D is engaged over the pin E and the shaft is moved
by the handle k so that the pinion e engages with the gear wheel d, in which
position it is locked by the handle i.
Motion is now given to the winding drums through the mechanism described,
the operator turning the crank handle o. It is evident that in this way the rope
will be wound upon the drums and the boat elevated, the pawl n engaging into the
ratchet m will prevent the unwinding of the rope from the drums.
F is a brake strap secured at its lower end to the supporting standard, passing
around the friction wheel and secured at its upper end to the eccentric p which is
secured to the shaft, which has a hand lever provided with a spring catch ²
adapted to engage into the segmental racks at any point of adjustment.

page_text: To lower the boat the pawl n is disengaged from the ratchet wheel m and the
shaft is moved, so that the pinion e is out of engagement with the gear wheel d,
being held in its adjusted position by means of the handle i.
The hand lever is depressed to bring the friction strap F against the friction
wheel 1. By tightening or loosening this friction strap upon the wheel it is evident
that according to the weight of the boat and the tightness of the strap the boat
will descend, unwinding the rope from the drums until the end is reached, when the
rope upon both drums will be simultaneously disengaged by the loop D slipping
out from the pin E.
By making this arrangement in the bottom of the boat independent of the tackle
usually used in connection with the davits, the boat may be lowered without the
danger of upsetting, which has been the cause of considerable trouble and the loss
of many lives in the past.
The rope being secured at the bottom of the boat and passing through the seat
prevents the boat from tipping.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In a device of the kind described, the combination with the boat of the double
windlass secured therein of the detachable winding mechanism for raising the boat
and the brake mechanism for lowering the same.
2. In a device of the kind described, the combination with the boat of the shaft a
journaled in the bottom thereof, and provided at each end with the winding drums,
of the rope detachably secured thereto at its end, the detachable winding mechanism
and the brake mechanism.
3. In a device of the kind described, the combination of the shaft a, the
drums, the rope C having the loop D, the pin E upon the drum, the gears de,
the sliding shaft, for locking the devices, the friction wheel 1, the brake strap F,
the eccentric p and the hand lever .
4. In a device of the kind described, the combination with the winding drum
arranged in the bottom of the boat beneath the seat, of a bearing formed in the
seat and the rope secured to said winding drum passing through said bearing.
5. In a device of the kind described, the combination with the winding drum
secured beneath the seat, of a guide bearing in the scat, of rollers in the side of
said guide bearing, the rope secured to said winding drum passing between said
guide rollers.
Dated this 25th day of February 1891
JOSEPH STEVENS.
DOUGLASS WRIGHT DANA.
GEORGE EDGAR BEERS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.