Improved Compass-card to be used in combination with Audible Signals for Indicating a Ship's Course.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 7th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Compass-card to be used in combination with Audible
Signals for Indicating a Ship's Course.
I, MAYDAY LEE, of No. 3, Greenfell Terrace, Llanelly, in the Principality of
Wales, Ship's Master, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of marking a compass card, and
consists in combining with, say, sixteen of the points or rhumbs a system of
notation.
The unit of time may be, say, five seconds; and the central line of each rhumb
will be set out accordingly, each division corresponding with one time unit.
The central line of a rhumb divides it into two equal parts, so that with sixteen
rhumbs so divided, my invention affords thirty two half rhumbs for subdivision for
signalling purposes.
One side of each rhumb is appropriated to signals in a bass key, and the other to
signals in a treble key.
The compass card and the ship's course are, therefore, both in full view of the
officer. In addition to the above described indications, the card will also be
marked with the authorized signals for port, starboard, and astern.
I prefer that the starboard whistle should be in a bass key; and the port whistle
in a treble key, but do not confine myself to this.
The whistles may be operated by hand, or by any easily operated mechanism,
either mechanical or mechanico-electrical.
I do not confine myself to the minor details of the code I make use of, but
indicate the following as realising as closely as possible the advantages of my
invention.

page_text: intended to convey the hard and fast idea that the ship is absolutely on the direct
course indicated by the signal, but that the latter-supposing it to be one of two
units bass-indicates that the course is one between N and NNE.
Signal to be sounded.
Point or Rhumb.
Units and Key.
Units and Key.
Units and Key.
5
ZZ
N
to NNE
NNE
NE
دو
NE
ENE
"
ENE
E
"
E
ESE
دو
ESE
SE
"
SE
SSE
"
SSE
S
"
S
SSW
"
SSW SW
"
SW
WSW
"
WSW W
""
W
دو
"
WNW
"
WNW NW
"
"
NW
NNW
دو
2122-12222211221
Bass
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Treble
$
"
"
221
221
122
122
Bass
"
"
2
Bass
10
Treble
"
دو
2
"
Bass
"
"
Treble
15
Treble
"
"
20
NNW N
"
"
"
Between each sounding an interval of one unit of time i.e., five seconds is
allowed. So that if the ship be on a SSE course, the signal will be sounded as
follows 10 secs. bass, 5 secs. interval, 5 secs. treble, 5 secs. interval, 10 secs. bass
preceded or followed by the authorised signal for port, starboard, or astern, as the 25
case may be.
Dated this 10th day of February 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Compass-card to be used in combination with Audible
Signals for Indicating a Ship's Course.
I, MAYDAY LEE, of No. 3, Greenfell Terrace, Llanelly, in the Principality of
Wales, Ship's Master, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved method of marking a compass card, and
consists in combining with, say, sixteen or any other number of the points or
rhumbs, a system of notation to be used in combination with audible signals for
indicating a ship's course.
The unit of time may be, say, five seconds, and the central line of each rhumb
will be set out accordingly, each division corresponding with one time-unit.
The central line of a rhumb divides it radially into two equal parts, so that with
sixteen rhumbs so divided, my invention affords thirty two half rhumbs for sub-
division for signalling purposes, or with thirty two rhumbs there will be sixty four
subdivisions for signalling purposes..
One side of each rhumb is appropriated to signals in a bass key, and the other
to signals in a treble key.
The compass card and the ship's course are, therefore, both in full view of the
officer. In addition to the above described indications, the card will also be marked
with the authorized signals for port, starboard, and astern.
I prefer that the starboard whistle should be in a bass key, and the port whistle
in a treble key; but do not confine myself to this.
The whistles may be operated by hand, or by any easily operated mechanism,
either mechanical or mechanico-electrical.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same is to be carried
into practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will now describe them in
detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as
part of this Specification.
Fig. 1 represents a compass card set out according to my invention.
The left hand divisions a of the rhumbs are appropriated to signals in one key,
e.g., treble, and the right hand division b to signals in an opposite key, e.g., bass.
The figure shows this appropriation as applying only to half the number of the
rhumbs i.e., to the principal 16 only.
Each half rhumb d is supposed to be divided into 8 equal parts representing so
many units of time, each unit being of the value of 5 seconds. The units of time
during which the signal is to be sounded are shown black; the intervals and blanks
seconds. The signals on the
are left white. An interval is equal to a unit, i.e.,
card are to be read from the perimeter towards the centre.
The following table explains in detail the code according to which the card
illustrated in Fig. 1 is set out.

page_text: It will be found, if examined in the light of the foregoing explanations of
the principles of my invention, to be set out according to the following code.

page_text: intercardinal increases in respect of the duration of the signal. Thus from the
starboard or bass whistle :
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A compass card having its rhumbs divided in two directions the radial division
apportioning one half to one key and the other to a different key, and the circular
divisions subdividing the resultant half rhumbs into distances corresponding with
one or more units of time during which the respective signal is to be sounded, as
set forth.
Dated this 11th day of December 1890.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.