US55922A - Improved top-sail reefing-rig - Google Patents

Description

N.FE.TERS, PHOTO-CITHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE- WM. SMITH AND DANIEL HOOPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED TOP-SAIL REEFlNG-RIG.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,922, dated June 26, 1866.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM G. SMITH and DANIEL HOOPER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Top Sail Reefing-Rig; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

In reefing a top-sail as ordinarily the upper or top-sail yard is first squatted or lowered down,and then the reef-tackles are hauled out, which again lifts up the body of the sail after it has been lowered with the yard, and draws as much of the upper part of the top-sail up to the upper yard as is intended to be taken in the reef, and the slack sail which is so drawn up by the reef-tackles is then secured along the yard by knotting the reef-points over the said upper yard. in this mode of reefing a top-sail the whole sail is first lowered with the upper yard, and then it has to be hauled up again by the reef-tackles whenthey are hauled out, and with a heavy sail this takes time and is attended with considerable heavy labor, more especially when the sail is wet and when there is more or less wind in the sail, as is generally the case;

The object of this invention is to obviate the necessity for hauling out the reef-tackles by providing a means for holding up the body of the sail when the upper yard is lowered for reefing, so that in efiect the reef-tackles are already hauled out as soon as the upper yard is down,an(l the men can go upon the yard at once without first having to stop and expend time and labor in hauling up the reef-tackles.

Our invention consists in sustaining the body of a top-sail, when the upper yard is squatted for reefing, by a boom or light yard, which is fastened to the sail along the line of the close reef, and is held up by lifts, so that that portion of the sail below the close reef is not allowedto settle down with the upper or topsail yard when it comes down for reefing and also in a novel construction of lifts for the said sustaining-boom, whereby their strain is distributed on the boom so as to favor the use of a light one; also, in an improved method of securing the belly of the sail to the reefingboom in a strong and substantial manner 5 and our invention further consists in the employboom in snug against the top-mast when the top-sail is thrashing about in a calm, and prevent the boom from beating against the topmast, as hereinafter set forth.

Having described the nature of our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 shows a rear view of the top-sail fitted with our improved reefing-rig, and Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same, the top sail and yards being shown in sections. Fig. 3 is a fragmental view, showing a portion of the front of the top-sail, and illustrates the method of securing the sail to the boom.

Similar letters of reference in the different figures indicate corresponding parts.

A in the accompanying drawings is the top sail. B is the upper or top-sail yard. 0 is the lower yard, its technical name being determined by the mast upon which it is placed. D is a boom, which is secured to the top-sail at the line of the close reef, and is suspended by the lifts M m m M m m, Fig. l. J is the top-mast. K K are preventer-lifts. g g, Figs. 1 and 2, is a check-line for checking the boom D in against the top-mast when there is not wind enough in the sail to keep the top-sail from flapping against the mast. e 6, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are stops or ropebands which are used in connection with a binding line or rope, ff, Figs. 2 and 3, to secure the sail A- to the boom D.

Its operation is as follows: When the yard B is lowered for reefing the boom D holds up the lower portion of the top-sail and the weight of the sail is thrown principally upon the lifts M m m M m m, Fig. 1, so that in all cases the sail can be readily hauled up to the yard B, for taking in a single, double, or close reef, without the aid of reef-tackles to hoist the reef up to the yard B. The lifts M M are bifurcated before reaching the boom D, so that they take hold of the boom at several points, as seen in Fig. 1, and the strain of the lifts M M is thereby distributed along the boom, so that a light spar or boom only is required for this purpose, and the'boom D is not liable to be snapped or ment of a check-line for checking the reefing" way, with cringles and lanyards.

broken in the center by its ends bein carried forward with the force of the wind upon the sail when the upper yard is started down, as

the center of the boom is allowed to flow away from the top-mast J, and such strain must come upon the lifts M m m and sail A below D, and upon the lower yard, (3, and some of these must give way before the boom D can be broken by the force of the wind in the top-sail reeling. As soon as the reef has been taken in the topsail the upper yard is again hoisted up by the halyard O and the reefing-booin D relieved of the weight of the sail A.

The boom D is secured to the belly of the topsail in a strong and reliable manner by rope bands or stops 6 e, which have an eye spliced in each end, and the bights of these stops are then pushed through grommet-holes worked in the seams of the sail, and a binding or looking rope, ff, Figs. 2 and 3, is then rove through these bights on the forward side of the sail, and when the two eyes of each rope band or stop have been seized together by seizing .r m, Fig. l, the sail is secured to the boom in a very substantial manner.

In this mode of fastening the sail to the boom the sail is secured at its outer edges in the usual The grommet-holes in the sail A for the stops 0 are worked through the reef-band of the close reef as well as through the seams of the sail. The 'n-evcnter-lifts K can be used for studding-sail hal yards during light weather and for preventer-lifts during heavy weather.

The check-line g g is used for drawing the boom D in snug against the top-mastJ during a calm, to prevent the boom D from beating against the top-mast by the movement of the ship in a dead sea. This line 9 is made fast to the boom D, and leads around the top-mast J and back to the boom D, and through a block or deadeye, t, which is secured to the boom, and then the line 9 passes through a fair-leader, h, on the mast-head, and from thence leads down to the deck. This checking-line g is left slack, so that the reefing-boom flows out freely from the top-mast, and is used only upon such occasions as above mentioned to steady the boom,

If the portion of the top-sail below the boom D should be split, the sheets S S, Fig. 1, can

be unhooked from the clews t t of the top-sail and be hooked into the cringles r 1", Figs. 1 and 3, and the npperportion of the top-sail readily lowered down and set in the place of the damaged portion, the boom D in that case being brought down close to the lower yard, 0, and the damaged portion of the top-sail is hauled up on the front side of the part that is set where it is becalmed, and it may then be repaired or allowed to hang until the gale is over.

By these means the process of reefin g a topsail is much simplified and much of the labor is saved, besides greater promptness, a saving in time, which is often an item of much importance and always a source of satisfaction to all concerned. The work of setting the topsail after it has been reefed is much less by this method than usual, as the sheets S S, Fig. 1, never have to be started and hauled home again, and the yard B is hoisted up again much easier than if it had the whole strain of the sail upon it. I

The prevcnter-lifts K, Fig. are used to haul the upper yard, B, down when it refuses to come down by its own weight, as is sometimes the case; but they are chiefly used, when the upper yard is lowered, to reduce the size of the topsail, and the sail allowed to hang without reefing or tying the reef-points, and in such case they are then set taut, so that the upper yard, B, may take a portion of the strain from the reefing-boom D and lifts M m m.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In connection with a single top-sail, a flowing middlc yard or reeling-boom, D, checking-line g g, bifurcated lifts M m m, and preventer-lifts K, all arranged and operating as herein shown and explained.

2. The combination of the bindingropeff W. G. SMITH. DANIEL HOOPER.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

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