A.D. 1855, May 2. - No 991.

Rowlett, William.- "Fitting, handling, and reefing vessels' "sails".

In square sails, the yard is rooved and the dead of the sail is attached to a number of hooks which travel in the groove. These hooks are preferable fitted with antifriction rollers. In the centre of the yard is a "bunt bar" into which the hooks slide, so that the bar and the sail can be lifted out and brought down on deck by a suitable tackle. From this bar a bunt rope extends vertically down the sail, and from each leach of the sail brails extend through thimbles on the sail to blocks on the bunt line and so to the deck. The foot is drawn in by bridles, so that the whole sail can thus be brailed up. For additional security, lines with running bowlines on them may be adapted to be passed round the sail when taken in. Travellers of other descriptions may be used instead of the hooks above mentioned.

The sail may be reefed by gathering it in by the brails, or by having additional buntropes and brailing in to them, or "by applying a reef tackle on the old plan the sail may be reefed round the head-rope and by which sail would be ready to be gathered in to the bunt as before".

With square top-sails, the top-sail yard is to be kept at the mast-head while the sail is being brailed up, after which it is lowered. . . .

Patents for Inventions. Abridgements of Specifications Relating to Masts, Sails, Rigging, &c.; Including Apparatus for Raising and Lowering Ships' Boats. AD 1625-1866.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents for Inventions, London, 1874. 8vo, 14.5x8.5 cm, xvi, 254, (2) pp.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius

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