IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP'S LOGS AND IN SOUNDING MACHINES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WALKER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Stove Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of
June, in the tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Walker, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Thomas Walker, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Walker, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and
in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP'S LOGS AND IN SOUNDING MACHINES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas
Walker, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: and ascertained in and by the following description thereot, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates,―
First, to improvements in arranging parts of apparatus used for measuring
the speed of vessels through the water, and also the speed of currents which
may be at any time acting on a ship or vessel.
Secondly, my Invention relates to improvements in apparatus employed for
taking soundings.
In order, however, that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed
to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a side view of parts of apparatus, arranged according
to the first part of my Invention; Figure 2 shows an end view of the index
box; and Figure $ shows part of the side of a vessel, with the apparatus
applied, drawn to a small scale. In each of the Figures the same letters are
used to indiente similar parts. a is a cylindrical air-tight vessel forming a
shaft, to which are applied the vanes a', a'. This part a, a', in passing through
the water, is caused to revolve by the water acting upon the vanes a¹, as is
well understood, and by the part a being made hollow it is sufficiently buoyant
to retain a nearly horizontal position. When drawn through the water it is
connected to a cord or rod b, as shown. This cord or rod may be of any
suitable length or material, and it is connected at the other end by means of
an univeral joint to an axis c, carried by the lower end of the tube d, as
shewn. On the axis c is affixed a pinion e, which takes into and drives a
toothed wheel on the axis g, also carried by the lower end of the tube d.
To the axis g is secured one end of the cord or rod h, which passes up and is
enclosed within the tubed, and is at the upper end passed through and secured
to the hollow axis i (which is shewn separately in section at Figure 4), there
being a screw in the tube i by which the cord or rod h is secured to the
hollow tube i. On the hollow axis i is formed a worm 1, which takes into
and drives a toothed wheel k, which gives motion to a train of wheels for
indicating the number of revolutions of the instrument a, a'. My Invention
does not consist in the using of an instrument, such as a, a', to give motion to
an index, as such apparatus has long been well known; but for the most part

page_text: of
such index has been in close connection with the revolving instrument; and
in those cases where the index has been proposed to be so arranged as to be
seen on deck while the apparatus was in use, the upright shaft by which the
motion of the instrument a, a', was communicated to the index was exposed
to the pressure of the water as the vessel passed through the water, thereby
tending to impede the free working of the apparatus, and the register did not
act correctly. I mention these circumstances in order to state that this part
my Invention consists in enclosing the upright shaft, cord, or instrument
in a tube, which may be formed with a stuffing box at the lower end if desired;
but such I have not found necessary, as when the water is allowed to flow into
the tube d such water is comparatively still, and does not impede the correct
working of the upright shaft. The tube d may either be applied externally
of the vessel, or through another tube through the interior thereof; but it
should be so applied as to be readily removed to examine the parts when
necessary. And in place of using stiff cord, which I have found to answer
the purpose very well, chain or other suitable material may be employed.
I will now describe other of my improvements, which are shewn as applied
to a vessel in Figures 5 and 6, the dotted lines shewing the outline of the
ship. It will be seen by these views that there is an instrument with oblique
vanes placed in a pipe or tube, through which the water is caused to flow as
the vessel progresses through the water. Figure 7 shows a longitudinal
section; Figure 8, a plan; and Figure 9, a cross section of parts. a, a,
is a tube open at both ends at the lower part of the vessel, so that the water
may readily pass therethrough as the vessel passes through the water. In
this tube is placed an axis b, with vanes or fans 6', set obliquely on the
And the water in
axis b, as is well understood in making similar rotators.
passing through the tube a acts against the vanes 6, causing the axis b to
revolve. On this axis is formed a screw b³, which takes into and gives motion
to a screw wheel c on the axis c', which may be continued up to any suitable
place, to give motion to a suitable arrangement of index, there being a screw
d on the upper end of the axis c', which takes into the screw wheel e, which
will give motion to a suitable train of wheels, as is well understood. I would
remark, that I prefer to arrange the tube a so that the part where the instru-
ment b, b, is applied may be above the water level, so that the same may be
readily had access to. I do not, however, confine myself to this arrangement,
and the whole may be arranged so as to be below the water line; but in such
case there will require to be sliding valves in the parts a, a, so that when it
may be required to remove the apparatus b, b', the same may be readily done
without the water flowing into the vessel. When the apparatus is applied, as
shewn at Figures 5 and 6, with the part a' above the water line, I withdraw

page_text: the air from the part a' by means of a suitable pump in connection with the
pipe f. And in some cases I apply a pipo with an apparatus and suitable
index 6, 6, across the vessel, by which means the speed of any current may be
ascertained, and allowance made therefor in calculating by the other log the
speed at which the vessel is passing through the water.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists in so
arranging machines used for the purpose of sounding that the same may bo
caused to register more correctly than by arrangements of such machines at
present in use. Figure 10 shews a section, Figure 11, an external view,
and Figure 12, an under side view of an arrangement of apparatns, according
to this part of my Invention. a is the weight, which may be of iron or other
metal formed into a cylinder, or it might be of other figure, within which
is applied the rotator, which is similar to those beretofore used. Now this
part.of the Invention consists in applying the rotator within the weight, by
which it will be protected from injury, and the apparatus will be more suitable
for passing vertically through the water. 6 is the axis of the rotator, and
the vanes, which are acted upon by the water as the apparatus passes through
the water, so as to cause the rotator to revolve. On the axis 6 is formed a
worm c, which gives motion to the worm wheel d on the axis e, upon which
is affixed the pinion f, which gives motion to a toothed wheel g, on the axis of
which, as well as upon the axis f, is affixed a pointer, as is shown, in order
to indicate the distanco the apparatus passes through the water. And in
order to prevent the rotator revolving when the apparatus is being raised up
through the water, there is a slide h, with a horizontal plate h', which as the
apparatus descends is acted upon by the water to keep the stop h up, but
when the apparatus is raised upwards, the water acts upon the plate h' so as
immediately to cause the stop h to lock the rotator. The under side of the
weight a at a' is formed hollow to receive grease or other adhesive material,
so that when the apparatus touches the bottom it may bring up some of the
loose earth or shingle.
Figure 19 shows a side view of another arrangement of sounding apparatus
in which two rotators are employed, one on each side of the vertical axis of
the weight, but more might be similarly employed if desired. Both rotators
are alike, so that a description of one will serve for a description of the other.
Each consists of an axis a, upon which the vanes are affixed. This axis a has
cut upon it a worm 6, which takes into a worm wheel c, upon the axis of
which is a pinion d, which takes into and drives a toothed wheel e, there being
indices applied, as is well understood, or the indices may be placed above the
rotator, as shewn at Figure 14.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would havo it

page_text: understood I do not confine myself to the particular details herein described,
so long as tho peculiar character of either part of the Invention be retained.
But what I claim is,―
First, the application of the tube d, as herein described. I also claim the
application of a rotating log apparatus in a tube a, as described in respect to
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. And I also claim the arranging of a rotatory log
apparatus and tube a across a ship or vessel, to ascertain the speed of any
current the ship or vessel may be subject to.
And, secondly, I claim the application of a rotator within the weight of a
sounding instrument. And I also claim the application of two or more
rotators in a sounding instrument.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Walker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
THOMAS (L.s.) WALKER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Thomas Walker came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.