IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF SAILING VESSELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hamilton Hall of Kew in the County of
"
Surrey Gentleman for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF
SAILING VESSELS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hamilton Hall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1882.
WILLIAM HAMILTON HALL of Kew in the County of Surrey Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF SAILING VESSELS."
Whereas the main and other booms of vessels rigged with fore and aft sails are
by reason of their present mode of rigging liable to be lifted by the pressure of
the wind on the sails or by tension of the peak or other halyards when the sails
are being set and the said sails and booms are thereby rendered less effective and
convenient. And by reason as aforesaid hawses for connecting the sheets of such
sails are usually required for rendering the said sails effective and lifts generally
called "topping lifts" for controlling the elevation of such booms are required
and supports generally called "boom crutches" for sustaining the weight of and
keeping in position the said booms when the sails are lowered are also required.
Now the objects aimed at by my invention are (1) To prevent the booms of such
vessels as aforesaid being lifted as aforesaid and thus enabling the said sails to be
set and to stand more flatly and obviating the necessity of hawses as aforesaid
(2) To prevent the said booms lowering when the said sails are lowered and so far
obviating the necessity of lifts as aforesaid (3). To strengthen the said booms
(4) To combine with the rigging of the said booms and as a convertible portion
thereof such "boom crutches as aforesaid.
And my invention consists of a stay or stays fastened to some convenient portion
of the outward end of any particular boom and to some convenient portion or
portions of the mast to which the said boom is attached near to but at a sufficient
distance from the connection of the said boom and the said stay or stays may be
rigid or flexible.
If rigid the said stay or stays may be constructed of tubular metal or other
suitable material or materials and need be fixed either below or above the said

page_text: boom only as is most convenient. If flexible the said stay or stays may be of any
suitable material ordinarily used for stays on sailing vessels and should be placed
both below and above the said boom so as to prevent the same being either raised
or lowered. The rigging or "staying" of the said boom as aforesaid may be
accomplished either in whole or part (as the case may be) by means of a single
stay or two stays below or above the said boom if the said stay or stays is or are
rigid or by means of a single stay or two stays below and above the said boom or
below only if the said stay or stays is or are flexible. And whether rigid or flexible
the said stay or stays may be connected with the said boom by means of a collar
on the said boom and an eye or eyes thereon and an eye or eyes on the said stay
or stays or other suitable means and may be connected with the said mast if below
the said boom by means of an eye bolt in the said mast and an eye or eyes on the
said stay or stays or other suitable means and if above the said boom by means of
a rigid portion thereof partially circular working in an eye or collar forward of
the said mast and supported by rigid stays fastened to the said mast below the
connection of the said boom or to the deck or to both so as to allow of mast rings
and other necessary gear (if any) to travel on the said mast or other suitable means
according to the mode in which the sail of the said boom and the gaff thereof or
other gear (if any) required to travel up and down the said mast are connected
therewith so as to allow of such travelling and the connections of the said stay or
stays as aforesaid and the connection of the said boom with the mast must be made
to fit close in their parts respectively so that when the said stay or stays is or are
in position the said boom is at liberty to swing freely horizontally but is prevented
from being raised or lowered. And the said stay or stays if rigid may be sustained
by one or more supports to assist the rigidity thereof extending from the said stay
or stays to the said boom and fixed at any convenient position or positions inter-
mediate of the length of the said stay or stays. And the said stay or stays if
placed below the said boom may be arched to any convenient degree for the
purpose of clearing objects on the deck as the said boom swings. And if the
staying" of the said boom is done by means of two rigid stays as aforesaid
suitable lengths of the outwards portions thereof reaching from the said boom to
the deck on either side may be made to be detached and reattached by means of
barrel screw joints or other suitable means so as to be convertible into supports or
crutches for the said boom the said supports or crutches being received into suitable
" steppes or resting places on either side of the said deck. Some inward or other
convenient portion or portions of the said stay or stays may be made to be
detached and reattached by means of barrel or other screw joints or other suitable
means so as to allow of the said boom being raised or lowered or unshipped if
desired.
"

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Hamilton Hall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th December 1882.
WILLIAM HAMILTON HALL of Kew in the county of Surrey, Gentleman
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE RIGGING OF SAILING VESSELS
"
Whereas the main and other booms of vessels rigged with fore and aft sails are
by reason of their present mode of rigging liable to be lifted by the pressure of
the wind on the sails or by tension of the peak or other halyards when the sails
are being set and the said sails and booms are thereby rendered less effective and
convenient. And by reason as aforesaid horses or other means having a like
object for connecting the sheets of such sails are usually required for rendering the
said sails effective and lifts generally called "topping lifts" for controlling the
elevation of such booms are required and supports generally called boom crutches"
for sustaining the weight of and keeping in position the said booms when the sails
are lowered are also required.
"
Now the objects aimed at by my invention are (1) To prevent the booms of
such vessels as aforesaid being lifted as aforesaid and thus enabling the said sails
to be set and to stand more flatly and obviating the necessity of horses or other
means having a like object as aforesaid (2) To prevent the said booms lowering
when the said sails are lowered and so far obviating the necessity of lifts as
aforesaid (3) To strengthen the said booms. (4) To combine with the rigging
of the said booms the means for controlling the elevation of the said booms and
also as a convertible portion thereof such "boom crutches" as aforesaid.
And my invention consists of a stay or stays fastened to some convenient
portion of the outward end of any particular boom and to some convenient portion
or portions of the mast to which the said boom is attached near to but at a
sufficient distance from the connection of the said boom and the said stay or stays
may be rigid or flexible.
If rigid the said stay or stays may be constructed of tubular metal, wood or
other suitable material or materials and need be fixed either below or above the
said boom only as is most convenient. If flexible the said stay or stays may be of
any suitable material ordinarily used for stays on sailing vessels and should be
placed both below and above the said boom so as to prevent the same being either
raised or lowered. The rigging or "staying" of the said boom as aforesaid may be
accomplished either in whole or part (as the case may be) by means of a single
stay or two stays below or above the said boom if the said stay or stays is or are
rigid or by means of a single stay or two stays below and above the said boom or
below only if the said stay or stays is or are flexible. And whether rigid or
flexible the said stay or stays may be connected with the said boom by means of
a collar on the said boom and an eye or eyes thereon and an eye or eyes on the
said stay or stays fitting in the first mentioned eye or eyes, or, if rigid, by means
of a joint screwed or bolted onto the said boom or joints fixed to a bolt fitted
horizontally and loosely through a collar as aforesaid and the said boom, or by
means of ordinary screws or bolts simply or other suitable means and may be
connected with the said mast if below the said boom and whether rigid or flexible
by means of an eye-bolt in the said mast and an eye or eyes on the said stay or
stays working in the said mast-eye or, if rigid, by means of a "goose neck" joint
bolted or fitted with a collar or otherwise to the mast or by means of a joint
working vertically and fixed to a collar fitting loosely round the mast or round
another collar on the mast, the said boom having a similar connection or other

page_text: "
suitable means and may be connected with the said mast if above the said
boom and whether rigid or flexible by means of a rigid portion thereof partially
circular working in an eye or collar forward of the said mast and supported
by rigid stays fastened to the said mast below the connection of the said
boom or to the deck or to both so as to allow of mast-rings and other necessary
gear (if any) to travel on the said mast or other suitable means according to
the mode in which the sail of the said boom and the gaff thereof or other
gear (if any) required to travel up and down the said mast are connected there-
with so as to allow of such travelling; and the connections of the said stay or
stays as aforesaid and the connection of the said boom with the mast must be
made to fit close in their parts respectively so that, when the said stay or stays is
or are in position, the said boom is at liberty to swing freely horizontally but is
prevented from being raised or lowered. And the said stay or stays if rigid may
be sustained by one or more supports to assist the rigidity thereof and increase
the strength of the said boom extending from the said stay or stays to the said
boom and fixed at any convenient position or positions intermediate of the length
of the said stay or stays. And the said stay or stays if placed below the said
boom may be arched to any convenient dégree for the purpose of clearing objects
on the deck as the said boom swings. And the said mast if wooden may have a
metal casing or covering over that part thereof where the connections of the said
boom and the said stay or stays there with are, and over the space between the
same connections to strengthen the said mast. And if the staying of the said
boom is done by means of two rigid stays as aforesaid, suitable lengths of the
outward portions thereof reaching from the said boom to the deck on either side
may be made to be detached and re-attached by means of barrel screw joints or
other suitable means so as to be convertible into supports or crutches for the said
boom, the said supports or crutches being received into suitable "steps or resting
places on either side of the said deck. Some inward or other convenient portion
or portions of the said stay or stays may be made to be detached and re-attached
by means of barrel or other screw joints, or other suitable means so as to allow of
the said boom being raised or lowered or unshipped if desired. And if the "staying'
of the said boom is done by means of a rigid stay or rigid stays below the said
boom as aforesaid, a suitable inner portion thereof may be jointed at about three-
fourths of the length of such stay or stays from outward end or ends thereof with
a joint working vertically (if two stays are used the two converging into one on
the outer side of the said joint) so as to permit the said boom to be raised and
lowered by means of a barrel screw joint or connection connecting the two parts
of the said inner portion of stay, the same inner portion being severed in the centre
thereof, the said barrel screw joint or connection and the ends of the said inner
portion of the stay where severed having screw threads working in opposite
directions so that, when the said joint or connection is turned one way, the said
inner portion of the stay is lengthened out and the said boom raised, and when
turned the opposite way the said inner portion of the stay is contracted and the
said boom lowered or other suitable means the joint first above mentioned and
which connects the said inner portion of the stay with the outer portion or
-portions permitting the said stay or stays to be adapted to the alteration in the
angle thereof with the said boom when the said boom is raised or lowered so as to
allow of fixed supports as aforesaid extending from the said outer portion or
portions of the said stay or stays to the said boom. Small hand-spokes may be
fixed to all or any of the barrel screw joints or connections aforesaid where space-
permits for the convenience of turning the same. And the "staying" of the said
boom being done by means of a stay or stays below the said boom the sheet may
if the said stay or stays is or are carried to the outward extremity of the suid
boom be connected with the said stay or stays instead of with the said boom.
And the "staying" of the said booin being done by means of a single stay below
the said boom, the said fixed supports between the said stay and the said boom may
be divided down the centre thereof respectively so as to allow of a sail being
"

page_text: carried in the intervening space between the said boom and the said stay and set
in the division of the said supports.
In order to enable my invention to be better understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which for the purpose of
illustration I have represented one of the arrangements for carrying out my
invention where one stay is employed placed underneath the boom. Figures 1,
and 2 are elevations shewing the boom in its ordinary position and in its elevated
position when "topped" respectively; figure 3 is a section through the boom and
stay at A, B, showing an end view of one of the fixed supports or girders.
a, is the mast of the vessel; b, the deck level; c, the boom connected to the
mast in any usual manner which is sufficiently strong but I have found the con-
nection shewn in the drawing to answer well; d, is tho stay; the said stay is
jointed at e, and severed at f, the ends g, g, of the severed portions being screw
threaded in opposite directions and screwing into the barrel screw joint or
connection h, having hand spokes i, whereby to turn the same; j, j, are the fixed
supports or girders for connecting the stay d, to the boom c, the outer end of the
stay being connected direct to the outer end of the boom; the said fixed supports j,
as shewn in detached view at figure 3, are divided down the centre so as to allow
of a sail being carried in the intervening space between the boom and the stay.
The sheet, is carried on the stay at h, between the two outer supports j. j.
From this arrangement it will be evident that if the boom be in its ordinary
or normal position shewn in figure 1, it can be "topped" by simply turning the
barrel screw joint h, in one direction the boom rising as shewn in figure 2, the
height to which the boom may be "topped" depending upon the length of the
screw threads g, and barrel screw joint h. To lower the boom it is merely
necessary to turn the barrel screw joint in the opposite direction.
Having thus described my said invention and the manner of performing the
same I would have it understood that What I claim is :-
Firstly. The application to the booms of sailing vessels rigged with fore and aft
sails of a stay or stays in the manner and for the purposes herein before described.
Secondly. The construction and application to the booms of sailing vessels of a
stay arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
In Witness whereof I the said William Hamilton Hall have hereto set my
hand and seal this ninth day of December in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
TTY
TY
HAMILTON HAL
HALL (L.S.)