REGISTERING THE SPEED AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY STEAM AND SAILING SHIPS
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN PHILIP RAWLINGS Engineer 34 Commercial Street Leith in the County
of Edinburgh N.B do hereby declare the nature of my invention for REGISTERING
THE SPEED AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY STEAM AND SAILING SHIPS, to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in making a Cylindrical Vessel open at one end, at the
bottom of which a steel disc or plate is inserted and a hole is bored in the centre
to receive a spindle, on which is a corresponding disc, and when placed in position
forms two flat surfaces and between these surfaces a number of balls are placed, the
Cylindrical Vessel being a fixture, that when the spindle is set in motion the balls
revolve without friction, the motion is given to the spindle in the usual way, by a
rotator attached to a tow line in the water, the other end of the line is secured to
one end of the spindle At the other end of spindle a pinion is fixed that gears into
a wheel mounted on a spindle with a pinion fixed, the number; of wheels and
pinions being arranged in a circular position forins the reducing motion required,
the wheels and pinions secured on the spindles is fixed between two plates and
held together by coller studs and connected to the said Cylindrical Vessel, that
when the last wheel has made one revolution it indicates on the dial plate that the
ship has traveled one hundred nautical miles.

page_text: I JOHN PHILIP RAWLINGS Engineer 34 Commercial Street Leith Edinburgh N.B.
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for REGISTERING THE SPEED AND
DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY STEAM AND SAILING SHIР and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This Invention consists in making a Cylindrical Vessel A open at one end, at
the bottom of which a steel disc B is inserted, and a hole is bored in the centre to
receive a spindle C on which a corresponding steel disc D is fitted and when placed
in position the two surfaces are perfectly true with each other and between these
surfaces a number of steel balls E E are placed, the Cylindrical Vessel A being a
fixture the spindle C and balls E E revolve without friction, the motion is given in
the usual way by a rotater attached to a line towing in the water the other end of
the line is secured to one end of the spindle C on the other end of the said
spindle C a pinion O is fitted that works into a wheel I mounted on a spindle F
with a pinion attached, the wheels and pinions are mounted and fixed in a circular
frame between two plates G G and secured by coller studs H H the number of
wheels and pinions forms the required reduceing gear, the circular frame in which
the wheels and pinions are mounted is secured to a cover K on the Cylindrical
Vessel A and enclosed in a caseing L L. A dial plate is fitted that the distance
traveled can be read off at any time, and when the last wheel has made one
revolution it indicates on the dial plate that the ship has traveled one hundred
nautical miles through the water.
The machine can be fixed to any convenient part of the rail in the usual way.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
First, by placing a number of steel balls E E between the two steel surfaces B D
and by them all being tempered, no wear or friction takes place, and will resist a
great strain without being liable to get out of order.
Dated this 15th day of February 1886.