IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' LOGS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Francis Reynolds, of Nightingale Lane,
London Docks, in the County of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument
Maker, for the Invention of ** IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' LOGS AND IN
APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Francis
Reynolds at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th January 1875.
I, WILLIAM FRANCIS REYNOLDS, of Nightingale Lane, London Docks,
in the County of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS'
LOGS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' logs and in appliances
connected therewith, and consists, firstly, in constructing tubular logs
upon or within a frame that can be slung by a rope, chain, or hook from

page_text: the rail of a vessel, so that the rotating action of a propeller or apparatus
with blades through its rope or connection shall maintain an equable
amount of tension in the longitudinal axis of the log at whatever angle
it may be put into while the vessel is moving. The log proper, which
contains the counting mechanism, is provided with axles or trunnions &
at or near the centre of its weight, so that the barrel can rock within
the frame, the slinging by the rope, chain, or hook being so arranged
that the frame can adjust itself to the angle of draught to avoid undue
strain upon the axial centres.

page_text: rollers canting sideways and to prevent the supporting pins being cut or
altered in shape by unequal frictional contact of the rollers upon thêm.
The rollers may in some cases be stepped, or they may be grooved to
run upon a ring rail.
When I make the rollers V shaped, or knife edged, or any approach
thereto, I make the axle pipe of a length equal to or greater than the
diameter of the roller.
The third part of my Invention relates to the rotatory or blade portion
of a ship's log, this being composed of a piece of wood with slits or
slots cut diagonally in the exterior, into which slits or slots I insert metal
blades, and I either pierce the inner edges at the ends and pass a wire
through the holes and then bury the wire in annular grooves formed in
the wood, or I fasten the blades in position by screws, pins, staples, or
other fasteners. Bands may however be used at one or at both ends. If
at one end only I so shape the slits at the opposite ends that a portion of
each blade can be passed into or under a lip.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Francis Reynolds in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 27th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FRANCIS REYNOLDS, of Nightingale Lane, London Docks, in the County
of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Francis Reynolds,
Her special licence that I, the said William Francis Reynolds, my exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Francis Reynolds, 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

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' LOGS AND IN APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Francis Reynolds, my exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 William Francis Reynolds, 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 thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' logs, and in appliances
connected therewith, and consists mainly in constructing tubular logs
upon or within a frame that can be slung by a rope, chain, or hook from
the rail of a vessel, so that the rotating action of a propeller or apparatus
with blades through its rope or connection shall maintain an equable
amount of tension in the longitudinal axis of the log at whatever angle
it may be put into while the vessel is moving and without interfering
with the action of special appliances hereafter referred to.
My Invention is clearly represented in the accompanying Drawings,
in which Figure 1 is a view of my log with the dial cover slid to one
side and the dial plates and index fingers exposed.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the dial casing, showing the train
of wheel work and the appliances by which the rotation of the propeller
or rotator is conveyed to the mechanism.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent sections of the rotator with the various
ways I purpose fixing or attaching the blades in position to the wooden
portion.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 show the forms of blades and the slots, nicks,
or grooves by which they are held in position by rings, or half rings, or
by wires.
Figures 9 to 19 inclusive represent different arrangements of rollers
and their bearing plates, all of which form an important feature in my

page_text: Invention, both for the tubular kind of ships' logs shown in the Drawings
and for others.
"A is a tubular casing, and B, B, are studs for carrying a strap C, whose
outer end terminates in an eye B, by which it can be fastened to or slung
from the taffrail of a vessel in any suitable manner. E is a spindle with
an eye F at its end for attaching a hook G to, the hook having a rope H.
secured and forming the connection between the dial mechanism and the
propeller or rotator, which in this case floats upon or just below the
surface of the water at a distance abaft the stern of the vessel, as
indicated in the general view, the blades of which rotator are set at an
angle to ensure its rotation while being dragged after the ship. The
spindle E is partly enclosed in a cap J, and has two lugs a, a, projecting
from a disc b on its inner end to engage between arnis c, c, on the stem d
of the endless-threaded rod e, by which the rotation of the dial mechanism
is effected. The inner face of this disc b has a hard metal washer f
bearing firmly upon it, which acts as a plate for a series of rollers g, I, I,
to run on, the rollers, preferably three in number, being upon pins h, h, h,
projecting at equal distances apart from a collar i loosely fitted over the
spindle E. There is another hard metal washer j as a bearing plate, also
loosely fitted over the spindle, so that the rollers can revolve and travel
in a circular direction upon or against and between the two hard metal
bearing plates f, j, as indicated by the sectional view, Figure 2, the
plates fand being also free to move round the spindle as a centre.
The rollers g, g, g, according to my Invention are by preference of
hardened steel with broad bearing surfaces, both at the central parts, and
also with broad bases or treads, or with narrow treads and broad central
bearings or pipes, so that each may take a bearing upon the whole length
or nearly the whole length of the pin or axle h to ensure the true
rotation of the roller without risk of a canting action taking placo after
a little wear or the pins or axles being cut or worn in an irregular
manner.
I prefer to make my rollers g, g, g, for logs of the form shown in
Figure 9, and of a length corresponding to that of the pins on which
they have to revolve, so that they find a positive bearing both upon their
pins or axles and also upon the plates f, j, upon which they run, but
other forms of rollers, so long as the broad tread or broad axle bearing,
or both, be retained, as herein described, I claim to form part of my

page_text: Invention in ships' log mechanism without limiting myself to their use
to the special construction of log shown in the Drawings.
In Figure 10 I have shown three rollers g, g, g, with conical treads,
and upon pins or axles arranged radially from the centre of the spindle,
the rollers being simply slipped on to the pins and held in position
thereon by the circular side of the case within which they travel.
Figure 11 shows two such rollers only; Figure 12, two narrow tread
and broad central part rollers upon horizontal pins, and two other rollers
upon vertical pins, so that their rollers may bear against the side wall
of the case, the first two rollers running upon the hard metal plates f, j,
before referred to. By this means lateral as well as longitudinal friction
is provided for, should there be from any cause a side strain imparted to
the spindle E.
Figure 13 represents three grooved rollers to run upon a ring ribbed
plate, the central part of them being broad.
Figure 14 is a view of three-stepped rollers to run upon double ring
ribbed plates.
Figure 15 shows four angled face or edge rollers to run upon A ring
rib, and Figure 16 four V edged rollers to run in correspondingly shaped
grooved plates, these having comparatively narrow bases or treads
and broad central parts to maintain their equal wearing action while at
work.
Figure 17 represents disc rollers held vertically between broad bearing
blocks on one side and by broad heads of pins on the other.
Figure 18 shows rollers of a V shape from the tread to the central or
broad part, the rollers being held by the heads of the pins on which they
revolve.
Figure 19 shows four conical narrow based rollers, with pipe projections.
on cach side.
Figure 20 represents deep rollers g, g, fitted in the case, the corner edge
on one end being rounded to bear against or upon the hollow or rounded
edge of the plate f, the depth of the rollers ensuring their parallel action
while rotating.

page_text: Fifthly. Jointing the outer case of tubular logs, substantially as
herein before described and shown at Figures 23 and 25, and the employ-
ment of an universal joint within such jointing to facilitate the turuing
of the index at whatever angle the tow rope may put the log into.
Sixthly. The construction and arrangement of the rotative portions of
ships' logs, and the method of fitting or fixing the blades thereto, as
described and shown.
Seventhly. Slinging the indicating portion of a tubular log at or about
the centre of its weight, as set forth, by which the strain of the tow rope
is communicated direct in a straight line to the central spindle.
Eighthly. I claim the employment of slings or hanging straps or
equivalent appliances on or to the register parts of ships' logs.
. In witness whereof, I, the said William Francis Reynolds, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July,
One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five.