Improvements in or connected with Ships' Telegraphs.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1900-Accepted, 14th July, 1900
Improvements in or connected with Ships' Telegraphs.
1, DAVID KENNEDY, of 66, Mersey Road, Rock Ferry, in the County of Chester,
Chief Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to ships' telegraphs, and has for its object to prevent
any possibility of the engines being put "ahead" when the signal is given to
go astern and vice versa without the engineer being instantly warned of
his mistake.
دو
"
The invention consists in providing such an arrangement of electric bell that
upon an order being signalled to the engineer from the bridge the bell auto-
matically commences to ring and continues to ring until the order has been
correctly obeyed. If therefore the engines be accidentally put "astern when the
order was to go
"ahead" or vice versa, the continued ringing of the bell would
warn the engineer that he had not carried out the order as signalled, whilst the
moment the order is correctly obeyed the bell stops ringing until again set going
by a fresh order being signalled from the bridge.
It will be obvious, however, that the invention is not limited to the main
orders of "ahead" and "astern" but may be adapted to all kinds of orders likely
to be signalled. In practice however it will be usually found sufficient to arrange
it to work for "ahead" and*" astern."
"
"
In carrying the invention into effect, I fix two metal contacts or fingers on the
wire or chain running from the bridge telegraph to the dial in the engine room,
and provide two metal plates in the path of said contacts, one for astern and
the other for "ahead" so that said fingers are either both off the plates (such
stop") or one or other of them rubs on its corresponding plate (either
astern or ahead") according to the position or movement of the chain in
one direction or the other which depends on the nature of the order signalled.
as at
*
66
From each finger to its corresponding plate I provide an electric circuit through
suitable wire connections, battery and bell, in such a way that upon the finger
and plate being put in contact the bell will ring, but within each circuit I also
arrange a switch preferably in the form of a pivoted lever adapted to close by
its own weight (or by a spring) and having its heel adapted to be engaged by a
collar or projection on the tell-tale" wire or chain from the engine to the
bridge, in such a way that the movement of the tell-tale wire kicks open the switch
and stops the ringing of the bell. In this way two circuits are arranged the one
for "ahead" and the other for "astern," the bell or bells being located on the
starting platform, or where convenient.
66
When therefore an order is signalled from the bridge to the engine room, the
movement of the telegraph chain brings one or the other finger onto its contact
plate and closes one or the other circuit according as to whether the order is

page_text: "
"
"astern" or "ahead," and the bell is thus set ringing. Upon the engine being
set accordingly for astern 01' ahead" the one or other collar or projection on
the tell-tale" wire kicks open the corresponding switch and again stops the
bell so that the engineer or any other person or persons may know that the order
has been correctly executed. If however the order be wrongly acted on such as
by putting the engine "astern when the order was ahead, the tell-tale wire
will kick open the switch in the "astern" circuit and not that in the "ahead
circuit in which the bell is ringing so that the bell will continue to ring and thus
give warning of the mistake.
"
"3
i.
"
This action of the tell-tale" wire is easily ensured by placing one collar or
projection on the up wire and another on the down wire, the wires being passed
through holes in the heels of the corresponding switches. As one wire goes up
and the other down, only one switch can be opened at a time.
By suitably arranging the wire connections, as will be at once understood by
any electrical engineer only one battery and bell need be utilised for the two
circuits, two sets of switches and the double contacts being however necessary.
Two bells which may be of different tones may however be employed if desired.
It will be readily understood that the invention is not limited to the details
of construction described, as any form of contacts adapted to be opened and closed
by the telegraph chain or the like, and any form of switch adapted to be opened
by the tell-tale wire may be utilised without departing from the spirit of the
invention. Moreover by arranging a greater number of circuits with corre-
sponding contacts and switches, any desired number of different orders may be
provided for. Suitable annunciators or indicators may also be combined if
desired to give visible indication or warning in addition to the ringing of the
bell or bells.
Dated this 7th tone of Cantamhan 1200
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents.
•
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Ships' Telegraph.
I, DAVID KENNEDY, of 66, Mersey Road, Rock Ferry, in the County of Chester,
Chief Engineer 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 ships' telegraphs, and has for its object to prevent
any possibility of the engines being put ahead" when the signal is given to
go astern and vice versa without the engineer being instantly warned of
his mistake.
"
21
"
The invention consists in providing such an arrangement of electric bell that
upon an order being signalled to the engineer from the bridge the bell auto-
matically commences to ring and continues to ring until the order has been
correctly obeyed. If therefore the engines be accidentally put "astern when the
order was to go." ahead" or vice versa, the continued ringing of the bell would
warn the engineer that he had not carried out the order as signalled, whilst, the
moment the order is correctly obeyed the bell stops ringing until again set going
by a fresh order being signalled from the bridge.
It will be obvious, however, that the invention is not limited to the main
:

page_text: "
orders of ahead" and "astern
but may be adapted to all kinds of orders likely
to be signalled. In practice however it will be usually found sufficient to arrange
it to work for ahead " and " astern."
Various attempts have hitherto been made to utilise an electric bell circuit in
conjunction with ships' telegraphs to avoid the possibility of error in the execu-
tion of the orders signalled, but these have been without success, either through
want of simplicity in the arrangement or mechanism, which was consequently
liable to fail at a critical moment, or through the arrangement being such that
the bell was only intended to ring in the event of an error being made, which does
not happen very frequently. By my invention the frequent ringing of the
bell makes it known that the mechanism and circuits are in working order, and
the engineer is moreover kept constantly alert, as the bell rings until the order
is correctly obeyed.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying draw-
ings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention with only one battery and
bell arranged to sound for ahead" and "astern" which in practice is all that
is necessary, and from which it will be seen that there is nothing which could get
out of order or render the operation unreliable.
In these drawings:-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the whole arrangement;
Figure 2 an elevation of a "dummy" tell tale wire to operate the switches;
Figure 3 an elevation of a modification; and
Figures 4 and 5 an elevation and plan of another form of switch.
In carrying the invention into effect, I fix two metal contacts or fingers on the
wire or chain running from the bridge telegraph to the dial in the engine room,
and provide two metal plates in the path of said contacts, one for
"
astern and
the other for ahead" so that said fingers are either both off the plates (such as
at "stop") or one or other of them rubs on its corresponding plate (either "astern "
or ahead") according to the position or movement of the chain in one direction
or the other which depends on the nature of the order signalled. The contact
fingers may either be placed directly on the wire or chain of the telegraph or on
the indicator or indicator axis operated thereby. The drawings show the contact
fingers at a a arranged on the indicator 6 of one of the dials, preferably the one in
the engine room, ce being the metal plates fixed on the dial in the path of the
contact fingers a a¹ to correspond to ahead and astern." It will be obvious
that these two fingers may be formed as a single finger if desired.
From each finger a a' to its corresponding plate ce I provide an electric circuit
through suitable wire connections such as de and d f with a battery g and bell h,
in such a way that upon the finger or fingers being put in contact with either
plate or the bell will ring, but within each circuit I also arrange a switch
preferably in the form of a pivoted lever adapted to close by its own weight
(or by a spring) and having its heel adapted to be engaged by a collar er pro-
jection on the tell-tale" wire or chain & from the engine to the bridge, in
such a way that the movement of the tell-tale wire kicks open the switch or
and stops the ringing of the bell. In this way two circuits are arranged, the one
for abead and the other for "astern," the bell or bells being located on the
starting platform, or where convenient.
61
"
astern"
When therefore an order is signalled from the bridge to the engine room, the
movement of the telegraph chain brings one or the other finger a a¹ onto its
contact plate or cand closes one or the other circuit de or d f according as to
whether the order is
or ahead" and the bell his thus set ringing.
Upon the engine or way shaft / being set accordingly for "astern
"
or ahead"
the one or other collar or projection on the "tell-tale" wire & kicks open the
corresponding switch and again stops the bell so that the engineer or any
other person or persons may know that the order has been correctly executed.
If however the order be wrongly acted on, such as by putting the engine
when the order was ahead," the tell-tale wire will kick open the switch in "the
6
astern"

page_text: "astern" circuit and not that in the "ahead" circuit in which the bell is ringing
so that the bell will continue to ring and thus give warning of the mistake.
This action of the "tell-tale" wire is easily ensured by placing one collar or
projection on the up wire and another on the down wire, the wires being passed
through holes in the heels of the corresponding switches. As one wire goes up
and the other down, only one switch can be opened at a, time.
By suitably arranging the wire connections, as will be at once understood by
any electrical engineer only one battery and bell need be utilised for the two
circuits, as shown, two sets of switches and the double contacts being however
necessary. Two bells which may be of different tones may however be employed if
desired.
It will be readily understood that the invention is not limited to the details
of construction described as any form of contacts adapted to be opened and closed
by the telegraph chain or the like, and any form of switch adapted to be opened
by the tell-tale wire may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
In case the ship is unprovided with the usual tell-tale wire k from the way
shaft I may provide a short "dummy" tell-tale wire to carry the switch-opening
collars or projections j j', said wire being passed over a pulley on said way shaft
or equivalent moving part and around another pulley m suitably arranged for
instance as shown in Figure 2. When more convenient however I may arrange
the switch-opening projections directly on the way shaft in the form of radial
studs or arms, or provide studs or projections jj on a wheel or arm mounted on
the way shaft or equivalent moving-part as shown in Figure 3 to engage the heels
of the pivoted switches and open the circuits in the manner before described.
Figures 4 and 5 show another form of switch consisting for instance of two
spring pieces o o' which are normally in contact with each other, but are adapted
to be forced apart by means of the projections jjl which come between them and
which in this case are formed of or tipped with insulating material to open the
circuits, the action being the same as before described, whether the projections be
placed either directly on the tell-tale wire or on the way shaft or equivalent moving
part.
Where the telegraph is used for steering purposes it will be understood that
the devices arranged to act in the manner described can be arranged in connection
with any equivalent moving part of the steering gear adapted for the purpose.
Moreover by arranging a greater number of circuits with corresponding contacts
and switches, any desired number of different orders may be provided for. Suitable
annunciators or indicators may also be combined if desired to give visible indica-
tion or warning in addition to the ringing of the bell or bells.
Having now particularly 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
1. The improvement in or connected with ships' telegraphs, which consists in
combining therewith in conjunction with electric bell devices adapted to auto-
matically set one or more bells ringing upon an order being signalled, an arrange-
ment of switches adapted to be operated by the tell-tale wire, to stop the ringing
of the bell or bells only when the order has been correctly obeyed, substantially
as herein before set forth.
2. In ships' telegraphs having electric bell devices for preventing mistakes in
executing the orders signalled, providing collars or projections on the tell-tale
wire, and arranging pivoted switches in the bell circuits in the paths of said pro-
jections, in such a way that said projections on being moved by the act of execut-
ing the order will one of them kick open that one of said switches which if the
order has been obeyed correctly will be the one to stop the ringing, but not other-
wise, substantially as described.
3. In ships' telegraphs having electric bell devices such as described, mounting

page_text: the switch-operating projections on the way shaft or equivalent moving part either
directly or by means of a dummy tell-tale wire when the usual tell-tale wire is not
available, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combined arrangement of ships' telegraph with electric bell devices con-
structed and operating substantially as described, and illustrated respectively in
the different figures of the accompanying drawings.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.