IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDLASSES, CAPSTANS, AND SHACKLES FOR CHAINS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Horatio Harfield, of Royal Exchange
Buildings, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Horatio Harfield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1859.
I, WILLIAM HORATIO HARFIELD, of Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WINDLASSES, CAPSTANS, AND SHACKLES FOR CHAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in windlasses, capstans, and
shackles for chains.
In constructing windlasses according to my Invention, I mount on a hori
zontal axis, supported between two suitable standards, and intermediate of the
said standards, a chain holder or wheel, or it may be two chain holders or
wheels, capable of taking chains of different sizes; such a chain holder or
wheel is commonly known as "Brown's patent chain holder." Usually I prefer
to employ two chain holders, and I then mount them so that they can turn freely
on the axis, and I key or firmly fix on the axis two flanges or circular plates, one
close alongside of each of the chain holders; and when it is desired that either
of these should revolve with the axis, as when it is required to heave in a chain,
the chain holder is made fast to the flange or plate next to it by dropping a
key or wedge into a keyway formed between the two; or in place of a key a
catch may be employed, consisting of a metal bar hinged at one end to the
flange or plate, and laying, when out of use, in a recess formed for it in this

page_text: flange or plate. When this catch is thrown forward it enters a corresponding
recess in the chain holder, and so retains it. The end of the catch projects
beyond the circumference of the chain holder, and is held in its place by a pin
passing through it; when it is desired to release the chain holder, it is easily
done, even if a strain is upon it, by removing the pin, and driving the catch
back by a blow with a maul. In order, if desired, to prevent the chain holders
revolving when disconnected from the axis, they are furnished with ratchet
teeth, which are formed on the interior of a circular recess formed on one side
of the chain holder, and a pawl on the standard drops into these teeth, and so
locks the chain holder. The chain holders are furnished with breaks to check
them in running out chains. The ends of the horizontal axis outside the
standards have winch barrels mounted on them for working with ropes. To
give motion to the horizontal axis I employ a windlass purchase arranged in
the following manner :-In between the two chain holders ratchet wheels are
fixed on the axis, and resting on the teeth of each of these wheels there is a
pawl, which is carried by a lever mounted loosely on the axis of the barrels. A
continuous rotatory motion is communicated to the barrels by giving to these
levers an alternating motion about the axis, the motion of the two levers
being always in opposite directions; this is effected by means of toothed arcs
formed on the ends of the levers gearing with other toothed arcs mounted on
a horizontal axis carried in suitable bearings at right angles to the axis of the
barrels this axis having a partial rotatory motion, first in one direction and
then in the other, communicated to it by levers worked by manual power, or
the levers may be connected by rods with another lever, having bar holes
formed in its ends, such as is commonly used in other windlass purchases. I,
however, prefer in this case to employ two such levers, one over the other, and
each suitable for receiving bars; these levers are linked together, so that they
vibrate together, but they differ in length, so that by using one of the levers a
greater power may be obtained than by the use of the other.
The windlass purchase above described is also applicable when chain holders
are not employed; and in constructing windlasses in which chain holders are
not employed, I proceed in the following manner:-I mount two barrels on a
horizontal axis, carried by suitable standards, and between the two barrels is
the windlass purchase, as is the ordinary method of arranging the parts. In
place, however, of constructing the barrels in the usual manner, I place on
one end of each of the barrels a cast ring, on the surface of which are pro-
jections similar to the whelps usually fixed on windlass barrels to cause the
cable to slide along the barrel, and prevent it running off at the end. The
projections or whelps I so form and arrange on the ring that they may with

page_text: regularity enter between the vertical links of the chain cables with which it
is intended to work the horizontal links laying over them. A ring may
readily be constructed to take in this manner chains of two or three sizes, the
larger chains rising higher up the incline of the barrel than the smaller
chains. If chains of other sizes be taken round the barrel the links of the
chain will lay irregularly in respect to the projections, as when a chain cable is
taken round an ordinary windlass barrel with whelps, and the barrel will work
in a similar manner. The portion of the barrel beyond the ring is made plain,
or without projections or whelps, to allow of the cable being run out over it.
In some cases, in place of mounting a ring on one end of a barrel the ring and
the barrel are cast in one piece.
In constructing windlasses according to my Invention, I arrange the driving
gear to rotate the barrel in the opposite direction to that in which it usually
rotates, and I cause the cable to pass first to the under part of the barrel in
place of the upper, as heretofore; the cable is taken off from the lower part of
the barrel and passes round the standard in a guide groove formed for it.
When a chain holder is employed a clearer is used, as heretofore, to raise the
cable out of the grooves in the chain holder, and this being made of a trough-
like form, serves to direct the chain round the standard so as to deliver it on
the deck outside the standard.
My Invention also relates to apparatus employed to actuate or rotate
capstans. In order to actuate or rotate capstans without the usual bars, which
require much deck room, I employ apparatus arranged according to the prin-
ciple described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me for improve-
ments in windlasses, No. 1918, and dated 23rd August 1858. This apparatus
consists of a lever turning on an axis at the centre of its length, and arranged
to be worked up and down by manual labor; the lever has two pawls in
connection with it, which act on two separate ratchet wheels; when the lever
is moved in one direction one of the pawls drives one of the ratchet wheels,
while the other pawl rises over the teeth of the other ratchet wheel; when the
lever is moved in the contrary direction, this second ratchet wheel is driven
while the pawl of the first ratchet wheel is rising over the teeth of its wheel.
On the same axes with the ratchet wheels are two pinions which gear
with each other so that these axes are kept constantly revolving. On one of
them a bevelled toothed wheel is also fitted and is made to drive a toothed
ring on the capstan barrel, and thus the desired motion is obtained. For the
purpose of shackling chains 1 employ shackles of the form of the link of a
chain, and they are so constructed that a portion of one side of [the link may
be removed; of the two parts into which the shackle is then divided, one is made

page_text: forked at each end, and the other has a tongue at each end to fit in between
the prongs of the forks of the other part. When the parts of the shackle are
separate there is room between the two ends of the larger part to allow the
links of a chain to enter, and when the parts are re-combined they are secured
by oval pins passing through both the prongs of the forks and the tongues; each
portion of the shackle may have a fork at one end and a tongue at the
other if preferred. The section of the metal of which the shackle is made
should be somewhat greater than that of the chain with which it is to be used.
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 15th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HORATIO HARFIELD, of Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Horatio Harfield, Her special licence, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDLASSES, CAPSTANS, AND SHACKLES FOR CHAINS," upon 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 performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in windlasses, capstans, and
shackles for chains.
In constructing windlasses according to my Invention, I mount on a hori-
zontal axis supported between two suitable standards, and intermediate of the
said standards, a chain holder or wheel, or it may be two chain holders or
wheels, capable of taking chains of different sizes; such a chain holder or
wheel is commonly known as "Brown's patent chain holder." Usually I prefer
to employ two chain holders, and I then mount them so that they can turn
freely on the axis, and I key or firmly fix on the axis two flanges or circular
plates, one close alongside of each of the chain holders; and when it is desired
that either of these should revolve with the axis, as when it is required to
heave in a chain, the chain holder is made fast to the flange or plate next to
it by means of a catch consisting of a metal bar, hinged at one end to the
flange or plate, and laying, when out of use, in a recess formed for it in this
flange or plate. When this catch is thrown forward it enters a corresponding
recess in the chain holder, and so retains it. The end of the catch projects
beyond the circumference of the chain holder, and is held in its place by a pin
passing through it; when it is desired to release the chain holder, it is easily
done, even if a strain is upon it, by removing the pin and driving the catch
back by a blow with a maul. In order, if desired, to prevent the chain holders
revolving when disconnected from the axis, they are furnished with ratchet
teeth, which are formed on the interior of a circular recess formed on one side
of the chain holder, and a pawl on the standard drops into these teeth and so
locks the chain holder. The chain holders are furnished with brakes to check
them in running out chains. The ends of the horizontal axis outside the
standards have winch barrels mounted on them for working with ropes. Το
give motion to the horizontal axis I employ a windlass purchase arranged in
the following manner :-In between the two chain holders ratchet wheels are
fixed on the axis, and resting on the teeth of each of these wheels there is a
pawl, which is carried by a lever mounted loosely on the axis of the barrels.
A continuous rotatory motion is communicated to the barrels by giving to these
levers an alternating motion about the axis, the motion of the two levers
being always in opposite directions; this is effected by means of toothed arcs
formed on the ends of the levers gearing with other toothed arcs mounted on
a horizontal axis, carried in suitable bearings at right angles to the axis of the
barrels; this axis having a partial rotatory motion, first in one direction
and then in the other, communicated to it by levers worked by manual
power.
Figure 1 is a back view; Figure 2, a plan; Figure 3, an end view, partly

page_text: in section, and with some of the parts removed; and Figure 4, a transverse
section of a windlass, arranged according to this part of my Invention; and
these Drawings also shew the manner in which I carry into effect another part
of my Invention, which consists in arranging the driving gear to rotate the
barrel in the opposite direction to that in which it usually rotates, and of
causing the cable to pass first to the under part of the barrel in place of the
upper, as heretofore. In combination with the chain holder a clearer is used,
as heretofore, to raise the cable out of the grooves in the chain holder, and
this being according to this Invention made of a trough-like form, serves to
direct the chain round the standard, so as to deliver it on the deck outside
the standard.
a, a, are the standards of the windlass which carry the axis b; c, c, are two
flanges or plates fixed upon it; d, d, are the chain holders; e, e, are catches by
which the chain holders are made fast to the flanges or plates c; when required,
these catches are jointed at c' to the said flanges or plates, and when the chain
holders are disconnected, the catches lay in recesses in the flanges or plates,
and are held there by pins passing through the end of the catches and through
the lugs c², c², on the flanges or plates. Notches are formed in the chain
holders, into which, when it is required to connect the chain holders, the
catches are caused to enter, as is shown in the Drawing, and the catches are
secured in their places by the pin passing through the lugs c, c². f, f, are
ordinary strap breaks which act on rims formed for them on the chain holders;
these breaks are used in running out chains when the chain holders are dis-
connected; c³, c³, are ratchet teeth formed within the break rim of the chain
nolders; they are employed when it is required to lock or hold fast a chain
holder (particularly when it is disconnected from the axis); this is done by
lowering the pawl g, jointed to the standard a into these teeth, by means of
the lever h and link h¹; i, i, are winch barrels on the ends of the axis of the
windlass; j,j, are ratchet wheels fixed on the axis b; and k, k, are levers
capable of turning freely on the same axis; they carry the pawls k, k¹, which
act both to prevent the windlass revolving in a backward direction and to
drive it. The levers k, k, have bevilled teeth at their outer ends, which gear
with bevilled teeth on the rocking lever 1; this lever receives the windlass bars;
it is carried by the windlass post, which, as will be seen, is placed at the back
in place of the front of the windlass, as is usual. This is done in order that
the windlass may be caused to revolve in the opposite direction to that in which
windlasses are usually driven, and the chain taken first to the lower side of the
windlass barrel in place of the upper, by which the strain on the standards is
much reduced. The ratchet wheels j,j, are not arranged as in an ordinary wind-

page_text: lass, but are turned round to suit the changed position of the retaining pawls
k, k; m, m, are the clearers which clear the chains out from the chain flanges;
these clearers open out into trough-like form at m¹, m', and deliver the chain
out through a passage in the standard on to the deck. The following are points
of novelty in the arrangement above described :-
First, the arranging the driving apparatus to rotate the barrel in such a
direction as to permit the chain to be taken first to the under side of the
windlass, by which the strain on the standards is reduced.
Second, the applying ratchet teeth to the chain holders to work in connection
with pawls on the standards when two chain holders are mounted on the
same windlass axis, so that either one of them can, although disconnected
from the axis, be securely held, whilst the other (being connected with the axis)
can be driven so as to haul in a chain.
Third, the means employed for connecting the chain holders to and discon-
necting them from the windlass axis.
Fourth, the constructing the clearers of a trough-like form, so that when
the chain is cleared from the top of the chain holder it may be conducted by
the clearer on to the deck outside the standard.
Fifth, the arrangement of the apparatus for giving motion to the windlass
axis, as described.
In some cases, in place of giving motion to the levers k, k, and their pawls
,, by means of bevilled teeth, the levers may be connected by rods with
another lever having bar holes formed in its ends such as is commonly used in
other windlass purchases; I, however, prefer in this case to employ two such
levers, one over the other, and each suitable for receiving bars; these levers
are linked together so that they vibrate together, but they differ in length, so
that by using one of the levers a greater power may be obtained than by
the use of the other.
Figure 5 is a back view; Figure 6, a plan; Figure 7, an end view partly
in section; and Figure 8 is a transverse section of a windlass so arranged.
n, n, are rods which in this case connect the levers k, k, with the bar lever l;
the rods are attached at each end to the levers by joints, as is shewn. o is the
upper bar lever; it is also mounted on an axis carried by the standard, and it
is connected to the lever by links p, p, jointed to the two levers, as is shewn.
It will be evident that as the joints on the lever o are nearer to the centre of
motion than those on the lever l, that when the bars are worked in the upper
lever the windlass will be rotated at a slower speed than when they are in the
lower lever, consequently the power will be greater. The other parts of the
windlass are similar to that before described. The point of novelty in this

page_text: arrangement (in addition to those already pointed out) is the use of two bar
leversando arranged in the manner described, so that with the same motion
of the bars the windlass axis will be caused to revolve through a greater or less
angle according as the bars are applied to one or other of the bar levers.
The windlass purchase above described is also applicable when chain holders
are not employed, and in constructing windlasses in which chain holders are
not employed I proceed in the following manner:-I mount two barrels on a
horizontal axis carried by suitable standards, and between the two barrels is
the windlass purchase, as is the ordinary method of arranging the parts. In
place, however, of constructing the barrels in the usual manner, I place on one
end of each of the barrels a cast ring, on the surface of which are projections
similar to the whelps usually fixed on windlass barrels to cause the cable to
slide along the barrel and prevent it running off at the end. The projections
or whelps I so form and arrange on the ring that they may with regularity
enter between the vertical links of the chain cables with which it is intended to
work the horizontal links laying over them. A ring may readily be constructed
to take in this manner chains of two or three sizes, the larger chains rising
higher up the incline of the barrel than the smaller chains; if chains of other
sizes be taken round the barrel the links of the chain will lay irregularly in
respect to the projections, as when a chain cable is taken round an ordinary
windlass barrel with whelps, and the barrel will work in a similar manner.
The portion of the barrel beyond the ring is made plain, or without projections
or whelps, to allow of the cable being run out over it. In some cases, in place
of mounting a ring on one end of a barrel, the ring and the barrel are cast in
one piece.
Figure 9 is a back view; Figure 10, a plan; and Figures 11, 12, and 13
are transverse sections of a windlass in which a chain holder is not employed,
but whelps are formed on the barrel. In the arrangement shown the barrel is
cast in two parts, which are mounted on either side of a centre standard.
These parts of the barrel are each at the end nearest the standard made up to
a cylindrical form by a casing of wood, as is shewn at Figure 13; and when a
chain has to be run out it is shifted on to this cylindrical part of the barrel;
at the outer ends of the barrel are whelps a, a; these whelps do not, if taken
separately, differ materially in form from whelps heretofore employed, but they
are so arranged round the barrel that there may be such an amount of space
between them, that when one of the chains with which the windlass is adapted
to work comes on the barrel, the links, which stand vertically, may be able to
enter between the whelps (the larger chains passing on to the barrel at the
top of the incline of the whelps, and the smaller at the bottom), whilst the

page_text: width of the face of each whelp at any point in its length is such that it can
enter between the vertical links of a chain which beds at the same point, in
order that the horizontal links may lay flat upon the faces of the whelps.
It is this novel arrangement of the whelps which the Figures 9, 10, 11, 12,
and 13 are intended to illustrate. The method of actuating the barrel is
almost identical with that of which a description has already been given; it
differs, however, in that the pieces k, k, which carry the pawls are not centred
on the axis of the windlass, but are made with flanges embracing the rim of
the ratchet wheels j,j; their method of action, however, is not changed by this
modification. In this windlass an additional standard is employed to support
the centre portion of the windlass axis.
My Invention also relates to apparatus employed to actuate or rotate
capstans. In order to actuate or rotate capstans without the usual bars, which
require much deck room, I employ apparatus arranged according to the
principle described in the Specification of the Patent granted to me for
improvements in windlasses, No. 1918 (58).
This apparatus consists of a lever turning on an axis at the centre of its
length, and arranged to be worked up and down by manual labour; the lever
has two pawls in connection with it, which act on two separate ratchet wheels;
when the lever is moved in one direction, one of the pawls drives one of the
ratchet wheels, while the other pawl rises over the teeth of the other ratchet
wheel; when the lever is moved in the contrary direction, this second ratchet
wheel is driven while the pawl of the first ratchet wheel is rising over the teeth
of its wheel. On the same axes with the ratchet wheels are two pinions
which gear with each other, so that these axes are kept constantly revolving.
On one of them a bevilled toothed wheel is also fitted, and is made to drive
a toothed ring on the capstan barrel, and thus the desired motion is obtained.
Figure 14 is a side view, and Figure 15 is a back view, of a capstan.
arranged according to my Invention. The capstan has bevilled teeth a formed
on it, which gear with a bevilled pinion b on the axis c; this axis is carried by
the frame d, and receives motion in the manner fully described in the Specifi-
cation of my former Patent before referred to, and which is shortly as follows:-
On the axis c is fixed a ratchet wheel e and a spur wheel f, which latter gears
with another spur wheel g on an axis h, having keyed on it a ratchet wheel i.
On the axis ca lever j, suitably formed with sockets at the ends to receive bars
for working it up and down, is mounted, so that it can turn freely; this lever
has jointed to it directly a pawl k, which drives the axis c, and hence the
capstan (through the bevilled pinion and teeth a) with an intermittent
motion. The lever c also actuates another pawl for driving the ratchet

page_text: wheel; this it does by means of the links m, m, connecting the lever c with
the lever n, to which the pawl 1 is jointed. The lever m is mounted on the
axis h so as to be able to turn freely thereon. Thus it will be seen that the
pawl l, also by driving its ratchet wheel e and spur wheel g, gives an inter-
mittent motion to the spur wheel f, the bevilled pinion b, and consequently to the
capstan; and as the intervals of the intermittent motion produced by the pawl
correspond with periods of motion produced by the pawl k, a continuous rotation
of the capstan is the result. ' and are other pawls, which are employed only
when it is required to drive the capstan in a reverse direction; when they are to
be used they are allowed to descend on to the teeth of the ratchet wheels, and
the other pawls and are held off the ratchet wheels by suitable pins. The
novelty of this part of my Invention consists in giving motion to a capstan by
means of apparatus such as above described. For the purpose of shackling
chains I employ shackles of the form of the link of a chain, and they are so
constructed that a portion of one side of the link may be removed; of the two
parts into which the shackle is then divided, one is made forked at each end,
and the other has a tongue at each end to fit in between the prongs of the
forks of the other part. When the parts of the shackle are separated there is
room between the two ends of the larger part to allow the links of a chain
to enter, and when the parts are recombined they are secured by oval pins
passing through both the prongs of the forks and the tongues. Each portion
of the shackle may have a fork at one end and a tongue at the other, if pre-
ferred. The section of the metal of which the shackle is made should be
somewhat greater than that of the chain with which it is to be used.
Figure 16 is a plan, Figure 17, an edge view, and Figure 18 is a transverse
section, of a shackle constructed according to this part of my Invention. a and
bare the two parts in which it is made, the part a has a tongue at each end
which fit into the forked ends of the piece b; c, c, are pins by which the two
parts are secured together.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Horatio Harfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
W. H. HARFIELD. (L.S.)