IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' COMPASSES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR FINDING THE DEVIATIONS THEREOF
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Francis Reynolds, of 547, Commercial Road
East, in the County of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument Maker, for the
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' COMPASSES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
FINDING THE DEVIATIONS THEREOF."
CE
Sealed the 14th January 1879, and dated the 19th July 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Francis Reynolds
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th July 1878.
WILLIAM FRANCIS REYNOLDS, of 547, Commercial Road East, in the County
of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' COMPASSES,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR FINDING THE DEVIATIONS THEreof.'
"
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' compasses, and in apparatus for
finding the deviations thereof, and consists, firstly, in fitting a glass partition in a
binnacle case or stand so as to divide it into two parts, one to serve as the card or
needle compartment, and the other the lower, for the reception of a reflector, by
which the light of a lantern placed in the side may throw the light upwards, and so,
light up the card that is within the upper chamber. This plan is available for dry
or liquid compasses.
The apparatus thus made constitutes within itself a binnacle and compass com-
bined, as one article instead of in two articles, as at present. I therefor by my.
Invention reduce the cost of manufacture, make the article less bulky, besides
making it more convenient than those at present constructed.
In some cases I fit the lamp or lamps direct in the card chamber, either above or
below the card, such as when it is necessary to keep the compass very low, as in
yachts or for skylight purposes.
The second part of my Invention consists in fitting to the top or upper part of
my binnacle compass above described an instrument known as the "palinurus," but
of an improved construction, by which the deviations of the compass are found by
means of the sun's shadow.

page_text: Instead of using an upright pair of sights arranged to travel round the hour
circle I fit an upright disc having a pointer for moving over the hours of the day
scale. This disc carries at its central part a spindle or arbor, on which on one side
of the disc a pinion is mounted, and on the other side a pointer hand to move over
the declination scale, which is marked upon the disc. The upper part of the disc
has hinged or pivotted to it a rock frame, whose lower end has a segmental toothed
rack upon it to engage in the teeth of the pinion, so that one may be moved by
the other.
The rock frame has on one end a small disc or shield, available also as an eye
piece, and on the other a disc of glass or other material. The rock frame can be
set at an angle, representing the declination of the heavenly body under observation,
whereby this instrument will give the deviations of the compass by means of the
sun's shadow, or by the direct observation of it or of any other of the heavenly
bodies within the tropics or near thereto, and not only in high latitudes, as is the
case with the present constructed palinurus and similar instruments.
According to another part of my Invention I suspend within a box having a
sloping top a bent bar or strip of metal or other material, to which the pivot point.
of the compass card is affixed. One end of the strip is carried up the back of the
box, so that it serves as the lubbers' point, from whicli the card can be read in the
usual manner.
The sloping top of the box has a glass fitted in, through which the card can be
seen, and is protected from injury.
The suspension of the card upon a strip of metal or its equivalent permits of the
ordinary movements from the rolling motion of a ship to take place, but not that of
the pitching, this being so slight in its character as not to effect the proper action of
the card and its needle.
According to another part of my Invention I fit at a height above the deck of a
vessel a compass bowl or card with a very long needle, and to the stem or centre on
which this card is balanced I arrange a magnet, this being within the same or in a
distinct bowl. Within the same or another bowl I arrange another needle on inde-
pendent centres, the ends of the lower needle being within range of the magnet as
to be influenced by it.
Around the edge of the chamber in which the lower needle is situate a
series of wires or magnetic points or plates, which through the contact of the
needle with the plates in moving causes a dial below, say upon the deck by wires,
which complete the magnetic circuit to indicate the variations of the upper card.
It is from the dial, by comparing it with the ship's compass, that any error of the
latter may be corrected.
The compass bowl with the long needle and the magnet, and also the bowl with
the smaller needle, are fitted at a height as to be out of the influence of local
attraction.
The upper needle of the two is very large in proportion to that of the lower, and
its power is so superior that in moving upon its centre it overcomes the magnetic
attraction of any one wire upon the lower needle, and causes the lower needle to
follow its movements. The lower of the two needles is sometimes fitted with a
small roller on one end, to travel upon a ledge in which the wires at given distances
apart are arranged so that by the contacts a circuit is closed with a corresponding
magnet on the dial below.
Instead of being placed at a height it may be rigged out upon a spar or otherwise
from any part of the ship as to be clear of the deviation.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Francis Reynolds in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th January 1879.
WILLIAM FRANCIS REYNOLDS, of 547, Commercial Road East, in the County
of Middlesex, Nautical Instrument Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' COMPASSES,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR FINDING THE DEVIATIONS THEREOF.'
"
This Invention relates to improvements in ships' compasses, and in apparatus for
finding the deviations thereof, and consists, first, in fitting a glass partition A in a
binnacle case or stand B so as to divide it into two parts, as in Figure 1, one part
to serve as the card or needle compartment C, and the other, the lower D, for the
reception of a reflector E, by which the light of a lantern F, placed in the side,
may throw the light upwards, and so light up the card G that is within the upper
chamber. This plan is available for dry or liquid compasses.
The apparatus thus made constitutes within itself a binnacle and compass com-
bined as one article, instead of in two articles as at present. I therefore by my
Invention reduce the cost of manufacture, make the article less bulky, besides
making it more convenient than those at present constructed.
In some cases I fit the lamp or lamps direct into the card chamber either above
or below the card, such as when it is necessary to keep the compass very low, as in
yachts or for skylight purposes.
<
The second part of my Invention consists in fitting to the top or upper part of
my binnacle compass when flat, as in Figure 2, an instrument known as the
palinurus," but of an improved construction, by which the deviations of the
compass are found by means of the sun's shadow.
Instead of using an upright pair of sights arranged to travel round the hour
circle I fit an upright disc H, Figure 3, having a pointer for moving over the hours
of the day scale. This disc H carries at its central part a spindle or arbor, on
which, on one side of the disc, a pinion L is mounted, and on the other side a
pointer hand, to move over the declination scale which is marked upon the disc H.
The upper part of the disc H has hinged or pivotted to it a rock frame N, whose
lower end has a segmental toothed rack P upon it to engage into the teeth of the
pinion L, so that one may be moved by the other.
The rock frame has on one end a small disc or shield Q, available also as an eye
piece, and on the other a disc of glass or other material R. The rock frame N can
be set at an angle representing the declination of the heavenly body under obser-
vation, whereby this instrument will give the deviations of the compass by means
of the sun's shadow, or by the direct observation of it, or of any other of the
heavenly bodies within the tropics or near thereto, and not only in high latitudes,
as is the case with the present constructed palinurus and similar instruments.
According to another part of my Invention, which is represented at Figures 4
and 5 of the Drawings, I suspend within a box S, having a sloping top, a bent bar
or strip of metal or other material T, to which the pivot point of the compass
card G is affixed. One end a of the strip T is carried up the back of the box S, so
that it serves as the lubbers' point, from which the card G can be read in the usual
manner.
The sloping top of the box has a glass U fitted in, through which the card G
can be seen, and be protected from injury.
The suspension of a compass card upon a strip of metal or its equivalent, as
described, permits of the ordinary movements of the card from the rolling motion
of a ship to take place, the pitching motion being so slight in its character as not to
affect the proper action of the card and its needle while in use. V is the cover to
the box S.
"
The next part of my Invention is clearly represented at Figure 6 of the annexed
Drawings. A is the compass suspended by a rope B from some height as to be out

page_text: of local magnetic influence, say high up between the two masts of a vessel, that
the compass may remain comparatively steady, during the rolling and pitching
motion of a vessel by the centre C in one direction and the loops D, D, in the other.
In the upper part of the compass A a very long buoyed needle F (or needles) is
arranged on an arbor or stem G, or it may be on a pivot, which also. carries a
magnet H. The ends of the magnet are turned as shown for the points to act upon
a small needle I as to draw it round in the direction of travel of the upper needle
F, by whose superior power it is compelled to move.
This lower needle I is within a dry chamber formed under the upper bowl, which
contains liquid, and is fixed on a staff J supported by a spring plate K, which also
acts as an armature to an electro-magnet L placed beneath it, and by which it is
drawn into contact when a key is acted upon to close the circuit.
In the chamber a ring or disc M of some insulating material is fitted with per-
forations near its edge, a series of wires N, N, being passed through these
perforations, and forming terminals.
The
The wires are preferably 120 in number, and are brought into four groups.
first wire of each of the four groups is attached to one of the line wires P. The
second wire of each group is attached to the next line wire, and so on to the series
of line wires P, P, of which there are 45 by preference. The opposite end of the
first line wire is carried round an electro-magnet Q, and is attached to a wire R,
which completes the circuit. The second line wire is connected to a second electro-
magnet Q, and is also connected with the wire R, which completes the circuit, and
so on for the remainder of the 45 wires.
The 45 electro-magnets Q are arranged in a quarter of a circle within a box S,
which may be placed upon the deck of the vessel or other position convenient for
observation.
Opposite to each of these magnets Qis an upright armature T, formed with a lip
bent forward, as in Figure 7, detached view, or in such a manner that when the
apparatus is at rest the 45 lips entirely cover up one-fourth of an annular band or
"space" U around the compass dial V that is within the box S.
The dial V is moveable upon a centre within the ring U, and is notched at four
parts of its circumference, into which a click can engage to hold the dial exactly in
any one of the four positions in which it may be set by hand.
When an observation has to be taken the closing of the circuit by a pressure upon
a key excites the magnet L and causes it to draw down the spring plate K and the
lower needle to fall and rest upon the wire terminal over which it may chance to
be, and so close the circuit of the corresponding magnet Q of the series (45 before
mentioned).
The end of the needle I is a little wider than would cover two of the terminals,
so that if the needle I should happen to be drawn down upon two of the terminals
two of the series of magnets Q, Q, will be excited at the same time, and the lips of
two adjoining upright armatures T, T, will uncover a space and exhibit a mark
which is upon the "space" U, the mark serving as the lubber line for the time
being.
If only one of the magnets Q is excited a narrow white space becomes exposed,
the centre of which will be taken as the lubbers' line. By this means 45 wires are
made to show in succession 90 degrees.
It is presumed that the navigator will know at the time of observation within
which quarter of the compass his course lies, and will set the compass dial
accordingly, from which the errors of the ordinary compass may be corrected.
Instead of the compass with the very long needle F being fitted at a height,
as before explained, it may be rigged out upon a spar or otherwise from any part of
the ship as to be clear of deviations.
Having now described the nature of any said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The combined binnacle and compass shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the
annexed Drawings, for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Secondly. The improved declination sight for compass error detectors as described,
and as shown in Figure 3 of the annexed Drawings.
Thirdly. The compass without gimballs, the centre only being allowed to swing,
as described, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
Fourthly. The apparatus described with reference to Figure 6 of the annexed
Drawings, by which a compass placed out of the range of attraction may 'register
by electricity its movements to any part of a vessel to enable other compasses to be
corrected thereby if desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Francis Reynolds, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
Witness,
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent,
40, Fleet Street,
London.
W. F. REYNOLDS. (L.S.)