IMPROVED NIPPERS FOR ATTACHING BLOCKS AND TACKLES TO ROPES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for tho
Invention of "IMPROVED NIPPERS FOR ATTACHING BLOCKS AND TACKLES TO
ROPES." A communication from abroad by William Henry Allen and
Andrew Jackson Bentley, both of New York, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 12th September 1860, and dated the 16th April 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED NIPPERS FOR ATTACHING BLOCKS AND TACKLES
TO ROPES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain an instrument for attaching to any
rope to which a block and tackle is to be hooked, which will gripe the rope so
O securely that there will be no liability of its slipping, and which will be readily
attached and detached from the rope, at the same time that it will offer no
injury to the surface or fibre of the rope.
The improved nippers consist of a pair of levers, which are jointed by a
strong pin like a pair of pincers. In the ends of the handles are eyes similar

page_text: to a pair of scissors. The ends of the jaws are bent, and are provided with
two gripping jaws, the inner surfaces of which are grooved longitudinally and
diagonally, so that the diagonal or spiral grooves will conform to the surface
of the rope, and fit snugly into the interstices therein. These spiral grooves or
concavities effectually serve to prevent the instrument from slipping upon the
rope when in use. The manner of determining the proper size and convexity
of the spiral slots is to make a mould from the rope itself, and to form a pattern
for casting the jaws from this mould; in this way the jaws will fit the irregular
surfaces of the rope, and prevent the possibility of injury to its surface, how-
ever great may be the weight of the article to be suspended upon the arms
of the instrument.
The jaws are pivoted to the levers in order that they may be clamped
parallel with the surface of any ordinary sized rope. The ends of the longer
arms of the levers are connected together by a chain or rope, which may be of
any suitable length, and to this chain or rope is attached the block by simply
hooking the block to the chain.
It will now be understood that when a weight is hung upon the pulley the
jaws will be firmly clamped to the rope, and the greater the weight the more
securely will the instrument be clamped to the rope.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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

page_text: Invention for "IMPROVED NIPPERS FOR ATTACHING BLOCKS AND TACKLES TO ROPES,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention of "Improved Nippers for Attaching Blocks
and Tackles to Ropes," is to obtain an instrument for attaching to any rope to.
which a block and tackle is to be hooked, which will gripe the rope so securely
that there will be no liability of its slipping, and which will be readily attached
and detached from the rope; at the same time it will offer no injury to the
surface or fibre of the rope.
This instrument is intended to dispense with the present modes of attaching
the block to a rope, one of which is simply to splice the ends of a small rope
together, and lash these ropes in a peculiar manner to the rope to which the
block. is to be hung, but it is a well-known fact among seamen that this
attachment is very uncertain, and will almost invariably slip. There is also a
great loss of time in making this attachment, while with the improved instru-
ment, which forms the subject of the present Invention, the pulley block
can be securely attached to any rope in a few seconds, and will serve all tho
purposes required, while at the same time it is not liable to the objections
above mentioned.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the
nippers, shewing clearly the construction of the same; Fig. 2 is a sectional
view of the jaws of the nippers clamped to a rope; Fig. 3 shews the manner
of using the nippers. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the several Figures.
In Fig. 1 the two holding levers A, A, are seen in perspective. These
overlap each other, and are jointed by a strong pin B. In the ends of the
handles or levers A, A, are eyes C, C, similar to a pair of scissors, and the ends
of the jaws are bent, as represented by the Figure, and upon the ends aro
jointed two griping jaws D, 1), the inner surfaces of which are grooved longi-

page_text: tudinally and diagonally, so that the diagonal or spiral grooves E will conform
to the surface of the rope, and fit snugly into the interstices therein, as repre-
sented by Fig. 2, which shews the jaws in section when clamped to a rope.
These spiral grooves or concavities E effectually serve to prevent the instru-
ment from slipping upon the rope when in use. The manner of determining
the proper size and convexity of the spiral slots is to make a mould from the
*rope itself, and to form a pattern for casting the jaws from this mould; in this
way the jaws will fit the irregular surfaces of the rope, and will prevent the
possibility of injury to its surface, however great may be the weight of the
article to be suspended upon the arms of the instrument.
The jaws are jointed to the levers A, A, in order that they may be clamped
parallel with the surface of any ordinary sized rope. The ends of the longer
arms of the levers are connected together by a chain or rope F (Figures 1
and 3), which may be of any suitable length, and to this chain or rope is
attached the block G, by simply hooking the block to the chain, as shown in
Fig. 3. It will now be understood that when a weight is hung upon the
pulley the jaws will be firmly clamped to the rope, and the greater the weight
the more securely will the instrument be clamped to the rope.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to me
as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
the mode herein set forth of constructing nippers for attaching blocks and
tackles to ropes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)