IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAPSON, of Emmet Street, Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, Millwright
and Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Ninth day of September, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Rapson, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Rapson, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Rapson, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEERING SHIPS
AND VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said John Rapson, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Rapson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
According to the ordinary construction of steering apparatus for ships and
vessels where wheels are used, the tiller chain or rope is made fast or directly
connected to the end of the tiller, and the tiller rope or chain directly in
connection with the end of the tiller performs a curve in working according
to the radius of the tiller; hence, in working the wheel in order to steer a
ship or vessel, much slack chain or rope has to be wound up, and the tiller,
and, consequently, the rudder, may be said to be free and not under control
during the winding up of such slack of the chain or rope; from this cause
much inconvenience is suffered in the act of steering, owing to the rudder not
being at all times in check, and readily moved to and fro by every movement
of the wheel, but, on the contrary, requiring considerable movement of the
wheel before the tiller rope or chain is tort; there is also the serious objection
which arises from the man at the wheel being overcome by any sudden action
on the rudder, which often causes the man to be thrown from the wheel with
much force. Now the object of my Invention is a mode of applying the
tiller ropes or chains in such manner that they will at all times be tort, and
the tiller and rudder will be constantly moved by any portion of movement of
the wheel, thus avoiding the prejudicial consequences of having to wind up
a slack chain or rope which is attached to the end of the tiller, and moves
in a curve therewith according to the radius of the tiller. In applying
this my Invention, the arrangement of the tiller ropes or chains may be
suitably arranged for more or less power according to the size of the
vessel.
Figure 1 represents a steering apparatus constructed according to my Inven-
tion. Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1. This apparatus is of the simplest kind,
to be used in such cases as do not require great power. a represents one of
the standards or frames which carry the axes of the steering wheel. b is the
steering wheel and its barrel, on which the chain or rope is wound on and off';
these parts are similar to those in ordinary use. c, c, is the tiller rope or chain
which is affixed to the sliding frame and socket d, d, passes over the guide

page_text: pulloys ff, and is affixed to or takes three or four turns around the barrel
carried by the axis of the steering wheel. The sliding frame d acts between
the guides or plates c, c, of wood or other suitable material. The frame d
carries a socket through which the end of the tiller passes and slides easily,
and the socket turns easily on its axis, which enter holes formed in the upper
and under bars of the sliding frame d, and the two bars of the sliding frame
are bound together by screws and nuts, as are clearly shewn in Figure 1
of the Drawing, and it will be evident by this arrangement the tiller rope or
chain will at all times be tort, for the sliding frame will at all times move
in a direct line in place of moving in the curve performed by the end of the
tiller, and on the moving of the sliding frame from side to side the tiller will
move freely through the socket, and thus will the tiller, and, consequently, the
rudder, be in constant check and under the control of the man at the wheel,
for he will no longer have to wind up the slack rope or chain, and the rudder
will be more instantly at work, for the wheel cannot be moved in either
direction without producing its immediate effect on the rudder, and the man
will be for the most part relieved from the bazards consequent on the rudder
being suddenly acted on by a sea, which has often proved so serious when
the rudder has been free during the winding up the slack of the chain
or rope.
Figure 3 shows another modification of the same Invention, Figure 4 being
a plan of Figure 3. In these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts.
In this case the rope or chain passes around two additional pulleys g, g, which
have each ratchets at their ends into which the two pails h enter, and the
object of introducing these pulleys 9, 9, is to offer further security against
any sudden striking of the rudder by the sea being felt by the man at the
wheel. In steering with this arrangement, the only difference from that
above described will be in the working of the pulleys 9, 9, one or other of
which will at all times be moving whilst the other will be held still by its pall,
and thus the chain or rope will have to be dragged over the surface of the
stationary palley. In these Figures the construction of the guiding surfaces
of the sliding frame is different in material, and the sliding frame and socket is
somewhat different to that shewn at Figure 1; in the prescut case the socket
only partly embraces the tiller and the pin on which the socket moves passes
through the tiller. These variations are shewn with a view to my remarking
that I do not confine myself to the mode of making these parts so long as the
Invention of applying the tiller ropes or chains in such manner as at all
times to be tort be observed.

page_text: Figure 5 shows an elevation, Figure 6 a side view of elevation, and Figure 7
a plan of my Invention suitably arranged for obtaining power by a suitable
arrangement of pulleys; and Figure 8 partly shews a similar plan to that at
Figure 7, the chains or ropes being omitted in order to shew the other parts
more clearly. In these Figures the same letters indicate similar parts, and
the only difference in this arrangement of my Invention is, the application of
additional pulleys to obtain power, the mode of steering by tort chains
or ropes being retained. In this apparatus the one end of the steering rope
or chain is affixed at the point o of the framing of the platform, from thence
it passes partly round one of the pulleys j, carried by the sliding frame d, the
nature of which is clearly shown in the Drawing; from thence it passes partly
around the pulley k, then it takes several turns around the barrel of the axis
of the steering wheel, then it passes partly around the pulley 7, then partly
round the pulley m, which is carried by the sliding frame, and then its end is
made fast to the ring n affixed in the framing of the platform. By this
arrangement, altho' the speed of the motion is reduced from the steering wheel
to the tiller, yet the power is proportionably increased. On examining the
Figures now under description, the pin or axis of the pulleys j and m passes
through the tiller, and the end of the tiller consists of three plates of iron
each having a slot or opening in which the pin or axis of the pulleys j and m
moves and acts as the socket, Figure 1, in causing the tiller to move when
the sliding frame d is moved, and yet allowing of the varying positions which
the tiller assumes in respect of the sliding frame d.
Figure 9 shews another arrangement of pulleys for obtaining power. In this
case the pulleys and m are carried by separate axes on the sliding frame d
and the end of the tiller has a slot which moves over a pin in the centre of the
sliding frame d.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would remark that I lay no claim to any of the parts
separately, and some of the details of the arrangement shewn may be varied.
But what I claim is, the mode of applying steering ropes or chains and
apparatus above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Rapson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of March, One thousand eight hundred and
forty.
JOHN (L.s.) RAPSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Ninth day of March, in the
year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid John Rapson came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty.