The Evolution of the Windlass in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The handling of anchor cable on merchant ships was the subject of much innovation in the early nineteenth century. In warships anchor cable was handled by capstans operated by large crews. On merchant ships, with restricted space and manpower, a windlass was preferred. This article examines the development of the hand-powered windlass from the traditional form to the use of ratchets, gears and sprockets to improve its handling capabilities. The operation of windlasses was a concern of the Académie des Sciences and the large number of patents taken out in Britain and America demonstrate the ways in which science and practical innovation influenced the development of technology for handling anchor cables prior to the application of steam.

Key words:

• capstan
• windlass
• anchor cable
• chain
• merchant ship
• maritime technology
• naval architecture
• Académie des Sciences

Notes

1 Harland, Capstans and Windlasses, chs 5, 6 and 8; Harland, ‘Design of winches’; Harland, ‘Eckhardt’.

2 Röding, Allgemeines Wörterbuch, fig. 44, plate V.

3 Falconer, Dictionary of the Marine, 324.

4 ‘Gladstone's patent’, Mechanics’ Magazine, XXX, 434.

5 Manwaring and Perrin, Life & Works of Sir Henry Mainwaring, II, 257.

6 Harland, ‘Eckhardt’, 19–24.

7 Montucia, des Mathématiques, 588.

8 Falconer, Dictionary of the Marine, 633.

9 Hutchinson, Naval Architecture, 138–40, plate V.

10 Patent no. 1,117 (1776).

11 Patent no. 2,484 (1801); Patents for Inventions, 98.

12 Obreen, Catalogus, 40.

13 Patent no. 3,284 (1832); Newton, London Journal, II, 68–71.

14 Patent no. 5,660 (1828); Patents for Inventions, 264.

15 US Patent no. 8,264 (1834).

16 US Patent no. 1,003 (1838).

17 US Patent no. 7616 (1838).

18 Mechanics’ Magazine, XXX, 433–5.

19 US Patent no. 3,291(1843).

20 Patent no. 10,495, (1845), Repertory of Patent Inventions, X, 279–82, plate XV; I, 266–9, plate XIV.

21 Patent no. 7561 (1838), Repertory of Patent Inventions, X, 279–82, plate XV; Law Times, 80.

22 US Patent no. 2,449 (1842).

23 John Coplin, patent no. 1,784 (1856); John Robinson, Patent no. 13,324 (1850); John Dewar Morrison, patent no. 259 (1854).

24 Voss: US Patent no. 401,316 (1889), Canadian Patent no. 32,430 (1889); Wonson: US Patent no. 435,128 (1890), Canadian Patent no. 37,214 (1891).

25 US Patent no. 13,393 (1855) and no. 1,141 (1861).

26 US Patent no. 16,238 (1856).

27 US Patent no. 22,134 (1858).

28 US Patent no. 41,222 (1864).

29 Patent no. 183,101 (1876).

30 US Patent no. 5,497 (1848), no. 7,532 (1850) and no. 1,603 (1864).

31 Patent no. 715 (1808); Hebert, Repertory of Arts, XV, 8–11.

32 Executive Documents, 214; Ellsworth, Digest of Patents, 311; List of patents, 1790–1847, 246.

33 Patent no. 1,368 (1814); Hebert, XXVI, plate I

34 Repertory of patent inventions, IX, 221–3, plate V.

35 Herbert, Engineer's Encyclopaedia, 893

36 Local Records, 261.

37 Patent no. 5,667 (1828); Patents for Inventions, 167; Mechanics’ Magazine, XXIV, 92–4.

38 US Patent no. 759 (1838).

39 Harland, ‘Eckhardt’, 24.

40 US Patent no. 776 (1838).

41 US Patent no. 35,772 (1862).42 Patent no. 4,910 (1824); Repertory of patent inventions, I, 26–8, plate I.

42 Patent no. 4,910 (1824); Repertory of patent inventions, I, 26–8, plate I.

43 Patent no. 5,518 (1827); Newton, London Journal of Arts and Science, VI, 209–10.

44 Patent no. 5,920 (1830).

45 Patent no. 9,007 (1841); Patents for Inventions, 236; Newton, London Journal of Arts and Science, XXVII, 161–2.

46 Transactions of the Society, XXV, 68–73, plate 4.

47 Harland, Catchers and Corvettes, 221–41; Harland, Capstans, 82–3 and 91–3.

48 US Patent no. 5,527 (1848).

49 Patent no. 9,444 (1842); Newton, London Journal of Arts and Science, XXIV, 109–12.

50 Patent no. 10,446 (1844); Patents for Inventions, 264.

51 Patent no. 11,666 (1847); Patents for Inventions, 292.

52 Harland, ‘Capstans handling chain’, 315.

53 US Patent no. 282,075 (1883).

54 Patent no. 9,444 (1842); Newton, XXIV, 109–12.

Additional information

John Harland is a retired anaesthetist living in British Columbia. Following wartime service in Royal Navy he qualified as a medical doctor, but retained an interest in nautical matters. He is the author of Seamanship in the Age of Sail (1984); Catchers and Corvettes: The steam whalecatcher in war and peace (1992); The Flower Class Corvette HMCS ‘Agassiz’ (1993), and Capstans and Windlasses: An illustrated history of their use at sea (2003).