provements in and relating to Ships' Automatic Reply Telegraphs
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan, 1896-4ccepte 1, 30th Apr, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in and relating to Ships' Automatic Reply
Telegraphs
We, Tony WILLIAM RAY and ROBERT COLEMAN SAXBY, both of 8 Canning
Place, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Nautical Instrument Makeis, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
This invention relates to telegraphs used on board ships whereby an automatic
reply is received on the budge, or other desired position, to indicate whether a
particular order given has been complicd with Such apparatus is usually rendered
automatic by connecting the indicator to some part of the mechanism which has to
be operated in conformity with the order given, as, for example, to the weih shaft
in the case of the main engine, or to the tiller-head in the case of the steering gear,
and the object of our invention is to so construct the indicator and connect it to the
appropriate part of the mechanism, that the movement of the latter may be
transmitted to the indicator by means of a column of liquid which connects the
two together
According to our invertion we construct such apparatus, adapted, say, to
transmit an automatic reply from the engine room to the bridge in reference to
the working of the engine, as follows
In automatic reply telegraphs in connection with the engines, we make use of
the fact that the position of the weigh-shaft determines the direction of motion
when the engines are rotating, and we connect the weigh-shaft by suitable gearing
to a ram which moves fluid tight in a cylinder, the connection being such that the
movement of the am in the cylinder corresponds to the movement of the weigh-
shaft we connect the interior of this cylinder, which we will teim the operating
cylinder, with the interior of a second cylinder, which we will term the indicator
cylinder, by means of a suitable pipe, and a ram in the indicator cylinder is
geared to the indicating hand by a ick and pinion gear so that the motion of the
1am is communicated to the hand The haud move over the usual dial, and when
the band is placed to indicate a 1otation corresponding to the position occupied by
the weigh-shaft, we fill the interiors of the cylinders and the connecting pipe with
a suitable liquid, which is then confined therein
The indicating ram is urged, by a sping on weight, into its cylinder, so that any
movement imparted to the operating ram by the weigh-shaft is at once transmitted,
by the interposed liquid, to the indicator run and from the latter by the gearing to
the indicating hand When therefore an order is sent from the budge to, say,
reverse the direction of motion of the engines, compliance with the order, which
necessitates the movement of the weigh shaft, is at once automatically indicated by
the reply apparatus
It may however happen that although the weigh-shaft is moved the engine may
remain stationary in which case the reply apparatus, as above described, would give
a false indication, and in order to obviate this we prefer usually to fit a smill
secondary ram to the operating cylinder, which ram is caused to reciprocate by
some moving part of the engine when the latter s rotating This causes the
indicating hand to vibrate through a small angle for each revolution of the
engine and in this way not only indicate whether the engine is moving ahead
or astern, but also enable the speed of ictation to be determined by counting
the number of vibrations

page_text: Instead of using a secondary ram the main ram may be vibrated by a recipro-
cating part of the engine and the cylinder moved by the weigh-shaft
It will be seen that if the 1am of the operating cylinder be geared to the tiller-
head, the apparatus may be used as an automatic reply telegraph for the
steering gear
Where there are a number of indicators in different parts of the ship, we prefer
to connect them all to the one indicator ram by mechanical means such as bevel
gear or endless chains, o1, if desired, each indicator may be connected to
separate operating ram so as to be independently worked
Instead of coupling the operating ram directly to the weigh shaft, we may
couple it by means of the apparatus described in the Specification to Letters Patent
gianted to the aforementioned John William Ray, Number 13016 and dated
July 4th 1893
We provide cocks and reservoirs at convenient points by means of which the
operating liquid may be replenished
Collapsable cylinders may be used instead of cylinders and rams and instead of
using a weight or spring to urge the indicator iam into its cylinder, pistons may be
substituted for the 1ams and the apparatus made double acting by the use of a
second connecting pipe
Dated this 29th day of April 1895
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants
Improvements in and relating to Ships' Automatic Reply
Telegraphs
We, JOHN WILLIAM RAY and ROBERT COLFMAN SAXBY, both of 8 Canning
Place, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Nautical Instrument Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement
This invention relates to telegraphs used on board ships whereby an automatic
eply 1 received on the bridge, or other desired position, to indicate whether a
particular ordet given has been complied with Such apparatus is usually rendered
automatic by connecting the indicatoi to some part of the mechanism which has to
be operated in conformity with the order given, as, for example, to the weigh-shaft
in the case of the main engine, or to the tiller-head in the case of the steering gear,
and the object of our invention is to so construct the indicator and connect it to the
appropriate part of the mechanism, that the movement of the latter may be
transmitted to the indicator by means of a column of liquid which connects the
two together
We have illustrated our invention, as applied to transmit an automatic reply
from the engine room to the bridge, with ieference to the working of the main
engines, in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure I is an elevation of the general arrangement of that part of the apparatus
which is connected to the engine, and
Fig II is a sectional elevation of the indicator which is usually placed on the
bridge
In automatic reply telegraphs in connection with the engines, we make use of the
fact that the position of the weigh-shaft determines the direction of motion when
the engines are totating, and we connect the weigh-shaft 1 by suitable gearing to a
ram 2 which moves fluid-tight in a cylinder 3, the connection being effected as

page_text: follows,-A lever 4, having a forked end which embraces the ram between two
collars fixed thereon, is fulcrummed on a pin 5 and connected to the weigh shaft by
a convecting rod 6, and the motion of the weigh-shaft is imparted to the end of the
rod by means of a pin 7 in a bracket 8 secured to the weigh-shaft In some cases
we so arrange the apparatus that the rain may be operated directly, through a
connecting rod, by the pin 7, but in any case the connection is such that the move-
ment of the ram in the cylinder corresponds to the movement of the weigh shaft
We connect the interior of this cylinder 3, which we will term the operating
cylinder, with the interior of a second cylinder 9 (Fig II) which we will term the
indicator cylinder, by means of a suitable pipe 10, and a ram 11 in the indicator
cylinder is geared to the indicating hand 12 by a rack 13 and pinion 14, so that the
motion of the ram is communicated to the hand The hand moves over the usual
dial and when the hand is placed to indicate a rotation corresponding to the position
occupied by the weigh shaft, we fill the interiors of the cylinder and the connecting
pipe with a suitable liquid, which is then confined thei ein
The indicating 1am 11 is unged, by a spring 16 or a weight, into its cylinder, so
that any movement imparted to the operating ram by the weigh-shaft is at once
transmitted, by the interposed liquid, to the indicator ram and from the latter by
the gearing to the indicating hand When therefore an order is sent from the
budge to, say, reverse the direction of rotation of the engines compliance with the
order, which necessitates the movement of the weigh shaft, is at once automatically
indicated by the reply apparatus
It may however happen that although the weigh-shaft is moved the engine
remains stationary, in which case the reply apparatus, as above described, would
give a false indication, and in order to obviate this we fit a secondary 1am 17 to the
operating cylinder, which ram is caused to reciprocate by some moving part of the
engine when the latter is rotating The means shown in the drawings for recipro-
cating the secondary ram consists of a link 18 pivoted at its upper end to the
column of the engine and articulated at its lower end to the secondary ram, a
roller 19 on the cross-head of the engine engages with the link 18, and as the
cross-hend descends the ram is forced into the cylinder in opposition to a spring 20,
and as the cross-head ascends the spring returns the ram, in this way a small
vibratory motion is imparted to the secondary am as the engine rotates I his
vibratory motion causes the indicating hand to vibrate through a small angle for
each revolution of the engine, in addition to movement already described, and in
this way it not only indicates whether the engine is moving ahead or astern, but
also enables the speed of rotation to be determined by counting the number of
vibiations
Instead of using a secondary am the main ram may be vibrated by a recipro-
cating part of the engine, and the cylinder moved by the weigh-shaft
on the main
ram may be connected to the weigh-shaft by a toggle joint the pin of which may
be reciprocated by the cross-head motion The cylinder, the rams and then
guides 22, and the lever 4 are called on a rame 21 which is secured to one
of the columns of the engine In Fig I the cylinder is shown partly in section
to more clearly indicate the construction
The indicator mechanism is usually carried by a standard 23 of the type
employed in connection with ships telegraphs
The rams are packed by means of glands and leathers as shown, and the
secondary ram may be rendered inoperative by interposing a wedge piece
between the collar 24 and the bearing or guide 22
It will be seen that if the ram of the operating cylinder be geared to the
tiller-head in a manneı similar to that shown with reference to the weigh-shaft,
the apparatus may be used as an automatic reply telegraph for the steering gear
Where there are a number of indicators in different parts of the ship, we prefer
to connect them all to the one indicator ram by mechanical means such as bevel
gear or endless chains, or if desired, each indicator may be connected to a separate
operating ram so as to be independently worked

page_text: Instead of coupling the operating ram directly to the weigh-shaft, we may couple
it by means of the apparatus described in the Specification to Letters Patent
granted to the aforementioned John William Ray, Number 13016 and dated
July 4th 1893
We provide cocks and reservoirs at convenient points by means of which the
operating liquid may be replenished, and in order to provide for the expansion
and contraction of the liquid, or leakage thereof, we fit the device shown in
Fig II
25 is a tank the interior of which communicates with the highest
point of the cylinder 9 through a valve 26, this valve is kept normally closed
by a spring 27, but is articulated to a lever 28 which lifts the valve off its
seating each time the ram 11 reaches its lowest position, when the projection 29
on the ram engages with the end of the lever The movement of the 1am 11 is
limited by the stops 30 which abut against the rack guide 31
The action of this device is as follows,-When the liquid expands the sui plus
is forced into the tank in opposition to the spring pressure which is only slightly
in excess of the maximum working pre suit, should the liquid continct the
deficiency will be made up by liquid passing out of the tank when the valve 1s
opened The device is thus adapted to automatically adjust the instruments, for
should the two instruments not correspond, adjustment will be restored when the
weigh-shaft is moved from one extreme position to the other
The adjustment of a reply telegraph operated by the tiller head or by the
weigh-shaft only, is quite automatic, as described, but in the arrangement illus-
trated in the drawings it is necessary in adjusting to hold the secondary am in
a definite position while the adjustment is being made
In some cases we would use a flexible diaphragm instead of the secondary 1am,
and vibrate the diaphragm in a manner similar to that shown in connection with
the ram
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
1 In ships' automatic reply telegraphs, the comb nation of 12m articulated
to the weigh-shaft of an engine or to rudder hend so as to be automatically
operated thereby, a second iam adapted to be operated by the first ram by
liquid pressure, and loaded in opposition to the said pressure, and an index
hand moving over a dial and operated by the second ram, substantially as
described
2 In ships' automatic reply telegraphs the combination of a ram articulated
to the weigh-shaft of an engine so as to be automatically operated thereby, a
second am adapted to be operated by the first ram by liquid pressure, and
loaded in opposition to the said pressure, an index hand moving over a dial
and operated by the second ram, and means operated by the engine when in
motion, for imparting a subsidiary vibratory movement to the connecting liquid
and so to the index hand, substantially as and for the purpose described
3 The combination and arrangement of parts foiming the improved ships'
automatic reply telegraph, substantially as described and illustrated'
Dated this 28th day of January 1896.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26 Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicants