A NEW OR IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue and
Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "A NEW
OR IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES." A communication from
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd March 1881.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of, the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "A NEW OR IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES." (A com-
munication from abroad by William Würdemann, of Dresden, Germany.)
The propelling screw of a steamer rises at times above the surface of the water,
and thereby arrives at a dangerous speed, causing much loss of steam solely in
consequence of an oscillatory motion of the vessel in high seas called pitching,
oscillations that are pretty uniform in duration, their time being determined by the
length and weight of the vessel, and the succession of the waves that are
surmounted in its progress.
Upon this prime cause this Invention for effectually governing the admission of
steam to the power engines of the vessel is founded. A weighty body tends to
retain its place within absolute space by the law of inertia, offering a resistance in
proportion to its weight against an attempt to move it. If such a weight free to
move within certain limits is suspended within a ship, and that ship rises quickly,
the weight will tend towards its bottom (or in reality the bottom will rise towards
the weight). If this weight is so mounted that its relative motion downwards will
close the valve that admits the steam to the engines, those engines will thereby be
deprived of their motive power.
Since before every rise or actual jump of the propeller screw above the surface a
comparatively deep immersion of the same takes place, and the action of the weight
occurs immediately or at the beginning of the rise, the steam valve will have

page_text: become closed before the screw can have reached the surface of the water, and
since moreover the pitching motion is a very rapid one, the screw being never more
than two seconds out of the water, all governors heretofore designed fail to regulate
in time, that is to say, not until the normal speed of the engine has already been
transgressed, leaving the cylinders still filled with steam that continues the
movement of the engine by expansion.
The manner of carrying out this Invention into practical shape and form,
according to the above general principles, is as follows:-
An shaped beam or lever is mounted at the end of an upright on a horizontal
axis; the other end being sufficiently weighted is upheld by an adjustable spring
in such a manner that it may swing freely downwards with a range of about
thirty degrees. To the upright is jointed a rod that passes to a valve by means of
which the admission of steam to the engines is governed. A piston or disc is hung
to the beam passing into a cylinder or closed vessel filled with a liquid operating
on the movements of the beam as a moderator. A side channel connects the
interior ends of the cylinder. A valve opening upwards is placed within the
channel whose closing is regulated by a screw, and its opening by another screw,
both with divided plates and indices giving the means of exactly timing the down
and the upward movement of the piston. This piston fits pretty closely though not
too tightly for near one third from the bottom of the cylinder, the rest being
somewhat wider to allow of a quicker movement.
If now the above described apparatus is fixed longitudinally into the inside stern-
end of a screw steamer, in such a manner that a pull movement of a rod will close the
valve, the weighted end of the beam will drop down heavily by the force of inertia
with each strong rise of the vessel's stern, and by its dropping the steam valve will
become closed, to reopen in consequence to the reaction of the spring, and timed by
the moderator.
The above apparatus is designed for the stern-end of the vessel as the best suited
for it, but could also be adapted to the bow-end by several of its parts being
reversed.
The novel features of this Invention consist, first, in the combination in a marine
governor of a pivoted and weighted beam or lever counterbalanced by a spring, and
regulated in its movements by a moderator, piston, or disc in a vessel filled with a
liquid, the weighty mass of the beam being set in motion by the force of inertia,
induced by the rise and fall of a ship's end in rough seas.
Second. In a marine governor, a weighted counterbalanced and pivoted L shaped
beam or lever adapted to move in a vertical plane, and by a connecting rod act
upon the apparatus for admission of steam to the power engines of a vessel with
the means to control the reaction of the spring, and to regulate the time required
for the beam to regain its normal position.
Third. In a marine governor, the moderator vessel with the means for differently
timing by set screws the up and down movements of the piston, each as required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1881.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "A NEW OR IMPROVED GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES." A com-
munication from abroad by William Würdemann, of Dresden, Germany.
The propelling screw of a steamer rises at times above the surface of the water
and thereby arrives at a dangerous speed, causing much loss of steam solely in
consequence of an oscillatory motion of the vessel in high seas called pitching,
oscillations that are pretty uniform in duration, their time being determined by
the length and weight of the vessel and the succession of the waves that are
surmounted in its progress.
Upon this prime cause this Invention for effectually governing the admission
of steam to the motive power engines of the vessel is founded. A weighty body
tends to retain its place within absolute space by the law of inertia offering a
resistance in proportion to its weight against an attempt to move it.
If such a
weight free to move within certain limits is suspended within a ship, and that ship
rises quickly, the weight will tend towards its bottom (or in reality the bottom
will rise towards the weight). If this weight is so mounted that its relative
motion downwards will close the valve that admits the steam to the engines, these
engines will thereby be deprived of their motive power.
Since before every rise or actual jump of the propeller screw above the surface
a comparatively deep immersion of the same takes place, and the action of the
weight occurs immediately or at the beginning of the rise, the steam valve will
have become closed before the screw can have reached the surface of the water,
and since moreover the pitching motion is a very rapid one, the screw being never
more than two seconds out of the water, all governors heretofore designed fail to
regulate in time, that is to say, not until the normal speed of the engine has already
been transgressed, leaving the cylinders still filled with steam that continues the
movement of the engine by expansion.
And in order that the Invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to
describe the accompanying Drawings illustrating the same, the several parts being
marked with corresponding letters of reference in all the Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE
DRAWING
Figure 1 shows a side view, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a transverse section
of apparatus arranged and constructed in accordance with my Invention.
An L shaped beam or lever a, b, is mounted at the end of the upright 6 on a
horizontal axis d, the other end being sufficiently weighted; c is upheld by an
adjustable spring e in such a manner that it may swing freely downwards with a
range of about thirty degrees. To the upright b is jointed a rod g that
passes to
the valve f by means of which the admission of steam to the engine is governed.
A piston or disc h is hung to the beam a passing into a cylinder or closed vessel i
filled with a liquid operating on the movements of the beam a as a moderator.
A side channel k connects the interior ends of the cylinder i. A valve 7 opening
upwards is placed within the channel k, whose closing is regulated by the screw m,
and its opening by the screw n both with divided plates and indices o and p,
giving the means of exactly timing the down and the upward movement of the

page_text: piston h. This piston h fits pretty closely, though not too tightly, for near one
third from the bottom of the cylinder, the rest being somewhat wider to allow of a
quicker movement.
If now the above described apparatus is fixed longitudinally into the inside
stern-end of a screw steamer, in such a manner that a pull movement of the rod g
will close the valve f, the weighted end of the beam c will drop down heavily by
the force of inertia with each strong rise of the vessel's stern, and by its dropping
the steam valve f will become closed, to reopen in consequence to the reaction of
the spring e and timed by the moderator h, i, k.
The above described apparatus is designed for the stern end of the vessel as the
best suited for it, but could also be adapted to the bow end by several of its parts
being reserved.
In Figures 4, 5, and 6 of the annexed Drawings a side view, ground plan, and
end view is shown of a modified arrangement of this new and improved governor
for marine engines.
:
In this arrangement the entire apparatus is suspended in a frame formed by the
bed plate a¹, two standards b¹, b', and the connecting traverse c¹. The latter is
provided with the two trunnions c², c², resting in bearings which are fixed to the
ceiling of the apartment of the vessel in which the apparatus is intended to work.
The purpose of suspending the apparatus is to make the same independent of the
rolling movement of the vessel, while the pitching movement of the vessel causes
the apparatus to work.
In order to avoid as much as possible friction caused by the movement of the
vessel the trunnions are provided with spherical shaped ends and work against steel
plates.
In order to provide for the difference existing between the movement of
apparatus and in the movement of the vessel it is necessary that no rigid con-
nection shall exist between the apparatus and the throttle valve of the steam
main or other part to be acted on. Therefore several links of a chain are inserted
between the rod d¹ and the upright end of the crank lever a, b, whereby any
torsion is avoided in the connecting rod d' which may take place, if the suspended
apparatus maintains nearly its vertical position while all other parts of the
machinery follow the movement of the vessel.
In the modification shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the weight of c is so calculated
that in the position shewn in full lines (which is the non working position of the
apparatus) this weight will keep the throttle valve open. The weight c rests upon
buffer w which will ease the raising of said weight, if after its downward motion
it is rejected upward by the movement of the vessel.
The lever of the throttle valve, as shewn in Figure 5, is connected with a spiral
spring e which works in the opposite direction of the rod d, and which spring will
by its force close the throttle valve.
If therefore by the raising of the weight c the action of the connecting rod d¹ is
annulled, the spring will close or shut the throttle valve, while the descending
motion of the weight will open such valve against the action of the spring. It is
obvious that by means of the non rigid connection of the apparatus with the lever
of the throttle valve the latter may be situated in any convenient position or
distance from the apparatus.
In this modification the cylinder i is made of equal diameter throughout, and the
piston is adjusted so as to play easy in such cylinder. The valve shewn in the first
plan (which valve was made adjustable by two screws) is replaced by a throttle
valve g¹ placed within a side channel, which communicates at top and bottom with
the interior of the cylinder. The valve g' is actuated by a rod e¹ moved by the
arm f¹ projecting from the angle lever a, b.
The object of this modified arrangement is to prevent the flow of water through
the side channel if the weight c is in highest position by closing or by partly
closing the throttle valve g¹, in order to prevent hereby too quick a downward or
descending movement of the weight c, and to prevent too quick an opening of the

page_text: throttle valve within the steam main, this retarding motion of the weight, and in
consequence hereof of the steam throttle, will be necessary if the projecting or
exposure of the screw or part of the screw propeller above the water lever
requires diminuation of speed of the steam engine. In order to be able to regulate
the time during which the throttle valve g¹ in the side channel shall remain
closed, the connection between arm f' and connecting rod e' is made adjustable in
such a manner that a certain motion of arm f¹ is allowed before acting on rod e'.
Set screws h¹, h², permit of adjusting or regulating the "dead" stroke of arm fl
within the slot of rod e¹. If the movement of the lever a, b (id est, the
slowly descending of the weight c), causes the arm f' to move the rod e¹ and opens
the throttle g¹, the water may rush from underneath the piston through the side
channel into the upper chamber of the cylinder, thereby allowing the weight c to
drop suddenly, and to fully reopen the throttle in the steam main.
In suspending the apparatus as described above, the main object was to avoid
any influence of the rolling motion of the vessel upon the apparatus, and to allow
the latter to maintain its vertical position; however, the rolling motion of vessel
will in a slight degree notwithstanding the suspending arrangement be commu-
nicated to the apparatus. Now in order to annul or paralyse any undue strain of
the masses of the apparatus (in its slight rocking or swinging side motion) upon
several working parts of the apparatus, the upright x, y, fixed to the bed plate and
projecting between the double parts of the lever a, b, forms a guide with the part u
for said lever.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention_communicated to me from
abroad as herein before set forth, I would remark that I do not claim any of the
mechanical parts separately, which are well known and in common use, but what I
claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The improved arrangement and combination in a marine governor of a
pivoted and weighted beam or lever counterbalanced by a spring, and regulated in
its movements by a moderator piston or disc in a vessel filled with a liquid, the
weighty mass of the beam being set in motion by the force of inertia induced by
the rise and fall of a ship's end in rough seas, the whole being arranged to act
substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second. In a marine governor a weighted counterbalanced and pivoted L shaped
beam or lever adapted to move in a vertical plane, and by a connecting rod act
upon the apparatus for admission of steam to the motive power engines of a vessel
with the means to control the reaction of the spring, and to regulate the time
required for the beam to regain its normal position, substantially in the manner
herein before described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Third. In a marine governor, the moderator vessel with the means for differently
timing by set screws the up and down movements of the piston, each as required,
all arranged to act substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein before
described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Fourth. Suspending the improved governing apparatus in such manner that it
will be subject to the pitching motion of the vessel, but that it will only be
slightly influenced by the "rolling" motion of the vessel, substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described and represented by Figures 4, 5, and 6 of the
Drawings hereto annexed.
Fifth. The insertion of chain links between the main lever of the governing
apparatus and the rod leading to the throttle valve, or to any other part to be
regulated by the apparatus for the purpose set forth, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Sixth. The arrangement shewn and specified for actuating the throttle valve in
the steam main in the one direction by the action of the spiral spring for shutting
the throttle valve, in the other direction by the descent of the weight c for opening
the throttle valve, whereby the high position of said weight has been caused by or
originates from the "pitching" movement of the vessel in the end wise direction of

page_text: said apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
Drawings hereto annexed.
Seventh. The improved arrangement of steerage of the cylinder i and piston in
the apparatus derived from the main angle lever a, b, for fixing or limiting the
period of the high position of weight c, and the means described for regulating
such period by the screws h, h¹, substantially as herein described and represented
in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Eighth. The parts x, y, and u for guiding or securing the lever a, b, against
undue side strain in its vertical swinging movement, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the Drawings hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garret Tongue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.