CERTAIN INSTRUMENTS FOR ASCERTAINING AND INDICATING THE COURSE OR WAY, VELOCITY, TRIM, AND DRAUGHT OF SHIPS, AND THE RATE OF CURRENTS, ALSO FOR DISCHARGING WATER FROM SHIPS AND FOR TAKING ALTITUDES AND LEVELS ON SEA AND ON LAND
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS: SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LYON BERTHON, of Fareham, Southampton, Clerk, Master of Arts, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the thirteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Edward
Lyon Berthon, my' exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward Lyon Berthon, my exors, admors, and 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 "CERTAIN INSTRUMENTS FOR ASCERTAINING AND INDICATING THE
COURSE OR WAY, VELOCITY, TRIM, AND DRAUGHT OF SHIPS, AND THE RATE OF
CURRENTS, ALSO FOR DISCHARGING WATER FROM SHIPS AND FOR TAKING ALTITUDES
AND LEVELS ON SEA AND ON LAND;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said Edward Lyon Berthon, shall cause a particular

page_text: description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to
be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part 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, 1, the said
Edward Lyon Berthon, hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
illustrative Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
I declare that my present Invention has in part reference to an instrument
to shew the velocity of a ship or other vessel, for which former Letters Patent
for England were granted to me on the Twentieth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-nine, a Specification whereof was duly enrolled, and
consists in part of certain new applications of the said instrument, and certain
additions to and modifications thereof, wherefore I shall, for the better
understanding of the said new applications and modifications, proceed to
describe the said instrument, together with the additions thereto.
Figure 1 is a Drawing, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the said
instrument. A, A, is a metal tube, fixed into the bottom of the ship inboard by
screwing it into one of the bottom plates, if the ship be of iron, or if of wood
fixed by a flange to the timbers. In wooden ships it is best to insert the tube
through the kelson and keel and prolong it downwards to the under side. In
iron ships it should descend alongside the keel, extending down nearly to its s
lower edge. This tube A, A, is furnished with a stop-cock a, and a little
above that with a stuffing box a¹. The bore of the tube is about three
quarters of an inch, more or less, and the hole through the plug of the stop-
cock a is of the same diameter. B, B, is a brass tube, called the way tube,
which fits into and passes down through the fixed tube A, A, into the water,
and when in use projects a few inches downwards. A view of the way tube
as it appears when withdrawn from the fixed tube A, A, is given separately
in Figure 2; it is divided into an upper chamber 6 and a lower chamber 6¹ by
a diaphragm d, inserted at about an inch from the lower end. From the lower
chamber 6¹ a small pipe 9, 9, 9, 9, passes upwards through the upper chamber a
6, and projects out at the top through a metal crosshead H; another short
piece of pipe g also projects through the crosshead at the top from the upper
chamber b. In one side of this way tube there are three ports or holes c³, c¹¹, c¹³,
open to the water, of about one-eighth of an inch each in diameter, one of

page_text: these ports (c) being near to the bottom of the upper chamber 6 and the other
two (c, c) in the lower chamber, and the three ports being so placed in
relation to each other that the axes of the holes c", c¹¹¹, shall respectively stand
at an angle of about forty-two degrees with the axis of the port c'. The lower
chamber 6 is closed by a metal plug C, soldered in, which has a forked tail
piece (P) three quarters of an inch long. Between the branches of this fork
is swivelled the small end of a vane D (hereafter more particularly described
in Figure 3), which works with a vertical joint on a pin c passed through it
and the two branches of the fork. A side elevation of the vane D is given
separately in Figure 3, and a plan of it in Figure 3¹. V, V, are two slips of
hard brass, about one-twelfth of an inch thick, five-eighths of an inch wide,
and from eight to twelve inches long, which are curved out laterally till their
outer ends stand about an inch and a half apart, and are connected by a piece
of thin india-rubber f, like the web of a duck's foot. When these two slips
are pressed together by hand they readily collapse and pass through the
stuffing box a and stop-cock a of the tube A, A, and when in the water below
they expand again and extend the web. G (Figure 2) is a shackle which
receives the two ends of the crosshead H upon the top of the way tube, and
from the top of this shackle a rod K is carried upwards to any convenient spot
vertically over it, which rod terminates in a handle L (Figure 1); immediately
below the handle L there is an index pointer m, which moves horizontally over
an arc of a circle (about one hundred and twenty degrees), which is graduated
into points of the compass and degrees of the circle. C₁, C³, (Figure 1,) are two
pieces of flexible hose which connect the short pipes g and g¹¹ of the way tube
with fixed pipes E, E, E', E'; F, F, are-two air vessels of about three or four
inches diameter, which are placed inboard below the water line, and furnished
with stop-cocks f, f, and small air valves v, v'. These air vessels respectively
communicate with the two fixed pipes E, E, E', E', below, and also with two air
pipes above G, G, G', G', which last are connected by two pieces of hose H, H',
(in manner to be afterwards described). To the two tubes (Q, R,) of a mercurial
indicator, a section of which is given separately in Figure 4, M is a wooden
frame piece, which is slung on the joint P (or it may be fixed). To this frame
piece are affixed the two glass tubes Q, R, one in front and the other behind;
the back tube Q is small, and has a bulb N near the bottom, while the front
tube is about one quarter of an inch bore, and communicates with the bulb N
by a fine bent capillary tube. The flexible hoses H, H', are first passed over
the ends of these tubes with solution of india-rubber, and then made tight by
lashing. To the front of the frame piece M there is attached a scale of ivory,
metal, wood, or other suitable material, (graduated to represent nautical miles

page_text: and tenths of miles per hour.) The first mile is indicated by the decimal '04
of an inch, the second 16, the third 36, the fourth 64, the fifth one inch,
and so on, increasing as the squares of the velocities.
The action of the instrument is as follows:-The way tube is pushed through
the tubular case A, A, till its lower end dips a few inches into the water, then
by opening the air valves v, v³, of the air vessels to let some of the air escape,
the water enters through the chambers of the way tube and rises through
the pipes C², C, C, C, E, E, E, E, as high as the air valves, which
must then be closed. When the ship is at rest the air is compressed equally.
by the water in the two air vessels, and communicates the same equal pres-
sure to the two surfaces of the mercury in the indicator, and of course keeps
the same steady; but when the ship moves through the water there is an
increase of pressure in the air vessel F, because the port of the upper chamber
of the way tube with which F is connected is in a direct line with the line of
motion, and an elevating force proportional to the resistance is there produced,
which lifts the whole column of water above; but there is no increase of
pressure in F, because the two parts of the lower chamber connected with it
stand at angles of about 42° with the line of motion, at which angle there is
no increase of pressure or elevating force arising from resistance, consequently.
the excess of pressure in F, communicated to the mercury through the air
enclosed in the air pipe G, G, causes the mercury to descend in the bulb behind
the indicator and pass up the tube in the front of it, when the mark on the
scale against which its surface stands denotes the speed of the ship at the
time.
Having now described the said instrument and the additions thereto, shall
proceed to describe the methods by which the same may be applied to the
ascertaining and indicating the course or way, the trim and draught of ships,
and the rate of currents, which methods (with the modifications of and
additions to the instruments relating thereto) form the first branch of the
improvements comprehended under my present Patent.
The course of a vessel may be ascertained by the instrument in this way:
when the ship is at rest the vane D hangs down, but when it moves, the
resistance of the water raises it to the horizontal position, and the pressure
against its sides keeps it always in a direct line behind the tube, effecting the
twofold purpose of keeping the ports of the chambers in the right direction,
and also by moving the rod K, K, and the index finger m on it, it indicates
the course or direction of the ship upon the horizontal dial.
The draught of water again is thus ascertained, whereas the ports. of the
lower chamber of the way tube, placed at an angle of about 42° on either side,

page_text: produce no change of pressure resulting from velocity. It follows that the
pressure in the air vessel F¹ varies only as the draught of water varies, and
therefore a small bent tube S half filled with mercury, of which one end is
connected with the air tube G¹ and the other end open, will shew, by the eleva-
tion of the mercury against a scale graduated to represent feet and inches,
the draught of water at the time of observation.
Another form of indicator which may be substituted for the one before
described is shewn in Figure 6. A is a tube of thin vulcanized india-rubber
attached and sealed at each end to two discs of metal B, B, which are
attached by air-tight joints to the two air tubes G, G', as in Figure 1. This
elastic tube is very slightly extended, and is divided into two dictinct parts by
a metal diaphragm C. D is a radius or lever, which grasps the diaphragm and
moves with it about its centre or fulcrum. From this lever there projects an
index finger E, which moves over a vertical arc F, graduated to correspond
with nautical miles. The action of this indicator is as follows:-When tho
ship is at rest the diaphragm is pressed by equal forces, and therefore does not
move, but when the vessel moves, the diaphragm being pressed on one side
more than the other is forced over, and carrying the index finger with it,
marks the speed of the ship on the graduated are.
A third form of indicator is shewn in Figure 7. Here the glass is furnished
with two conical bulbs a and b, which contain mercury, and upon the mercury
in a is superimposed some colored water, spirit, or oil, and just enough to fill
it when the ship is at rest. By combining these two fluids of different specific
gravities an approximate equalization of the marks on the scale for the knots
per hour is obtained, making the low speeds more conspicuous.. The way
tube before described is constructed on the principle of combining the positive
or elevating force with a zero one; but by altering the angles at which the
ports of the chambers stand with respect to the line of motion several other
combinations may be obtained, as for example, the difference between two.
positive, two negative, or the sum of a negative and a positive force, reniem-
bering in this last case that the two forces act upon the opposite surfaces of the
mercury. For instance, one port forward and the other aft would double tho
range, because when right aft the negative or drawing force is equal to the
positive or pressing one, the scale being adjusted to the peculiar combination.
It must; however, be borne in mind that the great use of using two forces
instead of one is, that thereby all disturbances arising from change of draught
of water, list, or trim, or the action of the sea, are neutralized or compensated.
To indicate the mean velocity of ships for a considerable time, two large ver-
tical pipes, a few inches in diameter, may be made to communicate with the

page_text: two air vessels respectively; that connected with F on the pressure side should
be five or six feet long or more in fast vessels. These pipes may be placed in
any convenient spot, with their lower ends on a level with the air vessels; if
then the stop-cocks be a very little opened much time must elapse before
any considerable change of height of water in the pipes is produced, conse-
quently the height of the mercury which corresponds with that of the water
will be a mean height. Any one of the instruments before described, exposed
to a current of water in the direction of its motion, will indicate the speed of
such current.
Secondly, my Invention consists of the arrangements for discharging water
from vessels, represented in the sectional view, Figure 8. A is a short strong
hollow pipe fixed in the ship's bottom, with a stuffing box B on the top.
Through this pipe projects a discharge pipe D, D, closed at bottom with a
fine edged orifice d in one side near the bottom. This pipe, which in some
respects resembles the way tube of Figure 1, has a hollow vessel E at its
upper end, shaped like a pear, with the small end upward. Within this vessel
there is a light sphere of hollow metal, or of wood, or gutta percha. To the
upper or conical end of the vessel E is attached a hose G, G, and the passage
into it is smaller than the sphere F. The action is as follows:-When the
lischarge D, D, is pushed down into the sea below the ship, and the orifice
turned sideways, i. e., when its axis is at right angles to the line of motion,
the maximum negative force is obtained when the ship is in motion. If then
the free end of the hose G, G, be plunged into the water in the hold to be
discharged, the negative or depressing force will draw it down through the
lischarge pipe into the sea, provided the velocity of the ship be sufficient. It
is found that at a speed of twelve and a half knots per hour this contrivance
will discharge water from the hold of which the surface is about twelve feet
below the water line, but when the velocity is not great enough to produce
such an amount of negative force the sphere F rises, and closing the passage
to the hose prevents the influx of water.
Such a contrivance in its simple state is best adapted to fast vessels of
light draught of water, but it may be found of great assistance when applied
to the discharge pipes of ships' pumps of all classes. The size of the discharge
pipe will vary according to requirement.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of an instrument for taking altitudes and
levels at sea and on land. Two views of this instrument, on the opposite sides,
are given in Figures 9 and 10. A, A, is a framework of a quadrantal form,
on one side of which is a mercurial indicator, consisting of two bulbs B
and B', connected by a horizontal tube and a vertical capillary tube, which

page_text: ascends from the bulb B'. At C there is a steel stop-cock, with a small
lever D on the plug, which when pressed by the finger opens it; the spring
E closes it again when the finger is raised. F is a telescope which is attached
to the other side of the frame A, A, and made to turn upon a pivot at G,
describing a portion of a circle upon the metal quadrant piece H. This
piece has fine holes drilled in it at equal distances along a circular line, of
which the centre is the centre of the pivot of the telescope. These holes are
placed at a fixed whole number of degrees apart, say, five degrees, and are
marked accordingly 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, &c. Upon the telescope at R is a fine
point L, which stands out laterally from a short spring, and may be placed in
any one of the holes of the quadrant. The mode of using the instrument is
as follows:-Let the scale of the tube be graduated in degrees and minutes
and quarters of minutes, then if the bulbs be about half an inch diameter,
the tube A¹ one-eighth of an inch diameter and nine inches long, and tho
vertical tube quite capillary and sixteen or seventeen inches long, the results
will be as follows:-The fluids (mercury and spirit) being about as 15:1 in
density, an elevation of five degrees will make the spirit rise fifteen inches
(nearly) very rapidly when the stop-cock is open, and proportially for smaller
elevations. Now, when the point L of the telescope is in the hole 0 and
the spirit at 0, an object seen at the centre of its field of view will be on a
level with the eye, and the height of any object above that up to five degrecs
may be ascertained by the height of the spirit by simply elevating the whole
instrument till it appears in the centre of the field, but if tilted much more
the spirit will come out of the top of the tube. If then the object be above
five degrees in elevation and under ten, let the point L of the telescope be
inserted in the hole marked 5 and the object observed through it. The
spirit will now give the excess above five degrees. If more than ten and
under fifteen, put the point in hole 10, when the spirit will give the excess
above ten degrees, and so on. The instrument when rested on a steady
support on land may be used without closing the stop-cock, but at sea the
stop-cock is indispensable.
The altitude of the sun or other heavenly body in respect to which the
observation is to be taken being approximately estimated, the point of the
telescope is put into the hole next below the supposed altitude. The instru-
ment is then held in the two hands, with a finger of the right hand placed
near the lever of the stop-cock. When the observer has got the object upon
the centre of the field, he opens the stop-cock by pressing the lever, and
adapting his motion to that of the ship, he keeps the telescope upon the object
for two or three seconds (as in shooting flying) and then suddenly closes the

page_text: stop-cock by raising his finger. The spirit now remains at the point it reached
when the stop-cock was closed, and this, added to the number of degrees
marked by the hole in which the point of the telescope is placed, is the
altitude of the object observed.
As the insertion of the horizontal column of mercury in the tube connecting
the two bulbs (B, B',) may possibly interfere with the result, a compensation
for this may be effected by making this tube bent, as represented at x, y, z,
in Figure 13, the portion y being of rather more than twice the sectional area
of x and x, and the proper stream through y is regulated by the extent to
which the spring stop-cock is opened by a stop q. Thus, suppose the instru-
ment to be suddenly moved horizontally in the direction of the arrow, this
would cause the mercury to act by its inertia in the opposite direction were
the communication simple and not reflex, but the reflex tube y, containing as
much mercury as a and z together, counteracts their joint effect, by allowing
(or rather tending to allow) the same quantity to pass in the other direction,
and thus the inertia of the mercury in y will neutralize that of the mercury
in x and z. As temperature in extreme cases may affect this instrument, a
compensation may be made for this by adapting a sliding scale to the vertical
tube, to be set according to the temperature at the time being. When the
altitude of the heavenly body is very great, a small prism or reflector may be
placed at the eye-glass of the telescope to throw the image upward, as in the
transit instrument.
Fourthly, my Invention consists of an improved clinometer for ascertaining
the trim or list of vessels. An external elevation of this instrument is given
in Figure 11, and an internal elevation in Figure 12. A, A, is a wooden
basement about twenty inches long, which supports a framework B, to which
the form of a portico or any other suitable ornamental design may be given.
A vertical glass tube d is placed between the columns C, C. On each side of
this tube is a scale, upon the middle point of which is a mark E, K, to denote
"even keel;" and above and below are marks corresponding to feet and inches
in the ship's trim; those on the upper half denoting "by the head," those on
the under "by the stern." D, D', are two glass bulbs, connected horizontally
by a capillary tube F; D contains mercury alone, with the atmosphere
admitted upon it, while D' contains mercury below and a lighter fluid above,
coloured (that it may be better seen), such as water, spirit, or oil, &c. The
instrument is so adjusted, that when horizontal the light fluid just reaches the
points E, K. The effect of the different gravities of the two fluids is this, that
upon elevating the bulb D some of the lighter fluid is expelled from the bulb
D' (by the influx of mercury below it) and rises higher in the index tube d,

page_text: in which, as it is smaller than the bulb, it ascends a greater distance. For
example, let the specific gravities of the mercury and the light fluid be as
13:1, and let the bulb D' be of the same size as D, and twenty-six times
larger in sectional area than the index tube, then upon raising the bulb D one
inch the mercury will fall one quarter of an inch in D, and rise one quarter
of an inch in D', and a quarter of an inch of light fluid displaced upwards will
rise six inches and a half in the vertical tube and balance the remaining half
inch of mercury in D. S is a screw which compresses a short piece of vulcan-
ized india-rubber passed over the top of the index tube, and which when
screwed up prevents the entrance or exit of air, and keeps the fluids steady
when the instrument is carried about. To ascertain the trim of ships this
instrument is fixed fore and aft. The capillary tube being small allows the
fluids to adjust themselves very slowly, so that in a seaway the extremes are not
shewn, but a steady mean kept up, which corresponds with what would be the
ship's line of floatation in smooth water. The same instrument graduated
into degrees and minutes gives the stability or mean angle of inclination of the
ship when it is placed athwart-ships. And again, if a larger tube be substi-
tuted for the capillary one and a small tube for the vertical one the extremes
of every roll or lurch will be shewn. The same instrument, graduated in
degrees, or numerically, so as to correspond to an inclination of, say, from 1
in 10 to 1 in 10,000, answers all the purpose of showing instantly how much
any surface or line to which it is applied inclines.
And having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that the improvements which I claim
as constituting my said Invention are as follows:-
First, I claim the instrument for shewing the velocity of ships, the course or
way and draught of ships and rate of current in its improved state, as before
described, that is to say, in so far as regards the additional tubes 9", c', E¹,
G', and H', the holes c¹¹, c, the vessels F, F, with their stop-cocks f, f¹,
and air valves v, v', the mercurial indicator S, and the vane D.
Second, I claim the peculiar adaptation of the negative force obtained by
turning the port of a projecting discharge pipe at the angles described for the
purpose of discharge water from vessels.
Third, I claim the instrument for taking altitudes and levels on sea and
on land, before described, in so far as regards the employment of two fluids
of different specific gravities, the relative proportions of the vessels containing
the said fluids, and the spring stop-cock C.
And, fourth, I claim the improved clinometer for ascertaining the trim or
list of vessels, in so far as regards the peculiar mode in which two fluids of

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid Edward Lyon Berthon came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.