CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN A MEANS TO ASCERTAIN THE STRENGTH OF CHAINS AND SHIPS' CABLES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GEORGE HENRY TAUNTON, of Liverpool, in the County Palatine of Lancaster,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdon of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of January, in
the thirteenth year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me, the said
William George Henry Taunton, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William
George Henry Taunton, my exors, adîñiors, and assigns, or such othors as I,
the said William George Henry Taunton, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER, AND IN A MEANS TO ASCERTAIN THE
STRENGTH OF CHAINS AND SHIPS' CABLES," within that part of Her Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Domi-
nion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Colonies and
Plantations abroad; in which said Letters Patent thero is contained a proviso
requiring that I, the said William George Henry Taunton, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of

page_text: Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William George Henry Taunton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by this present instrument in writing,
reference being had to the four several Sheets of Drawings hereunto belonging,
and forming part hereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing an improved purchase or com-
pound lever for turning windlasses, or other barrels, shafts, or spindles, with a
wedge piece, which causes the purchase to clutch or act upon the barrel, shaft,
or spindle, in one direction only.
In the Drawing No. 1, Fig. is an elevation of my improved windlass;
Figure 2, a plan; Figure 3, an end view; Figure 4, a view of one of the
purchases or compound levers actuating the barrel of the windlass, having one
chcek removed to shew the construction-the view also shewing the parts
connected thereto on which the purchase acts; Figure 5, a plan of these
parts and Figure 6, a separate view of one of the wedges hereafter men-
tioned. a, a, ordinary framework for supporting a common windlass barrel 6;
and c, a pall bit or standard for supporting the rocking lever or cross head d in
suitable bearings. e, e, the rods for working the two purchases or compound
levers which alternately actuate the barrel. These purchases or levers are
each composed of the following parts (see Figures 4, 5, and 6), viz³, two
ordinary cheek pieces f. f, bolted or otherwise connected together); a pinion g,
with a boss or disc on both its sides, and two serrated or indented wedges or
palls h, h, one on either side of the pinion g. This pinion revolves on a pin
or axis passing through the check pieces. On the barrel, and immediately
opposite to each of the purchases, is fixed a casting, consisting of a spur
wheel k, having on each side of it a disc or boss serrated or indented on its
edge, and a disc or boss m, which is plain on its edge. The pinion g gears
with the spur wheel k. The wedges h, h, bear against the serrated bosses Z, 1;
and the cheeks f, f, embrace and slide round on the bosses m, m. n is a pall
wheel fixed on the centre of the barrel; and o, o, palls taking into its teeth
for preventing the barrel from turning round in the wrong direction. By
working the rocking lever in the manner of a fire engine, the smaller
ends X, X, of the purchases will be alternately moved up and down. The
action of both these is the same. In the downward movement, the cheeks f,
embracing the discs m, slide freely round on them, and simultaneously the

page_text: pinion 9 (gearing with the wheel k) turns on its axis, and the wedges g, g, drop
downwards by their own weight (or are caused to drop by the cheeks) against
the bosses of the said pinion, and between them and the serrated circumference
of the wheels or bosses l, l. In the upward movement, the pinion does not
turn on its axis, but its bosses press against the wedges 9, 9, and cause them
to bear against the serrated circumference of the bosses 1, 2, which, being then
lifted with the cheeks, cause the barrel to revolve.
My Invention consists, secondly, in increasing either the power or the speed
of windlass or other barrels, shafts, or spindles, worked by rocking levers and
purchases, by altering the working length and action of chains or chain rods
for working such purchases.
In Drawing No. 3, the following Figures illustrate this part of my In-
vention:-Figures 7 and 7* are side elevations of my improved apparatus ;
the former shewing it as adjusted to produce the greatest power, and the
latter the greatest speed. Figure 7** is an end or edge view of the appa-
ratus adjusted as in Figure 7. A* is a rocking lever with a pair of check
pieces Bxx, on its under side. C*, Cx, pins or bolts passing through the
cheeks, and connecting thereto the ends of the chain rods D*, D*, which pass
over pullies Ex, Ex, to the purchases for actuating the barrel of a windlass or
other spindle. F*, Fx, pins (see Figure 7*), which may be passed through
any of the holes shewn in the cheek pieces, so that the chains may rest upon
them, and consequently their action be increased accordingly. Thus, within
certain limits an increase of either power or speed may be obtained, the oue
necessarily at the expence of the other.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in working pumps by means of a crank
working in a bush, which slides in or upon a rocking lever.
In the Drawing No. 2, Figure 8 is a side elevation; Figure 9, an end
elevation; and Figure 10, a plan of my improved pumping machine or appa-
ratus for ship or other use. q is framework. r, a rocking lever or cross head,
shewn detached in Figure 11. &, s, pump rods. t, t, pumps. * is a slotted
tail-piece depending from the rocking lever 7. u, u, winches on the same
shaft; on which are also the fly wheel w and pinion x. This pinion gears
with a spur
wheel y on a cranked shaft, which works a slide
the slot in the tail-piece r*. Hand power may be applied either to the winch
handles or to the rocking lever, or to both simultaneously, in order to work the
machine; the action of which will appear evident. Figures 12 and 13 shew
a method of connecting the pump rod with the rocking lever different from
that represented in Figure 8; the object being to ensure the pump rods
working vertically.
up and down in

page_text: My Invention consists, fourthly, in a mode of steering vessels by means of
a chain fixed to a wheel, which is secured to the rudder head, and in winding
one end of such chain off, and the other end on to a drum, fitted with a worm
wheel worked by a worm on the axis of the steering wheel.
In Drawing No. 8, Figure 14 is a side elevation; Figure 15, a front or end
elevation; and Figure 16, a plan of my improved steering apparatus. A is
framework; B, an ordinary steering wheel; C, worm on shaft of same;
D, worm wheel; E, E, drums or barrels (on same axis with D) for winding
the ends of the rope or chain F upon; G, G, blocks or pullies under which the
rope F passes; and H, a grooved horizontal wheel round which it also passes.
This wheel is fixed on the rudder head of the ship, and is furnished with a
screw for tightening the rope or chain, and securing it thereto. I, a
tiller for use in case of accident. The ends of the rope or chain are coiled in
opposite directions round the drums or barrels E, E, so that by turning the
wheel B, and so actuating the several parts, the rope or chain will become
uncoiled from one drum, and coiled upon the other, and consequently the
rudder will move either starboard or larboard as required; no exertion being
required to keep it steady in any desired position.
My Invention consists, fifthly, in an apparatus for proving or testing chains
and cables by means of a sudden strain or jerk.
In Drawing No. 4, Figure 17 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus
for proving chains and cables. The apparatus may be of any convenient length
(say, from fifteen to ninety fathoms); the centre and end portions are therefore
represented as detached from each other. Figure 18, an end elevation; and
Figure 19, a plan of the centre and one of the end portions. L is rocking
lever, with rods M, M, for working the purchases N, N, similar to those
belonging to the windlass before described. Between the purchase wheels,
and on the same spindle with them, is a spur wheel O, having a portion of its
circumference without teeth. This wheel gears with a rack P sliding under-
neath it. Qis a chain; one end of which is attached to the rack, and the
other passes underneath the pulley R, and is connected by other pieces of
chain to chains S, S, at either end of the apparatus. The chains S, S, pass
round, and are attached to the large wheels T, T, which are supported on stout
spindles Tx, Tx, mounted in suitable bearings. U, U, are other chains like-
wise passing round and attached to the wheels T, T, (or the chains S, S, may
be continuous instead,) and hanging down from them. They support a slotted
bar V for carrying weights W, W, which may easily be put on to or removed
therefrom. X, X, are short lengths of chain, with shackles for connecting
thereto the chain or cable which it is desired to prove. The action of the

page_text: apparatus is as follows:-The requisite weights having been placed on the
bars V, V, the lever L is to be worked so as to actuate the several parts,
thereby depressing the chains S, S, from the position of rest denoted by the
dotted lines in Figure 17, and lifting the weights W, W. And this action is
to be continued until that only two or three more upward and downward
motions of the lever L will be necessary to bring the plain portion of the
wheel O opposite to the rack. The chain or cable Z, desired to be proved, is
then to be suspended between the two ends of the machine from two of the
opposite connecting chains X, X. The working of the lever L is then to be
continued until the rack is disengaged from the wheel O, when the weights W
will descend and strain the chain or cable Z by a sudden jerk; the force of
which will depend on the weights employed, and the differences between the
diameters of the wheels T, T, and their spindles Tx, Tx. Thus, if the
wheels T are twenty-five feet in diameter, and the spindles T* one foot, a
weight of one ton suspended from each pair of wheels T, T, will produce a
force of twenty-five tons on each spindle T*; consequently, a similar weight
being applied at each end of the apparatus, a strain of fifty tons will be thrown
upon the chain by a sudden jerk, whereby the elasticity of the chain or
cable will not become so much deteriorated as by the ordinary method of
testing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William George Henry Taunton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, One