Improvements in and connected with Nautical Compasses for Automatically Notifying and Recording Deviations from a Ship's Course.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July 1894-Accepted, 25th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Nautical Compasses for
Automatically Notifying and Recording Deviations from a
Ship's Course.
I, FREDERICK ADOLPHUS LANGEN of B. 2. 8. Mannheim, Germany, Ship
Captain do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and connected with nautical compasses
for automatically notifying and recording deviations from a ship's course and has
for its object to automatically give an alarm and to record such event should the
vessel deviate from her intended course as set out the records of such deviations
being of material importance in correcting the dead reckoning.
I propose to construct an apparatus in connection with the compass whereby
every deviation from the intended course whether to port or to starboard shall
be recorded and whereby also an alarm can in like manner be given to the
helmsman.
To effect this much-desired result I fix on the card of the compass two conducting
plates one on each side arranged by preference vertically and radially.
The top lid of the compass bowl is constructed in such a manner as to be easily
moved horizontally around the centre of the compass and is provided with divisions
or degrees the same as the compass card. At 90° either east or west are two
sliding pieces fitted to the side and edge of the lid consisting of non-conducting
material arranged so that they can be moved from say 2 to 10 degrees apart from
cach other on the circumference of the lid.
These sliding pieces are provided each with a hollow sliding rod of non-
conducting material which can be pushed in and drawn out horizontally and
radially to the compass card some distance above the level of the compass card.
To each of these sliding rods are attached on the side next to the compass centre
two vertical and radial conducting plates preferably isolated from each other and
connected to each of the conducting plates is an isolated conducting wire leading
through the hollow of the sliding rod to the outside of the compass bowl. One of
cach pair of wires is connected with the positive and the other with the negative
pole of an electric battery.
The whole is fitted in such a manner that when the sliding rods are drawn
outwards the contact plates will be free of the card contacts; when pushed inwards
after adjusting the lid of the compass to the card and course to be steered a pair of
ontact plates will be on each side of one of the card contacts at an equal distance
from the latter and will be touched simultaneously by the contact plate on the card
f the compass if the ship veers from her course the one pair if the ship veers to
starboard and the other if to port.
The currents so created are utilized to sound certain electric bells and it may be
to work the wheels of two recording apparatuses in a well known manner the latter
showing on a disc by means of a dial how often the ship has veered from her course
to port or starboard.
At the end of each hour or watch or whenever the course has to be altered
a comparison of the two recorders will show if the ship has gone more to port or to
starboard off her course and the difference can be taken to account in working up
the dead reckoning. The sound of the bells will notify to the helmsman in proper
time that he has to move the wheel to bring the ship's head on her course again and
the non-sounding that the ship is steered properly on her course which knowledge
will be of course a great relief to the officer on watch.

page_text: In case of fluid compasses being in use the same apparatus can be used but instead
of fixing the contact plates to the card of the compass they may be fitted to a
supplementary magnetic needle which may be placed either above or beneath the
fluid compass in close proximity in such a way that the turning centre of the
supplementary needle is in the same vertical line as the centre of the compass card.
The supplementary needle being less powerful than the needles of the compass will
have its poles perverted that is to say the north pole of the supplementary needle
will be drawn towards the south pole of the compass card and the south pole
towards the north pole of the compass card but otherwise follow all the movements
of the compass card and keep the contact plates exactly east and west of the
compass card.
Dated this 1st day of September 1893.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Nautical Compasses for
Automatically Notifying and Recording Deviations from a
Ship's Course.
I, FREDERICK ADOLPHUS LANGEN of B. 2. 8. Mannheim, Germany Ship
Captain, 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 relates to improvements in and connected with nautical compasses
for automatically notifying and recording deviations from a ship's course.
It is of the greatest importance for the safe navigation of ships at sea that the
course to be steered is actually made good. This requires a constant supervision of
the man at the helm for which purpose the officer on watch must necessarily look
on the compass card every now and then in order to ascertain if the ship's head be
in the right direction.
This duty is especially onerous at night-time because the eyesight is blinded for
some seconds every time a look has been given upon the illuminated compass card
at a time too when the officer on watch has to give most of his attention to detect
the lights of passing vessels in order to avoid collision with such crafts or to watch
the outlines of the near coast. It is further of the greatest importance to know
how the ship has been steered on her course that is to say to know if the ship
has veered from her course more to starboard or to port in order to correct the dead
reckoning.
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which by means of
electric currents is worked automatically by the compass and not only controls
the helm by giving an alarm as soon as the ship goes off her course but records at
the same time how often the ship has gone off to starboard or port during the watch
respectively.
I will now proceed to more fully describe my invention, the several parts there-
with connected and the mode of its working with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Figure 1 shows in plan view a compass card and the top of a
compass bowl and lid with alarm and recorders attached, Figure 2 being an enlarged
vertical section of the same on a line of the contacts and in the following description
like marks of reference designate like parts.
Referring to the drawings it will be observed that I fix on the card C of the
compass two conducting plates m, m one on each side arranged by preference
vertically and radially.
The top lid L of the compass bowl is constructed in such a manuer as to be

page_text: easily moved horizontally around the centre of the compass and is provided with
divisions or degrees the same as the compass card. At 90° either east or west are
two sliding pieces a, a' fitted to the side and edge of the lid consisting of non-
conducting material arranged so that they can be moved from say 2 to 10 degrees
apart from each other on the circumference of the lid. These sliding pieces are
provided each with a hollow sliding rod 6 of non-conducting material which can be
pushed in and drawn out horizontally and radially as regards the compass card
some distance above its level. To each of these sliding rods 6 are attached on the
side next to the compass centre two vertical and radial conducting plates pn, pl n
isolated from each other and connected to each of the conducting plates is an isolated
conducting wire w w¹ leading through the hollow of the sliding rod to the outside
of the compass bowl. One of each pair of wires is connected with the positive
and the other with the negative pole of an electric battery as indicated in the
drawings.
The whole is fitted in such a manner that when the sliding rods b are drawn
outwards the contact plates p n, p¹ n¹ will be free of the card contacts m; when
pushed inwards after adjusting the lid of the compass to the card and course to
be steered a pair of contact plates will be on each side of one of the card contacts
at an equal distance from the latter and will be touched simultaneously by the
contact plate on the card of the compass if the ship veers from her course the one
pair if the ship veers to starboard and the other if to port.
The currents so created are utilized to sound certain electric bells and to work
the wheels of two recording apparatuses in a well known manner the latter showing
on a disc by means of a dial how often the ship has veered from her course to port
or starboard.
As the mere arrangement of electric bell device and registering dial just alluded
to involves no invention on my part, I need not further refer to it as it will be
understood that I merely propose to utilise and adapt any known and suitable
arrangement of such mechanism to the purposes herein stated and as indicated in
the drawings.
At the end of each hour or watch or whenever the course has to be altered a
comparison of the two recorders will show if the ship has gone more to port or to
starboard off her course and the difference can be taken into account in working
up the dead reckoning.
The sound of the bells will notify to the helmsman in proper time that he has to
move the wheel to bring the ship's head on her course again and the non-sounding
that the ship is steered properly on her course which knowledge will be of course a
great relief to the officer on watch.
In case of fluid compasses being in use the same apparatus can be used but
instead of fixing the contact plates to the card of the compass they may be fitted
to a supplementary magnetic needle which may be placed either above or beneath
the fluid compass in close proximity in such a way that the turning centre of
the supplementary needle is in the same vertical line as the centre of the compass.
card.
The supplementary needle being less powerful than the needles of the compass
will have its poles perverted that is to say the north pole of the supplementary
needle will be drawn towards the south pole of the compass card and the south pole
towards the north pole of the compass card but otherwise the needle will follow all
the movements of the compass card and keep the contact plates exactly east and
west of the compass card.
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
1. The improvement in nautical compasses consisting in the provision in com-
bination with the compass card of contact plates adapted to make contact with
other contact plates adjustable as to their positions and connected to wires in

page_text: connection with an electric battery these several parts being arranged and adapted
to operate substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
2. In a nautical compass the arrangement of parts consisting of the provision in
connection with the edge of the compass lid of certain adjustable sliding pieces or
brackets adapted to carry certain hollow sliding rods having connected to them
certain conducting plates with which are electrically connected certain wires, the
said hollow sliding rods and conducting plates therewith being capable of adjustment
so as to make electrical contact under certain conditions with a contact plate device
on the compass card these several parts being arranged and adapted for use
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
3. In combination with the subject matter of the previous claim arranging
any known electrical-bell-ringing device or electrical-registering-dial device or
both of these devices substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
4. In a nautical compass the combination or arrangement of the parts herein
designated as c, m, p n, p' n', w w¹, b, a a', and L all arranged and adapted to work
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
5. In fluid compasses the provision in combination with a supplementary needle
the axis of whose turning centre coincides with that of the compass card of contact
plates arranged disposed and adapted to operate with regard to the other contacts
substantially as herein set forth.
6. The several improvements in or connected with nautical compasses substan-
tially as herein set forth.
Dated this 30th day of June 1804
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.