IMPROVEMENTS IN OB ALL AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER AND IN SIGNALIZING
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
JAMES MARYON, of York Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of October (One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-one) in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert James
Maryon, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert James Maryon, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert James Maryon, my
exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OB ALL AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER AND IN SIGNALIZING;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Robert James Maryon,
shall cause a particular description of 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, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date

page_text: of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert James Maryon, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Firstly, my improvements in obtaining and applying motive power are
exemplified as applied to a gun carriage in Figure 1 (an elevation) and
Figure 2 (a plan), and have for their object to facilitate the working of the
gun, first, in running it out, and second, in directing it to any desired point.
A, A, is the gun carriage, which has two bearing wheels B, B, at the fore end;
it rests, by two friction rollers, upon a traversing or moveable bed C, which is
furnished with an axis or pin.at the front, which takes into the boss of a fixed
toothed plate D, and around which it is free to turn so as to bring the gun into
the desired line of direction. To facilitate these movements the back end of
the traversing bed is supported by conical rollers E, E, which run upon a
circular rim or rail F. G, G, are two pinions, which are affixed to the lower
ends of spindles, which have their bearings on the side of the gun carriage,
and gear into the teeth of the plate D. To the upper ends of the pinion
spindles there are fitted crank handles made to ship and unship, by turning
which the gun carriage and traversing bed are moved round upon the axis
or centre in the front of the traversing bed till the gun has been brought into
the proper position, when the elevation or depression of the gun is next
effected by means of a horizontal screw, which turns in bearings affixed to the
gun carriage and placed immediately underneath the gun.
Figure 3 shews this part of my Invention detached from the other parts;
J is the gun; K, the screw, which is actuated by a crank handle K'; L is a
nut which takes upon the screw and is connected to the gun by a rod M, which
is jointed at its ends both to the nut and to the gun. By turning the crank
handle one way or the other the gun is either raised or depressed accordingly.
Figure 4 shows another method of raising and depressing the gun by means
of a screw, which is placed upon the side of the gun carriage in a vertical
position, upon which it has two bearings. The screw P has a nut fitted upon
it, which, as the screw is turned round, either rises up or slides down. R is a
projecting bar, which is connected to the nut, and takes into a slot formed in
a band S, passed round the breech of the gun. The connection beween the
band and the bar R is made at the side of the gun by means of a swivel
joint,

page_text: Figure 5 shews another arrangement for effecting the same purpose. J is
the
gun,
N a toothed quadrant, which is affixed to the side of the gun carriage;
O is a cranked lever, which is jointed to the carriage at f, as a fulcrum; one
of the ends of the lever is jointed to the gun, and the other or free end is either
raised or depressed, which correspondingly raises or depresses the gun; c is
a sliding bolt which is attached to the side of the lever, and is employed for
locking the lever to the quadrant to fix the gun at the required elevation. The
arrangements just described are applicable to military ordnance.
Figure 6 is a separate plan of the traversing bed; T is a conical spring
made of broad flat bar steel, the front end t of which bears against the inside
of the breast of the gun carriage, while the other end rests upon an elliptic
spring which bears upon the traversing bed. When the gun recoils upon
being fired, the springs are compressed between the carriage and the traversing
bed. V is a paul plate, which is jointed to two levers, U2, U; the pawl plate
falls into the ratchet tooth rack, U³, U³, formed in the upper surface of the
traversing bed, and keeps the gun carriage from again running forward by
the impulse of the springs when the recoil has taken place. After the gun
has been reloaded, the paul plate is raised up by pressing down the levers,
U2, U2, when the force of the springs instantly causes the gun carriage
to run forward into its place; but to prevent any concussion which might
arise from the suddenness of the action, there are cushions of vulcanized
india rubber interposed between the gun carriage and the traversing bed,
at the two extreme ends of the springs. V, V, are two slots formed in the
traversing bed, through which slots there are passed two guide or pilot bolts
connected to lugs formed on the sides of the gun carriage, which serve
to guide the course of the gun when it recoils, and to connect the carriage
and traversing bed together. W, W, are locking bolts, or belay pins, by
which the traversing bed is fixed to the plate D, which plate is graduated
so as to designate the number of degrees the gun is turned round from any
determinate line..
Figure 7 is a plan of so much of these gun traversing arrangements as is
necessary to explain the method of working ships port guns or battery guns
according to the method just explained. In applying the traversing bed to guns of
this class, it is necessary to give a lateral range of motion to the fore part of the
traversing bed, instead of having it turned round a fixed point (as in the case
last described) to prevent the muzzle of the gun coming in contact with the
sides of the port hole, which would otherwise require to be unusually large to
admit of the gun having a sufficient amount of horizontal range. A, A, is the
port hole (it may either be of a ship or battery); the traversing bed has its

page_text: fore end connected by an eye bolt to a strong iron bar C, of a segmental
shape, the two ends of which are securely fixed to the sides of the port hole.
D is a segmental plate, which has its outer periphery furnished with teeth, into
which the pinions attached to the gun carriage gear, as before explained.
Instead of having a toothed segment and pinions, as just mentioned, for
enabling the men at the gun to bring it to the line of direction, the same object
may be effected by having a plain segment, and using what is generally known
as a "nipping lever" "purchase." The arrangements which have been described,
when applied to ships guns, will enable much of the present tackle now em-
ployed to secure the guns to be dispensed with, such as side, lee, or luff, or
trail tackle, and also the breeching, the traversing bed, and holding bolts
serving in their stead. Sometimes I work ships guns by having an auxiliary
carriage placed within the gun carriage, but having the axes of the wheels or
rollers upon which it runs at right angles to the axes of those of the gun
carriage. The auxiliary carriage is acted upon by two levers jointed to the
sides of the gun carriage in such way that when the ends of the levers are
depressed, the whole weight of the gun and its carriage is thrown upon the wheels
of the auxiliary carriage, the gun carriage wheels for the time being raised
just clear of the deck, in which situation the gun can easily be moved about
by hand spikes, so as to be brought to the intended line of direction, when by
again slackening the levers acting upon the auxiliary carriage the weight may
be permitted to fall upon the gun carriage wheels.
Figure 8 shews the auxiliary carriage, and one of the levers by which it is
actuated.
Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12, shew a method of applying springs to gun car-
riages of old construction for the purpose of running out the
after having
been thrown back by the force of the explosion.
gun
Secondly, my improvements in applying power have relation to several
methods of working capstans, windlasses, cranes, purchases, ships rudders, and
other machines for pulling, hauling, raising, and lowering heavy bodies.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal elevation, and Figure 14 a plan, of a double
windlass constructed according to my said improvements. A, A, A, are the
standards or head stocks. B, B, the barrels, which are furnished with whelps
b, b, formed of bar iron and pitched at such regular intervals apart as are best
suited to the size of chain for catching the links, and thereby preventing slip-
ping. C, C, are ratchet wheels, which are securely fixed to the barrels B, B.
D, D, are two oscillating beams or levers, which are fixed to the head stocks
on each side of the windlass, and connected by rods E, E, to the pawl boxes

page_text: F, F, so that when the levers are worked up and down the pawl boxes are
moved, the one set of pawls pushing and the other set drawing round the
windlass barrel along with them.
Figures 15 and 16 are sections shewing the interior construction of the
pawl boxes. In Figure 15 the pawls are shewn in gear with the teeth of the
ratchet; in Figure 16 they are shewn out of gear. G, G, are cams by which
the pawls can be raised up from the ratchets when it is desired to run out any
cable or lower the anchor. H, H, are the pawls by which the windlass is
prevented from running round and paying off the cable which "has been got"
or is wound upon it. I, I, are two union friction straps, by the aid of
which the cable can be given off at any desired degree of velocity, or even
stopped from flowing out altogether. To each of the friction straps there is
affixed a short arın K, which actuates bent levers L, L, in such way that
when the friction straps are brought into action they lift the pawls H, H, out
of the ratchet on the windlass, and allow it to go free, so as to be entirely under
the controuling action of the friction straps for the time being.
Figure 17 is a cross section, shewing the friction straps, bent lever, and
pawls. The bent levers are connected together by a series of bars a, a, each
bar falling immediately under a pawl; when the pressure is again removed
from the friction straps the pawls H, H, fall instantly into their places to stop
the windlass. This arrangement admits of a double number of hands conve-
niently applying their power to the windlass, and of one set of the hands
exerting their greatest power while the other set of them are exerting their
least power, while the combined action of the friction straps and the windlass
pawls H, H, gives the greatest facility for easing off or altogether stopping
the cable.
Figure 18 is a front elevation, Figure 19 a plan, and Figure 20 a cross
section of a second windlass of nearly similar construction to that just described.
A, A, are the headstocks; B, the windlass barrel; C, C, the ratchets, which
are actuated by the pawls D, D. The latter, D, D, are jointed to the cases E, E.
F, F, are sockets formed in the free ends of the cases E, E, and into which
the hand spikes employed for applying the power are " shipped;" the other
ends of the cases terminate in eyes or bosses, which take upon the shaft of the
windlass. When the hand spikes are raised the pawls freely slide over the
teeth of the ratchets, but, upon being again pressed down, the pawls fall into
the ratchets, and bring round the windlass. G is a pawl which takes into
one of the ratchets C, C, and prevents the barrel from again returning when
the handspikes are raised up. H is the friction strap, which has attached to it
a lever I, which serves to raise the pawl G out of the ratchet C, when the cable

page_text: is to be given off. The same application of power which actuates the friction
strap thus raises and lowers the holding pawl, as in the windlass shewn in
Figure 13, and before described.
Figure 21 is a front elevation, Figure 22 an end elevation, and Figure 23
a plan of a capstan, fitted with certain new arrangements which are calculated
for facilitating the application of power to working the same. A is the barrel
of the capstan, to the lower end of which may be fitted ratchet plates, pawls,
and teeth or grips for the chain of any approved kind. B, B, B, are a set of
friction rollers, which are arranged around the crown of the capstan, being
placed at regular distances apart, and so pitched as to gear into an endless
screw C, which has its bearings in frames D, D. E, E, are hand wheels to
which the power is applied. The same arrangement may be adapted to the
steering of vessels, the set of friction pulleys in that case being mounted upon
a plate attached to the rudder head.
Figure 24 is a plan, and Figure 25 a vertical section, of a modification of
the machine last described. A, A, are two portions of the barrel, which may
either be employed as a windlass, or as pulleys for working the tackle of the
rudder of a ship. B, B, B, are the friction rollers, which are mounted in a circle
in the middle of the barrel, with the endless screw C, which gears into them,
placed immediately over. D, D, are the hand wheels to which the power is
applied as before.
Figure 26 is a plan, and Figure 27 a side elevation, of another modifica-
tion, which is more especially adapted for applying power to work a ship's
rudder. A is the head of the rudder, which is formed somewhat similar
to a capstan; it is mounted upon a spindle which is passed down into the
rudder, and when not in use for steering the ship it may be used so as to serve
as an auxiliary capstan; when, however, it is to be employed for turning the
rudder, then it is connected thereto by belay pins, or connecting bolts passed
down though the lower end of the capstan into the rudder. B, B, are the
friction rollers, which are arranged somewhat like the teeth of a crown wheel
upon a plate fixed on the top of the capstan. C is the endless screw, which
is worked by the hand wheel D.
Figure 28 is a plan, and Figure 29 an end elevation, of a combined windlass
and capstan, the chief features of which are nearly the same as in one or other
of the apparatuses already described, but differ from them in having the set of
friction rollers B, B, arranged around the foot of the capstan A, instead of
being on the top of it; and, further, that the endless screw C, by which they
are actuated, has mounted upon each end a small windlass barrel D. The
endless screw may be worked by the hand spikes or lever, so as to pull in

page_text: either direction by means of the following arrangements:-E, E, are the ratchet
pulleys, and F, F, the pawls, which are enclosed in a chamber formed in the
pawl boxes G, G. The hand spikes for working the apparatus are fitted into
the upper ends of the pawl boxes. It will be observed, upon referring to
Figure 29, that the V teeth of the ratchet wheels, and also the pawls, are of
the same form on both sides, by which they are adapted for working into each
other in a forward or backward direction. This form of rachet wheel and
pawl is also applicable to the windlass represented in Figures 18, 19, and 20,
which would in that case have a reversible action. H, H, are two stopping pawls
fitted to the apparatus, either of which may be turned up so as to take into
the teeth of the ratchet wheel, but the pawl so turned up requires to be the one
suited for resisting the strain upon the windlass.
Figure 30 is a cross section, and Figure 31 a part plan, of a vessel fitted
with two capstans nearly similar to that last described, one of them being
placed on the upper, the other on the lower deck, but yet so connected as to
be capable of being worked in conjunction or separately, or the working power
applied to the one capstan may be transferred to the other, thus affording
every facility for applying a great amount of power when the resistance to be
overcome is great. The only material difference between these capstans and
that last described consists in their having the stopping pawl plate affixed to
their lower end instead of the pawls acting upon the ratchet pulleys. The
pawls employed for this purpose are mounted in swivel pawl boxes, H, H,
which are jointed at h', h', to the deck of the vessel; the pawls and the ratchets
of the pawl plates are so formed that they are capable of stopping the revolu-
tion of the capstans in either direction, which is simply effected by turning over
the pawl box to the opposite side, if it happens not to be in the proper posi-
tion for counteracting the strain upon the capstan. The pawls are kept in
gear with the ratchet teeth by a spring. When only one of the capstans is to
be used then the connecting pins, b, b, are taken out, and the power applied to
the one endless screw is transmitted by the pitch chains R, R, to the other
endless screw.
Figure 32 is a part plan of a windlass of a somewhat different description
from those which have been described. A, A are the windlass barrels, of
which there are two, each having two toothed wheels B, B, fixed to the ends of
them. The teeth of the wheel upon one of the barrels gear into those upon
the other, so that they revolve together. The chain or cable rests in grooves
formed in the barrels, over which it is passed in a sinuous course, as repre-
sented in the Drawings, going on upon the upper side of one of the barrels,
then down between them and under the other barrel, and so on till the requi-

page_text: site number of turns are made, thus giving the chain so complete a hold that
it is impossible for it to slip. The toothed wheels are worked by means of
pawl boxes and pawls, as already described, but for this purpose the beams or
levers by which they are actuated may be placed crosswise, or at right angles
to the axes of the barrels, instead of being parallel to them, as in Figure 13
and 14; which is an arrangement that may even be applied to that machine
when it is more convenient for working the handles fore and aft instead of
"thwart ship." It must be observed, however, that as the toothed wheels gear
together, the two pawl boxes worked by cach lever have to be placed one on
the outside of each wheel, instead of there being two pawl boxes to each wheel.
The same breaks and stopping pawls are applied to this windlass as in those
already described.
Figures 33 and 34 shew my combined break and stopper windlass apparatus
applied to the raising and lowering of ships boats, in which situation it might
be used for shipping and unshipping goods. This arrangement, however, will
be found more especially useful in cases of emergency when boats are to be
lowered or launched full of people from the vessel. A, A, are the windlasses;
B, the lever or handspike, by which the break strap and pawls are actuated,
as in Figures 13 and 18. C is a line or chain, which is attached to the end of
the lever, and by pulling which any person in the boat can lower the whole
down on to the surface of the water with great certainty and ease, and thus
obviate the risk which attends this operation when performed by a person on
board of the ship. At the same time the break lever may, if necessary, be
operated upon from on board ship.
my
Thirdly, my improvements in signalizing are represented in Figures 35,
36, 37, and 38, which represent so much of an omnibus fitted with said
improvements as are necessary to shew this part of my Invention. A, A, is
the body of the omnibus; B, B, a rod which rests upon bearings C, C,
fixed to the roof; D, D, are arms projecting from both sides of the rod B, by
which the rod may be made to make a partial revolution to one side or the
other, dependant upon whether it is the right or left hand cord attached to the
arms D. D, which is pulled by any person inside of the carriage; E is an index
plate which is placed near to the conductor, upon which a pointer or hand
shews whether it is to the right or left the passenger desires to be put down
when he draws the cord. The same action simultaneously gives a like notice
to the driver through the intervention of the following parts of the apparatus:
F is a wheel which is fixed to the end of the rod B nearest to the driver; it is
connected by a chain F, to another wheel fixed at some distance below it to

page_text: the inner end of a spindle F³, which projects forward to the lower side of
the foot board G of the driver's seat. To the outer end of the spindle there
are fixed two bent arms a, a, one of which, when the rod B is actuated by the
pulling of the strings, comes up against the foot of the driver, so as to give
him a slight tap upon the sole of the shoe, and thus warn him of the desire of
the passenger to alight at the right or left hand side of the road. b, is a bell, by
which the conductor is warned when a cord is pulled.
And having now described my said Invention in the different parts thereof,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
as of my Invention is as follows:-
First, 1 claim the improved method of obtaining and applying power, as
exemplified and described in the construction of gun carriages, whereby the
force generated from the explosion of the gunpowder, and expended upon the
recoil of the gun, is again made available in bringing forward the gun, that is
to say, I claim the said apparatus in so far as regards the traversing bed, with
its appendages of springs, guide bolts, and ratchets, and the modification of the
said traversing bed, whereby it is adapted for port guns or military ordnance;
and also the three several methods of elevating and depressing the guns, shewn
in Figures 3, 4, and 5, and before described; and further, the application of
the windlass or winch with safety break and pawl lifting apparatus com-
bined, for lowering boats, as exemplified in Figures 33 and 34, and before
described.
Second, I claim the windlass represented in Figures 13 & 14 of the
Drawings, in so far as regards the general arrangement and combination of
parts of which the same consists; that is to say, the employment of beams or
levers on both sides of the windlass, acting on both sides of the ratchet wheels
or other equivalent wheels, whereby the power of a double set of hands is
efficiently applied to the machine as before described, and whereby at one
operation the friction straps are brought into action, and the stopping pauls
are raised as before described; and also the raising, the lifting, and forcing
pauls out of gear.
Third, I claim the windlass represented in Figures 28 and 29, in
so far as regards the construction of the teeth of the ratchet wheels and
the pawls, so that the windlass may be made to act efficiently as a windlass
when the barrel is made to rotate either forward or backward, as before
described, and the reversible swivel pawl box H, shewn in Fig. 31, and before
described.
Fourth, I claim the several improved combinations of endless screws and
anti-friction roller teeth for working windlasses, capstans, cranes, purchases,