IMPROVEMENTS, IN STEERING APPARATUS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS,
IN STEERING APPARATUS."-A communication from abroad by Henry
Franklin Shaw, of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States of
America,
Sealed the 12th May 1868, and dated the 14th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1867.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN STEERING APPARATUS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The said improvements relate to novel and powerful means for controlling
and operating the rudder of a steam ship or other vessel, and consist chiefly
in the combination with the other parts of the apparatus of an externally
toothed wheel and an internally toothed wheel or ring, either of which may
be attached to the rudder post while the other is fitted upon an eccentric or

page_text: crank fixed upon the steering wheel shaft, or some intermediate shaft con-
nected with the same. A connection with some fixed part of the apparatus
or vessel keeps the wheel carried by the eccentric from rotating on its axis
but allows the said wheel to follow the movements of the eccentric as the
latter is turned in either direction. Each tooth of this wheel is caused at
each revolution of the eccentric to act in succession upon all the teeth of the
wheel on the rudder head, the rudder being thereby easily turned in either
direction. The difference in diameter between the pitch lines of the internally
and externally toothed wheels equals the throw of the eccentric or crank, and
the leverage or advantage of the power over the resistance increases in an
inverse ratio to the throw of the said eccentric, so that by making this
difference very slight the controlling power of the steersman is increased
without increasing the size of the apparatus. The large number of teeth of
the two wheels which are always in gear together prevents any danger of
breaking the said teeth.
The rudder and post may be of any desired form and construction, and may
be attached to the vessel in the ordinary manner. I prefer the following
arrangement of parts:-The internally toothed wheel or ring is connected to
the rudder while the externally toothed wheel is carried by the eccentric and
forms the driver. The said ring may be of suitable diameter and strength,
and is firmly fixed upon the top of the rudder post or head. A rod or spindle
extends upward from the said post and forms the support for the shaft of the
eccentric which is made hollow to fit and turn upon the said rod, and is pre-
ferably cast or otherwise formed solidly with the said eccentric. The boss of
the externally toothed wheel is bored out and well fitted to the eccentric to
allow the latter to turn freely therein. The said wheel may be formed with a
shield or cover which serves to keep the apparatus dry and protects the wheels
from injury; this shield is preferably provided with an extension which forms
the connection for preventing the rotation of the said wheel. If desired,
however, this shield or cover may be dispensed with, and the connection
formed between the said wheel and the stationary point by means of a
rod or link attached directly to the said wheel. I prefer that the fixed end
of this rod, link, or other connection should be attached to a rope or chain
connected to two fixed points and arranged at right angles to the said con-
nection. The said rope or chain may be provided with cushions of india-
rubber or other elastic substance on each side of the rod or other connection.
The rope or chain is adjusted in such a manner as to allow the required
freedom of movement to the rod or link in order that the wheel may follow
freely the movements of the eccentric,

page_text: The steering wheel may be fixed directly upon the hollow shaft of the
eccentric or upon a shaft or axle geared in connection with the same. In the
latter case I prefer to fix the steering wheel upon a horizontal shaft, and to
connect the said shaft to the eccentric shaft by means of a pair of strong bevel
pinions.
8PECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence that I, the said William
Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Robert Lake, 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 STEERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Pateut Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
forming a part of this Specification:-
The said improvements relate to novel and powerful means for controlling

page_text: and operating the rudder of a steam ship or other vessel, and consist chiefly
in the combination with the other parts of the apparatus of an externally
toothed wheel and an internally toothed wheel or ring, either of which may
be attached to the rudder post while the other is fitted upon an excentric or
crank fixed upon the steering wheel shaft or some intermediate shaft con-
nected with the same. A connection with some fixed part of the apparatus
or vessel keeps the wheel carried by the excentric from rotating on its axis,
but allows the said wheel to follow the movements of the excentric as the
latter is turned in either direction. Each tooth of this wheel is caused at
each revolution of the excentric to act in succession upon all the teeth of the
wheel on the rudder head, the rudder being thereby easily turned in either
direction. The difference in diameter between the pitch lines of the internally
and externally toothed wheels equals the throw of the excentric or crank, and
the leverage or advantage of the power over the resistance increases in an
inverse ratio to the throw of the said excentric, so that by making this
difference very slight the controlling power of the steersman is increased
without increasing the size of the apparatus. The large number of teeth of
the two wheels which are always in gear together prevents any danger of
breaking the said teeth.
The rudder and post may be of any desired form and construction, and may
be attached to the vessel in the ordinary manner. I prefer the following
arrangement of parts:-The internally toothed wheel or ring is connected to
the rudder while the externally toothed wheel is carried by the excentric and
forms the driver. The said ring may be of suitable diameter and strength,
and is firmly fixed upon the top of the rudder post or head. A rod or spindle
extends upward from the said post and forms the support for the shaft of the
excentric which is made hollow to fit and turn upon the said rod, and is pre-
ferably cast or otherwise formed solidly with the said excentric. The boss of the
externally toothed wheel is bored out and well fitted to the excentric to allow
the latter to turn freely therein. The said wheel may be formed with a shield
or cover which serves to keep the apparatus dry and protects the wheels from
injury; this shield may be provided with an extension which forms the con-
nection for preventing the rotation of the said wheel. If desired, however,
this shield or cover may be dispensed with and the connection formed between
the said wheel and the stationary point by means of a rod or link attached
directly to the said wheel. I prefer that the fixed end of this rod, link, or
other connection should be attached to a rope or chain connected to two fixed
points and arranged at right angles to the said connection. The said rope or
chain may be provided with cushions of india-rubber or other elastic substance

page_text: excentric, or upon a shaft or axle geared in connection with the same. In the
latter case I prefer to fix the steering wheel upon a horizontal shaft, and to
connect the said shaft to the excentric shaft by means of a pair of strong bevel
pinions.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn an arrangement of parts which
I consider to be the most advantageous for ordinary sea-going, steam, and
other vessels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the said steering apparatus; Figure 2 is a
horizontal section of the same on the line x, x, Figure 1. Like letters
indicate the same parts in each of the Figures.
A is part of the deck of a vessel, and B is the head of the rudder post.
The column C forms a support for the shafts and other parts of the apparatus,
and also serves as a shield or cover to keep the wheels dry and protect them
from injury. The internally toothed wheel or ring a is firmly secured to the
said post while the externally toothed wheel or pinion b, which is the driving
wheel, is carried by the excentric c. A rod or spindle d extends upward from
the post B and forms the support for the shaft of the excentric c, which
shaft is made hollow to fit and turn upon the said rod, and is preferably cast
or otherwise formed solidly or in one piece with the excentric c.
The upper
part of the excentric shaft is supported to turn freely in the bearing a³ in the
bracket or bridge a³. The boss or hub of the externally toothed wheel or
pinion 6 is bored out and well fitted upon the excentrice to allow the latter to
turn freely therein. Where the hollow column C is not used the said wheel may
be formed with a cap or cover to keep the apparatus dry and protect the wheels
from injury. The rod or link f is firmly attached by screws or other means
to the wheel or pinion b, or in cases where the said wheel is formed with a
cap or cover the latter may be provided with an extension which serves
instead of the said link to form the connection with the fixed point for pre-
venting the rotation of the wheel b. I prefer that the fixed end of this rod,
link, or other connection should be attached to a rope or chain 9 which is
connected at each end g¹ to a post g³ or other fixed point on the deck or other
convenient part of the vessel, and is arranged at right angles to the said con-
nection. The rope or chain 9 is preferably provided with cushions h of

page_text: india-rubber or other elastic substance on the outside of the posts g³. The
rope or chain g is adjusted in such a manner as to allow the required freedom
of movement to the said rod or connection in order that the wheel 6 may
follow freely the movements of the excentric c. The said rope or chain holds
the end of the link ffirmly enough to prevent any motion of the wheel b
around its axis, while too great rigidity under severe strains or shocks is pre-
vented by the cushions h.
Although the above-described method of keeping the pinion 6 from
turning on its axis is in most cases preferable the same result may be
accomplished in other ways, as for instance, by means of an oscillating
plate so constructed as to allow only of longitudinal motion. The steering
wheel is firmly fixed upon the horizontal shaft or axle j geared in connection
with the excentric shaft e by the bevel pinions k.
The entire strain of any force exerted upon the rudder arising from the
violent action of the waves, or from other causes, is borne by the two wheels
a and b which prevent the transmission of such force to the steering wheel or
to any intermediate gearing connecting the same with the excentric, and the
great number of teeth of the wheels a and b always in gear together prevents
any danger of the wheels getting out of gear through the breaking the said
teeth. The danger of accidents to the apparatus or steersman during storms,
or at other critical times from lack of sufficient control over the rudder, and
also the necessity for lashing or securing the helm when the same becomes
ungovernable are thus entirely obviated.
The steering wheel may be arranged in either a vertical or horizontal
position, and the parts of the apparatus may be varied or modified to adapt
them to any peculiarities of build or construction of the vessel in which the
said apparatus is employed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, and shewn how the same may be conveniently
and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,―
First. The combination in a steering apparatus of an internally toothed
wheel or ring and an externally toothed wheel with an excentric or crank
arranged to operate together in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The wheels a and b, excentric c, and rod or link f, secured to a
rope or chain g connected to fixed points on the vessel, combined, arranged,
and operating together in a steering apparatus, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Third. The wheels a and b, excentric c, rod or link f, chain g, rod d,
and shaft e, bevelled wheels k, shaft j, and steering wheel i, combined,

page_text: arranged, and operating together, and with the rudder of a ship or vessel,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
THO. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.