A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SHIP'S COMPASS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PHILLIPS, of Upnor, in the Parish of Frinsbury, in the County of Kent,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-five, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for
Ilimself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Phillips, His especial licence that I, the said Charles Phillips,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said, Charles Phillips,
my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed;
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in His said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SHIP'S COMPASS;": in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging mo, the said
Charles Phillips, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, parti-
cularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next, and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charles Phillips, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
how the same may be performed, is herein set forth and explained by the
following description and Drawings hereto annexed (that is to say):-
b, b, are
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of one of my improved compasses, one
side of the box or case in which it is fixed being removed, that its peculiar
construction may be seen more plainly.
A is a hollow tube forming a
standard to support the compass B. C is a spiral spring which is contained
within the tube or standard and rests upon the moveable bearing a.
two handles attached to the bearing a, by which it and the spring C may be
elevated within the standard A, and made to rest in either of the recesses seen
at 1, 2, 3, 4. c is a groove or aperture pierced in the tube or standard A, and
connected with the recesses 1, 2, 3, 4. A similar groove is formed on the
opposite side of the standard, within which the other handle of the bearing a
moves.
Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the centre of Fig. 1. A, A, is
the hollow tube or standard, and B the compass. C shews the spiral spring
resting upon the moveable bearing a. d is a moveable portion of the standard;
this is cylindrical and made to fit the internal bore of the tube A.
A portion
of the cylinder is reduced at e, in order to prevent friction, it being necessary
that the part & should move up or down very freely within the tube A. fis a
cap fixed upon the standard A by a bayonet joint; this cap prevents the spring
C from forcing the cylinder d out of the tube A. g is the pivot which carries
the compass card D. The lower end of the pivot has a spherical ball, as shewn
at h, which rests upon a surface of cornelian, agate, or any other hard stone
let into the top of the cylinder, as seen at i, and it is confined in that state
by the cap E, the upper internal part of the cap being made hemispherical so
as to form a portion of a cup to cover the ball h, and permit it to move uni-
versally. The lower internal part of the cap E screws on the upper end of the
standard d. The lower portion of the pivot g is made slightly conical, and fits
in a hole formed in the cross bars F, F, where it is retained by friction.
Fig. 1, G, is a ring of lead circumscribing the case of the compass B. II is a
guide attached to the compass by sockets and skrews at 1, 1; this guide goes
through the leaden ring, and also through the brass piece I, I, let into the
ring. A similar guide, and also the other parts described, one attached to the
case on the opposite side. K, K, are two handles fastened to the leaden ring
G, by which means it can be lifted up or down at pleasure, and it may be

page_text: retained at any convenient: heighth by the palls L, L, dropping into the
notches of of the racks m, m, which racks are screwed to the sides of the
case B.
:
Fig. 3 represents an elevation of the upper and moveable part of the
standard d detached from the tube in which it moves. This Figure is drawn
of the real size and form, as it is made for compasses of the largest dimen-
sions, and the cap E is shewn in section, in order that the spherical ball h
resting upon its agate bearing i may be better seen.
Fig. 4 shews a plan of the ring G. The recesses n, n, receive the racks
m, m, and the grooves or recesses o, o, permit the guides B, Fig. 1, to pass
freely through them. M, Fig. 2, represents a side view of a lubber's or
steering point suspended and moving upon the centre N. The centre N is
placed between two guides, and may be raised or lowered at pleasure, being
retained by a spring fixed to the moving centre N, which takes its bearing
against one of the guides; a front view of this will be seen in Fig. 5. O is a
pendulam bob placed upon the stem of the lubber's or steering point, which
may be moved anywhere upon the stem, and it may be retained in any situa-
tion by a spring contained within the bob; this is to be adjusted so that the
lubber's point M on the top will be even with the upper edge of the compass,
which may be done by raising or lowering the point of suspension N between
the guides until the desired adjustment is effected. The. brass bob O should
be shifted on the stem until its centre agrees with the centre of the leaden
ring, by which means the motions of the lubber's point will correspond with
those of the compass.
Having enumerated the various parts, and shewn how they are constructed
and combined, I shall now endeavor to explain the peculiar advantages that
result from the improvements I have invented. In Fig. 2 the upper part of
the standard d is seen resting upon the top of the spiral spring C. therefore
when the firing of cannon or any other circumstances produce violent concus-
sions, such as the sudden jerks produced by the paddles of a steam boat, &c.,
the spiral spring will yield and permit the compass to descend gently, which
will effectually prevent the card from being unshipped or thrown off its pivot
by any jarr however, violent. In fine weather the spiral spring C should be
raised by the handles b, b, Fig. 1, until the compass receives the full effect of
the spiral spring. This will prevent any injury from a sudden blow or con-
cussion, and it will also keep the compass card always sensible. Should the
motion of the compass box or case be too great in a vertical direction tho
spiral spring must be regulated to suit it by removing the handles b, b; up or
down, and placing them in either of the notches 1, 2, 3, 4, till the requisite

page_text: motion is obtained. To regulate the pendulous motion of the compass box to
suit the changes of the weather, the leaden ring G must be raised or lowered
by the handles K, K, as circumstances may require. Whenever it blows hard
the leaden ring must be raised to such a height as to reduce the motion to
that degree which shall be most convenient; for instance, when the weather
is bad the leaden ring G must be raised as high as the racks m, m, on each
side will permit, and in fine weather on the contrary as low as it will allow.
Thus the pendulous motion of the compass may be adjusted to suit the circum-
stances of the weather in any case, and the palls L, L, will drop into the teeth
of of the rack and retain it there; for I shall here observe the intention of the
leaden ring is to form an adjustable weight by which the centre of gravity of
the compass box may be either raised or lowered at pleasure. By this simple
contrivance the motion of the compass box upon its spherical bearing may be
equalized in all weather. But in order to identify and distinguish my Invention
more clearly, I hereby declare that it consists,--
Firstly, in suspending or supporting a ship's compass upon bearings con-
nected or combined with an elastic spring or springs, by the application of
which in the way I have described the unpleasant effects that have hitherto
been experienced from sudden blows or concussions will be completely avoided,
and consequently the compass card will be more secure from being thrown off
the pivot than by any of the methods hitherto known or made use of by the
public.
Secondly, I claim also the application of a moveable ring or weight to a
ship's compass, united to the other adjusting appendages explained in the
Drawing, which being combined and applied in the way I have described will
enable any person to regulate the pendulous motion of a ship's compass, and
thereby produce a greater degree of sensibility in that instrument than was
ever before known or made use of. And I shall here further observe that
although I prefer the method of supporting the moveable weight G by means
of racks and palls, as shewn in the Drawings, yet the same may be suspended
from the case of the compass by three chains, the links of which may be
placed upon hooks fixed in the case, or by a variety of means known to work-
men without departing from the principle contained in my Invention, namely,
that of suspending or supporting ship's compasses upon elastic springs, by which
means the effects of concussions will be avoided. And also by applying a
moveable weight to the cases of compasses they may be rendered more sen-
sible than by any means hitherto known or made use of. And,
Thirdly, I claim the right of making the suspending point or centre of a
lubber or steering point movable; and also of making the pendulum-bob

page_text: moveable, by which means an adjustment may be obtained that will at all
times coincide with the motion of the compass.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Phillips, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.