IM- PROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO TACKLE AND GEAR FOR LOWERING, RAISING, AND DETACHING SHIPS' AND OTHER BOATS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Clark, of Barrow in Furness, and of 15, Water
Street, Liverpool, both in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of “IM-
PROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO TACKLE AND GEAR FOR LOWERING, RAISING,
AND DETACHING SHIPS' AND OTHER BOATS."
Sealed the 29th August 1879, and dated the 27th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th March 1879.
JAMES CLARK, of Barrow-in-Furness, and of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, both in
the County of Lancaster. " IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO TACKLE AND
GEAR FOR LOWERING, RAISING, AND DETACHING SHIPS' AND OTHER BOATS."
My Invention relates, firstly, to a novel method of reeving the tackle, being the
lowering rope or line through the blocks used for lowering and raising ships' and
other boats; secondly, to a novel form of hook, to which the shackle from the
lowering blocks is connected to, and by which the boat is hung, carried, and released
or detached.
Ships' and other boats usually suspended from davits by two distinct and
unconnected tackles, one of which carries the fore end or bow of the boat, and the
other the after end or stern of the boat. By this arrangement it is necessary to
have two distinct gangs of men, one at each tackle for raising and lowering.
According to my Invention I use what I will term an endless or continuous rope
or reeving, which serves for both tackles, namely, for the bow tackle and the stern
tackle of the boat. I effect this by using a single rope, which I reeve through the
double blocks of one tackle, namely, the davit block and the boat block. One end
of the rope is left for belaying or handing at the davit, and the other end is con-
tinued from the boat block, or the davit block to the block, being either the boat
block or the davit block at the other end of the boat, and is then rove through the
boat block and davit block at such end of the boat, the end of the rope finally
finishing at the second davit for belaying or handing. I thus have a continuous rope,
the slackening or hauling of which at either end, and at either davit, serves to

page_text: also
lower or raise the boat. By this arrangement one gang of men can raise or lower
the boat, and at the same time two gangs can be employed if wished;
when the boat takes the water the continuous rope enables the boat to be borne
equally by both davits until the boat is fully water borne.
The boat block is attached to the boat by a shackle or loop, which takes onto a
tumbler hook fixed on the boat, and so arranged that by being weighted at one side
the hook releases itself from the block the instant the boat is waterborne. The
tumbler hook may be provided with a preventer to be used when the hook is not
desired to act automatically. The formation and use of this hook constitutes the
second part of my Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said James Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th September
1879.
JAMES CLARK, of Barrow in Furness, and of 15, Water Street, Liverpool, both
in the County of Lancaster. " IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO TACKLE AND
GEAR FOR LOWERING, RAISING, AND DETACHING SHIPS' AND OTHER BOATS."
My Invention relates, firstly, to a novel method of reeving the tackle, being the
lowering rope or line through the blocks used for lowering and raising ships' and
other boats; secondly, to a novel form of hook, to which the shackle from the
lowering blocks is connected to, and by which the boat is hung, carried, and released
or detached.
Ships' and other boats are usually suspended from davits by two distinct and
unconnected tackles, one of which carries the fore end or bow of the boat, and the
other the after end or stern of the boat. By this arrangement it is necessary
to have two distinct gangs of men, one at each tackle for raising and lowering.
According to my Invention I use what I will term an endless rope or reeving,
which serves for both tackles, namely, for the bow tackle and the stern tackle of
the boat. I effect this by using a single rope, which I reeve through the blocks of
one tackle, namely, the davit block and the boat block. One end of the rope is
left for belaying or handing at the davit, and the other end is continued from the
boat block or the davit block to the block being either the boat block or the davit
block at the other end of the boat, and is then rove through the boat block and
davit block at such end of the boat, the end of the rope finally finishing at the
second davit for belaying or handling. The ends of the rope are spliced after reeving..
I thus have a continuous rope, the slackening or handing of which at either end
and at either davit serves to lower or raise the boat. By this arrangement one
gang of men can raise or lower the boat with the assistance of the men in the boat,
and at the same time two gangs can be employed if wished; also when the boat
takes the water, the continuous rope enables the boat to be borne equally by both
davits until the boat is fully water borne.
The boat block is attached to the boat by a shackle or loop, which takes on to a
tumbler hook fixed on the boat, and so formed that the hook and ring, or shackle
clears (arranged that by being weighted at one side the hook releases itself from
the block) the instant the boat is water borne. The tumbler hook may be provided
with a preventer to be used when the hook is not desired to act automatically. The
formation and use of this hook constitutes the second part of my Invention.
The beforegoing being the nature, object, and purposes of my Invention, I will
now proceed to illustrate how my Invention may be practically applied, and to
describe forms and arrangements of apparatus such as are suitable for carrying my
Invention into practice, and for that purpose I have attached a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative of such apparatus and mechanism, which are marked with letters and
figures of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation, like
letters and figures being used to denote the same or corresponding parts throughout
the various views and Figures,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boat hung in davits, and provided with tackle
and gear according to my Invention.
Figure 2 is a modified arrangement of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figures 1 or 2.
Figures 4 and 4 are side elevations of disengaging hook; Figure 4B is a front
view of Figure 4.
Figure 5 is an elevation of hanging link, or shackle, or ring.
Upon reference to the Drawings, it will be seen that my Invention consists in
using an endless rope or reeving A, which serves for both tackles, namely, the bow
tackle B and the stern tackle C of the boat D. I effect this endless reeving by
using a single rope A, which I reeve through the blocks E, F, of the bow tackle B,

page_text: and G, H, of the stern tackle C. The block E being suspended from the davit I,
and the block G being suspended from the davit J, it will be seen that the rope
A, the ends of which are spliced, making it an endless rope, one part of which is
left for belaying and handing at the davit I, is rove through the davit block E and
the boat block F, and is then continued to the boat block H, rove through the boat
block H and the davit block G, and the other part left for belaying and handing at
the davit J. The reeving may be thus accomplished as illustrated at Figure 1; or
the reeving may be accomplished as illustrated at Figure 2, the difference being in
Figure 1; the reeving A¹ is taken from the boat block F to the boat block H, and
in Figure 2 the reoving A¹ is taken from the davit block E to the davit block G.
The parts of the endless reeving are brought down, as shown at A" in Figure 3, and
belayed on the davits I and J. By my method of reeving, and having a continuous
rope A, the slackening or hauling at either end of the rope A serves to lower or
raise the boat D. By this arrangement one gang of men; with the assistance of the
men in the boat overhauling the part of the fall A'; can raise or lower the boat D,
and at the same time two gangs can be employed if wished. Also when the boat D
takes the water, the continuous rope A enables the boat D to be borne equally by
both davits I, J, until the boat D is fully water borne.
The boat blocks F and H are attached to the boat D by the shackles or rings K
(for detail see Figure 5). The shackles K take onto the tumbler hooks L fastened
to the boat by the stanchions M. The detail of the tumbler hook L is illustrated
at Figures 4 and 4 and 4B. It will be seen that the hook L is so formed that it
is superweighted at N, and will fall back and release itself from the shackle K the
instant the boat is water borne. The hook L is provided with a lock P (see Figures
4 and 44 and 4B). The eye R on the ring or shackle is for a lanyard to pull rings
clear of hooks when a towing strain is on the falls or tackles.
In operation the boat D can be lowered or raised by handing one end of the line
A, the operation being assisted or regulated by a man or men in the boat handing
the line A at A¹ (see Figure 1), or by a man or men in the vessel from which the.
boat is lowered, handing the fall or tackle A at A¹ (Figure 2). Immediately the
boat is water borne, the hooks L automatically disengage from the shackles K and
the boat is released. Should it be wished that the boat should not be automatically
released, the locks P are used, in which case the blocks can be unhooked from the
shackles, or the preventer locks P thrown back to release the boat.
;
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my Invention, and explained
my new method or system of reeving the tackle, and the releasing gear for lowering,
raising, and detaching ships' and other boats, what I claim as my Invention is,
First. Reeving the lowering or raising line or rope of boat tackles in a con-
tinuous length through the davit and boat blocks at both ends of the boat,
substantially as herein described and shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Second. The arrangement and construction of attaching and 'disengaging hook
and shackle or ring, substantially as herein described and shown in the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Third. The arrangement of tackle and gear for lowering, raising, and detaching
ships' and other boats, substantially as herein described and shown in the Drawings
hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Clark, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
Lundund
JAMES (L.S.) OLARK.