IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING ADDADATIIS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Donkin and Bryce Gray Nichol, of Saint Andrew's
Iron Works, Saint Andrew Street, in the Town and County of the Town of
Newcastle upon Tyne, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING
ADDADATIIS "
Sealed the 31st October 1879, and dated the 13th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Donkin and Bryce
Gray Nichol at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th May
1879.
GEORGE DONKIN and BRYCE GRAY NICHOL, of Saint Andrew's Iron Works,
Saint Andrew's Street, in the Town and County of the Town of Newcastle upon
Tyne. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING APPARATUS."
Our Invention consists in the application to an ordinary steering apparatus
having fitted to it a steam engine or engines and a steam supply & regulating
valve of an arrangement of bevel or mitre wheels and screws for actuating the
regulating valve, by means of which steam is more conveniently admitted to and
automatically shut off from the engines; and in conjunction with the above an
arrangement of a spur pinion and clutches or friction cones & sleeves on the hand
wheel shaft to allow the steam supply & regulating valve gear to be actuated by
the ordinary hand wheel and shaft in such manner as that the steam may by the
movement of the handwheel and shaft operate through the engines upon the rudder
in the same direction and more or less in the same degree as if the handwheel were
operating on the rudder in the usual manner by hand.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Donkin and Bryce Gray Nichol in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd November 1879.
GEORGE DONKIN and BRYCE GRAY NICHOL, of Saint Andrew's Iron Works, Saint
Andrew's Street, in the Town and County of the Town of Newcastle upon Tyne.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM STEERING APPARATUS."
Our Invention consists in the application to an ordinary steering apparatus
having fitted to it a steam engine or engines, a steam supply and regulating valve,
and an arrangement of bevel or mitre wheels and screws for actuating the same, by
means of which steam is admitted to and automatically shut off from the engines;
and in conjunction with the above an arrangement of a spur wheel pinions and
clutches or friction cones and sleeves on the hand wheel shaft to allow the steam
supply and regulating valve gear to be actuated by the ordinary hand wheel and
shaft so as that the steam may by the movement of the hand wheel and shaft
operate through the engines upon the rudder in the same direction and more or less
in the same degree as if the hand wheel were operating on the rudder in the usual
manner.
The Drawing illustrates what we believe to be the best and most convenient
method of operating our Invention, but not the only method. The same lettering
applies to all views. A, A, is an ordinary steering wheel, supported on the shaft
B, B; C is a pinion; and D, D, a spur wheel, giving motion to the rudder chain
E, E, in the usual way by messenger wheel and pullies; F is a steam cylinder, of
which we prefer to use a pair, one at each end of the shaft G, to which their con-
necting rods are attached by crank disks and pins, preferably at right angles to
each other. The shaft G carries a worm wheel, not shewn in the Drawing (being a
well known piece of mechanism) gearing into the scroll wheel H, which is carried
on the shaft B, and serving when connected with the pinion C to steer by steam.
There are two clutches of ordinary construction (or friction clutches), one on each
end of the pinion C, which serve to place it in driving connection with, or to dis-
connect it from, either the steam or hand gear, one of these clutches being shewn
at I, I, disconnected, the other being supposed to be in gear but concealed behind
other parts of the Drawing, and the operating handle for this clutch being of an
ordinary construction is partly shewn at J, with the pin K serving to keep it in
position as it may be placed for hand or steam.
The most forward portion of the forward clutch on the shaft B (that is to say,
the part nearest to the hand wheel), is firmly keyed to the shaft B so as always to
revolve with it, but the pinion C and the scroll wheel H are not so keyed, and may
therefore revolve on the shaft without giving motion to it, or the shaft may revolve
in them without giving motion to them; when these last parts are in gear with one
another however when the scroll wheel revolves the pinion must revolve, although
the shaft may be stationary or revolving in the same or the opposite direction.
The shaft B at its after end carries a bevel wheel L, firmly keyed to the shaft B as
to its revolution with it, but free to slide forwards or backwards so as to be in or
out of gear with the wheel M as to its length, and this sliding movement is made
coincident with the sliding movement of the pinion C by attaching to both a rod N,
carried in suitable guides in such manner as that when the forward clutch on the
shaft B is in gear the level wheels L and M are disconnected, and when the
after clutch is in gear the wheels L and M are also in gear. The wheel M is
revolved with the vertical shaft O by means of a key, but it is supported against
any vertical movement of its own by the bracket P, shewn as projecting for this
purpose from the frame of the steering apparatus, in which bracket the level
wheel M revolves with the vertical shaft. The vertical shaft O passes through a
second level wheel Q, supported by a second bracket R, in which it is free to
revolve. The pinion Q is not attached to the vertical shaft in the way of its
revolution by any key, but is attached in the way of its length by a screw, as

page_text: shewn, fitting into a corresponding screw in the level wheel Q in such manner as
that the revolution of the level wheel Q on the vertical shaft, or of the vertical
shaft itself through the level wheel in either direction, shall raise or lower the
vertical shaft, but so as that if both wheel and shaft revolve in the same direction
and at the same rate there shall be no vertical movement of the shaft. The lower
level wheel gears into a similar level wheel S fixed on the main steering shaft T,
and keyed thereto so as to revolve in accordance with the position of the rudder.
The vertical movement of the vertical shaft O is made to operate a slide valve,
by preference the ordinary D slide in a steam chest, bearing on a face with ports
like an ordinary engine's ports, in such manner as that the raising of the rod admits
steam to pass by the pipe U and exhaust by the pipe V, and the depression of the
rod reverses, this so as to pass steam by the pipe V and exhaust by the pipe U.
The pipes U and V form the steam and exhaust pipes of the steam cylinders before
described, which are fitted with slide valves, operated by eccentrics in the usual
way. The slide valves of these engines however are held in their faces by adjustable
springs of adequate strength (or are made as piston valves) to allow of the engines
being operated by steam passing through the natural exhaust port, and exhausting
through the natural steam port, without lifting the slide off its face.
Such being
the arrangement of apparatus its mode of operation is as follows:-When steering
by hand the forward clutch on the shaft B is in gear and the shaft is free to revolve
in the scroll wheel H, and the level wheel L is disengaged from the level wheel M
so as to revolve independently of it, and the steam is shut off. The apparatus may
in these circumstances be used for hand steering precisely as if no other method
was provided for. When steering by steam however the forward clutch in the
shaft B is disengaged, and the after clutch between the pinion C and the scroll
wheel H is engaged, the wheels L and M being also in gear; any movement of
the shaft B will then produce no direct effect on the position of the rudder, but
operating through the wheels L and M on the vertical shaft O, which is a continua-
tion merely of the steam supply valve rod, will cause its elevation or depression by
means of the screws cut thereon and fitting into the wheel Q, and thus by almost
direct action the steering which operates on the engines. Steam being supplied to
the steam chest W the elevation or depression of the vertical shaft admits it by the
pipes U or V to the steam cylinder, either by the natural steam pipe or the natural
exhaust; if by the former the engine works forward in the usual way, and if by
the latter, the slide valves being held to their faces as before described by adequate
springs, or being made as piston valves, the engine works backwards in the reverse
way, and through the worm wheel before described on the shaft G, the scroll wheel H
on the shaft B, and the pinion C, and the wheel D, operate upon the rudder. This
operation however causes the revolution of the bevel wheel S, and the proportion
of parts is such as that when the rudder is brought to the position corresponding
to the position of the steering wheel for steam steering elevation, or depression of
the vertical shaft produced by the revolution of the bevel wheel L is counteracted
by the revolution of the level wheel S, and the slide in the steam chest W covers.
both top and bottom parts, and steam is shut off. By preference we make tho
operation of the engines to coincide in direction with the direction of hand steering,
but the pitch of the screw passing through the bevel wheel Q we prefer to make
such as that a much less movement of the hand wheel is required to put the helm
over than is required in hand steering.
An alternative method of operating automatically the cut off gear of the steam
engines, which may be convenient in exceptional cases, is shewn in Figure 3, in
which the same lettering of similar parts of apparatus already described is made
use of. B is the after end of the shaft B before described, with its level wheels
arranged as before described to revolve the shaft O. Instead however of a second
pair of bevil wheels below, as before described, a nut Z attached to a crank Z 1 on
a weigh bar Z 2 is operated by a lever Z3 through a connecting rod Z4 from a
nut X on a screw on the main steering shaft T, and which nut is guided on the

page_text: bracket Y. The pitch of this last mentioned screw and the length of levers is so
proportioned as to operate the slide to the required extent.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the exact details of the apparatus specified, seeing that it is susceptible
of many minor modifications; but what we claim as our Invention is, the construc-
tion of apparatus for the purpose specified, substantially as described. In witness
whereof, we, the said George Donkin and Bryce Gray Nichol, have hereunto set
our hands and seals, this Twenty ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord 1879.
GEORGE DONKIN. (L.S.)
B. G. NICHOL.
(L.S.)