US86984A - Improvement in apparatus for reefing sails - Google Patents

Description

gtuitt ,gister @tutti NATHANIEL iNGERsoLL, or SALEM, vMASSA,cniusETTs' Letters Patent No. 86,984, dated Februa/ry 16,1869. I

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NATHANIEL INGERscLL, of Salem, in the county of Essex, and 'State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in lteciing the Courses or Lower Sails. of Square-Rigged Vessels; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will .Y

enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, forming part of this specilication, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a course provided with my improved means for reeiing it.

Figure 2 is a detail cross-section through the yard and one of the rolling-spars.

Figure 3 is a detail plan view, showing the means for operating thcrolling-spara Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the ratchet-wheels and its pawl, employed on the ends ofthe rolling-spars, to prevent the sail from unrolling therefrom when set.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. A

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and practicable means for reducing or reefing the courses, so called, or lower sails of a square-rigged vessel.

My invention consists in the employment of two rolling-spars, to which the head of the sail is attached, the said spars being arranged under the yard, and a little forward ofthe same, and connectedtherewith by journal-plates, which afford bearings for. the gudgeons of the said rolling-spars.

The spars are actuated, to wind up the sail thereon, by means of a device known to mariners as a parbuckle-purchase, which is a means of producing `rotation in a cylindrical body, by the unwinding of a rope or chain, previously wound thereon. f

The rolling-spare are provided with ratchet-wheels and pawls, to perfect their operation, which, with other devices, forming part of the invention, and conducing to the operation of the saine, render it fully effective, as is hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, a single course, as a ships mainsail, is represented, to illustrate the principle and operation of the invention.

a c are the rolling-spars, to which the tached.

l) l) are ropes or chains, attached to the inner ends of the said spars, and moved around the same a suliicient number of turns to roll up the sail on the said spa-rs to the desired extent.

These ropes or chains l) l) lead through blocks attached to thcunder side of the top, B, preferably to the rim of the saine, and thence to the deck, where they niaybe connected with any tackle, purchase, or power, deemed most desirable, forming a parbucklepurchasc on the spars a a, as before mentioned.

d d l are the journal-plates, affixed to the yardC,

sail is atat the ends and slings of the same, to afford bearings for die gudgeons'of the rolling-spare.

c e e e are ratchet-wheels at the ends of the rollingspars, and which, in connection with their. respective pawls h, hold the spars from unwinding the `sail previously wound thereon.

The middle cloth of the sail is split down to the point to which the sail is to be rolled up on the spars, in order to permit the operation of winding the sail on two separate spars, which would otherwise be impossible, as will be obvious.

This loose cloth is provided with astretchen'a short wooden rod, which is attached to the head thereof, and provided with any suitable line leading to the deck, to haul it up in place, to form a whole sail when the same is not reefed. p

The edges of the saidv loose cloth may be provided with rings, if desired, which run on short stays, ff, attached to the spars a a, and to the sail, as shown, to perfect the operation of the said loose cloth `in settling away, as the sail is rolled on the spars, or being again hoisted in place, as aforesaid. y

In order to stiifen the rollin g-spars in heavy weather, andprevent their sagging or springing on such occasions, from the unusual strain on them, I employ cur-ved horns or cleats, y g, one or morcfor each yard-arm, which are affixed to the yard-arms about at the middle points of the spars da, andare curved, so as to lreach around nndcr'the said spars, and sustain them when slightly sprung downward, as aforesaid.

spars were liable to sag ofi' to the leeward, as the sail was rolled up, particularly when the yard was braced up sharp, whereby the even rolling of the sail on the spar or yard was prevented.

This defect I remedy by means of a system of short guy-lines, 'it i, connecting the leaches of the sail with thc rolling-spars, and winding on the latter with the sail,

This i simple device has been rfound to obviate the difficulty completely, and is applicable to all square sails generally, when rolled up on spars, in the manner set forth.

I am aware that sails of vessels have been rolled up 'in a manner generally similar to that herein set forth, but in such cases a single rolling-spar was employed, which has been found objectionable, from its cxtreme length, whereby the sails,- like the lower sails of square rigged vessels, which sails have more spread than hoist, are unevenly wound, and become wrinkled and distorted, or foul, as it is called, in the operation of rolling them up.

has heretofore been accompanied by the lowering of the yard to which "the rolling-spare were attached, as in topsails, and the like, but in no case heretofore have rolling-spars been combined with fixed yards, or 'yards Ithas been found, in practice, that sails rolled upon` I will further note that the rolling up of square sails working on a fixed truss, and which is one distinguishing feature of my invention.

It Will be observed that the loose -eloth before mentioned may be weighted vby a heavy stretcher, or by other means, to insure its settling away as the sail is rolled up.

Finally, to insure the better operation of the guylines'f i t', the outer ends of the rolling-spars may be formed with helical shoulders or threads, which being followed (as the spars are rolled) by the guy-lines, the latter are thus more securely made to hold the ascending leaehes properly drawn outward.

I claim as new, and desire to secure Patent- 1. The method ofreefing the courses, or lower sails of squareri gged vessels, by means of two rollin gspars. a a, arranged under each yard-arm of tbe yard C, and working in bearings afforded by journal-plates e, ailixed by Letters to the said yard C, and operated by two parbucklepurchases, b b, and provided with ratchet-wheels e and pawls 7L, all substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The method 0f steadying the leaches of rolling sails, by means ofV guy-lines i t' i, substantially as described.

. V3. The method of sustainingr the rolling-spars a a,

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