Allen's Hand Windlass, Patent Model
date: label: Date made
content: 1876
label: patent date
content: 1876-10-10
notes: label: Description
content: Farmer and sailor Frederick S. Allen of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts submitted this model with his patent for an improved windlass that received patent number 183,101 on October 10, 1876. The Smithsonian also has a demonstration model of Allen’s invention, object number TR*160324. Windlasses were used for hauling heavy lines and raising anchors, particularly on smaller vessels where there was no room for a capstan and its spread of bars, windlasses were usually turned by brute force using some arrangement of levers. Allen suggested the idea of a double-acting lever that would turn the windlass on both the lever’s upward and downward strokes.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States: Massachusetts, Elizabeth Islands, Cuttyhunk
topic: label: Subject
content: Patent Models
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: America on the Move
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Frederick S. Allen
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.160185
label: catalog number
content: 160185
label: patent number
content: 183,101
label: accession number
content: 12246
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Windlass
label: Object Name
content: windlass, model
label: Other Terms
content: Windlass; Maritime
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 12 in x 11 1/2 in; 36.83 cm x 30.48 cm x 29.21 cm