IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY APPLIANCES FOR SHIP STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1886

page_text: We WILLIAM HEWITT of 24 Lower Burbank Street West Hartlepool in the
County of Durham Fitter ROBERT ROGER and HENRY THOMAS ROBSON both of
West Row Stockton on Tees in the' said county Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of the invention of the said William Hewitt for IMPROVEMENTS IN SAFETY
APPLIANCES FOR SHIP STEERING APPARATUS, to be as follows':--
The Invention has for its object the addition to ordinary steering appliances of
a simple and efficient means of holding the tiller steady at sea when it is required
to change from bridge to aft steering, or in case of accident to tiller chains, when
steering from the bridge, or to any portion of the steering apparatus.
The
Invention may be applied to the various forms of tiller in use, namely, the single
arm or the quadrant form: it consists of a pair of palls securely connected to the
single arın tiller or to one or more arms of the quadrant tiller by joints so arranged
that when set free the palls drop into gear with the teeth of a single or double
ratchet segment securely fixed to the deck; the palls may be separately or
simultaneously lifted out of gear when the tiller is being moved by the action of
the water, sufficient clearance being allowed in the teeth. These operations may
be performed by means of either cords or chains or levers and rods attached to the
palls' and placed in such a position that the man whose duty it is to perform the
operation may do so without danger from the moving tiller.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Appliances for Ship Steering Apparatus.
WM. HEWITT, Burbank Street, West Hartlepool ROBERT ROGER, West Row,
Stockton on Tees HENRY THOMAS ROBSON, West Row Stockton on Tees all in the
County of Durham do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR SHIPS STEERING APPARATUS 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 the addition to ordinary steering appliances of
a simple and efficient means of holding the tiller steady at sea when it is required
to change from bridge to aft steering, or in case of accident to tiller chains when
steering from the bridge or to any portion of the steering apparatus.
This invention may be applied to the various forms of tiller in use, viz; the
single arm or quadrant form, it consists of a pair of palls securely connected to the
single arm tiller or to one or more arms of the quadrant tiller by joints so arranged
that when set free the palls drop into gear with the teeth of a single or double
ratchet segment securely fixed to the deck the palls may be seperately or simul-
taneously lifted out of gear when the tiller is being moved by the action of the
water sufficient clearance being allowed in the teeth.
These operations may be performed by means of either cords or chains or levers
and rods attached to the palls and placed in such a possition that the man whose
duty it is to perform the operation may do so without danger from the moving
tiller.
And in order that this invention and the mode of working and applying the
same may be properly understood we hereunto append a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings to be hereinafter referred to.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figures 1 and 2 are respectively plan and front elevation of one mode of
applying this Invention in which 2 is a right and left hand ratchet segment in
cast iron bolted securely to the deck 3. 3. are wrought iron palls connected with
and free to turn on tiller arm 1, these palls 8. 3 are held up out of gear with
ratchet segment 2 by chains 6. 6. made fast to hooks 7. 7. fixed in tiller boss,
these chains work free over sheaves 5. 5. carried upon pins 4. 4. which are fixed to
tiller arm 1.
Having thus particularly described this invention and the manner of applying
and using the same we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be novel

page_text: and original and claim as the Invention secured to us by the hereinbefore in part
recited letters patent is,―
The application to the ordinary steering apparatus of a system of catches or
palls which may be dropped at will between projections or into pits or depressions
of any suitable form on segments] bolted to deck in order that the tiller may be
held fast against the action of the water.