An Improved Course-indicating Instrument for Military, Exploration, and other Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Course-indicating Instrument for Military, Exploration,
and other Purposes.
1, WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY COLE VERNER, of the United Service Club, Pall
Mall, London, Major in the Rifle Brigade, 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 has for its object, an instrument for directing the course to be
followed by soldiers, exploring parties or the like when marching at night, and
consists essentially in combining with a gymbal-mounted azimuth or ordinary
mariners compass, having a luminous field, a direction bar for indicating the
direction which the user is to follow, a sight for viewing the said direction bar,
and a circularly-adjustable index bar for fixing upon the direction to be
followed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a plan of my night-marching
instrument folded, or out of use.
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the instrument in use, with the direction
bar (which is preferably telescopic) drawn out, and with the sight, which is placed
on the opposite side of the outer gymbal, set at the proper angle for viewing the
direction bar, which has a luminous line down its middle. The dotted lines in the
said Figure 2 show a full length view of the said direction bar.
Figure 3 is a topside plan of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a front elevation of
Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a cross section of Figure 3, upon the dotted lines a, looking towards
the sight.
Figure 6 represents a part of the rim of the compass box, showing (upon an
enlarged scale) a detent or catch carried by a revolving cover engaging with one
of a series of notches or sinkings formed in the edge of the compass box and
corresponding to degree notches formed in the edge of a ring scale carried by the
inner gymbal.
Figure 7 shows the edge of the compass box. and the detent above it.
Figure 8 is a topside plan of the compass box, with the rotating cover removed
to show the notches or sinkings in the box edge.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
of the drawings.
The instrument consists of a magnetised and balanced bar or needle a, supported
upon a vertical pivot. b, (fixed to the weighted bottom of a glazed-topped and
cylindrical compass box c, which is preferably of copper) so as to be capable of
turning freely in a horizontal plane and with the point of the said needle playing
in a circle.
The glazed top d', of the compass box is carried by a rotating and milled-edge
frame carrying a spring catch c, with the pointed stud c³, at the free end of it,
engaging with one or other of the series of sinkings or notches c', formed in the
top edge c, of the sides of the box c, and with the said stud c³, passing through a
hole in the said frame. These notches c, correspond in number and position to
points in the scale on the inner gimbal d, from which the compass box is supported
by opposite pivots d¹.
Thus the compass box is suspended so as to preserve a constant horizontal plane
by two concentric rings, hoops or gimbale d and e, one being a little less in
diameter than, and included within, the other. The inner ring d, turns on
pivots e. By so mounting the box, the same, being at liberty to swing in two

page_text: planes at right angles to each other, will maintain itself horizontally and will
therefore keep the pivot supporting the needle vertical however the position of the
carrier may change.
Hinged to one side of the outer ring is a sight f, with a slit f, directed down its
middle whilst hinged to the other side of the said ring, and in line with the said
sight, is a telescopic direction bar g, made up of sections g¹, 92, 93, sliding into one
another or over one another, the length g³, g³, being provided with spring stops g*,
which snap into holes 9, of the said component lengths when the stops come
opposite them, whereby the sections of the bar are fixed in their drawn out positions
and held for the time being, rigid.
The lower section of the direction bar is hinged at 98, to the gymbal e, and has
an abutment go, for determining the back inclination of the said direction bar when
in use.
This direction bar is made luminous at g', up the whole of the front
presented face by being coated with phosphorescent paint or like luminous
substance.
The field c, of the compass is also coated or covered with luminous paint or
substance, in order to render visible the needle and the index bar h, ground or
marked upon the glazed cover c', or the said bar may be made of a thin strip of
metal.
h¹, 2, are studs carried by the frame co, one being at the termination of the iudex
bar h, and the other coming diametrically opposite to it.
Instead of the direction bar being telescopic, it may fold, and instead of
employing a magnetic needle mounted as shown, the same may be attached to the
underside of a luminous card printed with the points of the compass.
In marching to any known point by the aid of the instrument, the user places
the index bar to the required bearing as read off the gymbal, and then turns the
whole instrument-round until the needle swings under the index bar.
When these
two coincide, the luminous line on the direction bar, when looked at through the
sight, points the way to go.
To set the compass to march N.W. or 315°, turn the index bar until the outer
end coincides with 315° on the gymbal scale. Turn the whole instrument round
until the magnetic needle comes below the index bar. When the needle and
index bar coincide, the direction bar points N.W. which is the course to be
followed.
If it is required to change the direction of march on the night when the user
cannot see the gymbal scale, in order to re-set the instrument to indicate the new
course, the index bar is turned round to its new position by rotating. the frame
carrying it, the extent in degrees of the gymbal scale of such rotation being
notified by the number of clicks made by the detent c³, snapping into the
recesses.c³, thus making one click to every 10° of the change of position of the
index bar. Or the extent of the said rotation may be determined by the number
of notches d³, in the edge of the inner gymbal passed by the fingers in rotating the
index bar.
Thus supposing a company who have marched N.W. now desire to change their
route to the S.W.; to reset the instrument it will be necessary first to change the
index bar 90°, viz. from 315° (N.W.) to 225° (S. W.) and in doing this, 9 clicks will
be given by the detent, one for every ten degrees of the scale. The index bar
being now set at 225°, to march to the S. W., turn the whole instrument round as
before until the index bar and needle coincide, when the direction bar as viewed
through the sight, indicates the way to be followed.
Any deviation from the proper line of march will be indicated by the swinging of
the needle from underneath the index bar.
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 :-
First. In a marching or directing instrument, the combination with a magnetic

page_text: compass or gymballed magnetic compass, of a direction bar and an adjustable
index bar, arranged and used substantially as and for the purpose described and
set forth.
Secondly. In a marching instrument, the combination with a gymballed compass
having a luminous field, of a luminous direction bar and an index bar, arranged and
used substantially as and for the purpose described and set forth.
Thirdly. In a marching instrument, the combination with a gymballed compass
having a direction bar and an index bar, of a sight, arranged and used substantially
as and for the purpose described aud set forth.
Fourthly. In a marching instrument, adjusting the index bar by carrying the
same upon a rotating cover or equivalent part of the compass box, and with the
said cover carrying a spring detent or equivalent engaging with sinkings or
recesses in a part of the box, substantially as and for the purpose described and
set forth.
Fifthly. In a night marching instrument, the general construction, arrangement
and combination of the parts substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 18th day of December 1895.
WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY COLE VERNER,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant..