AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCE RUN BY SHIPS AND BOATS PROCEEDING THROUGH THE WATER, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING AND REGISTERING TIDES AND CURRENTS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Walter Friend, of Canute Road, in
the Town and County of Southampton, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCE
RUN BY SHIPS AND BOATS PROCEEDING THROUGH THE WATER, WHICH IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING AND REGISTERING TIDES AND CURRENTS."
Sealed the 5th December 1858, and dated the 6th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Walter Friend
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th June 1853.
I, JOHN WALTER FRIEND, of Canute Road, in the Town and County
of Southampton, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCE
RUN BY SHIPS AND BOATS PROCEEDING THROUGH THE WATER, WHICH IS ALSO
APPLICABLE TO MEASURING AND REGISTERING TIDES AND CURRENTS," to be as
follows (that is to say):
I employ for the purpose of measuring & registering the distance
run by ships and boats proceeding through the water an apparatus

page_text: consisting of a small paddle wheel, to the axis of which is attached a
cog-wheel which turns other wheels, to some of which wheels are
attached hands on a dial which indicate the motion of the paddle
wheel.
The apparatus may be exposed to the action of the water in two
waysFirstly, it may be placed within a case of brass or other heavy
material, which is to be towed in dense water from a line hung out at
the stern or other convenient part of the ship or boat, this case being
closed on all sides but one, and so formed that the open side shall
always be the under & after side when the case is towed through the
water, the result of which arrangements will be, that the ship or boat
proceeding through the water will cause the paddle wheel to revolve
by the resistance of the water according to the distance run, & will
register the same on the dial. Secondly, when it is desired to have the
apparatus within the ship or boat the above apparatus may be placed
within an arrangement of tubes or pipes contained in the body or hull
of the vessel, the paddle wheel being caused to turn by the resistance
of the water passing through them. The apparatus may be made
applicable to measuring and registering tides or currents when employed
within a case, as just described, but made purposely of lighter materials,
so as to float upon the water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Walter Friend in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 6th December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN WALTER FRIEND, of Canute Road, in the Town and County of
Southampton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Walter Friend, Her special licence that 1, the
said John Walter Friend, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or

page_text: such others as I, the said John Walter Friend, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
MEASURING AND REGISTERING THE DISTANCE RUN BY SHIPS AND BOATS PRO-
CEEDING THROUGH THE WATER, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO MEASURING
AND REGISTERING TIDES AND CURRENTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Walter Friend, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Walter Friend, 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 (that is to say):
My said Invention, having reference to ascertaining and registering
the distance run by ships and boats procceding through the water,
consists in the construction and employment of an improved apparatus
for the said purposes, which I call my "self-registering perpetual
log," being calculated to have a more constant and uniform action
than the instruments heretofore in use, from being so formed as to
obviate the liabilities to which such instruments are generally exposed of
being borne to the surface of the water when the vessel is proceeding
at a great velocity, as also of becoming clogged with sea-weed or other
extraneous matter by which their action may be obstructed or rendered
uncertain. It is with a view to remedying these inconveniences that I
construct my said apparatus, which is fitted with a small paddle wheel
formed and adapted to revolve upon its axis as the vessel is drawn
through the water, and connected to a dial fitted with hands, which
hands are actuated by the said paddle wheel, through the intervention of

page_text: mechanism hereafter to be described, in such manner as to register the
distance run by the ship or boat.
The apparatus may be exposed to the action of the water in two
ways: Firstly, it may be placed within a case of brass or other heavy
material from a line hung out at the stern or other convenient part of
the vessel, this case being closed at all sides (except the under and after
side, through which the paddle is acted on by the resistance of the
water,) and being also furnished with concave metal wings or blades
presented obliquely to the water, so that their resistance may press the
case continually downwards and keep it submerged. But in order that
my improvements relating to the first part of this my said Invention
may be more fully understood and readily carried into effect, I proceed
to describe them by the aid of the accompanying Drawings, reference
being had to the letters and figures thereon marked, that is to say :-
Fig. 1, represents a top or plan view of my improved apparatus for
measuring and registering the distance run by ships and boats pro-
ceeding through the water; Fig. 2, an underneath view thereof,
showing the ingress and egress passages of the water in giving motion
to the working parts; Fig. 3, a side view thereof; Fig. 4. a top or
plan view of the works with the case removed; and Fig. 5, a corre-
sponding side view. In cach Figure the same letters of reference
denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, casc or box; B, B, curved
metal wings or blades, of about half the length of the box, diagonally
fixed on opposite sides thereof; one end of the wing being at the
broader end, and the other at or near the middle of the lower edge of
the side, as represented; the concave part of which blade being upper-
most prevents the instrument from being dragged to the surface by the
velocity of the vessel; C, C, concentric case, enclosing the paddle
wheel; D, D, ingress oppening or passage through which the water
enters for giving motion to the instrument; E, E, grating covering
the opening for the purpose of preventing weed or other extraneous
matter from entering with the water; F, F, egress passage through
which the water is discharged from the instrument; G, G, dial plate;
H, H, hand dial plate for registering or indicating the distance traversed

page_text: by the vessel; I, I, ring for attaching or suspending the instrument
by a line or cord from the stern or other convenient part of the vessel;
K, K, paddle wheel; L, L, intermediate toothed pinion and screw
wheel gearing, communicating motion from the paddle wheel, as in
manner shewn; M, M, spindle upon which the hand dial is fixed;
N, N, concentric channel for conducting and forcing the water upon the
paddles or floats, and causing the wheel to revolve in the direction
indicated by the arrows. I would here note that the instrument, when
towed through the water, as herein-before described, assumes a horizontal
position, or nearly so, within the water, being kept from ascending to
the surface, as aforesaid, by the curved blades or wings; this position of
the instrument causes the water entering at the ingress, as described, to
give a corresponding motion to the paddle wheel, and actuate the other
working parts up to the hand dial proportionately to the speed of the
vessel or run of the log.
The above apparatus may be rendered available, by a slight modifi-
cation, for the purpose of measuring and registering the velocity of tides
and currents, to effect which object it is only requisite that the case
should be formed of wood or other light material, and the concave
wings or blades removed, if necessary, so that the apparatus may float
at or near the surface of the water, or within the depth at which such
ties or currents are usually perceptible. The apparatus is then sus-
pended from a mole or other convenient situation, and being acted upon
by the motion of the water will measure and register the velocity of the
tide or current in like manner as previously described.
My Invention, having reference, secondly, to another mode of ex-
posing the said apparatus to the action of the water, is applicable to those
cases in which it may be desirable to have the working parts thereof kept
within the hull or body of the vessel whose speed is to be measured; to
effect which object I employ two pipes, passing through holes bored ver-
tically through the keel and kelson of the vessel, and adapted to the
ingress and egress passages in the manner shown by the Drawings, of
which Fig. 6, represents a sectional clevation of the instrument taken
longitudinally to the vessel; Fig. 7, an outer view of the paddle case;
and Fig. 8, an enlarged detached view of the dial, indicating miles and

page_text: tenths of miles. In each Figure A, A, represents the case; B, B, paddle
wheel; C, C, ingress pipe and passage; D, D, egress or discharge pipe
and passage; E, E, keel of the vessel; F, F, stuffing box keeping the
vessel water-tight; G, G, lower deck or platform; II, H, upper deck; I, I,
hollow stand or pedestal enclosing works; J, J, dial; K, K, indicating
dial; L, L, bracket bearing for dial; M, M, wheel or pinion shaft;
N, N, tube enclosing the same. The action is as follows:-The ingress
passage being turned towards the vessel's head, and the egress passage
towards the stern, it is evident that on motion being given to the vessel
the water will ascend the ingress pipe, and descend the egress pipe in
the direction of the arrows, with a corresponding velocity, thus actuating
the working parts and registering the distance run in the manner before
described. The projecting ends of the metal tubes may be made
removable so as to be withdrawn at pleasure in shallow water or
otherwise.
Having now fully described the nature of this my said Invention,
and the manner in which it is to be performed, I would have it clearly
understood that I by no means confine myself to the precise details
herein-before given, as the same might be varied without departing
from the general principles of these my said improvements; but that
which I do claim as new and of my said Invention is, the general
construction and arrangement of the several mechanical parts as
herein-before set forth and described for the above-mentioned purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Walter Friend, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year
of our Lord 1853.
JOHN WALTER FRIEND. (L.S.)
JOHN WALTER FRIEND. (L.S.)