IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RECORDING A SHIP'S COURSE
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Anthon Steenberg at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th October 1880. A communication
from Frederik Alsing, Harald Sachmann, and Christian Dons, all of Copen-
bagen, Denmark.
ANTHON STEENBERG, of Copenhagen, Denmark, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR RECORDING A SHIP'S COURSE." A communication
from Frederik Alsing, Harald Sachmann, and Christian Dons, all of Copenhagen,
Denmark.
The object of this Invention is to furnish compasses provided with a mechanism
so constructed as to record all changes of direction in the ship's course and divide
the diagram of the course into hour-spaces.
A box of convenient size is provided with glass doors in its top, front, and end,
to give convenient access to the interior of the box, and to allow the mechanism
to be inspected without opening the box. To the sides of the box or to supports
attached to the said sides are pivotted the opposite sides of a ring. To the opposite
sides of the ring, midway between its supporting pivots, are pivotted the upper ends
of two arms which incline to the rearward, and their lower ends are rigidly
attached to the rear side bar of a pendulous frame.
To the lower part of the pendulous frame is attached a forwardly projecting arm,
having a weight attached to its forward end to balance the weight of the pendulous
frame and its attachments and cause it to hang horizontally.
The ring and pendulous frame work as a gimbal to hold the compass card always
in a horizontal position.
The compass card is pivotted in the usual way upon a point which is attached to
the end of the upper arm of a right-angled bar. The said bar is hinged at its angle
to the upper edge of the rear side of the pendulous frame and its long arm extends
downward along the rear side of the said frame. The lower end of the long arm
of the right-angled bar is held by a notched lever so that it may be operated to
raise the pencil connected with the short arm of the said bar away from the paper
when desired. The right angled bar and notched lever are held forward by a
spring attached to the support of the said bar. To the side of the short arm of the
bar are attached keepers in which slides a rod.
To the forward end of the rod is attached a pencil or other implement the point
of which rests upon the paper to be marked. The rod and pencil are held back by

page_text: a spring connected with the rear part of the rod and attached to the pendulous
frame.
Against the rear end of the rod rests the upper end of a lever which is
pivotted to a support attached to the rear side of the pendulous frame. Upon the
lower side of the lower end of the said lever is formed an inclined or bevilled
projection or tooth to engage with a similar inclined or bevilled projection or tooth
formed upon the driving shaft. The said shaft is provided with a gear wheel
connected with the gear wheels of a chronometer in such a way that the shaft will
make exactly one revolution each hour.
With this construction the inclined projections will come together each hour,
and will operate the lever to push the rod forward and to cause the pencil to make
a transverse mark upon the paper. As the projections separate, the rod is drawn
back by the spring ready to be again pushed forward at the end of the next
hour.
The shaft revolves in bearings in the rear part of the pendulous frame, and in
the upwardly-projecting forward end of an arm rigidly attached to the said frame,
and upon the said shaft is placed a spool. The inner end of the spool rests against
a collar formed upon or attached to the shaft, which collar is provided with a
pointer, pointing to the division marks of a dial plate attached to the forward side
of the rear part of the pendulous frame.
The spool is clamped against the collar or pointer by a hand nut placed upon a
screw thread cut upon the shaft, so that the shaft may be made to carry the
spool with it in its revolution or not as may be desired, by tightening and loosening
the nut.
To the forward end of the shaft is attached a crank or other handle, for
convenience in turning the shaft and holding the said shaft while turning the nut
on and off.
To the spool is attached one end of a strip of paper or cloth coated with
lamp-black, or otherwise suitably prepared to be marked with the pencils or other
marking implements.
The paper should be so prepared that it may afterwards be coated with varnish
to preserve the marks. The paper passes over rollers pivotted to the pendulous
frame, and the roll of paper rests upon half ring arms attached to the forwardly
projecting arm, or upon other suitable support.
The paper is held taut by arms attached to a shaft or rod, and held down upon
the said paper by a spring coiled around the said shaft. This shaft is pivotted to
the pendulous frame. The spring is attached at one end to the said frame and at
its other end to the shaft.
To the compass card are attached one or more tubular holders to receive a
pencil or other marking implement, which is held down upon the paper by its own
weight.
The marker may be placed in either of the holders as the general direction of the
vessel's course may render most convenient.
With this construction the paper will be carried forward by the movement of the
clock work, and one marker will register the hours, and the other marker will
register the course of the vessel during each hour of the voyage.
With this construction the captain, by an occasional look at the paper, can sce
at a glance in what direction the vessel has been sailing and whether she has been
beld to her proper course. At the end of the voyage the paper may be detached
and kept for future reference.