IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Runkel, of Centre Street, New York, United
States of America, and Hotel Sablonière, Leicester Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MARINE STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS."-A communication from abroad by
Henry Behrens, of Chatham Street, New York, in the United States of
America, Engineer.
Sealed the 16th October 1868, and dated the 21st April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Runkel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
April 1868.
I, MARK RUNKEL, of Centre Street, New York, United States of America,
and Hotel Sablonière, Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MARINE STEAM ENGINE GOVERNORS," to be as follows:-
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my Invention, the
line, x, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section; Fig. 2 is a transverso
vertical central section of the same, the plane of section being indicated by.
the line y, y, Fig. 1. Similar letters of both views denote like parts.
The object of this Invention is to make an ordinary pendulum or ball
governor available for marine engines, and to arrange the same so that the
rolling and pitching of the vessel has no disturbing influence on the action of
said governors:
The Invention consists in combining with an ordinary pendulum or ball

page_text: governor a universal joint or gimbal in such a manner that said governor will
place itself always in a vertical position independent of the rolling or pitching
motion of the ship, and that in consequence of this arrangement the action of
the
governor will be equally sure and correct in a rough and in a smooth sea.
The Invention consists also in the arrangement of three bevil wheels, one on
the driving shaft, one on one of the fulcrum pins of the gimbal, and one ou
the top of the spindle of the governor, in such relation to each other and to
the gimbal from which the governor is suspended that the correct position of
said wheels to each other is not disturbed by the motion of the vessel and
consequent oscillating motions of the governors and frames to which the
wheels are attached. The Invention consists, further, in arranging the rising
and falling rod within the spindle of the governor in such relation to tho
gimbal that when the balls assume their mean position corresponding to the
mean speed of the engine, the top of said rod coincides with the common
centre of the gimbal, and consequently the motion of the vessel and consequent
oscillating motions of the governor have no influence on the position of the
throttle. valve. The Invention consists, finally, in placing the rod which
transmits the motion of the balls to the valve loosely on the top of the rising
and falling rod, leaving the latter perfectly free to accommodate itself to
the varying position of the vessel without disturbing its connection with
said rod.
My Invention will be perfectly understood by referring to the following
description and accompanying Drawing..
A represents an ordinary pendulum governor, the balls B' of which are
suspended from arms a, and these arms connected by links b with a sleeve c,
which is placed loosely on a hollow spindle d; a pin e connects this sleeve to
the rod f, which rises and falls in the hollow spindle d as the balls fly out or
sink down according to the quicker or slower motion of the engine. Tho
spindle d of the governor is suspended in a frame B, which is provided with
two projecting arms 9 that hang on pivots h, h; these pivots are firmly
inserted into a frame C one opposite the other, and said frame is suspended at
points opposite to each other, and exactly between the pivots h, h', from a
pivot i and from the driving shaft j, having its bearing in the other end of
said frame. This frame is firmly bolted to some part of the engine or the
vessel, and it supports the governor..
The driving shaft j carries the bovil pinion E, which gears into a bevil
wheel F secured to the pivot h, from which the frame B is suspended, and
through this bevil wheel motion is imparted to a third bevil pinion G secured
to the top of the spindle d. It will be noticed that when the frame D oscillates,

page_text: its centre of oscillation coincides with the centre of the bevil wheel E, and conse-
quently the wheel F will always remain in gear with said wheel independent of
the position of the frame D, and in the same manner the frame B oscillates on
a centre which coincides with the centre of the wheel F, and the oscillations of
said wheels therefore will not be able to disturb the correct position of the
two wheels F and G in relation to each other, and the governor being sus-
pended from the frames B, C, D, arranged like a gimbal, is at liberty to place
itself always in a vertical position, and it will, therefore, by its inherent gravity,
maintain its vertical position independent of the rolling and pitching of the
vessel. It will act with equal correctness in a smooth and in a rough sea.
The rod f, which works within the bollow spindle d, is made of such o
length that its top coincides with the universal centre of the gimbal when the
balls have assumed their normal position, and by this means the oscillations of
the governor caused by the rolling and pitching of the ship have no disturbing
effect on the position of the throttle valve.
The motions of the rising and falling rod f are transmitted to the throttle
valve by means of a rod /, which rests loosely on the top of the rod f, being
depressed by means of a weight or spring; its lower end is flattened out, so
that it offers a broad bearing for the top end of the rod f, and is not liable of
being thrown off of said rod by the motions of the ship and consequent
swinging or oscillating motions of the governor. The two rods f and I might,
however, be connected to each other by a ball-and-socket joint, or in any other;
permanent manner, but it is obvious that by placing the rod 7 loosely on the
top of the rod f, all the labour which would otherwise be required for the
purpose of effecting the connection is saved. This governor is very simple in
its construction; it can be put up in any convenient place in the engine room,
and its effect on the throttle valve will be just as sure in the roughest sea as
on shore, or on board a ship in the calmest weather or inside a harbor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Mark Runkel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, MARK
RUNKEL, of Centre Street, New York, United States of America, and IIotel.
Şablonière, Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send.
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Mark Runkel, Her special licence, that I, the said Mark Runkel
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark
Runkel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE STEAM
ENGINE GOVERNORS," a communication to him from abroad by Henry Behrens,
of Chatham Street, New York, in the United States of America, Engineer,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Mark Runkel, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Mark Runkel, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my Invention, the line x, x,
Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical central
section of the same, the plane of section being indicated by the line y, y, Fig, 1.
Similar letters of both views denote like parts.
The object of this Invention is to make an ordinary pendulum or ball
governor available for marine engines, and to arrange the same so that the
rolling and pitching of the vessel has no disturbing influence on the action of
said governors.
The Invention consists in combining with an ordinary pendulum or ball
governor a universal joint or gimbal in such a manner that said governor will
place itself always in a vertical position independent of the rolling or pitching
motion of the ship, and that in consequence of this arrangement the action of
the governor will be equally sure and correct in a rough and in a smooth sea.
The Invention consists, also, in the arrangement of three bevel wheels, one on

page_text: the driving shaft, one on one of the fulcrum pins of the gimbal, and one on
the top of the spindle of the governor, in such relation to each other and to
the gimbal from which the governor is suspended that the correct position of
said wheels to each other is not disturbed by the motion of the vessel and
consequent oscillating motions of the governor and frames to which the wheels
are attached. The Invention consists, further, in arranging the rising and
falling rod within the spindle of the governor in such relation to the gimbal
that when the balls assume their mean position corresponding to the mean
speed of the engine, the top of said rod coincides with the common centre of
the gimbal, and consequently the motion of the vessel and consequent oscil-
lating motions of the governor have no influence on the position of the throttle
valve. The Invention consists, finally, in placing the rod which transmits the
motion of the balls to the valve loosely on the top of the rising and falling
rod, leaving the latter perfectly free to accomodate itself to the varying
position of the vessel without disturbing its connection with said rod.
My Invention will be perfectly understood by referring to the following
description and accompanying Drawing.
A represents an ordinary pendulum governor, the balls B₁ of which are sus--
pended from arms a, and these arms connect by links 6 with a sleeve c, which
is placed loosely on a hollow spindle d; pin connects this sleeve to the
rod f, which rises and falls in the hollow spindle d as the balls fly out or sink
down according to the quicker or slower motion of the engine. The spindle d
of the governor is suspended in a frame B, which is provided with two pro-
jecting arms g that hang on pivots h, h'; these pivots are firmly inserted into
a frame C, one opposite the other, and said frame is suspended at points.
opposite to each other, and exactly between the pivots h, h', from a pivot i and
from the driving shaft j, having its bearing in the other end of said frame.
This frame is firmly bolted to some part of the engine or the vessel, and it:
supports the
governor.
The driving shaft ; carries the bevel wheel E, which gears into another
bevel wheel F secured to the pivot h, from which the frame B. is suspended,
and through this bevel wheel motion is imparted to a third bevel wheel G.
secured to the top of the spindle d. It will be noticed that when the frame D-
oscillates, its centre of oscillation coincides with the centre of the bevel
wheel E, and consequently the wheel F will always remain in gear with said
wheel independent of the position of the frame D, and in the same manner
the frame B oscillates on a centre which coincides with the centre of the.
wheel F, and the oscillations of said wheels, therefore, will not, be able to

page_text: disturb the correct position of the two wheels F and G in relation to each
other, and the governor being suspended from the frames B, C, D, arranged
like a gimbal, is at liberty to place itself always in a vertical position, and it
will therefore, by its inherent gravity, maintain its vertical position independent
of the rolling and pitching of the vessel. It will act with equal correctness in
a smooth and in a rough sea.
'
The rod f, which works within the hollow spindle d, is made of such a
length that its top coincides with the universal centre of the gimbal when the
balls have assumed their normal position, and by this means the oscillations of
the governor caused by the rolling and pitching of the ship have no disturbing
effect on the position of the throttle valve.
The motions of the rising and falling rod f are transmitted to the throttle
valve by means of a rod l, which rests loosely on the top of the rod f, being
depressed by means of a weight or spring, its lower end is flattened out, so
that it offers a broad bearing for the top end of the rod f, and that it is not
liable of being thrown off of said rod by the motions of the ship; and con-
sequent swinging or oscillating motions of the governor. The two rods f and
might, however, be connected to each other by a ball-and-socket joint, or in
any other permanent manner, but it is obvious that placing the rod /
loosely on the top of the rod f, all the labor which would otherwise bo
required for the purpose of effecting the connection is saved. This governor
is very simple in its construction; it can be put up in any convenient place
in the engine room, and its effect on the throttle valve will be just as suro in
the roughest sea as on shore, or on board a ship in the calmest weather or
inside a harbour.
What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,―
1. The combination of an ordinary pendulum or ball governor A with a
universal joint or gimbal B, C, D, constructed substantially as herein described,
for the purpose set forth.
2. The arrangement of the three bevel wheels E, F, G, with the driving
shaft j, pivot h, and spindle d of the governor A, when the latter is suspended
from a universal joint or gimbal B, C, D, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
3. Arranging the rising and falling rod f with the governor A and
universal joint or gimbal B, C, D, so that the top of said rod coincides with
the universal centre of the gimbal when the balls of the governor assume their
mean position, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
:.4. Placing the rod, which transmits the motions of the balls to the throttle

page_text: valve, loosely on the top of the rising and falling rod f, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Runkel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
M. RUNKEL. (L.S.)