IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF CUTTING AND MAKING-UP SAILS OF THE CHARACTER OF JIB AND STAY SAILS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Potter Coubro, of Fenchurch Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF CUTTING AND MAKING-UP SAILS OF THE CHARACTER OF JIB AND
STAY SAILS."
Scaled the 18th March 1873, and dated the 16th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Potter Coubro
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th January 1873.
I, THOMAS POTTER COUBRO, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF CUTTING AND MAKING-UP SAILS OF THE
CHARACTER OF JIB AND STAY SAILS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object an improved mode of cutting and
making-up fore-and-aft sails, particularly jibs and stay sails, whereby
greater strength is obtained and the sails are enabled to be set flatter
than those hitherto in use. For this purpose I form the sails of parallel

page_text: widths of cloth, the seams of which run parallel to two radial lines
drawn from the clew, the seams on one side of the clew therefore
running at an angle to those on the other side thereof, whilst one, two,
or more of the cloths overlap each other at the clew; I also place the
cloths at such angles that none of them will run parallel with any side
of the sail. The sail is also further strengthened at the clew by the
ordinary clew piece or thickening. Instead, however, of causing the
scams on one side of the clew to run at an angle to those on the other
side thereof they may all run parallel to each other across the sail.
By these means the strength of the material is so distributed that I
can set the sail flatter than usual, thereby enabling me to form the
"stay" side of the sail straighter than heretofore, thus employing less
canvas to make the sail, although presenting as large a surface to the
wind for propelling the vessel to which it is fitted and at the same time
preventing the sail from "girting" when pulled at the clew, whilst in
consequence of the direction in which the scams run, whenever a split
occurs it is prevented from going further than the next seam.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Thomas Potter Coubro in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
POTTER COUBRO, of Fenchurch Strect, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Potter Coubro, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas Potter Coubro, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Potter Coubro, 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

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF CUTTING AND MAKING-UP SAILS
OF THE CHARACTER OF JIB AND STAY SAILS," upon the condition (amongst
others), that I, the said Thomas Potter Coubro, my executors
or adminstrators, 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 Thomas Potter. Coubro, 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 :-
The Invention has for its object an improved mode of cutting and
making up fore-and-aft sails, particularly jib and stay sails, whereby
greater strength is obtained and the strain from the clew distributed
over a larger area than in sails constructed as heretofore.
In carrying my Invention into effect I form the sails as has heretofore
been proposed of parallel widths of cloth, the seams of which run
parallel to two radial lines drawn from the "clew," the seams on one
side of the " clew" therefore running at an angle to those on the other
side thereof, but according to my Invention, in addition to strengthening
the sails at the "clew" by employing the ordinary clew piece or
thickening, I cause one, two, or more of the cloths to overlap each
other at the "clew," by which means the strain at the "clew" is dis-
tributed over a very large area of the sail.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawing, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
0
which represents a fore-and-aft sail having my improvements applied
thereto. In this diagram it will be seen that the sail is made up of
parallel widths of cloth running parallel to two radial lines drawn from
the "clew a, but at such an angle that none of the widths thereof run
parallel to any one side of the sail. The sail is strengthened at the clew
"

page_text: a by the ordinary clew piece or thickening 6, but in addition thereto I
further strengthen it by causing one, two, or more of the cloths to
overlap each other at the "clew," as shown by the blue lines. By these
means the strain at the "clew" is distributed over a very large area of
the sail, whilst there is less liability to "girting," and the sail is much
stronger than when made in the ordinary way.
I would here remark that since filing my Provisional Specification I
have been informed that the modes thercin described of arranging the
scams of "fore-and-aft sails" were not new, I therefore desire to
disclaim, and I do hereby disclaim such modes of arranging the seams
thereof, and I would further remark that I do not confine the application
of my Invention to sails, the seams whereof run in the lines shown in
the Drawing, as the angles of such seams may slightly vary therefrom.
But what I do claim, as applied to sails of the character described is, the
causing of one, two, or more of the widths of cloth to overlap each 1
other at the "clew" in manner substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Potter Coubro, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-third day of June
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and
sevents thron