Improvements in Engine Starting; Reversing, and Regulating Gear.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMIDELE DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engine Starting; Reversing, and Regulating Gear.
We, DANIEL R. WOODSUм and FRANK MELVIN WOODSUM, both Mechanics,
residents of Sunapee, in the County of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire,
in the United States of America, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide in the pilot house of all steam crafts,
suitable mechanism whereby a pilot may be in full control of the engines without
the use of bells communicating with the engines.
The invention consists in providing a throttle and reverse lever in the wheel
house for each engine, connected by suitable shafts, cranks and rods with the
throttle and reverse levers located in the engine room, all of which will be clearly
set forth in the following Specification and claims, and clearly illustrated in the
accompanying drawings forming an inseparable part thereof, of which
.
Fig. 1, is a perspective view representing a marine engine with its throttle and
reverse lever, and suitable cranks and rods connecting with shafts which pass
vertically to the wheel house of the steamer.
Fig. 2, is a broken plan view, showing said shafts with their cranks and rods in
relative position therewith.
Fig. 3, represents in side elevation, a throttle and reverse lever attached to a
portion of their respective shafts, as when arranged in accordance with our improve-
ments for placing within a wheel house, and
Fig. 4, represents a plan view of the same.
Similar reference letters designate like parts throughout the several views.
A represents the driving shaft; a its crank; B the eccentrics; C the eccentric
rods, and D the link to which they are pivoted at d. E is the block upon which
the link slides in changing the position of the valve and reversing the engine. Fis
the rocker arm or crank connecting said block with a rocker shaft G, upon which
also is mounted the rocker arm H, carrying one end of the valve rod I.
Upon a wrist pin, J, mounted at one side of the steam chest is mounted the
reverse lever K, having an arm & rising in nearly a vertical direction, to the outer
end of which is pivoted a rod L, the opposite end of which is mounted upon a
stud provided upon the link D, and by which said link is adjusted upon the
block E.
A throttle valve M, provided in the steam pipe m has an ordinary throttle
lever M; and our invention involves suitable mechanism for connecting said throttle
and reverse levers with, and operating them by a similar throttle and reverse lever
located in the wheel house.
One simple and convenient means for accomplishing this is illustrated in the
drawings, to which, however, we do not limit ourselves, as the various con-
structions of marine engines would necessarily require more or less variations in
the mechanism by which we are enabled to accomplish the objects of our
invention.
In the drawings we show a bell crank N, which may be mounted at n in any
suitable support. The free ends of said crank are connected, one with a rod O,
extending to the arm k, (of the reverse lever K) to which it is pivoted at k¹,
and the other with a rod O', extending forward at a right angle with said rod O,
and pivoted to a crank. p, mounted upon the lower end of a vertical hollow
shaft P.
To the throttle lever M', is connected one end of a rod 02, having its forward
end pivoted to a crank p', mounted upon the lower end of a vertical shaft P', both

page_text: of said shafts terminating in the wheel house, and upon which are mounted
respectively, the throttle and reverse levers R and S.
The rods 0, 0%, should be so pivoted to the reverse and throttle levers,
respectively, as to be readily detachable, if from any reason it become desirable
to stop the engine whilst in the engine.room.
A curved rack T, is mounted upon one of the walls U of the wheel house, and is
provided with the usual teeth with which a spring stop s, on the reverse lever S,
is permitted to engage and thus shorten or lengthen the stroke of the valve in the
ordinary manner and in order to prevent any accidental movement of the
throttle R, said throttle may be provided with a spring actuated stud T arranged
to bear with some force against the inside edge of the arc or rack T; the friction
which will serve to hold said throttle at any desired position, wide open, part way
open, or closed.
It will be obvious that our invention applies as readily to double as to single
engines, and when applied to engines running twin screws, the invention affords a
perfect and reliable means for steering a vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claims is:
1. In a steam vessel, the combination with the reversing gear in the engine
room, of a reversing lever located in the wheel house, and suitable connecting
mechanism, whereby the movement of one is identical with the other.
2. In a steam vessel, the combination with the throttle in the engine room, of a
throttle lever located in the wheel house, and suitable mechanism whereby the
movement of the one is identical with the other.
3. In a steam vessel, the combination with the throttle and reversing levers in
the engine room, of a throttle and reversing lever located in the wheel house,
and suitable mechanism comprising shafts, cranks and rods connecting the one set
with the other, whereby the engine is controlled at the wheel house without the
use of signals.
Dated this 7th day of January 1891.
FRANK MELVIN WOODSUM,
DANIEL R. WOODSUM,
Inventors.