IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' Loos
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Massey, of Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, in
the County of Middlesex, Ship Log Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' Loos."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Massey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th July 1865.
I, FREDERICK MASSEY, of Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Ship Log Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' LOGS," to be as follows:-
I fix the boss of the rotator of ships' logs by a through pin or otherwise
to the axis of the endless screw of the counting or registering apparatus, and
in close proximity thereto. I support the after end of the rotator in a bearing
carried by bands or stays formed on the case of the registering apparatus,
which stays together are deposited somewhat in a spherical form, surrounding
and protecting the rotator from external obstructions, at same time allowing
the free action of the water on the rotator for the purpose required. The

page_text: projecting stays also have the effect of preventing the rotation and jumping of
the apparatus out of the water, which jumping interferes with the true
measurement required. I prefer to employ four protecting stays, at same
time taking care to use a dissimilar number of blades in the rotator, for
instance six or eight.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Massey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
MASSEY, of Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Ship Log
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, 'bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick Massey, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick
Massey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Frederick Massey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS'
LoGs," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Massey,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Massey, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
I fix the 'boss of 'the rotator of ships' logs by a through pin or otherwise to
the axis of the endless screw of the counting or registering apparatus, and in

page_text: carried by bands or stays formed or fixed on the case of the registering
apparatus, which stays together are disposed somewhat in a spherical form,
surrounding and protecting the rotator from external obstruction, at same
time allowing the free action of the water on the rotator for the purpose
required. These protecting stays, in the application of which my Invention
consists, also have the effect of preventing the rotator and apparatus leaping
out of the water, which leaping or skipping interferes with the true measure-
ment required. A greater or lesser number of protecting stays may be
employed, but I prefer to employ four, at same time taking care to use a
dissimilar number of blades in the rotator, for instance, six or eight.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal view of a ship's log constructed according
to my Invention, while Fig. 2 shows an end view. a, a, is a cylindrical case
containing the registering and indicating apparatus, which is the same as in
ordinary, and therefore requires no description; the case a terminates in a
conical top band eye c, whereby it is attached to the rope by which it is to
be hauled through the water. On the rear end of the case a I fix the guard
frame d, d, d, in this illustration consisting of four arms uniting at the fore
end in a socket piece e, which is fitted and fixed on the case a, while the rear
end terminates in a boss or piece f, forming a bearing for the rear end of the
rotator axis; the Drawing represents the boss piece f as a ring of same
diameter as the socket piece e, with internal radial arms to carry the bearing
of the axis, but it may be smaller and solid if desired. I fix the blades g, g,
of the rotator B on a boss h, of same diameter as the body of case a, or it
may with advantage be of same diameter as the exterior diameter of the
socket ring e. The rotator B may either be fixed on the rear end of the
endless screw shaft of the registering gear by a pin or otherwise, and the rear
end supported in the bearing of boss piece f, or the endless screw shaft may
be carried through the rotator, and have its rear bearing in said boss f.
I prefer, however, that the rear end of screw shaft should terminate with just
a sufficient length projecting from the case a as will serve to secure the
rotator boss, and that boss bearing in a pivot or journal support at the rear
end, by which arrangement the rotator may be readily detached if desired.
In the accompanying Drawing I have represented the log with four protecting
arms or guards, while the rotator has six vanes or blades, but these numbers
may be varied. The shape of the guards may also be varied so long as the
desired protection is afforded for the rotator, the whole being made of metal

page_text: adds weight to the rear end of the log, which together with the action of tle
water on the guard arms prevents the logs skipping or jumping, and moreover
protects the rotator vanes from interruption or damage from matters floating
in the water through which it passes.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the application of the guard
frame to ships' logs in the manner and for the purpose herein-befcie
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Massey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
W. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
FREDERICK MASSEY. (L.S.)