IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lewis, of Elizabeth, in the County of
Essex and State of New Jersey, United States of America, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS."
Sealed the 19th April 1864, and dated the 14th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lewis at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1863.
I, JOHN LEWIS, of Elizabeth, in the County of Essex and State of
New Jersey, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS," to be as follows:-
I employ wings in connection with a rudder of any usual or desired construc-
tion, said wings stand on each side of and nearly parallel to the main rudder,
and are attached to such rudder by arms or braces, so that the wings move
with the rudder and increase the surface thereof, acting upon the water
without increasing the breadth of the rudder itself.
By hinging the arms or braces at their ends to the rudder and wings respec-
tively said wings can be drawn up against the rudder itself by means of chains
passing up the rudder stock, and if said wings are suspended by such chains, so
that the arms or braces stand at an inclination upwards, the wing on either side
will be shut up against the rudder if struck by a wave, thereby relieving the
rudder itself of sudden concussion, because the water between the wing and rudder,
in being pressed out, cushions the wing as it shuts up. By this arrangement

page_text: the wing that is thrown forward by the turning of the rudder will be closed by
the water pressing against its outer side, and the water coming against the inner
side of the opposite wing acts in aid of the steering operation and also relieves
the strain on the helm, because such wing tends to turn the rudder itself still
farther in the direction to which it has been swung. I place the arms
between the rudder and wings at an inclination to the surface of the rudder,
so that the wings stand forward of the rudder in order that when the rudder is
turned the wing may come more nearly opposite to the main rudder and be
more fully operative instead of passing partially behind it, as would be the case
if the arms were at right angles to the surface of the rudder. The wings may
be attached to the rudder by chains connected to the ends of the arms and
passing under hooks upon the rudder, or through eyes or pipes extending up
the rudder to guide said chains, so that the chains can be slackened and the
wings hauled out of water for repair and then again brought to place by
drawing upon such chains.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEWIS, of Elizabeth, in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Lewis, Her special. license that I, the
said John Lewis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Lewis, 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 Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Lewis, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: 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 John Lewis, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a plan of said rudder;
""
"
2 is a side elevation of the same, and
3 is a view of the front edge of the rudder.
Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.
The nature of my said Invention consists in wings or auxiliary rudders
attached to the main rudder on each side thereof, whereby the rudder does
not have to be as broad as now usual, and there is less liability. of its being
broken, and less power is required at the helm. I apply said wings in such a
manner that one wing will close against the rudder by the action of the water
on the side towards which the rudder is moved, while the opposite wing acts to
balance the action by the water on the rudder, thereby relieving the helm from
strain.
In the Drawing, a is the rudder of any usual size or shape and attached to
the stern post c by any convenient means, and the rudder stock 6 extends up
into the vessel, and is actuated by any suitable helm or steering apparatus; d, d,
are my wings or blades sustained by arms or braces e, e, extending from the sides
of the rudder. These arms are inclined forward (see Fig. 1), and the wings at
their ends are when the rudder is straight, in advance of the rudder, in order that
the surfaces exposed to the action of the water may be nearly equal all around
the vertical axis or centre of motion of the rudder, so that the rudder may be
held more easily in consequence of the action of the water being thus balanced.
The wing being in advance of the rudder also prevents said wing acting in the
eddy water behind the rudder.
In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the front edge of said wing stands nearly
opposite the rudder post for the purpose aforesaid, although the rudder is in a
diagonal position.
The arms or braces e, e, might be rigid, I however prefer to have them
formed as joints at both ends, so that the wing can swing with the moving end
of said arms and come against the side of the rudder. Chains f,f, may be
outside of the rudder
attached to these wings and pass up through or on the
stock, by drawing on which the wings will be brought up against the sides of
the rudder, for the safety of those wings while lying in port, or in case of

page_text: drift, ice, &c. The ends of the braces or arms e, e, next the rudder, may be
attached by any suitable joints, but to facilitate repairs to the wings I prefer
that such joints be formed by rings, eyes, or hooks, at the ends of chains or
ropes passing up through tubes or grooves in the rudder as represented by
dotted lines at g, and the lower ends of such holes or grooves determine the
point at which the rings stop and on which the armis swing, or said chains
may pass beneath cross pieces or hooks or through the rudder and up on
the opposite side, and thereby retain the ends of the arms in position against
the rudder. The arms themselves should be formed so as to present their
narrowest edge to the passing water and may be braced for strengthening
them, and said arms may be. provided with slots to pass over hooks attached
to the rudder as at i, for forming an additional attachment for such arms.
It will be seen that the blade on the forward side of the rudder when túrned
diagonally will be closed down against the rudder itself by the action of the
water on its outer side, and that the other blade by the action of the water
against its inner side will be moved out from the rudder and tend to turn the
rudder itself into a still more diagonal position, thus relieving the helm of strain
to a considerable extent and at the same time acting in such a way as to turni
the ship in the proper direction. The wings when applied to a rudder behind a
propeller are to be of such a shape that they cannot come in contact with the pro-
peller blades, and they may swing either downward or upward in closing, and,
if desired, with wings folding upward against the rudder; chains attached from
the vessel to the upper end of the wings may sustain their weight when in a
normal position.
I have shown by dotted lines (Fig. 3) ropes from the upper ends of the
wings, crossed, and they are to extend upwards and backward to the over-
hanging stern of the vessel, so as to close the wing that is on the side
towards which the rudder is moved. Ropes may be substituted for chains, and
rods may be introduced in connection with the chains in some portions of their
length.
It will be evident that two wings on each side might be used in place of one,
and that the ropes or chains f should lead to a device near the helmsman,
that can be operated by his foot so as to slacken up those chains and allow
the wings to open or draw in those chains to close the wings against the
sides of the rudder. Recesses may be made for such wings in the rudder,
and a spring beneath each may be employed to move the wings out from
such recess when the ropes f are slackened. The wings may be fitted to
open farther from the rudder at the bottom than at the top if the upper
arms are the shortest. If it is desired to move the wings out from the rudder

page_text: without their being elevated or depressed, as required for shallow water, the
arms e, e, may be attached to the rudder on vertical hinges so as to swing out
horizontally and carry with their outer ends said wings, which wings will
swing open in this direction by the action of the water so soon as the rudder
is moved diagonally to the vessel's length. It will be evident that when the
wings are placed slightly forward of the rudder the steering will be much
easier, but these wings might be opposite or to the rear of the rudder if
required for the particular vessel.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First, wings on each side of the rudder acting substantially in the manner
and for the purposes specified.
Second, I claim wings attached by hinged or jointed arms for the purposes
specified.
Third, I claim attaching the arms of the wings to the rudder by the chains
or ropes for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lewis, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
20 Witnesses,
THO. GEO. HAROLD,
121, Nassau St., N.Y.
CHA. H SMITH,
121, Nassau St., N.Y.
JOHN LEWIS. (L.S.)