IMPROVED SAFETY GEAR FOR STARTING ENGINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Musgrave, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and Arthur Walsh, of the same place, Millwright, for an Invention.
of "IMPROVED SAFETY GEAR FOR STARTING ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Musgrave and Arthur
Walsh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th August
1881.
JOHN MUSGRAVE, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and ARTHUR
WALSH, of the same place, Millwright. "IMPROVED SAFETY GEAR FOR STARTING
ENGINES."
The object of our Invention is to prevent accidents arising from the starting gear
having been left in gear with the engine.
Our improved starting gear consists of a small pinion gearing into the cogs of
the driving wheel of the large engine, the said pinion being fitted on a radial arm
or lever pivoted on a shaft; the arm or lever has a handle by which the pinion can
be moved into or out of gear with the driving wheel; on the shaft on which the
arm or lever is pivoted is another pinion (gearing into the small pinion) driven by
a worm and worm wheel (or other gear), actuated either by a small starting engine
or by hand to start the large engine; when the engine has been started the small
pinion is moved out of gear by the lover, or if the engineer should neglect to move
it out of gear, the large engine, having become the driver instead of the driven,
will throw it out of gear.
We use suitable stops and catches to retain the lever so that the starting gear
may be used when the engine runs in either direction, and so that when the small
pinion has been thrown out of gear, either by hand or by the large engine, it cannot
get into gear unless the catch is released.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Musgrave and Arthur Walsh in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st February 1882.
JOHN MUSGRAVE, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and ARTHUR
WALSH, of the same place, Millwright. IMPROVED SAFETY GEAR FOR STARTING
ENGINES."
The object of our Invention is to prevent accidents arising from the starting gear
having been left in gear with the engine.
Our improved starting gear consists of a small pinion gearing into the cogs of
the driving wheel of the large engine, the said pinion being fitted on a radial arm
or lever pivoted on a shaft; the arm or lever has a handle by which the pinion can
be moved into gear with the driving wheel; on the shaft on which the arm or
lever is pivoted is another pinion, gearing into the small pinion, driven by a worm
and worm wheel (or other gear), actuated either by a small starting engine or by
hand to start the large engine; when the engine has been started and has attained
sufficient speed to become the driver instead of the driven, it will throw the small
pinion out of gear.
We use suitable stops and catches to retain the lever so that the starting gear
may be used when the engine runs in either direction, and so that when the small
pinion has been thrown out of gear, either by hand or by the large engine, it cannot
get into gear unless the catch is released.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and [readily carried
into effect we will describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, reference
being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 is an end elevation, and Fig. 3 is
a plan of our improved safety gear for starting engines.
a is the lever, the fulcrum of which is the shaft b, on which is secured the
pinion d gearing into the pinion c which turns on a stud at the end of the lever a;
to this lever is fixed a handle a¹; e is a catch that swings on a stud on the lever a,
and when the lever is raised the catch rests on the frame f.
The shaft 6 turns in a bearing fixed to the frame, and on it is keyed a worm wheel,
into which gears a worm that may be turned by a handle or driven by a small
engine. There is a stop piece f¹ fixed to the frame f, against which one end of the
lever a bears while motion is being imparted to the main drum g through the
pinion c; the other end of the lever rests on a projecting portion of the frame f
When it is desired to start the large engine motion is communicated to the shaft b
by hand or by a small engine, and the lever a is moved to bring it into a horizontal
position; the teeth of the pinion c work themselves into gear with the teeth inside
the drum g as the lever approaches the horizontal position. When the engine has
been started and has attained sufficient speed to become the driver, it throws the
pinion c out of gear, raising the lever a to the position shown in dotted lines on
Fig. 1, when the catch e will rest on the projecting portion of the frame f, and
retain it in this position till it be again required to start the engine.
On Sheet 2 Fig. 4 is an elevation and Fig. 5 is a plan of our improved safety
gear fitted with stops, so that it may be driven in either direction.
a is the lever (in this case weighted to balance the pinion c), the fulcrum of
which is the shaft b, on which is secured the pinion d which gives motion to the
pinion c; e¹ is a catch fitted loosely on a stud connected to the frame; one end of
this catch falls into a recess in the collar i fixed to the lever a, when the latter is
in the position shewn in dotted lines on Fig. 4, or in the reverse position; h, h, are
two stop pieces, one of which is moved below or above the end of the lever a,

page_text: according to the direction in which the wheel g of the large engine is to turned;
these stop pieces are connected by the lever K on the fulcrum stud to the starting
handle m of a small starting engine (not shown on the Drawing); this engine gives
motion to a worm which gears into the worm wheel n fixed on the shaft b; when
the handle m is in the position shown by dotted lines on Fig. 4, the starting
engine will be stopped, and the lever a and the stop pieces h, h, will also occupy
the positions shown in dotted lines; if the large wheel g were running in the
direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, the pinion e would be above the
centre of the shaft 6 instead of below when thrown out of gear. The catch e' will
always retain the lever a either up or down until it has been released, so that the
pinion o cannot get into gear with the wheel 9 after it has been thrown out of
gear.
By the use of our Invention an engine may be readily started in either direction,
and the starting gear may be easily and quickly thrown out of gear without noise
or jar, or any risk of injury to the operator or to the gear.
Having stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same,
We declare that we claim,-
The improved safety starting gear, substantially as and for the purpose herein
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Walsh, for myself and on behalf of
the said John Musgrave, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth
day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
eighty two.
ARTHUR WALSH. (L.S.)