THE

London

JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES.

No. XXI.

Recent Patents.

To JOHN CHRISTOPHERS, of New Broad-street, London, for certain improvements on, or a substitute or substitutes for, Anchors.

THESE improvements consist in the construction of certain peculiarly formed anchors, or substitutes for anchors, represented in Plate VII. Fig. 1 and 2, are different views of an anchor, slightly varied in form from the common anchor; a, a, is the shank consisting of two eliptical bars, set at an angle to each other, but which are united, and square at the upper part where the shackle is introduced; b, b, are the arms to which the lower parts of the shank bars are riveted, bolted, or otherwise secured; c, c, are the palms of the anchor of the ordinary form, but are recommended to be circular at their back part as dotted; d, d, is the stock of wrought

iron, or it may be of wood, as usual; which is intended occasionally to be introduced through the hole f, in the middle of the arms b. This anchor, with the branching shank, is considered to be much stronger in proportion to its weight than a common anchor, and is better calculated to resist, during the operation of tearing or wrenching the anchor out of the ground, as the two branches of the shank mutually support each other; and also the arms, or flukes, are less liable to be broken, in consequence of the shank being connected thereto nearer to the point of the palms, than in the common anchor.

Fig. 3, 4, and 5, exhibit different views of another formed anchor, which is proposed as a substitute for the common anchor. It is furnished with two double palms, connected by a cross bar; a, is the shank, divided as before; b, is the curved cross bar, or arm, to which the ends of the shank a are riveted or bolted; c, c, are the double flukes, or palms of an oval form, connected by the curved cross bar, or arm b. This form of anchor possesses considerable advantage over the ordinary anchor, as it requires no stock, and is capable of taking very firm hold of the ground, by having two of its palms in operation at once. It is also superior to the common anchor in strength, as it will sustain a very great lateral strain, as the ship swings about when riding at single anchor, and is less liable to foul or entangle with the cable.

Fig. 6 and 7 are representations of another formed anchor, which may be called a mushroom anchor; it is chiefly made of cast-iron. a, a, a, are three branching bars of wrought-iron, arranged in a triangular position; they are united, and form a square at the top where the shackle passes through, and, at their lower ends, enter

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the cast-iron block b, into which they are bolted, or otherwise secured. The block b is formed as a star, with six points, having a round hole through the middle of the block, for the purpose of allowing the sand and water to escape in raising the anchor, or for attaching a buoy rope. This form of anchor is very strong; and some of the points of the star would be certain of holding into the ground, in whatever position it might happen to fall.

Fig. 8 is a side view of another sort of anchor, the head, or holding part, b, of cast-iron, the particular form of which head is more clearly shewn at fig. 9. It is cast hollow, as shewn by the dots, and has a round hole, as described in fig. 7, to allow the sand and water to pass during its rising; the two prominent beaks, c, c, are intended to enter the ground. The shank of this anchor is divided into two branches, which are bolted into the head; but the branches are united at the shackle; ff, are two bars of wrought iron, which pass through holes in the head, and are there intended to slide, the object of which is to prevent the cable from becoming entangled with the head. When the anchor stands with one of its beaks upon the ground, the bars ƒ, ƒ, slide downward and touch the ground, as shewn in fig. 9, by which the cable is prevented from getting under the anchor near the beak. If the anchor falls in the position shewn by the dots in fig. 9, the bars will also have slidden out and protected the beak from the approach of the cable; the same would happen in whatever position this anchor might happen to lie.

The form of anchor represented at fig. 10 and 11, is particularly calculated for moorings; the head is of castiron, of an oval shape, with indentations so as to form three points or beaks on each side, for the purpose of

holding into the ground. This head is also cast hollow, and has a large hole for the passage of the sand and water, and four small holes for the attachment of the buoy rope; the shank of wrought iron is divided into four branches, bolted to the block; and, at the reverse end, is welded together into a square form, as before described.

Having concluded the description of these improved forms of anchors, the patentee adds, "I confine my claim to the following particulars:-First, to the dividing or branching of the shanks of anchors into two, three, four, or more parts, as herein before described, thereby obtaining a greater degree of strength, (in proportion to the weight of metal employed,) than has hitherto been effected by the usual method of making the shank in one solid mass. Secondly, I make claim to the improved form of anchor, described by the figs. 3, 4, and 5, in the annexed drawings, which I propose to substitute for the common ship's anchor. And, lastly, I make claim to the application and combination of the branching shank, (above mentioned,) with the various forms of anchors described by the figs. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, in the annexed drawing, and which I employ occasionally as substitutes for common anchors; but I do not claim the forms themselves. All other parts which are described or mentioned in this specification are introduced merely to illustrate the nature of my invention. The sizes and proportions of the various parts may be varied according to the discretion of the workman, or to the use for which the anchor is intended."

Inrolled, April, 1822.

TO ROBERT BILL, of Newman Street, in the Parish of Saint Mary-la-bonne, Middlesex, for an Improvement in the Construction of certain Descriptions of Boats and Barges.

THE subject of this patent is the construction of boats and barges with wooden bottoms and iron sides. It appears that three objects are proposed by the construction of iron vessels, viz. cheapness, lightness, and durability. (See Iron Boat, vol. i. p. 225 of this Journal, and also Dickinson's Patent for Iron Ships, vol. iii. p. 113.)

The mode of construction proposed in this specification applies to canal boats, which are stated as being generally seventy feet long, seven feet wide, and four feet deep. The bottom is to be made according to any of the ordinary modes now in use. If the several planks are grooved and tongued, thin slips of iron are proposed to be used between each plank, instead of laths, which is the ordinary mode. Instead of raising the sides with planks, iron plates are employed, whose weight is about nine pounds to the superficial foot. These plates should not exceed two feet ten inches in width, and in length an allowance of three or four inches must be made for the rivets, so as to effectually secure the plates to the bottom.

Iron ribbed knees are then to be placed at such distances from each other as to receive the edges of the plates upon the middle of the knees; holes, at proper distances, are to be made on each side of the middle rib of the knee, and corresponding holes in the plates: the whole is then to be riveted together in the usual manner, so that the vessel may be water-tight. It may be desirable to countersink the rivets into the plates, to preserve an even surface. The feet of the knees are to