IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Morris West Ruthven, of Harlow Villas, East
India Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 4th April 1865, and dated the 10th November 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Morris West Ruthven
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th November 1864.
I, MORRIS WEST RUTHVEN, of Harlow Villas, East India Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "" IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in steering apparatus.
Apparatus is applied to a rudder in such manner that the pressure of the
water in bringing the rudder back into a line with the keel shall be stored
for use, and applied to aid the steersman when again putting over the
rudder.
The arrangement of the mechanism employed in carrying out my Inven
may be varied, but it is preferred to employ a cylinder with a piston.
tion

page_text: sliding within it. This cylinder is connected with a close vessel, which
contains air and water, the air being put under pressure by a pump con-
nected with the said vessel, by which the air within the vessel may be kept
up to the degree of pressure desired. The pressure of the water on the
piston in the cylinder is constant. When the rudder has been put over, and
is caused to return to a central position, the pressure of the water on the
rudder forces the water in the cylinder back into the vessel against the elastic
force of the air therein; there will consequently be a power constantly stored
up in the air vessel, whilst the interposed mechanism between the piston
and the tiller (whether the ordinary chains or other arrangements be used)
will when the steersman commences to put the tiller over in either direction,
cause the pressure of the water acting on the piston to be exerted in favor
of putting the tiller over in that direction, consequently the power required
on the part of the steersman will only be somewhat more than that by which
the pressure on the piston is less than the pressure of the water on the
rudder, tending to drive the rudder back into a central position. It will
readily be understood that although air is mentioned, other elastic fluid or
material may be similarly employed, or a weight raised by the action of the
water on the rudder may be resorted to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Morris West Ruthven in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MORRIS
WEST RUTHVEN, of Harlow Villas, East India Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Morris West Ruthven, Her special licence that I, the said Morris West
Ruthven, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Morris West Ruthven, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STEERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Morris West Ruthven, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Morris West Ruthven, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in steering apparatus, and
consists in the application of apparatus to a rudder in such manner that the
pressure of the water in bringing the rudder back into a line with the keel
shall be stored for use, and applied to aid the steersman when again putting
over the rudder.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner in which I perform the same. .
I will, however, first remark, that it will be evident to a mechanic from
the description hereafter given, that the mode of combining apparatus
according to my Invention, in order to take advantage of and to store the
power offered by the pressure of water on a rudder in forcing it back
into a central position after it has been put over either to "port or
"starboard" may be greatly varied, and that weights or the elasticity of
springs may be used as means of storing power when carrying out my
Invention.
.
. In all cases I prefer to employ a lever connected by a suitable connecting
rod or link to the tiller, such lever turning on a fulcrum or axis at one end
and having the weight or spring attached to the other end, but this may
be varied. The action of the weights or springs on the tiller may be
arranged to be constant, whatever be the speed of the ship or vessel, or
when desired provision may be made in order that the weights or springs,
may offer a greater power in aid of the steersman when a ship-is moving
through the water quickly than when it is moving slowly through the
water, and such adjustment may be by varying the leverage from time to
time as required, or by otherwise increasing or decreasing the action of
the weights or the effort of the springs employed, but in all cases it is
preferred that the effect of the weights or springs used should be somewhat

page_text: -less than the pressure of, water on the rudder, in order that the pressure
of the water on the rudders may be capable of lifting the weights or of
compressing the springs.
The most simple arrangement of apparatus with which I am acquainted for
carrying out my Invention is shown by the Drawing hereunto annexed, which
represents a plan of the tiller B on the rudder head A. The tiller is con-
.nected to the lever D by a connecting rod or link C. The lever turns on a
fulcrum or axis at E, and the spring or weight is to be attached to the
end F, and the spring or weight is to be in a condition to move the lever
D when the tiller is moved by the steersman from the position shown in the
Drawing. The tiller is to be acted on by the steersman by means of any
'suitable steering apparatus, and by preference by a steering wheel and tiller
ropes or chains, so as with facility to put the tiller over either to "port"
or "starboard."
Immediately on the steersman commencing to put over the rudder, the
power stored by reason of the weight having been lifted, or the spring
condensed by the pressure of the water on the rudder when bringing it into
a line with the keel will tend to move the lever D in the direction of the
arrow, and the stored power will consequently aid the steersman in putting
over the rudder, and then so soon as the steersman releases the rudder the:
water will by pressing thereon again move it back into a line with the keel,
and 'the effort of the water in so doing will again cause the lever D to be
moved back into the position shown by the Drawing, by which if a weight be
used it will be lifted, and be again in position to act to press on and move the
lever D, when the tiller is again put over by the steersman, and if a spring be
used it will become compressed, and be in a condition to react on the lever D
when the tiller is being again put over by the steersman. The form of spring
used may be varied, and it may be of steel or other metal, or it may be of
condensed air, which may be arranged to act directly on a piston, or indirectly
by having water or other fluid interposed between the piston and compressed
air contained in a suitable vessel. When using compressed air acting with
an interposed fluid, the pressure of the air may be readily varied by the aid
of a small force pump, and a valve to allow the escape of the air from the
vessel containing the condensed air and fluid. Where using weights or
springs which are constant in power, their effort may be varied in respect to a
the lever D by varying the position of the fulcrum of such lever, or by
varying the point of connection of the weight or spring to and from the
fulcrum of the lever when moving sternwise, the direction of the action of
the stored powder may be arranged to be reversed, but it is preferred that the

page_text: lever D should be arranged to be detached from the tiller when the vessel is
moving sternwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said Morris West Ruthven, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
M. W. RUTHVEN. (L.S.)