Improvements in and relating to Steering Gear for Steam Ships or other Vessels.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 6th Aug.. 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steering Gear for Steam Ships or
other Vessels.
We, THOMAS MAXWELL GRANT, of the firm of Napier Brothers, Limited,
Engineers, of 100 Hydepark Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, DAVID JOHNSTON, of
Elmpark Engine Works, Mavisbank, Glasgow, Engineer, and ALEXANDER
KELLY, Secretary to the said firm, at 100 Hydepark Street, aforesaid, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in and
relating to steering gear for steam ships or other vessels; and combinations of
mechanism therefor and connected therewith; and which will enable such
steering gear to work the rudder head through screw spindles and connecting rods,
or chains and chain barrels by the motive engines, or otherwise be worked by
ordinary hand steering wheels or gear, and also be able to control the steam or
other pressure fluid engines by new combinations of mechanism from the officers
bridge. These improvements will make steering gears more generally useful and
applicable than heretofore.
According to one arrangement the improvements consist in driving the
longitudinal right and left handed screw spindle or spindles of the screw gear by
spur wheels on the one end of these spindles actuated by a spur wheel on an
intermediate shaft between this gear and the cross or transverse crank shaft of the
steam or pressure fluid engine, which would actuate this intermediate shaft by a
screw on the crank shaft working into a loose rotating screw wheel on the
intermediate shaft, coupled to it by a sliding clutch or other coupling. The screw
crank shaft may either be mounted below or above the centre intermediate shaft
and its screw wheel, and worked by inverted cylinders on each side of this centre
shaft at such distances apart as will enable the cranks at right angles to each other
to clear the screw wheel; or when the crank shaft is fitted above, angled cylinders
may be used working on the same crank at one side. When two screw spindles
are used, these are mounted in bearings in the top of the two side frames, of the
steering gear, which are stayed together by parallel turned stays at their outer
ends made to form guides for the traversing screw nuts which have coupling and
uncoupling vertical pins and pin holes through them for the pins to enter
corresponding holes in bushes sliding in planed slots in the outer end of an
actuating crosshead oscillating on a strong stud projecting up from the screw
frame, this crosshead being coupled by rods leading direct back and jointed to the
crosshead secured on the upper end of the rudder spindle, the screws being actuated
by spur gearing from the crank or intermediate shafts. Two arrangements may
be used for actuating the rudder crosshead by chains and chain gearing when the
screw gearing is not desired or enabled to be used, and their screw bushes
disengaged from their cross head, by either mounting a double or single grooved
chain wheel or segmental wheel on the top of the rudder spindle, and leading
forward the chains on opposite sides of the centre screw gear round guide pulleys,
the chains being led in to pass one or two turns round a strong chain barrel
mounted on the intermediate driving shaft forward of the engines, or on a short
shaft below this actuated by spur gear from the intermediate shaft; this barrel
being put into and out of gear by a sliding clutch at its one end, or on its driving
pinion, and so be actuated by the engine or not as desired when the screw gear is
out of action. The forward end of this intermediate centre shaft is further
connected by a sliding clutch to a clutch on the stern end of the shaft of the hand
steering wheel gear, which is mounted on standards from the deck in the axial line

page_text: of this intermediate shaft, so that when this is coupled, and the sliding clutch of
the screw wheel on the intermediate shaft actuated by the engine uncoupled, this
intermediate shaft can be turned by the hand gear to either actuate the rudder by
the screw gear or by the chain gear whichever is put into or out of action by their
couplings. In some cases however a loose bevel wheel actuated by a sliding
coupling might be mounted on this intermediate shaft or on the shaft below it in
front on the engine, gearing into corresponding bevel wheels secured on the
adjacent ends of transverse shafts carried in bearing standards from the deck, to
actuate these in opposite directions, with chain barrels mounted on them, so that
the forward end of the chains from the chain wheel on the top of the rudder
spindle may be wound one or two turns round these barrels on the transverse
shafts, the one barrel giving off its chain at the same rate that the other wound up
its chain in actuating or steering the rudder head, instead of the forward end of
the chains being guided on to one barrel on the centre driving spindles as before
described. Or otherwise in some cases the crosshead of the screwgear might be
lengthened and made with segmental chain grooves on their outer ends and have
the rear ends of the said chains from the chain barrels connected to this crosshead
whether with or without grooves to actuate it, and the rudder crosshead through.
the links connecting these crossheads, the screw bushes of the first crosshead being
uncoupled by removing the pins from the actuating screw bushes when the chains
and barrels were to be so used to actuate the rudder.
A further improvement consists in controlling the actuating and reversing valve
of the engines when these are used for steering, from the officers bridge forward.
or amidships, by endless pulling wire rope mechanism between the wheel gearing
at the bridge and the valve spindles at the engine, instead of as heretofore by long
shafting. The vertical spindle which works the ordinary screw or lever mechanism
of the controlling and reversing valves at the engines, is continued right down
through and under the deck and carried in a footstep bearing, and geared by a
pair of bevel wheels on a transverse shaft carried in bearings secured to the deck
beams, and having a grooved screw barrel on it suitable for the rear loop end of
the wire rope to be passed round it; and the vertical shaft of the hand wheel
gearing on the bridge is similarly continued down through the deck and geared by
bevel wheels to actuate a similarly mounted cross shaft with a corresponding
grooved screw barrel on it to the one aft, for the forward loop end of the wire rope
to pass round it, so that as the hand wheel gearing on the bridge is turned in
either direction, say to port, it turns the forward wire rope barrel similarly in
reverse directions to wind on say the one strand or line of the rope forwards, by a
pulling action, and give off the other strand or line aft, and actuate the rear screw
barrel in the corresponding direction say to port to cause the engine to turn the
rudder to port; while the turning of the hand wheel to starboard would reverse
the screw barrel and draw upon the other strand or line of the rope, and so turn
the aft barrel in the opposite direction to make the engine actuate the rudder to
starboard, the ropes being traversed on the screw grooves of the barrels towards
their opposite ends with sufficient grooves for steering to full port or full
starboard.
A further improvement consists in an arrangement for guiding the two strands
or lines of the rope parallelly at the distance of their two grooved threads or more
apart leading to and from the barrels according to the number of turns the rope
makes round the grooved barrel. This consists of two grooved pulleys in the
plane of each rope leading to and from the upper and lower periphery of the
barrels at a sufficient distance apart to have two larger rollers traversed between
them carried on a slotted cross bar or frame secured by studs or stays from the
beams under the deck. Each of these ceutral grooved pulleys would be carried on
studs secured in traversing bushes mounted in the slotted arms of the cross bar, so
that a right and left hand screw or a screw in each slotted arm would traverse the
bushes and pulleys to or from each other between the guide pulleys and so tighten
up the two lines of the wire rope to take up the slack to a proper tightness for

page_text: the rope working properly to reverse and actuate the engines as hereinbefore
described.
Dated the 6th. November 1891.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Steering Gear for Steam Ships or
other Vessels.
We, THOMAS MAXWELL GRANT, of the firm of Napier Brothers, Limited
Engineers, 100 Hydepark Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, DAVID JOHNSTON, of
Elmpark Engine Works, Mavisbank, Glasgow, Engineer, and ALEXANDER KELLY,
Secretary to the said firm, at 100 Hydepark Street, aforesaid, do hereby declare
the nature of our invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, that is to say :-
Our invention has reference to and comprises certain improvements in and
relating to steering gear for steam ships or other vessels; and combinations of
mechanism therefor and connected therewith; and which will enable such steering
gear to work the rudder head through screw spindles and connecting rods, or chains
and chain barrels by the motive engines, or by ordinary hand steering wheels or
gear. The steam or other pressure fluid engines would also be controlled by new com-
binations of mechanism from the officers bridge or other part of the vessel These
improvements will make steering gears more generally useful and applicable than
heretofore.
According to one arrangement the improvements consist in driving the ordinary
longitudinal right and left handed screw spindle or spindles of the screw gear by
spur wheels on the one end of these spindles, actuated by a spur wheel on an
intermediate shaft between this gear and the cross or transverse crank shaft of the
steam or fluid pressure engine, which would actuate this intermediate shaft by a
screw on the crank shaft working into a loose rotating screw wheel on the
intermediate shaft coupled to it by a sliding clutch or other coupling.
And in order that the nature of our said invention, and the manner of performing
or carrying the same into effect or practice may be properly understood we have
hereunto appended four sheets of explanatory drawings, in which the same
reference letters are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where
shown.
Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 show a side elevation and plan respectively of one
arrangement or combination of our improvements as applied to an ordinary right
and left hand single screw spindle arrangement 2 of steering gear, for either
actuating the rudder spindle Z, through the screw gearing by the engine and its
gearing direct, or otherwise through a single chain barrel and quadrant gear or
through either of these by hand steering wheel gear.
Figures 3 and 4 on Sheet 2 are a side elevation and a plan respectively of a
second arrangement or combination of our improvements as applied to an ordinary
double right and left handed screw spindle arrangement,, of steering gear for
either actuating the rudder spindle Z through the screw gearing by the engine and
its gearing direct, or otherwise through a double chain barrel gearing arrangement
or through either of these by hand steering wheel gear: While
Figures 1 and 2ª on Sheet 3 are a side section and end view of the engine and
its controlling and reversing gear corresponding to Figures 1 and 2 on Sheet 1.
And
Figures 3 and 4 on same sheet are an end elevation, and a plan of the double
screw steering gear arrangement respectively, and of the engine also in the latter,

page_text: but to a larger scale corresponding to the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4,
on Sheet 2, of the drawings.
Figures 5 and 6 on Sheet 4, of the drawings show a longitudinal elevation, and a
plan below the deck Y' respectively, of the forward part of the wire rope arrange-
ments and gearing of our improvements for actuating the gear for controlling the
engine from the officer's bridge, or other part of the ship instead of by the ordinary
long shafts and wheels usually connected to the spindles m, m', of the controlling
gear of the steering engines, shown in Figures 1, 14, and 2ª, of the drawings.
Referring to the arrangement of our improvements shown in Figures 1 and 2 on
Sheet 1, and 1 and 24 on Sheet 3, in which, e, is the single longitudinal right
and left handed screw spindle, of an ordinary arrangement of screw steering gear
having its after end carried in a journal bearing standard Y¹ projecting up from the
deck Y, and its forward end in a pivotted block at Y" on the top of the rudder
spindle Z, or its crosshead 7, and 2, 2", are the traversing screw nuts and blocks
fitted on the right and left handed screws z, z', respectively and guided on parallel
stay rods carried in the said standards Y' and pivotted block at Y". The
traversing screw blocks 22 actuate the crosshead Zin reverse directions
respectively by the connecting rods y, y', through engaging and disengaging
portable pins, direct from the engine and its gearing, when this right and left
handed screw gearing is employed. But the crosshead 7', may be actuated, when
required or preferred, by a quadrant chain lever X, X', keyed or otherwise secured
on the rudder spindle Z, below the crosshead Z', and preferably traversed on anti-
friction rollers X" working on a segmental plate X on the deck Y, through
ordinary arrangements of a chain or chains X, X3 having the ends secured to the
quadrants X' of this lever X X', and conveyed thereto by ordinary guide pulleys
not shown in the drawings from the actuating screw barrel J of the engine gearing.
In this arrangement the improvements consist in driving the longitudinal right and
left handed screw spindle, ', through an intermediate shaft F, in this case
mounted to work in a line with the screw spindle and coupled to it at F1, as seen
particularly in Figures 1 and 2, and actuated by a screw G¹ on the crank shaft G
of the engine working into a screw wheel G having its long boss G, mounted to
work loose on the said intermediate shaft F and actuated by a clutch coupling F
sliding on feathers on the shaft F said coupling being operated by a bow hand
lever F, all as seen particularly in Figures 1 and 24, of the engine and its
controlling gear. The engine here consists of two inverted cylinders H, H, and
their steam valve casings H, H', bolted at H on the top of vertical side standards
and transverse frame I, 1', aft, and mall able iron standards 12 forward, all carried
and secured on the box sole or bed plate 1, with their axes over crank pins G³ in
end driving discs G2, on the transverse crank shaft G carried in bearing blocks G',
in the lower part of the standards I, preferably below and at right angles to the
intermediate shaft F. The crosshead H" of the piston rod of each cylinder H is
guided in slide guides in the standards I and by the connecting rod H² directly
connected to each crank pin G³, these pins G³ being set at right angles to each
other, in the crank discs G of the crank shaft G, which directly actuates the slide
valves in the steam casings H' by eccentrics H, and connecting rods H*, all so as
to clear the centre screw wheel G" working between them under the steam
casings H, H, of the engine. The end or part of the shaft F under the engine
which passes through the boss G of the screw wheel G, is carried by a journal
on it in a bush bearing block 1, in the transverse framing 1. When the inter-
mediate shaft F is not desired to actuate the rudder spindle Z direct through the
right and left handed screw spindle or spindles, ¹, this screw gear is disengaged
by removing the coupling pins and uncoupling the rods y, y'. The shaft Fis
or may be used for actuating the rudder spindle Z through a single screw chain
barrel J shown as mounted on a shaft J' below the shaft F, in bearing blocks J"
on the after part of the sole plate 11 of the engine and actuated by a spur
wheel J' keyed on one end of its shaft J' gearing into a clutch pinion J³ mounted
loose on the shaft F, this pinion being shown in this arrangement as a clutch pinion,

page_text: and taking into a corresponding clutch on the boss G of the screw wheel G¹¹
and shifted into gear by a hand lever J, when the screw wheel G" and engine
is desired to actuate the rudder spindle Z. The rudder spindle Z is actuated
by the chain barrel J, through the actuating chains X2, X³, connected and led
from this barrel to port and starboard and aft round usual guide pulleys and
connected to opposite ends of the chain segments X1, X', of the rudder lever X as
herein before stated and indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2 to actuate the lever X,
and the rudder being actuated to port or starboard, according as the chain screw
barrel J is turned in the one direction or the other by the engine. The barrel J,
winds up the chain X2 at the same rate as it gives off the chain X³ or vice versa.
The pinion J³ for actuating the wheel J, may be coupled to the shaft F by
a separate clutch J and shifted into gear by the hand lever J', which shifts it
also into gear with the clutch boss Gil, of the screw wheel G₁ of the engine,
as before described.
For actuating either of these two steering gears that is either the right and
left screw steering spindle, 2', or the chain barrel steering gear J, by the hand
spoke wheel arrangement F³ to F5 instead of by the engine, when this is desired
or required, the intermediate driving shaft F, is continued forward in front of
the engine or a separate shaft coupled to it in line at F³, carried on journal
bearing blocks and standards F from the deck Y. This shaft F3, has mounted
loose on it one, two, three, or more hand spoke wheels F, cach having sliding
clutch couplings F³, mounted on grooves and feathers on the shaft F which take
into corresponding couplings on the side of the hand wheels F when they are to
actuate the shaft F, F³, and rudder spindle Z, by hand through either the right and
left hand screw gear z z¹ or the chain barrel gear J which would be effected by.
disengaging the coupling F, and coupling the pinion J³ to the shaft F, by the
coupling J and hand lever J. In this arrangement the crank shaft G of the
engine is reversed by an ordinary arrangement of reversing steam and exhaust
piston valve and valve chest h', the steam being admitted to the two ends of the
chest, by the branch pipe i and exhausting from the centre exhaust chamber or
ports by the branch pipe j, while two common or alternate steam and exhaust
pipes or channels k, k', lead from the steam and exhaust ports 1, 1, on each side of
the central exhaust ported chamber j¹ covered by the piston valve in its central
position to stop the engine. These pipes or passages k, k', lead respectively to the
slide valve casings H₁ of both cylinders H, and to the central or exhaust passage All
of each casing and cylinder, so as to reverse the steam or exhaust to these according
as the piston valve h is raised or lowered and so reverse the engines by the slide
valves and their eccentrics H³. This raising or lowering of the piston valve / is
shown as effected by the bow link 7 jointed at top to the lower end of the rod of
the piston valve h, its lower bow ends being jointed to the bell crank shifted by
the screw spindle carried and turned by the bevel wheel, and its actuating
wheel, on a central shaft m, or by the hand wheel 1, the screw of this spindle 12,
working in the screwed eye of a spur wheel 13, both the wheel and the wheel ³,
being carried in the standard frame n, also carrying the axis of the levers, F
and the bearings of the centre shaft m, all as shown particularly in the sectional
side and end views Figures 1 and 24 on Sheet 3. This gear is much of an
ordinary construction of reversing gear to be worked by the shafts m and m¹
(leading from the officers bridge, poop, or other part of the ship) through the
spur wheels m², m", which shift the screw spindle through the bevel wheels /¹¹,
, to actuate the reversing valve and engines through the bell crank to
any desired extent in either direction as desired by the officer in charge, to port
or starboard the helm; the engine bringing the valve to its normal stopping
position through the spur wheel and screw wheel ³ to retain the rudder where
it was set to by the action of the engine.
Referring to the improved arrangement and combination shown in Figures 3
and 4 on Sheet 2 and in the detailed views 3 and 4 on Sheet 3, this consists

page_text: of a double arrangement of the right and left handed screw spindles z, z, carried
in end journal bearings in double standards Y, Y¹, bolted to the deck Y and
stayed together by the parallel bars z,, on which the screw nuts 22,
slide, connected by the engaging and disengaging pins 3,, taking into the
bushes A', working into the grooves A" of the internal crosshead A, within the
crosshead B both mounted loose on the strong fixed stud D, but with strain
receiving springs mounted between them within the box crosshead B, and substan-
tially of the construction described in Patent No. 18151". The crosshead B is
jointed below on its opposite arms by connecting rods C, C, jointed at their other
ends to the crosshead Z, keyed on the top of the rudder spindle Z; but it is to be
understood that the crosshead B might be directly keyed on the top of rudder
spindle Z dispensing with the connecting rods C, and crossheads Z'. Although the
improved double crosshead A, B, has been described as being here preferred to be
used, it is to be understood that an ordinary single crosshead A with bushes A',
might be used to so actuate the rudder spindle Z either through the links C or
direct by the portable pins when mounted on the rudder spindle. In this arrange-
ment the right and left handed screw spindles z, z', are actuated by spur wheels E",
E", on their ends gearing into a corresponding wheel E keyed on the after end of
the intermediate shaft F, as seen more particularly in Figures 4 and 44 and
dotted-in in Figure 3A. The intermediate shaft F in this arrangement is mounted,
on a lower level than the screw spindles, in both bearing standards E³, E³, on the
fore and aft end of the soleplate 1" of the engine, and central below and between
the cylinders H, H, which are here also of the inverted form bolted on the top of
end columns I, I, forming the guides to their crossheads H", so as to be actuated
by a crank shaft G and screw on it gearing into the screw wheel G" otherwise
substantially as described in reference to the former arrangement and lettered to
correspond, except that the screw wheel G is made smaller in diameter to get the
cylinders H, H, and their casings H', H' mounted close together. The reversing
steam and exhaust casing h' and valve is in this case mounted on the after side of
the cylinders with its controlling gear to be worked from the officer's bridge, poop,
or other part of the ship and here shown as actuated by a horizontal shaft m, or m',
and bevel wheels 1, 1, mounted low down on bearing brackets n near the sole-
plate I, instead of the vertical shafts m; m', and spur wheels of the former arrange-
ment, but otherwise all substantially as described in reference to the former arrange-
ment and lettered to correspond. In this arrangement however instead of the single
chain barrel arrangement J, being used for working the rudder spindle Z direct
through chains X X carried to a quadrant lever X, X', the intermediate shaft F
is carried forward in front of the engine on the standards E³, E³, and has a loose
bevel wheel or pinion K mounted on it with a sliding clutch coupling K, on the
shaft for putting it into and out of gear. This loose pinion K, works into bevel
wheels K secured on the adjacent ends of two transverse shafts K2, carried in bush
bearing standards K, secured to the soleplate I", of the engine, and at their outer
ends in bearings K³, in the inner side frames of a double screw chain barrel gear
arrangement L, L', carried in standard frames L", L2, on opposite sides of the
engine. The chain screw barrels L, L', are actuated from the shafts K2, K2, by
intermediate shafts L³, L³, through a double set of power increasing wheels K, K,
and L, L, in opposite directions to each other and have right and left handed
screw grooves on their barrels with chains X2, X³, mounted on them, having the
other ends of the chains carried aft and secured to grooved segments X, on the
crosshead B, so as to actuate the rudder spindle through this double chain gearing
arrangement L, L', or these chains might be carried back and actuate the quadrant
lever X, X, secured on the rudder spindle as indicated in the arrangement shown
in Figures 1 and 2, instead of from the single barrel J, all in either case instead of
using the screw gearing 2, ¹, which would be disengaged by removing the pins 23, 23,
from the actuating screw bushes 22, z", when the chain barrels are to be used to
actuate the rudder. The one barrel L, takes up the chain X' as the barrel L'
gives off the chain X³ equally, or vice versa, according to the direction the engine

page_text: shaft G and intermediate shaft F are turned; and either actuate the rudder
spindle through the connecting rods C, C, and crossheads Z', or direct when the
crosshead B is mounted on the rudder spindle Z. The hand spoke wheel shaft F³
is shown in this case as mounted separately from the shaft F with the spoke
wheels F secured on it, and is coupled to the shaft F, by a single clutch F, when
it is desired to actuate the rudder spindle Z either through the right and left
handed screw gear, 2, or the chain barrel gear L, L', respectively through their
couplings For K¹.
A further improvement as shown in Figures 5 and 6 on Sheet 4, consists in
controlling the actuating and reversing valve of the engines when these are used
for steering, from the officer's bridge or poop, by endless pulling wire rope
mechanism between the wheel gearing at the bridge or poop and the valve and
spindles m m at the engine, instead of as heretofore by long shafting. Referring
to these Figures 5 and 6 on Sheet 4, N is the hand wheel which actuates the bevel
gearing N and pointer on top for showing the angle to port or starboard
corresponding to which the hand wheel and gearing sets the rudder of the ordinary
officer's stearing gear as erected at the top of the standard N", it may be on the
poop or on the officers deck Y2; and N2 is the vertical shaft leading down from
the bevel gearing N1 within the case at the top of the standard N, through the
deck Y with a bevel wheel N³ on it gearing into a corresponding bevel wheel N
mounted on a horizontal shaft N. carried in bearing brackets No, bolted to the
under side of the deck Y, and having a grooved screw barrel O, secured on it
suitable for the forward loop end of the wire rope o, o¹, to be passed a number of
turns round it; and the vertical shaft m or m', shown in Figures 1 and 2 Sheet 1
and Figures 1 and 2^, Sheet 3 for actuating the ordinary gear indicated in these
figures in italic letters h to m is similarly continued up or down to the deck Y2 and
geared by bevel wheels similar to N³, N, to actuate a similarly mounted cross
shaft N' with a corresponding grooved screw barrel on it to the one forward for the
after loop end of the wire rope to pass a number of turns, as shown at the forward
barrel O round it, so that as the hand wheel N and its gearing on the bridge or
poop is turned in either direction, say to port or starboard, it turns the forward rope
barrel O, correspondingly in a direction to wind on say the one section or line o of
the wire rope forwards, by a pulling action, and give off the other section or line o¹
aft and actuate the rear screw barrel in the corresponding direction to cause the
engine to turn the rudder to port; while the turning of the hand wheel N to
starboard would reverse the screw barrel (), and draw up the other section or
line o of the wire rope, and so turn the aft barrel in the opposite direction to
make the engine actuate the rudder to starboard the wire ropes being traversed on
the screw grooves of the forward and aft barrels O, towards the opposite ends
with a sufficient number of grooves for steering to full port or full starboard. A
further improvement of this arrangement consists in guiding the two sections or
lines o, o, of the wire rope parallelly at a distance apart equal to the number of the
grooved threads occupied on the barrel O, by the rope according to the number of
turns it makes round the grooved barrel. This consists of two grooved
pulleys olo, preferably vertical pulleys mounted loose on separate horizontal
parallel spindles o" o carried in brackets of secured to one of the beams Y³ of the
deck Y. These pulleys o", o², are tied to each other by a cross bar o' on their
eyes or bosses to retain them and the two sections or lines o o' of the rope at the
proper distance apart and in the same horizontal plane, the one rope o passing
under the pulley o" and the other over the pulley of both pulleys traversing equally
on their spindles 01 03 according as the screw grooved barrel is turned, all as shown
particularly in the detached front elevation of these pulleys in Figure 7 on Sheet 4.
The two sections o, o', of the wire rope are continued in a horizontal plane
preferably through between two small horizontal grooved pulleys p p', carried in a
bracket p.preferably with a plain pulley p² between them to guide these ropes
forward parallelly to an improved arrangement of guiding and stretching pulleys for
and on opposite sides of each section o, o!, of the wire rope. This consists of two

page_text: grooved horizontal pulleys 4, 7, in the plane of each section o o¹ of wire rope
mounted on vertical studs at the outer and inner ends of triangular frames Q bolted
under the deck Y² between the beams Y at a sufficient distance apart to have two
larger rollers q' one for each arrangement carried on a vertical stud secured in a
traversing bush mounted in the central slotted arms or recess 7¹¹ of the frame Q,
so that a screw fitted in each slot q would traverse the bush and its stud
carrying the pulley 9 towards or from the guide pulleys q, q, and between them,
and so tighten up each section or line of cords o, o, of the wire rope passed round
the inner circumference of the guide pulleys 4, 9, and the outer periphery of the
grooved stretching pulley y', so as to take up the slack of each rope to the proper
tightness desired by turning the outer end 3 of the screw spindle 92 by hand keys
or other equivalent for each rope working properly to reverse and actuate the
steering engine. In these Figures 5 and 6 the wire ropes o, o', are shown as broken
away at ox, but it is to be understood that they would be carried along parallelly
under the deck Y2 over guide pulleys similar to those indicated by ppl and o², o",
to, and correspondingly wound spirally round a barrel on a corresponding
transverse shaft N* erected over the steering engine to actuate a vertical shaft
similar to N2 and which shaft would be led down to actuate through wheel gearing
either of the shafts m or m', of the controlling and reversing valve and gear of the
engine, as herein before described. This would be effected from the officers hand
steering wheel N and gearing in a positive manner by these improved wire rope
transmitters as correctly and effectually as by the longitudinal shafts and wheel
gearing heretofore employed for that purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we do not claim the construction or arrangement of the parts of
either single or double screw steering gear by themselves; or of a single or double
screw chain barrel arrangement merely by themselves, or of the steering engine
and its reversing valve gear by itself, but which we have had occasion to show
and describe to make our
combinations understood, but what we do
claim is
new
First. The general arrangement and combination of single or double spindle
right and left handed screw steering gear with single or double screw chain barrel
steering gear and steering steam engine for working either of these gears through a
single intermediate shaft by the engine controlled from the officers deck and hand
gear, or by ordinary hand wheel gear, all substantially as herein shown and
described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second. The general arrangement and combination of single spindle right and
left handed screw gear, and quadrant chain gear with single screw chain barrel
steering gear, and steering steam engine for working either of these gears through
a single intermediate shaft by the engine, or by ordinary hand wheel gear, sub-
stantially as shown and described in reference to Figures 1 and 2 and Figures 1ª,
and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Third. The general arrangement and combination of double spindle right and
left handed screw gear, and double screw chain barrel steering gear, and steering
steam engine for working either of these gears through a single intermediate shaft
by the engine, or by ordinary hand wheel gear, substantially as shown and described
in reference to Figures 3 and 4, and Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
Fourth. The use, arrangement, and combination of wire rope and barrel gearing
for transmitting positive motion from the officers hand steering and controlling
wheel, to the reversing and controlling gearing of steering steam engines, substan-
tially as herein shown and described in reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7, of the
accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In an arrangement of wire rope and barrel gearing transmitting positive
motion from the officers hand steering and controlling wheel to the reversing and

page_text: controlling gearing of steering steam engines, the arrangement and combination of
guiding and tightening pulleys for same, substantially as herein shown and
described in reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 5th August 1892.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.