Iм- PROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hastie, of Greenock, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 5th November 1875, and dated the 11th May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hastie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th May 1875.
I, JOHN HASTIE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING APPARATUS," to be as follows, that
is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements to be applied in the
construction of steam steering apparatus, and which whilst of a simple
character render the apparatus more efficient, more conveniently and
easily controlled, and otherwise superior to existing steering apparatus.
In one modification of the improved apparatus, two steam cylinders
placed at right angles to each other are connected to one crank, and are

page_text: worked by means of cylindrical main slide valves, both worked from one
cccentric. Within each main valve there is a double piston valve
worked by a rod which passes through the main valve rod, made tubular
for the purpose. The steam has access to the valves by a port in the
valve chamber opposite to the ports leading to the cylinder ends; and
each main valve is formed with two ports on the cylinder port side and
with one port on the steam inlet side. In the middle position of both
valves the two ports in the main valve are coincident with the cylinder
ports, and the two pistons cover them whilst the steam has access to the
space between the pistons. The piston valves are worked by a crank
or eccentric on a shaft arranged to be turned by hand either directly or
through gearing, and as is preferred by means of the usual hand steering
wheel. Whenever the piston valves are moved they cause the steam to
begin to act through the ports in the main valve, just as though a
common slide valve were moved to the same extent, but the resulting
action of the engine through the eccentric on the main valves by
bringing these to the same positions as the piston valves causes the
closing of their ports. If the piston valves are kept moving then the
main valves follow them, and whenever the piston valves are stopped
the engine is stopped as soon as it brings the main valves to the positions
of the piston valves. Stops are provided to prevent the hand moved
valves from being moved more than a certain distance in advance of the
main valves.
The mode of combining valves worked by hand in the manner
indicated with valves worked by the engines, may be considerably varied
as regards the shapes and directions of motions of the parts.
In some modifications the pair of combined valves may be applied in
addition to ordinary slide or other steam engine valves. Thus, in an
arrangement with a pair of parallel steam cylinders, there is a third
valve chamber between the two ordinary valve chests which com-
municate with such third chamber by ports corresponding to the steam
and exhaust compartments respectively, accordingly as the engine is to
turn in one direction or the other. Of the pair of valves in the third
chamber that to be worked by the engine may be like what is herein-
before described, as the main valve and the other like the piston valve,
or the former may be worked by hand and the latter by the engine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hastie in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
5 HASTLE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Hastie, Her special licence that
I, the said John Hastie, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Hastie, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING
APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said, John
Hastie, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 John Hastie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
My said Invention relates to improvements to be applied in the
construction of steam steering apparatus, and which whilst of a simple
character render the apparatus more efficient, more conveniently and
easily controlled, and otherwise superior to existing steering apparatus.
My Invention consists essentially in using in addition to cylinder.
valves worked in the ordinary way by eccentrics on the crank shaft of

page_text: the engine other valves which are worked from the handing shaft
turned by the steersman, and which control the action of the other
valves in such a way that the engine operates just to the extent
corresponding to the movement of the handing shaft and no further.
'
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
two modifications of my improved arrangements. In these Drawings
the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts
wherever they are repeated.
Figures 1 and 2 on the Sheet of Drawings are sectional end and side
elevations of one modification of my improved steam steering apparatus.
In this example, two steam cylinders 5, 6, placed at right angles to each
other are connected to one crank 7, on a shaft 8, which through spur
gearing 9, 10, 11, 12, turns a chain wheel 13 (fast to the wheel 12, and
with it loose on the shaft 8), and thereby actuates the chains operating
on the rudder. The cylinders 5, 6, are worked by means of cylindrical
main slide valves 14, both worked from one eccentric 15, on the crank
shaft 8. This eccentric is connected to levers 16, on short rocking
shafts 17, each of which has on it a pair of levers 18, connected by links
to the main valve rod 19. Within each main valve 14, there is a double
piston valve 20, worked by a rod 21, which passes through the main
valve rod 19, made tubular for the purpose, but fitted with a stuffing box
at its end to prevent the escape of steam. The steam has access to the
valves 14, 20, by a port 22, in the valve chamber opposite to the ports
23, 24, leading to the cylinder ends, and each main valve 14 is formed
with two ports on the cylinder port side and with one port on the steam
inlet side. In the middle position of both valves 14, 20, the two ports
in the main valve 14 are coincident with the cylinder ports 23, 24, and
the two pistons 20 cover them whilst steam has access to the space
between the pistons 20. These piston valves 20 are worked through
rods 25, by a crank 26, on a shaft 27, arranged to be turned by hand
either directly by means of a steering wheel fixed on its forward end,
or through gearing 28, and a vertical shaft 29, from a steering wheel
on an upper deck or bridge. Whenever the piston valves 20 are moved
by means of the shaft 27, they cause the steam to begin to act through
the ports in the main valve 14 just as though a common slide valve were
moved to the same extent, but the resulting action of the engine

page_text: through the eccentric 15, operating on the main valves 14, by bringing
these to the same positions as the piston valves 20 have been moved
to, causes the closing of the ports in the main valves.
If the piston
valves 20 are kept moving then the main valves 14 follow them, and
whenever the piston valves 20 are stopped the engine stops as soon as it
brings the main valves 14 to the positions of the piston valves. The
valves 20 may have the same stroke as the valves 14, but stops are
formed or fixed in the latter to limit the movement of the former
relatively to the latter to somewhat less than the full stroke, and
consequently the valves 20 cannot be moved to more than a certain
extent in advance of the valves 14. In some cases it is preferable to
limit the extent of advance of the shaft 27 by a loose wheel on it geared
to the crank shaft 8, and fitted with stops.
My improved mode of combining valves worked by hand, in the
manner herein-before indicated, with valves worked by the engines may
be considerably varied as regards the shapes and directions of motions of
the parts.
In some modifications a pair of the combined valves may be applied
in addition to ordinary slide or other steam engine cylinder valves.
Thus, in an arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4, which are sections
as at right angles to each other, the arrangement comprising a pair of
parallel steam cylinders 5, 6, there is a third valve chamber 30 between
the two ordinary valve chests 31, 32, which communicate with such
third chamber by ports 33, 34, corresponding to the steam and exhaust
compartments respectively, accordingly as the engine is to turn in one
direction or the other. Of the pair of valves 35, 36, in the third
chamber 30, that 35 to be worked by the engine may be like what is
herein-before described, as the main valve (14, Figures 1 and 2) and the
other 36 like the piston valves (20), or the former may be worked by
hand and the latter by the engine. The steam has access to the valves
35, 36, by an inlet in the middle of the top of the chamber 30 (the left-
hand side of Figure 2 being the top), and finds its way through a port in
the middle of the top of the outer valve 35 into the annular space.
between the two pistons of the inner valve 36, whilst the exhaust takes
place from the ends of the chamber 30 by ports 37. In this modification
the ordinary cylinder valves 38 are cylindrical, or piston valves as well
as the pair of combined valves 35, 36.

page_text: Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to
the precise details herein described or delineated, but that what I believe
to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combining of
valves in steam steering apparatus, so that when one worked by the
engine is at the same part of its stroke or movement as one combined
with it and worked by hand is, one closes the ports through the other;
and so that the valve or valves worked by hand must be moved in
advance of that or those worked by the engine in order to work the
engine, all substantially as is done in the improved apparatus herein
described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hastie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
EDMUND Hunt,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN HASTIE. (L.S.)