IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lamb Scott, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS."
Sealed the 28th July 1868, and dated the 31st January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lamb Scott
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st January 1868.
I, GEORGE LAMB SCOTT, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an arrangement of gearing between the
helm and the rudder arranged with suitable bearings and casing,
whereby the apparatus is complete in itself and may be adapted in a
complete form to the ship, and I propose to employ a worm and worm
wheel in the said gearing which act as a detaining power. Within a
casing I propose to adapt a central main shaft, around which is a tube

page_text: provided with a worm wheel in gear with a worm upon upon the axis of
the steering wheel. The said tube carries a spur wheel or segment which
drives a train of wheels or segments to gain speed, and the last of
which is on the axis of the main shaft, the connection from which to
the rudder may be made by suitable rods or by an ordinary pulley. An
index is adapted to the shaft for the purpose of indicating the angle
of the rudder. The apparatus may be placed flush on the deck, but I
propose to adapt felt to the casing between which and the deck the
communication with the rudder may pass. I have spoken of a central
and hollow shaft, but one only may be employed on the same plan,
and instead of spur wheels chains may be used passing around pullies.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lamb Scott in the Great Scal Patent Offico
on the 31st July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
LAMB SCOTT, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year
of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Lamb Scott, Her
special licence that I, the said George Lamb Scott, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said George
Lamb Scott, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS," upon the
condition, amongst others, that I, the said George Lamb Scott, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: 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 George Lamb Scott, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:-
My Invention consists in an arrangement of gearing between the
helm and the rudder arranged with suitable bearings and a casing consti-
tuting an apparatus complete in itself, and may be adapted in a complete
form to the ship, and I employ a worm and worm wheel in the said
gearing which act as a detaining power. Withing the casing I adapt
a central main shaft around which is a tubular shaft provided with a
worm wheel in gear with a worm upon the axis of the steering wheel.
The said tube carries a spur wheel or segment which drives a train of
wheels to gain speed, and the last of which is on the axis of the
main shaft. An index is adapted to the shaft for the purpose of
indicating the angle of the rudder. Instead of the central and hollow
shaft one only may be employed on the same principle as will hereafter
be described.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents my improved steering
apparatus in end view; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a
plan view.
The deck of the vessel is shewn at a upon which is placed a metal
framing constituting a box in which the gearing is placed; within
this box is a central shaft c carried at top by the cover d and at bottom
by a socket e formed in the bottom of the box. Around the central
shaft c is a tubular shaft having a bearing in the part of the box b
and capable of turning upon the central shaft c at its upper and lower
ends, the latter of which abuts against a collar g formed upon the said
shaft. Upon the tubular shaft is a worm wheel h driven by a worm i
upon the axis of the ordinary tiller k; upon the lower end of the said
tubular shaft is a spur wheel taking into another m on a short shaft n
which is carried by the box b, and this short shaft also carries a
wheel o taking into another p fast upon the central shaft c, to the lower

page_text: end of which is fixed a cross bar g; to this cross bar are connected two
rods jointed to other rods 8, which at their ends are connected to a
When the usual steering
cross bar upon the axis of the rudder .
wheel is turned the one way or the other the worm i communicates
motion to the worm wheel hand consequently to the tubular shaft f
and this by means of the wheel imparts motion to the back shaft n
which in its turn causes the central shaft c revolve. By these means
the cross bar will cause the rods 7, 8, to act upon the other cross bar t,
and thus the rudder u will be turned as may be desired. Upon the
top of the central shaft c is an index by which the angle to which the
rudder has been moved is pointed out. The rods are jointed to
the other rods & for the purpose of compensating for variation in
horizontal position between the steering apparatus and the rudder.
will be perceived that the worm and worm wheel h, i, afford a resistance
to the rudder so as to give the man at the helm a holding power, and
that the back shaft n affords the opportunity of getting up speed upon
the rudder.
It
modification of the arrangement
Fig. 4 represents in section a
above described, the tubular shaft being dispensed with, but the same
general arrangement being preserved. The casing or box is as before
at b and the central shaft at c, but in this instance it is divided at c* so
that it may be capable of revolving in separate portions. The back
shaft as in the previously described Figs. is at n carried in a similar
manner by the box or casing b. The portion c of the central shaft is
shown broken off, but it extends upward, as in Fig. 2, and is provided
with the worm wheel previously described; at its lower end it carries
the wheel which in the former instance was on the tubular shaft f
and this wheel through the others m, o, drives the wheel p on the
lower portion c of the central shaft, and from thence motion is com-
municated to the rudder by the means above described. The Drawing
shews the steering apparatus placed flush upon the deck, but it
may stand upon feet so as to allow the cross bar g to be above the
deck.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I
desire it to be understood that I claim as secured to me under the above
in part recited Letters Patent, the general arrangement of steering

page_text: apparatus, substantially as described, and particularly the use of the
tubular and central shafts c, f, and also the back shaft n.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lamb Scott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.