IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE STEAM ENGINES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF MECHANISM FOR GOVERNING THE SAME.”
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Rodger Thomson, of the Firm of James and George
Thomson, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers and
Shipbuilders, and John Parker, of the same Place, Manager to the said Firm,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE STEAM ENGINES, AND IN
THE ARRANGEMENTS OF MECHANISM FOR GOVERNING THE SAME.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Rodger Thomson and
John Parker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th
January 1878.
"
JAMES RODGER THOMSON, of the Firm of James and George Thomson, of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers and Shipbuilders, and JOHN
PARKER, of the same Place, Manager to the said Firm. IMPROVEMENTS. IN MARINE
STEAM ENGINES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF MECHANISM FOR GOVERNING THE
SAME."
This said Invention has reference to new or improved modes and means or
arrangements of mechanism for governing or regulating and controlling the action
or working of marine steam engines, whether of the high pressure, condensing, or
single cylinder or compound class, all in a more efficient and simple manner than
has heretofore been practised, and which are specially applicable to the present con-
struction of compound marine steam engines to prevent them from racing at sea
in rough weather.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist in making any of the
ordinary constructions of marine engine governors or regulators in use (actuated
by the main engine to be governed, or by pressure in regulators controlled by the
pitching of the ship), to directly actuate or control the action of the slide or other
steam valve of the small steam engine or cylinder used for working the reversing
links of the valve motions of marine engines, and for stopping and starting the
Dis 037
.

page_text: same (or the governor can be employed to operate the valve through a link motion,
when the starting engine or engines are rotative), so as thus to govern or control
their action by first governing the action of the small cylinder or engine, thus
making it a governing engine as well as a stopping and starting engine, which
would draw or push the reversing links towards the centre, so as to shorten the
throw or motion of the slide valve of the main engine, as it and the governor in-
creased in speed above their normal velocity, and vice versa lengthen the throw of
the valve as the velocity of the engine and governor decreased to the normal speed..
The same governor might when desired be made to actuate the steam valve of a
separate cylinder and lever mechanism for actuating the reversing valve links of
both the high and low pressure cylinders.
The connection between the governor and the valve rod or the actuating lever of
the small cylinder might be made by any simple hand disengaging and engaging
motion, as that of a gab link, so as to be easily coupled or uncoupled when the
small cylinder or engine is to be used for stopping and starting or controlling the
action of the main engines by hand as usual.
The novelty of this Invention therefore consists essentially in governing marine
steam engines, by the drawing or oscillation of the reversing links of their valve
motions, through the combined action of their starting steam cylinder or engine,
and governor or regulator, which is made to control the action of the steam valve
of the latter, and thus prevent "racing" in compound or other marine engines at.
sea, all in contradistinction to making the governor or regulator only control the
throttle or inlet valve of the main engines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Rodger Thomson and, John Parker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th July 1878.
JAMES ROGER THOMSON, of the Firm of James and George Thomson, of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers and Shipbuilders, and JOHN
PARKER, of the same Place, Manager to the said Firm. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE
STEAM ENGINES, AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS OF MECHANISM FOR GOVERNING THE
SAME."
Our said Invention has reference to new or improved modes and means, or
arrangements of mechanism, for governing or regulating and controlling the action
or working of marine steam engines, whether of the high-pressure, condensing, or
single cylinder or compound class, all in a more efficient and simple manner than
has heretofore been practised, and which are specially applicable to the present con-
struction of compound marine steam engines, to prevent them from "racing" at sea
in rough weather.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention consist in making any of the ordinary
constructions of marine engine governors or regulators in use (actuated by the main
engine to be governed, or by pressure vessel regulators controlled by the pitching of
the by the pitching of the ship), to directly actuate or control the action of the slide
or other steam valve of the small steam engine or cylinder, used for working the
reversing links of the valve motions of marine engines, and for stopping and starting
the same; and when the stopping and starting engine is rotative with one or two
cylinders, the governor can be employed to operate the link or other lever motion
of their steam valves in either case, so as to govern or control the speed or action of
the main engine by first governing the action of the small starting and stopping
cylinder or engine, thus making it an automatic governing engine, as well as a
stopping and starting engine, which would draw or push the reversing links towards
the centre, so as to shorten the throw or motion of the slide valve of the main
engine as it and the 'governor increased in speed above the normal velocity, and
vice versa lengthen the throw of the valve as the velocity of the engine and
governor decreased to the normal speed.
The connection between the governor and the valve rod or the actuating lever of
the small cylinder might be made by any simple hand disengaging and engaging
motion, as that of a gab link, so as to be easily coupled or uncoupled when the
small cylinder or engine is to be used for stopping and starting or controlling the
action of the main engines by hand as usual.
And in order that the nature, novelty, and mode of performing our said Invention
may be properly understood, we shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the Sheet of Drawings which we have hereunto appended for that purpose, the
same reference letters and numerals indicating the same or equivalent parts in all
the Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 are a front and side elevation respectively of one modification or
arrangement of our new or improved mechanism for governing marine steam
engines, as adapted and applied for making an ordinary well-known "Silver's "
governor control, and make an ordinary starting and stopping steam cylinder and
its steam valve gear, also govern the speed of a pair of compound high and low
pressure marine steam engines through their ordinary slide valve links, all in
accordance with, and illustrative of the nature and mode of putting our said Inven-
tion into effect or practice.
-
Figures 3 and 4 are sectional plans taken on the lines 1 1 and 2
Figure 1, to which they correspond..
---
2 in
Referring to these Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, A represents one of the ordinary slidė
links of
nair of compound high and low pressure marine engines not shawn

page_text: in the Drawings, with its shifting connecting rod A¹, coupled to the lever A" on
the link motion or way-shaft A², actuated by the lever A1, and connecting rods
A3, A3, directly connected to the slide crosshead of the piston-rod B₁ of the starting
and stopping reciprocating steam cylinder or engine B, and valve chest B₁, shown
as fitted with an arrangement of Brown's Patent controlling water or other liquid
cylinder C, and differential hand valve gear D, D¹, D¹, E, E¹, E", for controlling
the action of the steam valve B2 of the casing B", all as heretofore used for starting,
stopping, and reversing marine steam engines by hand through their links A, the
ordinary actuating hand lever D" of the starting, stopping, and reversing engine B
being represented in dotted lines at D", all as seen particularly in Figures 2 and 3.
In Figures 1 and 3 an ordinary Silver's horizontal vane and spring marine engine
governor is indicated by the numerals 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, its horizontal spindle 3
being carried in bearing brackets from any part of the engine or engine room, and
actuated by the marine engine to be governed, through a cord or band from a
pulley on its crank shaft, or an intermediate shaft, passed over the pulley 3¹ of the
governor with the shifting sleeve 7, which actuates the bell crank or horizontal
arm 8' of the governor lever 8, all so far arranged as usual. But instead of con-
necting this lever 8' to the inlet or throttle valve of the main marine engine, it is
connected through the new arrangement of 'link a, and wiper shaft b, and levers a¹,
: b', and engaging and disengaging gab link c, to the gab pin c¹ of, the ordinary lever
D', D, of the differential motion of the steam valve B of the starting, stopping, and
reversing engine B, B¹, as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2, all so as to govern
or control the action of this engine, and make it automatically govern or control the
speed of the main marine engine through its link motion A, A¹, A¹¹, A², A¹¹¹, A³,
instead of doing so only through the governing of the throttle valve as heretofore.
The way or wiper link shaft A2 and link A, are shown as in their mid position,
and only one link and its connecting rod and lever A¹, A", are shown in the
Drawings, but it will be understood that there would be a link A for the steam
valve of each cylinder of the main engine, and they would be all moved simulta-
neously through the shaft A2, and engine B, B¹, by the governor when its gab link
c is in gear (as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2), so as to automatically draw or
push the links A towards or from their central position from either end at which
they were engaged, and thus shorten and lengthen the throw or notion of the slide
valves of the main engine, as it and the governor increased or decreased in speed
above or below the normal velocity respectively. For working the valve gear and
rod af the steam valve B2 of the engine B, B¹, for stopping, starting, and reversing
the marine engines by hand at a more convenient position in the engine room than
by the lever dotted in at D¹¹, it is preferred to couple the rod d to the lever D¹
above, and lead it down and joint it below, to the lever d', on the hand lever shaft
e, on which is mounted the handle f, for controlling the action of the valve B² and
engine B, B'.
The steam hand lever and injection hand lever f', f¹¹, are mounted loose on the
same shaft e, all ranged within a fixing quadrant g, for these levers adjacent to the
engine cylinder B, at the top of which is mounted the two new swivelling stop or
buffer blocks upon axes h¹, h, connected by the bar h, and actuated at the one
side by the hand lever h², mounted on the fixing quadrant h³, as seen particularly in
Figures 1 and 2, each block h having india-rubber or other springs i fitted in deep
sockets in their upper ends, so as to stop the crosshead of the piston rod B¹ from
descending too far when this and the cylinder B are used for the governing of the
main engines, but capable of being instantly turned down (as dotted in at ¹ in
Figures 2 and 4) when the engine is to be actuated by hand as usual for starting,
stopping, or reversing the main engines by the handle f, or D1, when that is used.
Although only a Silver's marine governor and a direct acting single reciprocating
cylinder engine B, B', have been shown and described for governing and actuating
the steam valve link motions of the main marine engines, it is, to be understood
that any other governor or regulator in use, or small single or double cylinder
rotative engines used for starting, stopping, and reversing the main engines may be

page_text: similarly arranged and connected by equivalent link and lever arrangements a, a¹,
b, b', and engaging and disengaging link or lever c, c¹, so as to make the governor
control the action of the starting, stopping, and reversing engine, and cause it to
automatically govern the action of the main engine and prevent "racing," in
addition to its ordinary use of only starting, stopping, and reversing the main
engines, and in contradistinction to making the governor only control the throttle
or initial steam valve or valves leading to the steam casings of the cylinders of the
main engines, all substantially as herein described in reference to the arrangement
shown in the Drawings.
Having now. described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we have to state that we do not confine ourselves to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but what we consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The new or improved mode of, and means or combination of mechanism
(indicated by italic letters) for making the governor of a single or compound marine
engine, and the cylinder or engine for starting, stopping, and reversing the same,
(in addition to these purposes), automatically govern the speed and action of the
main marine engine, through their several valve link motions, all substantially as
herein-before described in reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings,
or any mere modification thereof.
Second. The so connecting the governor of any single or compound marine
engine to the steam valve gear of its starting, stopping, and reversing cylinder or
engine, as to make the latter automatically govern the speed of the main engine, in
addition to its ordinary uses of merely starting, stopping, and reversing the same,
all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Parker, on behalf of the said James
Roger Thomson and myself, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN PARKER. (L.S.)