IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING SHIPS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sir James Caleb Anderson, of Fermoy, in the County
of Cork, Ireland, Baronet, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
STEERING SHIPS."
Sealed the 20th July 1855, and dated the 24th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir James Caleb Anderson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th January 1855.
I, Sir JAMES CALEB ANDERSON, of Fermoy, in the County of Cork, Ireland,
Baronet, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN STEERING SHIPS" to be as follows:-
In steering ships I use either water under pressure or compressed air, or
atmospheric pressure by means of a vacuum.
To steer, I place a cylinder across the ship. The piston is to be fixed on
the centre of the piston rod, which must be at least a foot longer than double
the length of the cylinder. To each end of piston rod a chain is to be
attached, which passing over the wheels A, C, D, G, H, convey the power to
the tiller. A three-way valve is to be fitted on the cylinder, to be worked by a
steering wheel fixed on a vertical shaft. When water is used a suitable force
pump is to be attached to the engines: Between the pump and the power
cylinder an air vessel may be placed. A safety valve is to be fixed on the air

page_text: vessel to regulate the working pressure, and on the power cylinder an escape
valve is to be placed at each end to relieve it from an undue pressure when
the rudder may be struck by a sea.
MODUS OPERANDI.
When the pump is worked it will force water into an air vessel; its pressure
will be as the weight put on the valve. The piston is to be placed in the
centre of the power cylinder with the steering wheel; the vertical shaft can be
turned, and the valve moved in the required direction. To the exit passage of
the power engine a pipe is to be fixed, thro' which the water, when no longer
of use, will be ejected overboard on every change of motion of the engine.
When atmospheric pressure is used, the slide box of the power engine, before
described, is to be left open to the air; the exit passage is to be connected to a
receiver, the air pump of which is to be connected with the engines to create
a vacuum. When condensed air is used, the arrangement described for
water will answer; the pump will in that case force air into the air vessel
in place of water. In sailing ships, I use a small steam engine to pump.
water, or create a vacuum, or force air, as the case may be. The same may
be applied to work the pumps to ship and to unship the cargo.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sir James Caleb Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Sir JAMES
CALEB ANDERSON, of Fermoy, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Baronet, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Sir James Caleb Caleb Anderson, Her special licence that I, the said
Sir James Caleb Anderson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Sir James Caleb Anderson, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING. SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Sir James Caleb Anderson, by an, instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 Sir James Caleb Anderson, 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 Drawings accompanying the same (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists in improvements in steering ships.
:-
To steer, I place a cylinder (A) across the ship. The piston B is to be
fixed in the centre of the piston rod (C), which must be longer than double the
length of the cylinder. To each end of the piston rod a chain is to be attached,
which, working on wheels (D, D), will convey the power from the cylinder to
the tiller (E). The cylinder is to have a three-way valve, and its slide is to be
worked by the finger (F), fixed on the lower end of the vertical shaft (G),
which the steersman can move in the required direction by means of the
wheel (H). A force pump of adequate dimensions is to be worked either by
the engines of a steamer, or by a separate engine, to pump water into an air
vessel, thro' a pipe to be connected to the slide box of the steering cylinder (A).
A one-port valve is to be fixed to the exit pipe of the steering cylinder (A),
and to regulate the working pressure the air vessel is to have a safety valve.
On the steering cylinder safety valves are to be fixed at (J, J), to relieve it
from undue pressure when the rudder is struck by a sea.
MODUS OPERANDI.
On water being forced by the pump into the air vessel, its pressure will be as
the weight put on the safety valve, minus friction. With the wheel (II) the
vertical shaft (G) can be turned, which, by moving the valve, will admit the
pressure on the side of the piston to force it in the direction required as soon
as the water escapes, by opening the valve in the exit pipe. The motion of
the piston can thus be regulated to the greatest nicety, or stopped at any part
of the stroke.
When steam is used in the steering cylinder as the motive power, the force
numn and air chamber are not required It will only then be necessary to

page_text: connect the steam chamber of the boiler by a pipe to the slide box of the
steering cylinder. On the slide being moved, as described in the preceding
arrangement, motion will be given to the piston.
ISU,
Steering suips
araunc pressure or
steam pressure acting on a piston or pistons placed in either one or more
cylinders, as the case may be.
2ndly, I claim a separate engine to work the force pumps in steam or
sailing ships to obtain the bydraulic pressure, and when steam is used for
steering, the steam boiler of the small engine is to supply the steam to the
steering cylinder.
3rd, I claim the arrangement described, but I do not confine myself to it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir James Caleb Anderson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JAMES C. ANDERSON. (L.S.)