IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, CONTROLLING, AND REGISTERING THE STEERING OF VESSELS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Simon, of No. 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR SIGNALLING, CONTROLLING, AND REGISTERING THE STEERING OF VESSELS."
A communication from abroad by Leopold Kuechen, Robert Kuechen, and
Alphons Kuechen, all of Bielefeld, in the Kingdom of Prussia.
Sealed the 6th February 1880, and dated the 20th October 1879..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Simon at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1879.
HENRY SIMON, of No. 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, CONTROLLING, AND
REGISTERING THE STEERING OF VESSELS." [A communication from abroad by
Leopold Kuechen, Robert Kuechen, and Alphons Kuechen, all of Bielefeld, in the
Kingdom of Prussia.]
.
'
The present Invention has for its object, firstly, to convey the steering orders
from the officer to the steersman, and to cause the latter to carry out such orders in
such a manner that no misunderstanding can possibly occur; secondly, to enable
the officer in signalling the orders at the same time to prevent the steersman from
carrying them out wrongly; and thirdly, to effect a permanent automatic regis-
tration of such orders at the time they are given and carried out.
19 56
For this purpose there is fixed at the place where the officer is stationed an
apparatus consisting of a spindle with hand lever actuated by the officer, and a
pointer moving over a dial or graduated scale, on which are divisions marked with
the usual five orders, "port," "starboard," "hard-a-port," bard-a-starboard," and
"midships," the latter being in a central position. The pointer is connected to a
radius rod carrying a pencil or style, which, as the pointer moves in accordance
with the movement of the hand lever by the officer, moves transversely across a
strip of paper that is caused to travel slowly by clockwork mechanism in a longi-
tudinal direction beneath the pencil.. The paper strip has longitudinal division
lines corresponding to the divisions of the dial, the pointer with its rod and pencil
being so arranged that when the pointer stands at“ midships" the pencil will also
C31

page_text: be situated on the division line marked " midships" on the paper, and so with the
other divisions. The paper strip is also provided with transverse division lines
indicating intervals of time corresponding with the speed with which it is moved
by the clock work. Thus the movements of the pointer marking the steering orders
given by the officer being registered for every interval of time on the paper strip,
this will shew on reference what orders were given at any particular time. The
spindle of the pointer has two opposite arms, which are respectively connected by
wire ropes to mechanism to be presently described, by which motion is imparted to
a spindle with pointer in a similar apparatus situated at the steersman's station, so
that the movement of the first named pointer by the officer causes a corresponding
movement of the last named pointer to be effected, whereby the order given is
indicated to the steersman. The said wire ropes are for this purpose connected to
two opposite arms on a sleeve loose on the spindle of the steering wheel, which
sleeve carries a toothed quadrant in gear with another toothed quadrant on the
spindle of the second pointer, so that the movement of the latter, as above described,
is effected by the movement of the said sleeve. This sleeve also carries a rigid arm,
which acts upon a spring arm upon a second sleeve carrying two fixed pawls so
arranged in connection with a toothed quadrant on the rudder shaft that the officer
in transmitting the signal, say, "port," and moving the first named sleeve in a
corresponding manner causes this, by means of its arm and the spring arm on the
second sleeve, to move the latter so that one of its pawls is thrown out of gear with
the toothed quadrant, while the other is thrown into gear therewith, so as to
prevent it and the tiller shaft from being rotated to "starboard;" thus the officer
in giving the signal at the same prevents the steersman from carrying it out
wrongly. For easily raising the pawls out of the toothed quadrant when a
reverse signal is given, the sleeve is made to actuate by ratchet teeth slides
having inclines that bear against studs on the pawls so as to raise them out of
gear.
The spindle of the steering wheel has a toothed wheel connected by speed
reducing gear with a toothed quadrant on a hollow spindle, through which the
spindle of the signal pointer passes, and this hollow spindle carries another pointer,
so that the steersman on receiving his signal turns the steering wheel until this
pointer coincides with that of the signal pointer moved by the officer, the rudder
being thus brought into the position required by the signal. The steersman's
pointer is also made to actuate a pencil or style moving over a graduated paper
strip moved by clockwork in the same manner as that described with reference to
the officer's pointer, so that the movements of the rudder by the steersman in
obedience to his signals are also permanently registered.
The hollow spindle of the steersman's pointer also carries two opposite arms
connected by wire cords to a spindle passing through that actuated by the officer,
which is also made hollow for that purpose, and at its outer end it carries another
pointer, which in being thus moved in accordance with the steersman's pointer and
with his own indicates to the officer that his order has been properly carried out.
When the tiller is worked by chains instead of by gearing the arms which impart
motion to the last described pointer are fixed directly on the rudder shaft instead
of on the spindle of the steersman's pointer.
The clockwork mechanism both at the officer's and the steersman's apparatus
may be provided with an ordinary clock dial and hands, so as to indicate the

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Simon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th April
1880..
HENRY SIMON, of No. 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, CONTROLLING, AND
REGISTERING THE STEERING OF VESSELS." .A communication from abroad by
Leopold Kuechen, Robert Kuechen, and Alphons Kuechen, all of Bielefeld, in the
Kingdom of Prussia.
The present Invention has for its object, firstly, to convey the steering orders
from the officer to the steersman, and to cause the latter to carry out such orders in
such a manner that no misunderstanding can possibly occur; secondly, to enable
the officer in signalling the orders at the same time to prevent the steersman from
carrying them out wrongly; and, thirdly, to effect a permanent automatic registra-
tion of such orders at the same time they are given and carried out.
"
"
For this purpose there is fixed at the place where the officer is stationed an
apparatus consisting of a spindle with hand lever actuated by the officer, and a
pointer moving over a dial or graduated scale, on which are divisions marked with
the usual five orders, "port," "starboard," "hard-a-port," "hard-a-starboard," and
midships," the latter being in a central position. The pointer is connected to a
radius rod carrying a pencil or style, which as the pointer moves in accordance
with the movement of the hand lever by the officer, moves transversely across a
strip of paper that is caused to travel slowly by clockwork mechanism in a
longitudinal direction beneath the pencil. The paper strip has longitudinal division
lines corresponding to the divisions of the dial, the pointer with its rod and pencil
being so arranged that when the pointer stands at "midships" the pencil will also
be situated on the division line marked " midships on the paper, and so with the
other divisions. The paper strip is also provided with transverse division lines
indicating intervals of time corresponding with the speed with which it is moved
by the clockwork. Thus the movements of the pointer marking the steering orders
given by the officer being registered for every interval of time on the paper strip,.
this will shew on reference what orders were given at any particular time. The
spindle of the pointer has two opposite arms, which are respectively connected by
wire ropes to mechanism to be presently described, by which motion is imparted to a
spindle with pointer in a similar apparatus situated at the steersman's station, so that
the movement of the first named pointer by the officer causes a corresponding move-
ment of the last named pointer to be effected, whereby the order given is indicated to
the steersman. The said wire ropes are for this purpose connected to two opposite
arms on a sleeve loose on the spindle of the steering wheel, which sleeve carries a
toothed quadrant in gear with another toothed quadrant on the spindle of the.
second pointer, so that the movement of the latter, as above described, is effected
by the movement of the said sleeve. This sleeve also carries a rigid arm, which
acts upon a spring arm upon a second sleeve carrying two fixed pawls so arranged
in connection with a toothed quadrant on the rudder shaft that the officer in
transmitting the signal, say, " port," and moving the first named sleeve in a corre-
sponding manner causes this, by means of its arm and the spring arm on the second
sleeve, to move the latter so that one of its pawls is thrown out of gear with the
toothed quadrant, while the other is thrown into gear therewith, so as to prevent it
and the tiller shaft from being rotated to "starboard;" thus while the officer is
giving the signal he at the same time prevents the steersman from carrying it out
wrongly. For easily raising the pawls out of the toothed quadrant when a reverse
signal is given, the sleeve is made to actuate by ratchet teeth two slides having
inclines that bear against studs on the pawls, so as to raise them out of gear.
The spindle of the steering wheel has a toothed wheel connected by speed reducing
gear with a toothed quadrant on a hollow spindle, through which the spindle of the

page_text: signal pointer passes, and this hollow spindle carries another pointer, so that the
steersman on receiving his signal turns the steering wheel until this pointer coincides
with that of the signal pointer moved by the officer, the rudder being thus brought
into the position required by the signal. The steersman's pointer is also made to
actuate a pencil or style moving over a graduated paper strip moved by.clock work
in the same manner as that described with reference to the officer's pointer, so that
the movements of the rudder by the steersman in obedience to his signals are also
permanently registered.
The hollow spindle of the steersman's pointer also carries two opposite arms con-
nected by wire cords to a spindle passing through that actuated by the officer,
which is also made hollow for that purpose, and at its outer end it carries another
pointer, which in being thus moved in accordance with the steersman's pointer
and with his own indicates to the officer that his order has been properly carried
out.
When the tiller is worked by chains instead of by gearing the arms which impart
motion to the last described pointer are fixed directly on the rudder shaft instead
of on the spindle of the steersman's pointer.
The clockwork mechanism both at the officer's and the steersman's apparatus
may be provided with an ordinary clock dial and hands, so as to indicate the
Fig. 1 shews a plan of that part of the before described apparatus which is
situated at the officer's station; Fig. 2 shews a vertical section of the same; Fig. 3
shews a plan of the part of the apparatus which is situated at the helmsman's
station; and Fig. 4 shews a side view of the same.
The apparatus shewn at Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a metal casing a, on which is
marked a scale b for indicating the different steering orders by means of the pointer c
worked by the hand lever d. Inside the casing is a clockwork mechanism e having.
four barrels e¹, e², es, e, put in motion by toothed wheels. The barrel e' carries a
paper strip marked longitudinally with a scale or divisions corresponding to any
desired intervals of time, such as minutes, hours, and days, while transversely it is
marked with divisions corresponding to the different steering orders. This strip
passes from e¹ over e², and between the driving barrels e³, e, from which it passes
into a box at the bottom of the apparatus, which can be locked, and from which
the paper strip is removed for inspection when required. The paper strip is caused
by the clockwork to travel in the axial direction of the ship, which direction corre-
sponds with the position of the pointer c when this indicates midships rudder.
The pointer c is fixed to the lever d, so that by moving the latter the pointer is
brought to any of the divisions, "hard-a-port," "port," "midships," "starboard," or
"hard-a-starboard." To a slotted hole in the pointer is connected the one end of a
link, the other end of which is pivotted to the casing, and which carries at an
intermediate point of its length a pencil which moves to and fro in a slot in the
casing according as the pointer is moved to and fro, so that the paper strip being made
to pass behind such slot the pencil will be made to mark lines transversely thereon
in accordance with the motion of the pointer, and thus to indicate and record upon
the paper, relatively to the divisions thereon, the various steering orders given, and
the time at which they were respectively given.
Fig. 3 shews a similar construction of instrument situated at the helmsman's
station. The pointer c is moved by means of two levers g and m, of which g is
fixed on the spindle of the pointer c of the officer's apparatus, and is connected by
rods, chains, or cords to the lever m, which, together with the toothed segment r,
is fixed on a boss which turns loose on the axis n. The segment being in gear
with a segment rl on the axis of the pointer c¹, it follows that any movement of
the pointer c will cause the pointer c¹ to be brought to a division of its scale corre-
sponding to that to which the pointer c has been moved, thus indicating to the

page_text: helmsman the steering order given by the officer, his attentention being at the same
time drawn to the order by the sounding of a signal bell h actuated by the
segment. The boss of the lever m also carries an arm q, which by means of
fingers at its end embraces a spring / fixed on a boss carrying two pawls k, so that
according as the lever m, and consequently also the arm q, are moved over from a
position on one side of the centre line into a position on the other side, the one or
the other pawl k is by means of the spring thrown in gear with the toothed
segment i on the rudder shaft, so that the helmsman is prevented from moving the
latter otherwise than in the direction corresponding to the order given. The
helmsman having received his order moves the capstan wheel H in conformity
therewith, and thereby moves the toothed wheels, which imparts motion through
the toothed wheels and and the segment to the pointer c², this being fixed
on a hollow spindle through which the spindle of the pointer c¹ passes, and on
which the segment is fixed. The helmsman continues moving his wheel until
the pointer c has been brought into a position coinciding with c', as indicated on
the Drawing, whereupon the rudder will have been brought into the required
position. In order, on changing the position of the rudder, to enable the pawl k to
be readily thrown out of gear with the wheel i, there are provided two slides t, t¹,
each of which has a tooth engaging with one of two ratchet wheels v, vl, on the
boss of the lever m, while at their other ends they have wedges or inclines situated
under studs on the pawls k, so that assuming the right hand pawl k to be in gear,
as at Fig. 3, the helm being at "hard-a-port," and an order is given to starboard
the helm, then in turning the capstan wheel in the direction of the arrow the
slide t' will be drawn over by its ratchet wheel so as to cause its incline to push
the pawl k upward out of gear with the wheel i, while at the same time the arm q
in moving over to the left throws, by means of the spring 1, the other pawl k into
gear with the wheel i, and moves the pointer c² over to the corresponding position,
as above described. The pointer c² is connected to a link f, which carries a pencil
so as to mark the movements thereof on a graduated paper strip in the same manner
as described with reference to the officer's instrument. On the spindle of the
pointer is a lever m' connected by a cord to a lever g₁ on a spindle 8 that passes
through the hollow spindle of the pointer c of the officer's instrument, and in front
of the hand lever, d of the latter. The spindle & carries a pointer c³, so that on the
helmsman bringing his pointer c² to correspond in position with the pointer c¹ of
the officer, the pointer c³ will in like manner be brought to correspond with the
position of the pointer c of the officer's instrument, and thus the officer will know
that his orders have been correctly carried out.
In steering apparatus worked by tiller chains the lever m¹ is fixed on the rudder
shaft, as shewn on the diagram, Fig. 5, which also shews its connection by cords
with the lever g' of the officer's instrument. The lever m¹ is fixed on the rudder-
shaft, because its motion must always be directly derived therefrom.
In Fig. 4, R and I is the toothed gearing of known arrangement connecting the
steering apparatus with the rudder shaft.
The apparatus both at the officer's and the helmsman's stations may have a clock
dial and hands, as shewn, actuated by the same clock work that moves the registering
band.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents,
I claim,-
First. The construction of apparatus for signalling, controlling, and registering
the steering of vessels, wherein the movement of a hand lever at the officer's station
is caused to bring a pointer at such station to the desired steering order on a dial,
and at the same time by means of connecting cords, rods, or chains to bring a pointer
at the helmsman's station to the corresponding order on another dial, such apparatus
being furthermore so arranged that the helmsman in moving the rudder in obedience
to such order brings two other pointers, situated respectively at his own station and

page_text: at the officer's station, into positions coinciding with the positions of the first named
pointers, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
Second. In combination with apparatus for signalling, controlling, and registering
the steering of vessels referred to in the preceding claim; the use of registering
apparatus consisting of a travelling band of paper actuated by clockwork, and having
longitudinal and transverse divisions marked thereon, upon which band a pencil or
style actuated by the pointer of the signalling apparatus is caused to mark the
movements of the pointer, substantially as herein described.
.
Third. The use of apparatus for signalling, controlling, and registering the steering
of vessels, arranged, combined, and operating as herein described with reference to
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Simon, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.