CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' STEERING WHEELS, COMPASSES, AND BINNACLES, AND IN THE MODE OF LIGHTING THE SAME WITH LAMP OR CANDLE, BY WHICH SAME LIGHT THE CABIN OR OTHER PART OF THE VESSEL MAY BE LIGHTED; LIKEWISE A METHOD OF PRESERVING THE CANDLES COOL IN HOT CLIMATES
Year: 1812

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ROWLAND, of the City.of. Bristol, Mathematical Instrument Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of
January, in the fifty-second year of His reign, did give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Rowland, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Richard Rowland,
my exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of fourteen years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all
His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' STEERING WHEELS, COMPASSES, AND BINNACLES, AND IN
THE MODE OF LIGHTING THE SAME WITH LAMP OR CANDLE, BY WHICH SAME LIGHT
THE CABIN OR OTHER PART OF THE VESSEL MAY BE LIGHTED; LIKEWISE A METHOD
OF PRESERVING THE CANDLES COOL IN HOT CLIMATES;" in which said Letters
Patent, there is contained a proviso that if Ị, the said Richard Rowland, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal and cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, then the said Letters Patent, and
all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Rowland, have, in the Plans or Drawings above specified, and to
which these Presents refer, set forth and do hereby describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Inventions, and the manner in which the same are to be per-
formed, as follows (that is to say) :-
The upper part of the binnacle, Figure 1, is divided into three compartments
by two glazed partitions. In the end compartments A is placed the compass
cards, suspended on a steel, brass, or bell metal center, which screws into a plate
fixed in the middle of the bottom of the compartments A. In the front of
the compartments A is a glass in a moveable frame, placed vertically, to prevent
the wind from agitating the card; also a door B, hung with hinges on the
lower edge, on which door are two wings C, hung with hinges on the ends of
the door, and turns down on the door when the binnacle is shut up, and when
partly open it forms a kind of shute to protect the glass, and also prevents the
light from the lighthouse striking out so much as it otherwise would. The
top of the binnacle D over the compass card opens, under which is a skylight,
by which means the compass card may be distinctly seen in light nights, which
saves the expence of a light. Across the skylight is fixed a rule A, with a pair
of lights on its ends, turning on a center horizontally, directly over the center of
the card, which ascertains the exact bearings of any object scen. The external
part of the chimney F is suspended on a center, with a vane annexed to it,
by which means the vent for the smoke is always to leeward, and prevents the
binnacle from filling with smoke. The internal chimney is made of metal of
a piramidical form, expanding over as much of the lighthouse as is necessary
to collect the smoke, and secure the binnacle from the danger of catching fire."
The door of the lighthouse. G when opens forms a shute similar to the door of
the compass compartments, which screens the light from being blown out
when it is partly open for trimming the lamp or candle. The lamp is hung
on a piece of board that slides against the back or front of the binnacle so as
to be drawn up close to the compass steered by, and is moved by a milled
head H on the outside of the front of the binnacle, by means of a cord that
winds round a roller connected with the milled head H, or else by pulling a
cord that comes from the sliding board through the ends of the binnacle.
On the rim of the burner of the lamp I is fixed, turning on a center at one
:

page_text: end, a regulator K, rather longer than the diameter of the burner. By moving
it over part of the lighted wick it reduces the light to pleasure. There is a
cylindrical tube of metal with a conical top L, perforated, to vent the smoke.
The lower end is open, and fixes over the burner of the lamp or candle. Its
use is to prevent the lamp or. candle from being blown out in its passage from
the place where it may be lighted to the placing it in the binnacle; after which
it is removed from the lamp or candle. The candlestick is fixed in the sliding
board the lamp hangs on. In the compass compartments, nearly under the
top, is a roller extending from the back to the front of the binnacle, on which
roller is a curtain of callico, linen, flannel, or any other material that will
answer the purpose; also another roller of the same description, fixed in the
lower part of the same compartment, directly under the before-mentioned
roller and curtain, which roller is connected to the other roller and curtain by
means of cords. Its use is to wind the curtain up or down by means of the
mill'd head M. When the curtain is down it excludes more light from passing
into the compass compartment than sufficient to see the card and lubber's line,
and perfectly prevents the light of the binnacle from being seen by other
vessels, when ordered by the commander of the convoy to shew no lights. At
each end of the inside of the binnacle over the card is fixed a time glass on a
center, which is turned by means of a lever N, on the outside of the
binnacle, which is stopped by a pin. When the glass comes to an upright
position the compass card is about one foot in diameter, more or less, as
required. It is composed of a wood, pasteboard, or metal hoop, strengthened
occasionally by a frame of edge bars of the same materials. Silk, linen,
paper, or any other fit material is strained over the hoop and bars on which
the points of the compass are printed. The cap of the needle is a metal, or
metal and pasteboard, or talk cone, the interior of which forms an angle of
ninety degrees, more or less, as required, the apex of which is agate, steel,
or any other metal. The cap or cone for the storm compass card is fixed
under the card, so that the center of suspension is in the plane of the upper
surface of the card O. The letter P shews the under part of the storm card,
with its cap or cone, needle, hoop,. and edge bars. Qis a representation of
the fine weather card. On its center, at each of the compass compartments,
is fixed a spring stop, to stop the card when it is agitated, by means of touching
a milled head R on the outside of the binnacle. The lubber's line is on a
swinging pendulum, the fulcrum or centre of ossillation of which is in the
plane of the center of suspension of the card. The lower part of the binnacle
is divided into three compartments: S is a safe or cupboard; T contains a
dripstone of the following description; U is an earthenware or metal pan or

page_text: pot, about sixteen inches deep and about twelve inches in diameter, without a
bottom, only a ledge about three quarters of an inch broad, on which stands a
piece of dripstone, cemented in, which forms a bottom, and makes a compleat
dripstone.
The improvement of the steering wheel is an alteration of its position
from athwart ship to fore and aft, being a position. better adapted for my
binnacle of the following description:-The body of the binnacle is of a long
square form, and stands on its end, as represented by Figure 2. It has got two
cards in it; one nearly at the top and one nearly at the bottom, directly over one
another, so that the two centers the cards are suspended on form two detached
parts of a line perpendicularly through the middle of the binnacle. The
apertures for viewing the cards through are on the same principle and plan
as the former binnacle described. The lighthouse is a long square trunk, the
whole length of the binnacle: In the front, on one side of the apertures for
viewing the cards through, the lamp slides up and down in the above-men-
tioned trunk, by means of a cord and roller. The cards are transparent. The
bottom of the binnacle is glazed, and it is fitted on a scuttle on the deck of
the vessel, by which means the light in the binnacle will light the cabin or
other part of the ship over which it may be placed. The light may be greatly
improved by illuminators properly placed. It has got a glass, rule, lights, cover,
chimney, vane, stops, &c., &c., similar to the first described binnacle. There
is also included in this Specification compasses of all sizes of the following
description:-V, a square or other shape box, either wood or metal, which
contains a card made of pasteboard, talk, or framed up with an hoop and
edge bars, with capacious caps, with or without stops, pendulum, lubber's
lines, &c., on the principle as before described. The card is suspended on a
center fixed in the bottom of the box V, having no bowl or gimbols, which
causes them to be far superior in point of steadiness to compasses. made on
the gimbol principle. Likewise a compass, with or without gimbols, for steering
and other purposes they may suit. The bowl or box which contains the card
and center is filled full of spirits of wine or any other liquid that will answer
the purpose, in which the card will traverse extremely steady, that it is most
admirably calculated for a compass to fix on the back of a quadrant or sextant,
to ascertain the variation of the conipass needle from the true or polar point.
A. B, the red dotted lines, are meant to represent the intérior.
My method of preserving candles in hot climates is by keeping them cool,
which I do in the following manner:I dip the wick into melted tallow or
wax, or any composition that will sufficiently deferid and secure the wick fromi
the water, &c., and pack theur in a vessel filled with water or oil or spirits, or

page_text: Inrolled the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twelve.