Improvements in Mechanical Telegraphs and Indicators suitable for Use on Ship Board and in other Places.
Year: 1885

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanical Telegraphs and Indicators suitable
for Use on Ship Board and in other Places.
I HENRY BOTTEN of 39 Lime Street in the city of London Signal Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL
TELEGRAPHS AND INDICATORS SUITABLE FOR USE ON SHIP BOARD AND IN OTHER
PLACES"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in mechanical telegraphs and
indicators suitable for use on ship board and in other places.
My improved telegraph and indicator is adapted to transmit a limited number of
definite orders and the acknowledgments of or replies to such orders; such com-
munication in short as it is necessary to carry on between the bridge of a steamer
and the engine room.
The apparatus which is used in duplicate consists of a dial with two index
pointers which are able to make the complete circuit of the dial in either direction.
On the face of the dial the various orders are written. On the axis of each of
the pointers there is a toothed pinion; one of these axes is hollow or tubular and
the other axis passes through it. There are two racks engaging with the pinions
one with each and these racks are supported by rollers so that they can move
longitudinally with but little friction and the gearing is so made as to work as
nearly as possible without back lash. The racks in the two (or it may be more)
instruments which are coupled for communication are connected by stiff steel rods
with levers interposed where a change in direction is required and where bulk
heads have to be passed stuffing boxes are provided to guide the rods. Each
system of rods can be moved in either direction by means of a lever handle near
one of the dials. Thus in the case of an engine room telegraph and indicator the
captain on the bridge by means of the handle near his dial can move one system
of rods and the racks coupled therewith so as to bring the order index on his dial
(which for distinction may be painted black) to point to the particular order he
desires to transmit. At the same time as a consequence of the connection above
described the corresponding index on the dial in the engine room will pass to a like
position on the dial and will point to the same order.
Seeing this and acknowledging the receipt of the order the engineer can by
means of the lever handle near his dial give movement to the second system of rods

page_text: and to the racks connected with them in such manner as to bring his reply index
(which for distinction may be painted red) to point to the order indicated by the
black or order index and by doing this he will as a consequence of the connection
above described bring the red or reply index on the captains dial to point to the
order which the captain has just previously transmitted and which remains recorded
on the dial by the position of the black or order index. In this way the captain
will be assured that his order has been duly understood and executed.
It is obvious that like mechanical telegraphs and indicators are applicable for
communication between conning towers and batteries and for many other like uses.
Toothed ares may be substituted for racks.

page_text: for Use on Ship Board and in other Places.
HENRY BOTTEN of 39 Lime Street in the City of London Signal Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in mechanical telegraphs and
indicators suitable for use on ship board and in other places.
My improved telegraph and indicator is adapted to transmit a limited number
of definite orders and the acknowledgments of or replies to such orders; such com-
munication in short as it is necessary to carry on between the bridge of a steamer
and the engine room.
The apparatus which is used in duplicate consists of a dial with two index
pointers which are able to make the complete circuit of the dial in either direction.
On the face of the dial the various orders are written. On the axis of each of
the pointers there is a toothed pinion; one of these axes is hollow or tubular and
the other axis passes through it. There are two racks engaging with the pinions
one with each and these racks are supported by rollers so that they can move
longitudinally with but little friction and the gearing is so made as to work as
nearly as possible without back lash. The racks in the two (or it may be more)
instruments which are coupled for communication are connected by stiff rods and
levers interposed where a change in direction is required and where bulk heads
have to be passed stuffing boxes are provided to guide the rods. Each system of
rods can be moved in either direction by means of a lever handle near one of the
dials. Thus in the case of an engine room telegraph and indicator the captain on
the bridge by means of the handle near his dial can move one system of rods and
the racks coupled therewith so as to bring the order index on his dial (which for
distinction may be painted black) to point to the particular order he desires to
transmit. At the same time as a consequence of the connection above described
the corresponding index on the dial in the engine room will pass to a like position
on the dial and will point to the same order.
Seeing this and acknowledging the receipt of the order the engineer can by
means of the lever handle near his dial give movement to the second system of
rods and to the racks connected with them in such manner as to bring his reply
index (which for distinction may be painted red) to point to the order indicated
by the black or order index and by doing this he will as a consequence of the
connection above described bring the red or reply index on the captains dial to
point to the order which the captain has just previously transmitted and which
remains recorded on the dial by the position of the black or order index. In this
way the captain will be assured that his order has been duly understood and
executed.
It is obvious that like mechanical telegraphs and indicators are applicable for
communication between conning towers and batteries and for many other like uses.

page_text: Toothed arcs may be substituted for racks but it is much better and more con-
venient to employ racks.
In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ship's telegraph instrument constructed in
accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is also a front elevation of the same, but with parts broken away to
expose the mechanism.
Figure 3 is a side elevation with a portion of the case removed.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the mechanism at the base of the instrument by
which the direction of motion is changed.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the same mechanism.
The instruments which are fixed say on the bridge of a steam boat, and in the
engine room are similar in all essential parts.
In the drawings A represents a pedestal, it carries a dial B, on the face of which
the various orders are indicated. At the centre of the dial in a suitable frame C
two axes are mounted, one axis passes through the other-they are both continued
to the face of the instrument, and on one of them the order index D is fixed. The
other axis carries the reply index E which in practice will be colored red the order
index being black.
Each axis also has upon it a pinion, one of these pinions is seen at F. The two
pinions engage with two racks G and H. One of these racks has a lug projecting
from it in rear, and this is slotted and connected by a pin to the inner end of a
hand lever I, which has its fulcrum on the frame of the instrument at I¹. The
other rack has no such attachment. In the instrument upon the bridge the handle
is connected with the rack engaging with the pinion on the axis of the order index,
but in the instrument in the engine room this is reversed, the handle is connected
with the rack which engages with the pinion on the axis of the reply index.
K, K, are small rollers at the back of the racks G and H which serve to keep
them accurately in gear with their respective pinions-the lower end of each
rack G and H is reduced to a cylindrical form and has a screw thread cut upon it;
it screws into a cylindrical coupling block, one of these coupling blocks is seen at E.
M and N are rods by which the racks G, H, in the one instrument are coupled
with the corresponding racks in the other so that when the handle of the instru-
ment on the bridge is moved the two order indices travel in unison over the faces
of the dials and likewise when the handle of the instrument in the engine room is
moved the two reply indices also travel in unison.
As is seen in Figure 2 there is on the upper end of each rod a screw thread and
this screws into a tapped hole in the lower end of the cylindrical coupling L; the 4
thread is in a reverse direction to that upon the lower end of the rack and on
turning the coupling L a regulation of the effective length of the coupling is
effected by the operation of these right and left hand screws. There are locking
nuts upon the screws as is seen in Figure 2, by which the coupling, when adjusted,
is locked fast.
At the lower end of each of the rods M and N there is a forked eye piece O it
embraces the end of the bell crank lever P. The eye is slotted or elongated and
a pin on the arm of the lever P is received into it so that when the rod is moved
longitudinally a circular motion is imparted to the lever P, whilst the movement of
every point in the rod is truly rectilinear. The rod passes through a guide at Q 5
which prevents it from deviating from the straight course-this guide is simply
a hole in a block loosely fitting the rod. The other end of the lever P is similarly
connected with another rod R which transmits the motion onwards, and this rod is
again provided with a guide at S.
The rods M and N may be of steel; hard brass is also a very suitable material. 5

page_text: Where a bulk head has to be passed a coupling similar to L is provided and this
is received into an ordinary stuffing box fixed in the bulk head. The cylindrical
coupling works truly and with little friction in the stuffing box.
Where an armour plate is thus to be passed the length of the coupling is greater
than the thickness of the plate and the hole by which it passes is packed from end
to end.
As before mentioned it is possible to employ toothed arcs in place of racks in
this case the arcs would be coupled with the rods in a manner similar to that
shown by the Figures 4 and 5 for the connection of the rods with the levers P.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) A mechanical telegraph and indicator consisting of two similar instru-
ments, the one for the transmission of orders and the other for the receipt and
acknowledgment of the same and either with or without intermediate repeating
instruments; such transmitting instrument and receiving instrument each having
a dial with the orders written thereon and two indices on central axes capable of
travelling round the said dial and pinions on the axes of the indices in gear with
corresponding racks and a handle by which one of the racks can be directly
moved; such instruments being connected by straight stiff rods moving only
longitudinally and by levers where the direction of movement requires to be
changed so that the handle of each instrument is coupled with and actuates two
racks and two indices viz; one of the racks and one of the indices of its own
instrument and one of the racks and one of the indices of the distance instrument,
all substantially as herein described.
(2.) A mechanical telegraph and indicator such as the above but with toothed
ares in lieu of racks.