A VALUABLE INVENTION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14016, 22 September 1909, Page 4

A VALUABLE INVENTION.

MINIMISING THE DANGERS OF THE SEA.

RECORDING A STEAMER'S COURSE. On her last trip from Onehunga to New Plj mouth the Northern Company's steamer Rarawa carried a model of a recently-invented instrument that should do much to lighten the cares of captains of coastal and ocean-going steamers, and indeed of all the officers on these vessels. This instrument is the Ffaser Jumeaux Patent Course Recorder. It is the invention of Mr. Jos. Fraser, of the wellknown firm of Geo. Fraser and Sons, Ltd., Mr. Charles Jumeaux, draughtsman for that firm, and Mr. S. E. Fraser, consulting engineer to the Waihi Gold Mining Coy. It is designed to furnish a record of the course taken by a steamer in such a manner that an officer can at a glance ascertain whether the vessel has been steered true to the course. The model of the invention was shown to a Taranaki Herald reporter by Mr. Jumeaux, who has lately made several trial trips with it on the New Zealand coast. It proved to be a very ingenious device. As the mechanism of tho recorder was shown- to the pressman his surprise increased, but it was not surprise at the ingenuity of the machine. What surprised the writer was that the recorder had not been invented before. It is so simple that it seemed almost incredible that in an age that has reached such great heights in engineering and mechanical skill such a valuable instrument had not been evolved before. Of course, this great simplicity is one of the best points of the recorder. Another point about the instrument is that it is by no means unweildy. The working model shown to the pressman, with the case in which it is kept, does not take up much room. The diameter of the instrument is 16 inches. And it must be remembered that this model is the original one. Subsequent ones can be made very much smaller if desired. The instrument is hung on two gimbel rings, so that it' maintains its plane in every motion of the ship. Inside thpse rings is an oblong brass plate, which forms what might be called the "bed" of the recorder. On it is the recording machine, and under it the mechanism which drives the recorder. In the centre of the bed, and consequently also in the exact centre of the gimbel rings, is a small pointed rod, placed horizontally through the "bod." On the point of this rod swings a small, circular, agate-centred aluminium plate. Under, this plate are eight magnetised "needles." Projecting from this plate, in line with these needles, is a pointer having attached to its tip a small inking apparatus. Under the aluminium plate is a small roller. At one end of the "bed" of the machine are two rollers furnished with ratchet wheels and a friction grip. These rollers are the feed and winding rollers on which the paper for the record runs. Each roller is furnished with tiny sharp studs, so that the paper shafl not slip. The lower roller is the feed roller. The paper from this runs to the roller under the aluminium "needle-plate" referred to and then ba^k to the top roller, which rolls the paper on which the record has been taken. Both rollers .are easily detachable. The paper runs from the feed roller to the centre roller, around I the latter, and then back to what may be called the record roller. The record is impressed on the paper on its journey from the centre roller to the latter. Between the paper travelling to the ' centre roller ana -that travelling outwards again is • small lever that rises automatically «rery forty-five seconds and presses the upper paper toward the inking apparatus. The machine is run by clock work. In making the model Mr. Jumeaux used a gramophone movement with an escapement ad-tod, but of course in manufacturing recorders for commercial purposes the clock work WiU be manufactured specially. The clock work should be wound up— the* operation is very brief and easily carried out— every twenty-four Hours, it will run for three or four days on one winding up, but the movement become* elower after the first twentyfour hours. The paper used in the recorder is 3* inches wide and ruled specially in parallel lines running the length of the paper. In the centre are two red. line* close together. These represent the ship's course. On either side are other lines, red and blue alternating, each representing half a point from the ship's course. Two and a half points are represented on each aide of the course. Crossing the paper at intervals are curved lines that ar» numbered. As one of the fundamental principles of the recorder is that underr/tog the magnetic compass, the instrument must be iinder the same conditions as the ship s bridge compass. The magnetised needles in the recorder always point to the north, but the instrument is so arranged in the gimbel ring* that it can be swung round to any direction required, so that, whatever the ship's course may be, .the recorder may be placed in it* relative position. The course having been set, the "pointer" £ Pl*^,P I *^, ■?, th *+ the P° int ot the "inker" is diwetly Offr^the two lines representing the course on the paper. Then th* mechanism of the recorder is started by pulling a small "button." At intervals of forty-five seconds the lever spoken, of at being between the stream of paper rise*, presses the upper paoer against the point of the inker, and drops again, a small soot of ink being left on the paper. If the quar- j termaster is steering the vessel cor- ! rectly the spot will be in the conrse 'jnes. If he has allowed tho ship to drot) off her course the apot will appear to one side of the centre lines, according to whether the vessel has fallen off to port or starboard. The lines on the naper indicate exactly how much she has fallen off. The officer of the watch can therefore see at a glance whether the steersman is carrying out his duty properly, and, if required, can get the vessel back on her coon*, -mm the rollers slowly revolve the paper passes under the marker a oentinnoife ■record of the vessel's actual course is recorded, showing every deviation from the coipnse set. Wbea the set eourae is ni'ongftf the recorder can be at once shifted round. Accompanying the instrument in a log book In which these cranfEcs of eourae are entered, the curved and numbered lines referred to being used to locate their positions. The recorder eaa be stopped or started in a moment. - : Of course, the features of the instrument that have Been described an only »t* salient ones. There are other points about it that a mechanician would find very interesting. Enough has been said to show that the reoorder is a most useful invention, and one that should be put' into use on all sea-going steamers. It is particularly valuable in bad or foggy weather, as it shows at once whether an inside or an outside course has been steered. Suppose, for. instance, that • reasel is crowing <p foggy weather, a bay or bight, from* headland to headland, between which is a rock. The captain sets a course that will take him' clear of the rock. The steersman doses for a moment, and allows the boat to drop off half a pojtft — no unco,mmdn thing. He waKeg. up and finds, the. boat i» dropping off, »n4. puts her back in her original direction, Bat he does not 6iit her bsck in a course Parallel with ie original one, and inside it. Again this happens, and this time the vessel strikes the rock. With no landmarks it would have been impossible to detect the error in steering in time, unless a course reoorder had been used. Again, it is not »n unknown thing for a steersman to steer N.N.W. instead of N.N.E., and vice versa, for a long time without the error being detected? Consequently the vessel gets far out of her course. The writer remembers an instance, narrated by a merchant skipper in some recollections of his junior days, of a case in point. It was during a night watch, and steamer was supposed to be many knots from land. But, unnoticed, and unknowingly, the steersman, had been steering J^.K.. instead of N.N.W. for some time. Just as the error was discovered by the officer of the watch, the dun n broke. Straight ahead, and at only a short distance, was land. Such » n error would have been discovered at once with a patent cou.rse recorder in use, The. Fraser-Jmnesux recorder has proved itself well in trials. One trial whs mttde on the Wimmera, on the K«st Coast run, and Captain Waller, of that vessel, speaks highly of the instrument. It has been patented in all the chief maritime countries of the world, and a company is now being floated in Auckland and Sydney to exploit this decidedly valuable invention.

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