Improvements in Boards or Spreaders used in connection with Trawling Nets.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
Improvements in Boards or Spreaders used in connection with
Trawling Nets.
I, GEORGE HOGARTH DOUGLAS BIRT of Priory Lodge, Milford Haven,
South Wales, Docks Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to trawl fishing apparatus and consists in improvements in
the boards or spreaders now generally used in lieu of a beam for the purpose of
sinking the net and distending its mouth.
These boards or spreaders are attached to the opposite ends of the mouth of the
net, and are so connected to the towing lines that they tend to assume an oblique
position under the combined action of the pull ou the lines and the resistance of
the water, and thus to separate from one another and open the mouth of the net to
its fullest extent.
In trawling with these boards, their lower edges scrape along the bed of the sea,
and the mud or soil tends to bank up in front of them, thus adding considerably to
the load. To avoid this, I so construct the lower portion of the board as either to
permit of the soil or mud passing away as it is scraped up, or to greatly diminish
the tendency of the board to scrape up the soil, without in either case lessening the
efficiency of the board as a spreader.
According to my invention the portion of the board adjacent to its lower edge is
apertured sufficiently to give a ready passage to the soil or mud, and it is preferably
provided with a runner of wrought iron or other metal bolted to the board, and
either so constructed as to permit of the passage of the mud and soil, or secured to
the board at a distance from the lower edge of the latter, so as to leave a through
opening for the escape of the soil.
To secure the same result, the lower edge of the board may be raised from
contact with the ground by being cut diagonally from a point in its lower side to
any point in its leading edge, the lower rear corner being provided with a metal
shoe to form a wearing surface and weight the board, or the lower edge of the
board might be curved.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1895
A. M. & W M. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Boards or Spreaders used in connection with
Trawling Nets.
I, GEORGE HOGARTH DOUGLAS BIRT, of Priory Lodge, Milford Haven,
South Wales, Docks Manager, 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 :-
My invention relates to trawl fishing apparatus, and consists in improvements in
the boards or spreaders now generally used in lieu of a beam for the purpose of
sinking the net and distending its mouth.

page_text: These boards or spreaders are attached to the opposite ends of the mouth of the
met, and are so connected to the towing lines that they tend to assume an oblique
position under the combined action of the pull on the lines and the resistance of the
water, and thus to separate from one another and open the mouth of the net to its
fullest extent.
In trawling with these boards, their lower edges scrape along the bed of the sea,
and the mud or soil tends to bank up in front of them, thus adding considerably to
the load. To avoid this, I so construct the lower portion of the board as either to
permit of the soil or mud passing away as it is scraped up, or to greatly diminish
the tendency of the board to scrape up the soil, without in either case lessening
the efficiency of the board as a spreader.
According to my invention, the portion of the hoard adjacent to its lower edge is
apertured sufficiently to give a ready passage to the soil or mud and it is preferably
provided with a runner of wrought iron or other metal bolted to the board, and
either so constructed as to permit of the passage of the mud and soil or secured to
the board at a distance from the lower edge of the latter, so as to leave a through
opening for the escape of the soil.
To secure the same result, the greater part of the lower edge of the board may
be raised from the ground by being inclined from a point in its lower side to any
point in its leading or trailing edge, or both, the downwardly projecting corner
being provided with a metal shoe to form a wearing surface and weight the board,
or the lower edge of the board might be curved.
The accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification represent face
views of different forms of spreaders. In all cases they may be constructed of
planks fixed to cross battens or held together by tie bolts to form the board or
spreader which may, however, be otherwise constructed, if preferred.
In Figure
the spreader A is provided with an iron runner B whose upwardly
and inwardly returned ends are bolted to the spreader, as shewn, the horizontal
part of the runner being held by distance pieces C at a distance from the lower
edge of the spreader so as to leave intervening apertures D for the passage of the
soil heaped up by the scraping of the runner upon the sea bottom.
In Figure 2 the lowest plank of the spreader has apertures D formed in it for the
same purpose.
In Figure 3 the lower edge of the bottom plank is scolloped to provide numerous
rounded points of contact with the ground and intervening apertures to give passage
to the soil.
In Figures 4 and 5 the lower edge is inclined upwards from the trailing to the
leading edge and from the leading to the trailing edge respectively, the down-
wardly projecting corner which forms the point of contact with the ground being
rounded.
In Figure 6 the point of contact is at the middle, the lower edge being inclined
upwards both ways therefrom.
In Figure 7 the spreader is of circular form.
In all these cases the lower edge of the spreader may be shod with iron to protect
it from wear by contact with the ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :--
The construction of the lower edge of the spreader boards for trawling nets, in
such manner as to lessen the amount of soil scraped up and permit its ready escape,
as described.
תנו
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.