CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS
AND OTHER VESSELS."-A communication.
Sealed the 11th August 1857, and dated the 9th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPA-
BATUS FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
These improvements relato to that description of steering apparatus in
which the horizontal shaft of the steering wheel works in bearings supported
upon the rudder head, or upon a tiller attached thereto, and imparts motion
to the rudder through an upright shaft, which is carried by the tiller at a
distance from the rudder head, and which gears by toothed gearing with the
steering wheel shaft, and carries a pinion gearing with a toothed arc, that is
secured or otherwise made stationary relatively to the deck of the vessel in a
condition concentric to the axis of the rudder.
The first of the improvements relates particularly to the means of prevent-
ing any strain upon the rudder head, being caused by the tendency of the
aforesaid pinion to work out of the rack as it rotates in gear therewith, and
consists principally in adapting to the forward end of the tiller an antifriction
roller or roilers, which is or are made to bear against a stationary arc-shaped

page_text: curb fixed to the deck. The gearing for actuating the tiller and rudder is
mounted on the former, and of course moves with it.
The second improvement consists in certain means of producing friction
between the toothed gearing of the steering wheel shaft, upright shaft, and
stationary arc, by which the rudder may be rendered more or less sensitive to
the power applied to the steering wheel to move it, and the stcersman or
steersmen and the steering apparatus may be relieved from the shocks to
which the rudder is frequently subjected by the water, or by sudden move-
ments of the vessel in heavy weather.
In carrying out this improvement, part of the toothed gearing is mounted on
a vertical shaft having bearings in a moveable bracket, which is made to rock
on a centre pin, so that the wheels on the vertical shaft may be forced closely
into gear or jammed up when required by means of a treadle and toggle
joint connected to the moveable bracket which carries the vertical shaft above
_mentioned. When required, the toothed wheels may be forced so closely into
gear that they will jam and be prevented from working until the pressure on
the treadle is removed, when they will resume their normal position and will
work easily.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office 20
on the 8th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.2
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, mý executors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as 3
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter.during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN 35
IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," being a

page_text: communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to tho letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention, of "Certain Improvements in Steering Apparatus for Ships
and other Vessels," relates to that description of steering apparatus in which the
horizontal shaft of the steering wheel works in bearings supported upon the
rudder head, or upon a tiller attached thereto, and imparts motion to the
rudder through an upright shaft, which is carried by the tiller at a distance
from the rudder head, and which gears by toothed gearing with the steering
wheel shaft, and carries a pinion gearing with a toothed arc that is secured or
otherwise made stationary relatively to the deck of the vessel in a position
concentric to the axis of the rudder.
The first of the improvements relates particularly to the means of prevent-
ing any strain upon the rudder head, being caused by the tendency of the
aforesaid pinion to work out of the rack as it rotates in gear therewith.
The second improvement consists in certain means of producing friction
between the toothed gearing of the steering wheel shaft, upright shaft, and
stationary are, by which the rudder may be rendered more or less sensitivo to
the power applied to the steering wheel to move it, and the steersman or
steersmen and the steering apparatus may be relieved from the shocks to
which the rudder is frequently subjected by the water or by sudden move-,
ments of the vessel in heavy weather.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
is a side view of a steering apparatus with the improvements applied, some of
the parts being shewn in section; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Similar letters
of reference indicate corresponding parts in both Figures.
D is the deck of a vessel; T is the taffrail; A is the rudder head, B is
the tiller, which is represented as of cast iron, but may be made of wood; C
is the steering wheel, and E its shaft, one of whose bearings is in a standard
F, erected upon the tiller in front of and nearly close to the rudder head, and
the other in a box G, erected upon the farthest or rear extremity of tlie tiller;

page_text: His the stationary toothed arc, bolted to the deck behind the rudder head,
and in a position concentric thereto. The teeth of this arc are. upon its.
concave face. I is an upright shaft, carrying at its upper end a bevel toothed
wheel J, gearing with a similar wheel K on the steering wheel shaft E.
At the lower end of the shaft I and below the tiller is the pinion L, which
takes into the stationary toothed arc H. The bearings c, c, of the upright.
shaft I are in a strong bracket-shaped lever M (shewn in Fig. 1), which
works on a fulcrum pin a, secured to the tiller and the said shaft, as.
well as the bracket-shaped lever, pass through an opening 6, 6, made.
through the tiller. The bevil wheels J and K, and all of the shaft I that
is above the tiller, are enclosed within the box G, which is shewn without,
its cover in Fig. 2, so as to expose the bevel wheels J and K to view.
The lever M works through an opening in the front side of the box. N is.
a foot lever or treadle working on a fulcrum pin d secured to the bottom
of the tiller. The rear end of the lever N is connected by a link P and two.
joint pins e, f, with the lever M, the said link being arranged to operate with.
the lever N on the principle of a toggle. The front portion of said lever N is
forked, as shewn in Fig. 2, to form two treadles g, g, upon which a steersman
on either side of the wheel can place his foot. Q is an arc-shaped stationary
curb bolted to the deck in front of and in a position concentric to the axis of
the rudder head; and R is an upright antifriction roller, whose journals
work in bearings in two ears h, h, which are extended from the tiller in front
of the rudder head, or diametrically opposite to the position of the upright.
shaft I. This roller R, as the rubber head turns with the tiller, rolls against
the concave face of the arc-formed curb Q.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The steering wheel C being.
turned on its axis by hand imparts motion through its shaft E to the bevel
wheels J & K, which through the shaft I impart motion to the pinion L,
and cause it to travel along the stationary toothed arc H, and hence motion
is given to the tiller B to operate the rudder. During this motion the pinion
L will have the tendency that is common to all toothed gearing, when in
operation, to force itself away from the stationary toothed arc H, and this
tendency, forcing the lever M forward against the front end of the opening
b, b, in the tiller, would exert a strain upon the rudder head were it not for
the roller R, which having a firm bearing against the curb Q counteracts such
tendency. When it is desired to have the rudder very sensitive to the power
applied to the steering wheel, and there is no danger of shocks on the rudder,
no pressure is applied to the treadles g, 9; but when danger is to be appre-.
hended from shocks on the apparatus by sudden movements of the vessel, or

page_text: from heavy seas striking the rudder, the steersman on either side of the rudder
applies his foot to the treadle g, and by a moderate pressure on the treadle he
is enabled, through the agency of the lever N and link P, to move the lever
M in such a direction as to bring at the same time the pinion L into gear
with the arc H and the wheel J into gear with the wheel K so intimately as
to jam all the gearing, and thereby lock the rudder in any position, and when
it is desired to move the rudder it can be easily unlocked to allow the rudder
to move by just relieving the treadle 9 of as much pressure as is necessary
for that purpose. It will be seen that the arrangement of the shaft I in the
lever M, and the arrangement of the lever N relatively to the lever I, provides
for producing just as much friction between the gearing as is required to
make the apparatus work more or less freely, as may be desired. Two or
more rollers R may be employed side by side to work against the stationary
curb Q if considered desirable, but generally one will be sufficient, as the
lateral strain on the rudder head will be generally in a direction in line with
the tiller.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, and having explained tho means of
carrying the same into effect, I claim, as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First, the application of the stationary arc-formed curb Q and one or more
rollers R in combination with the tiller, the pinion L, and the stationary
toothed are H, for the purposes herein specified.
Second, the arrangement of the upright shaft I in a lever M, that is,
applied to the tiller in combination with a treadle lever N and link P, or their
equivalent, to operate on the gearing as described, for the purposes herein set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)