AN IMPROVEMENT ON RUDDERS
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMPSON
PEARSON, of South Shields, in the County of Durham, Ship Builder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at West-
minster, the First day of November, in the first year of His reign, give and
grant unto me, the said Thompson Pearson, my exors, admors, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Thompson Pearson, my exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT ON RUDDERS;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso that if I, the said Thompson Pearson, shall not par-
ticularly describe and ascertain 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, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately.
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly
cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thompson Pearson, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, in and by
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following description thereof (that is
to say) -
That my Invention doth consist in a plunger or sliding end, applied to the
lower extremity of a ship's rudder in such manner that when forced upwards
by any power from underneath it may rise without unshipping the rudder, and
may again be placed in its former situation from the deck.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents the hinder part of a vessel with the new rudder attached
to it. A is the plunger, being a hollow case planked up and fastened off in
the usual ship-building manner, and sliding over the lower end of the rudder,
which does not extend below the dotted line at N. To the inside of this case
are fastened the lower ends of the two metal rods or conductors c, g, which
move in grooves cased over at B, B, and exposed again above the middle
male band T. There are similar conductors on the opposite side of the
rudder. The conductor 9 only continues its length as far as the male band T,
at L is another rod or conductor sliding in the groove at X, and used only
to steady the plunger in its ascent and descent. V, V, V, V, and W, are
plates of metal fastened on the rudder, to facilitate the sliding of the plunger.
e, e, are two rollers for the same purpose. At M on the conductor is a
sheave corresponding with one on the rudder head at D, through which a rope
is to be passed, as shewn at Fig. 2, for the purpose of raising the plunger at
pleasure from the deck. f is a small roller across the bottom of the plunger;
Y is the head of the conductor e, e, e, e. At the lower extremity of the fore
part of the plunger is a gudgeon O, which slides up and down on the pintle J,
when the plunger is moved, carrying with it a small guard K; K, which is
better shewn in Figure 5 and 6. S represents the stern post to which the
pintle J is fixed. h, h, h, are three scupper holes to clear the plunger of
dirt.
Figure 2 represents the plunger when raised to its greatest height. P is
a small takle fall leading on deck through the sheaves M, D, and one end of
which is fastened to the ring R. By this tackle the plunger may be raised
at pleasure from the deck. Q is a fall rove for the purpose of depressing
the plunger, as shewn more distinctly in Figure 3. In this Fig., Y, which is-
the head of the conductor c, c, c, c, it will be observed rises considerably above
the head of the rudder, it being connected to and consequently rising with the
plunger.

page_text: Figure 3 represents the hinder part of the rudder, shewing the roller e, e,
and the conductor L; at Q is the end of the fall rove before mentioned, leading
on deck over the sheave E, the other end being fastened to Y the top of the
conductor c, c, whence the fall runs through the sheave U. By this means
the plunger is pressed down after having been raised when anything obstructs
its descent, its own weight being generally sufficient for this purpose. W is
a plate of copper for the rollers e, e, to work upon.
Figure 4 is a front view of the rudder and plunger.
Figure 5 represents the hinder part of the stern post, shewing the guard K, K,
moving on the pintle J.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the guard. It will be understood that
this guard moves in grooves, which keep it confined to the back part of the
stern post, so that when the plunger is raised it acts as a support to the
pintle J. Now a plunger or sliding end, such as is herein-before mentioned,
being to the best of my knowledge and belief entirely new and never before
used in these Kingdoms, I am desirous to maintain this my exclusive right
and privilege to the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thompson Pearson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty.