IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' COMPASSES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Chapman, of Spurstowe Road, Hackney,
in the County of Middlesex, Master Mariner, and John Lilley,
of No. 9; London Street, in the City of London, Nautical
Instrument Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS'
COMPASSES."
Sealed the 20th November 1868, and dated the 21st May 1868.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Chapman and
Jolin Lilley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition and Declaration, on the 21st May 1868, pursuant
to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
CHAPMAN, of Spurstowe Road, Hackney, in the County of Middlesex,
Master Mariner, and JOHN LILLEY, of No. 9, London Street, in the
City of London, Nautical Instrument Maker, send grecting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SHIPS' COMPASSES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto

page_text: us, our executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that we
true and first Inventors thereof.
are the
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Chapman and John
Lilley, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification,
under our hands and seals, fully describes and ascertains the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements relate to the adaptation of the compasses of-ships
by a modification of part of the same as a means of indicating the
manner in which vessels should pass each other when steaming or
sailing, so as to avoid collision, and thus form a "new rule of the
road at sea."
In order that the nature of our Invention and the manner in which
the same is to be performed may be distinctly described and ascertained,
we to this Specification append a Sheet of Drawings for the purpose
of illustrating our improvements, which consist in making the dials
or cards of the compasses with apertures in them, as shown by the
letters A, A, A, A, and underneath the apertures we place printed
instructions or rules on 'another card or dial, the rules being so printed
or arranged as to come immediately beneath and be seen and read
through the apertures. For example, at A', or the north point of
compass, will be seen the rule,-Vessels going northward must get
out of the way of vessels going southward, and also out of the way
of vessels going due east and due west. At A³, the south point of
compass, the rule,-Vessels going southward or due south meeting
vessels steering northward or due cast or west must not alter their
helm, but may stop or go astern to avoid collision. At A³, the west
point of compass the rule,-Vessels going westward must get out of
the way of vessels going eastward. At A', the cast point of compass,
the rule, Vessels going duc east or due west must get out of the
way of vessels going south. By adhering strictly to these rules no
collision can possibly take place. We may vary the wording of these
rules providing the words used convey the same instruction, as for
example, at A', we may put,-Ships having northing in their course
to get out of the way of ships having southing in their course.
A
At
Ships having southing in their course must not alter their helm,
but may stop or go astern to avoid collision; and at A³,- Ships going

page_text: westward must get out of the way of vessels going eastward. Or we
may put at A',-Vessels having northing in their course when meeting
other vessels must get out of the way with a port helm. At A³,-
Vessels having southing in their course must not alter the helm, but
may stop or go astern to avoid collision; and at A³,-Vessels going
due west must get out of the way of vessels going cast with a port
helm.
Instead of making cards with apertures, we may print the cards
of compasses in such a manner as to leave blank spaces in which
the rules may be printed, or we may print the rules around the margin
of compass card, or print them separately and attach them to the
binnacle in some place suitable or convenient for ready reference.
Having now distinctly described and ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
we wish it to be distinctly understood that what we claim is the
application or use of the compasses of ships as a means of preventing
collisions by the means and in the manner described in the Specification,
or illustrated by the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Chapman and John
Lilley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day
of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
CHARLES CHAPMAN. (L.S.)
JOHN LILLEY.
(L.S.)