CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND VARIOUS OTHER ENGINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Stephen Lynch, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, for the Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND VARIOUS OTHER
ENGINES." A communication from Reuben Kidder Huntoon, residing at
Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State aforesaid.
Sealed the 24th January 1868, and dated the 17th October 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Stephen Lynch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 17th October 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS MAY COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that I, CHARLES STEPHEN LYNCH, of the State of Massachusetts, of
:the United States of America, am in possession of an Invention of "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM AND VARIOUS OTHER
ENGINES," the same being a communication to me by Reuben Kidder Huntoon,
a person resident at Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State aforesaid,
and I do hereby declare the nature thereof, and the manner in which they are
to be performed, to be fully described in the following Specification, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings making part thereof.
In such Drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, and Figure 2
is an end elevation of one of my marine steam engine governors; Figure 3 is

page_text: a perspective view of my land or stationary engine governor. The well-known
and common ball governor having balls attached to pendulous arms
cannot be used in marine engines, and is only adapted for stationary or land
engines.
The improved governor exhibited in Figures 1 and 2 is specially adapted
for the steam engines of navigable vessels, and in this respect is a desideratum
long sought for. It may be thus described:-In such Figures 1 and 2,
A denotes a close cylindrical vessel having a shaft B placed in it axially,
and extending into a tubular bearing C arranged so as to project from one
end of the vessel in manner as represented in Figure 1; fixed to the
shaft and disposed within the vessel A is a screw propeller D; outside of
the outer edges of the blades of such propeller the vessel A is provided
with a series of wings, flanges, or ribs a, a, a, extending from its inner
periphery, they being to aid in preventing the liquid used in the vessel A from
being revolved therein by the propeller while it may be in rotation; the
vessel A is to contain or be filled with a mass of liquid, as oil, for instance.
There is a projection b on the outside of the tubular bearing C; in this
projection is a stop-cock d which has a passage c made in it, which by a
hole c¹ in the projection 6 opens a communication between the interior of the
vessel A, and the space within the bearing C. By turning the stop-cock the
communication may be either partially or wholly interrupted in order to
regulate the flowage of liquid or oil from the vessel A into the bearing C
while the propeller and its shaft may be in revolution. The head e¹ of the
vessel A, or that part of it immediately surrounding the shaft B, is a tapering
deflector e, which while the shaft is in revolution operates to deflect the liquid
or oil therein laterally against it by the propeller. The tapering deflector is
of more service in the governor shown in Figure 3 than it is in that represented
in Figure 1, because in the first it serves to aid in preventing oil from being
forced through the shaft hole in the cap of the propeller case. In the governor
shown in Figure 1 the shaft B extends into a closed cistern D¹ fastened to the
head of the vessel A, and opening into the said vessel by means of a hole fin
its head. Within the cistern D¹ and concentric with the shaft B is a hollow
shaft E, so connected with the head e as to be capable of being revolved while
in connection therewith; the shaft B slides freely through the shaft E, and the
two have a "feather connection," the feather or rib of which is shown at 9;. a
bevel gear F fixed on the shaft E engages with another bevelled gear G
arranged within the cistern D¹, and fixed on the inner end of a shaft H
extending out from the cistern through a stuffing box I, and carrying a
Another shaft L arranged in the upper part
driving wheel K, see Figure 2.

page_text: of the cistern D¹, and projecting from it as shown in Figures 1 and 2, has an
arm M extending down from it within the cistern; the shaft L also has a
wheel N fixed upon it outside of the cistern. From the circumference of
this wheel a weight P is suspended by means of a chain O going around the
wheel and fastened to it at its periphery. The said chain goes between two
guide rollers R, R, fixed on stationary axes S, S, arranged as shown in the
Drawings. The shaft L is intended to operate the valve of the conduit by
which steam is supplied to the cylinder of the steam engine. This valve.is
shown in Figure 1 at T as a hollow cylinder placed within a concentric
case U surrounded by a passage V; ports h, i, formed in the valve T and
case serve to convey the steam from the interior of the valve into the
passage V, such passage being supposed to lead to the valve chest of the
cylinder of the engine; the case U may communicate with the boiler or
steam generator. An endless belt from the engine is to go around the pulley K
and put it in revolution when the engine is in action; this will cause rotary
motion to be imparted to the propeller. As the speed of the engine may
increase the propeller will cause its shaft B to be forced in a direction towards
the arm M, so as to move such arm and cause the valve to turn and diminishi
the flowage of steam through it. But when the speed of the engine may
decline the weight P will cause the valve to be moved in an opposite direction,
the propeller also moving at the same time in a direction away from the arm M.
More steam being let through the valve the speed of the engine will be
increased. The governor when used on shipboard should be arranged with
the axis of its shaft standing in a direction fore and aft of the vessel rather
than athwart ships; while the vessel may be rolling the weight will be swung
back and forth below the guide wheels R, R, which will prevent the chain O
from slipping off the wheel N. The vacuum bearing C provided with the stop-
cock d and channels of communication with the liquid space of the vessel A
enables a person to apply to the shaft B a force to resist the movements of the
propeller in either direction longitudinally of the shaft, for as he may turn the
stop-cock so as to interrupt the flowage of the liquid into the bearing C, he will
bring to bear on the shaft the resistance of a partial vacuum; the shaft when
moving in the opposite direction may be resisted by the liquid within and the
friction of that flowing from the bearing C.
In Figure 3 A denotes the propeller vessel and B the shaft thereof; a
long gear g is fastened on the shaft and engages with another gear h fixed
on a shaft i; this shaft has a train of bevel gears k, l, to be revolved by a
belt from the engine going around a pulley m fixed on the shaft of the
larger bevel gear. A lever E jointed to a link. F which at its lower end

page_text: is jointed to a standard G bears on the top of the shaft B, such shaft having,
a spherical pivot or head to enter a socket made in the lever and provided:
with an oil cup k; from the lever E a connection rod H having a shaft K
to receive one or more weights depends, and is jointed to an arm or crank L.
extending from the shaft M of the throttle valve, such valve being arranged.
within a case N. The governor shown in Figure 3 is designed for stationary:
enginės, its propeller case being made like that shown in Figure 1. I would.
remark that in the governor for marine engines, and which may also be used
for stationary engines, the oil cistern D¹ applied to the propeller case A saves
the necessity of a stuffing box for the shaft B to run in, and it also serves to
lubricate the surfaces against which the shaft operates, it also answers to
lubricate the teeth of the bevel geers F and G.
Having thus described my said governors for marine and stationary engines,
what I claim as new and of my Invention therein is as follows:-
I claim the combination and arrangement of the close oil cistern D, and
the passage with the vessel A, the propeller D, and shaft B thereof provided
with mechanism for revolving it as described.
I also claim the combination and arrangement of the arm M, its shaft L,
wheel N, and weight P, suspended from such wheel with the shaft B, the
propeller D, and its vessel or case A.
I also claim the combination and arrangement of the close oil vessel D', and
the conduit with the vessel A, the propeller D, the shaft B, its mechanism
for revolving it, the arm M, shaft L, wheel N, and weight P suspended from
the said wheel as described.
I also claim the combination and arrangement of the guide wheels R, R,
with the weight P, its chain O, the wheel N, shaft L, arm M, shaft B
(provided with mechanism for revolving it as described), the propeller D,
and its case or vessel A, the whole being to operate as specified.
I also claim the combination of the stop-cock d, and the channels e, e', with
the case A, and the hollow bearings C provided with a propeller and its shaft
arranged to operate as explained.
I also claim the combination and arrangement of the deflector e with the
vessel A, the shaft B, and the propeller D, arranged as and for the purpose
specified.
I also claim the combination of the vessel A and its wings a with the
shaft B, and propeller D.
I also claim the arrangement of the gears F and G, and the hollow shaft E
within the cistern D', and with respect to the shaft B, its propeller D, and the
case A thereof as explained.

page_text: I also claim the arrangement of mechanism or parts substantially as shown
in Figure 3.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 24th
September 1867.
CHARLES STEPHEN LYNCH. (LS.)