CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF AND IN WORKING VESSELS POR NAVIGATION
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN LANE
HIGGINS, of Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Lane Higgins, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said John. Lane Higgins, my exors, admors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Lane Higgins, my exors, adñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of." CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF AND IN WORKING VESSELS POR NAVIGATION;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Lane Higgins,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
annear

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Lane Higgins, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a vessel with two circular wheels A, A,
sliding up and down, as occasion may require, in narrow trunks B, b, b, b, b, in
the middle line of the vessel; the wheels are to answer the purpose of sliding
keels or leeboards, keeping the vessel to windward when sailing in deep
water, and to be raised up when running before the wind, or when navigating
shallow rivers. The foremost wheel is suspended by chains or ropes passing
over the pullies C, C, to which are attached balance weights D, D, one on each
side or end of the trunk; the ends of the weights project beyond the end of
the trunk, and on them a platform is placed, as shown at D, D. When the
vessel is "going about," or when it is necessary to "bear up" quickly, a man
by stepping on the platform raises the wheel up the trunk, and thereby renders
the vessel more obedient to the helm. E, at Figure 1, shows a sliding rudder
passing up and down in a case or pair of cheeks; F, the sliding rudder, is,
suspended by a chain or rope passing over a pulley, so that it may be raised or
lowered at pleasure.
Figure 2 shows the keels and rudder raised up; Figure 3 is a transverse.
section, showing the keel when down. I do not claim the Invention of
sliding keels, which have been used in various other ways, but my Invention
consists in the form and mode of working them. I propose to have the
keels round, or of the form shown at Figure 4, so that if they strike the
ground they may be driven up the trunk in safety. The sliding keels, being
made of iron or any other heavy material, they act as ballast. The balance
weights may be applied in various ways, or the keels may be suspended by
tackles, as shown at b, c, b, c, at Figure 1. For vessels designed to be propelled
by steam or manual labor, I propose to have a double vessel, or a run through
the middle of a vessel to about the line of the draft of water, as shown at
Figures 5 and 6, with a trunk of about five or six feet in length (varying
according to the size of the vessel), in which is suspended a double wheel or
pair of wheels with one or more paddles revolving on the eccentric A. The s
paddle wheel may be turned by a crank or cog wheels placed on the short
Spindles B, B; the angle of the paddle may be varied, and the length and
depth of the stroke may be regulated by the connecting rods C, C.
When the vessel is sailing, the wheel to which the paddle is attached
may

page_text: be lowered, so as to act as a sliding keel to keep the vessel to windward, the
paddle being kept stationary on the upper side of the wheel. The form of the
vessel is not material; it may be varied according to circumstances, but I
recommend Figure 5 as well adapted for general purposes.
Figure 7 is a windlass for raising the masts of barges or other vessels which
have to pass under bridges. When the mast is lowered down it requires a
great power to raise it from that position, but as it rises it requires progressively
less power to raise it upright. This windlass acts with a very great power when
the mast is lowered to its worst position, and it progressively quickens its speed,
adapting itself to the power required, so that no time or labor is wasted, and
the mast is got upright in less time than with the common windlasses in
general use. A, B, C, at Figure 7, are three double wheels or pullies, each
pully having a large and small barrel, as shown at Figure 8. D, at Figure 7,
shows the chain or stay, one end leading to the mast head; the other end
is hooked to the small barrel of A; another chain is hooked to the larger
barrel of A, which is filled by passing the chain round it till it is full, and
the other end of the chain is hooked to the small barrel at B; another
chain is hooked to the larger barrel of B, which is filled by the chain, and its
end is hooked to the small barrel at C, which is put in motion by a winch or
cog wheels on the spindle at C.
Figure 8 shows the range of the pullies, a large and small barrel being
placed in a line with each other. The dotted lines at Figure 7 show the position
of the chains when the mast is down, the pullies by means of the chains acting
as wheels and pinions on each other. As the mast rises, the chains wind off
the larger barrels and on to the smaller barrels, thereby diminishing the
difference between the two diameters, and the mast rises quicker as its
resistance becomes less; it is necessary to have a paul and break, as in other
windlasses for similar purposes. The number and size of the pullies must be
adapted to the size of the vessel.
Figure 9 is a windlass for raising anchors with chain cables. A, B, C, are
wheels, with arms of cast or wrought iron, or some other strong material, placed
in a frame in a line with each other; the arms of the wheels have a notch at
the end, as shown at Figure 10; the chain cable is passed over and under each
alternate wheel, and the wheels being turned by winches or cog wheels placed
on the spindles, the cable is drawn in without the necessity of surging; the
angles formed by the cable over the forked arms of the wheels prevent it
from slipping. The number of the wheels, and of their arms, and the size of
them, may be varied, according to circumstances, but I think three or four
arms to each wheel are the best numbers.

page_text: Figure 11 is another arrangement of windlass for the same purpose as the
foregoing. This windlass, and that for raising the mast, may be placed in one
frame.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lane Higgins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of February, in the year 5
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.