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AM. PH0TO-L1TH0. CO. N.Y (OSBORNES PROCESS)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. HILL, OF GREENPORT, NEW YORK.

SHIP’S BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,186, dated July 10, 1847.

To dll whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, William W. Hill, of Greenport, Suffolk county, Long Island, in the State of New York, block-maker, have 5 invented and made and applied to use certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Ship-Blocks, usually known as “ Tackle-Blocks,” such improvements consisting in forming the cheeks of the 10 blocks round in a lathe, thereby saving labor, and in placing a metal head formed with a rising circular groove above the sheaves, thereby giving more diameter to the sheave, according to the length of the shell, 15 and combined with a metal strap passing through mortises in the head into mortises in the cheeks to take the pin of the sheave, for which improvements I seek Letters Patent of the United States, and that the 20 said improvements and the mode of constructing and using the same are fully and substantially set forth, and shown in the following description and in the drawing annexed to and making part hereof, 25 wherein—·

Figure 1, is a side view of a block, complete; Fig. 2, is a vertical sectional elevation, through the wider center of the block, at right angles to the pin; Fig. 3, is a cross 30 section, through the narrow center, of the block, in the line of the pin, the same letters and numbers, as marks of reference, applying to the like parts, in each of the several figures.

a, a, are the cheeks, and 1, is the “ arse ” piece, forming the shell of the block, riveted together, as usual, but countersunk on the edges, so as to set the sheave lower in the center. The cheeks a, a, are shown as made 40 by turning them in a lathe, so that each is circular in form, instead of irregularly elliptical, b, is the pin carrying.the sheave c, made with any usual bush, but shown as fitted 45 with a roller bush.

e, is a metal head piece, formed as shown in the Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and detached in the Fig. 4. In these, 3, 3, are mortises corresponding with mortises in the cheeks 50 a, a; 4, 4, are flanches, that overlie into corresponding rabbet in the cheeks a, a, and 5, 5, are the ribs of a concave groove, formed in a segment of a circle, whose highest part, inside, is above, or in line with, the outside 55 wood shell, and the segmental line parallel to the curve of the sheave c.

d, d'. are a pair of sling straps, fitting into mortises 2,2, in the cheeks a, a, through ‘ the mortises 3, 3, in the head piece e, to just below the pin b, with holes for the pin to 60 pass through them and the sheave.

b, is a bolt and nut, going through the outer ends of the straps d. d', and through the eye of a hook /, which completes the construction of the block. es

It will be obvious, that by scoring the “ arse ” of the block, and making a corresponding indentation, in the metal head piece, a rope strap may be attached as in any common block, and the merely mechani- 70 cal variations, needed to make a double, or threefold block, and, in any case, with, or without a becket, see Fig. 3, in this mode, will be equally plain, to every practical blockmaker. 75

By the mode of construction above described, the cheeks are formed with Jess labor, the sheave is larger, according to the length of the block, nearly in the proportion shown by the dotted elliptical lines, round 80 the sheave, in Fig. 2, which show, very nearly, the proportionate length of an ordinary elliptical shell to the sheave within it; and the mode of constructing the metal head piece; at once secures the head of the 85 block, and by admitting an increased proportionate size of the sheave, places the pull of the rope on a rolling lever, of increased radius, nearer to the point of support, or nearer to the weight to be moved; and the 90 straps, housing within the mortises 2, 2, the rope is protected from the friction, and wear, that arises, when the straps are placed in grooves, on the inner faces of the cheeks, so that the rope passes in contact with the 95 straps.

I do not claim to have invented blocks, in which- the sheave is suspended by a pin, through metal straps, that are in contact with the rope, when in use; and having, 100 fifteen years ago, made blocks, with straps fitted in, similar to those herein described, but without the metal head piece, or cap, and in elliptical shells, I do not, herein, claim such mode of fitting straps alone; nor 105