US1319601A

US1319601A - miller

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Publication number: US1319601A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1936-10-21

Description

T. S. MILLER TOWING ENGINE.

APPLiCATIOH FILED JUNE 26. 1912.

RENEWED SEPT. 6, l9l9.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

A NORA/[5V0 T. S. MILLER.

TOWING ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED )UNE 26, I917. RENEWED SEPT 6. 1919.

1 319 61 Patent-ed Oct. 21,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THF coIWnm mmonmmf c6. WASHINGTON, n..\:.

T. S. MILLER.

TOWING ENGiNE.

APPLFCATION FILED JUNE 28,1957. RENEWED SEPT. 6, I919. Rimmed 0%. 2 19m 3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

WITNESS: A INVENTO? y yg gfi QM) M THOMAS SPENCER MILLER, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

TOWING-ENGINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Application filed June 26, 1917, Serial No. 177,072. Renewed September 6, 1919. Serial No 322,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Srnnonn MILLER, a citizen of the United States, re siding at South Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towing-Engines, 01 which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in towing engines, and more particularly of that character or type including a drum upon which the towing hawser is wound or held, and provided with a motor for operating the drum, and provisions for automatically controlling the tension in the towing hawser;

7 In towing engines of this character or type previous to my invention, and of which I am aware, it has usually been the practice to employ a steam engine for operating and holding the drum, which engine was controlled by the motion of itself and its drum and drum shaft geared or otherwise operatively connected to a steam valve, and, as far as I am aware, it has invariably been the practice to increase the steam pressure in the cylinders as the engine was overhauled by surges, jerks or overstrains in the towing hawser, and thereby build up a high steam pressure in opposition to increases of stress .in the hawser. This building up of steam pressure was coincident with the paying out of the hawser. Furthermore, when the hawser slackened it was the practice to decrease the steam pressure in the engine cylinders which decrease took place coincident with the winding in of the hawser.

In the prior art machines it is usual to operate with a normal steam pressure which is low, say from twenty to thirty pounds, in the cylinders, to support the normal hawser stress. When the hawser tightens or over-strains, the engine is overhauled by the increased pull or load to which it is subjected, and the steam valve is then operated to build up the pressure in the cylinders to a point, say to from one hundred to one hundred and twenty pounds, which results in the stress or pull of the hawser building up from anormal of about twenty thousand pounds to an extraordinary stress of say eighty thousand pounds or more. This has made it necessary to use hawsers of large diameter-for instance, a steel and more.

wire hawser of a diameter of two inches The use of steel wire hawsers of large diameter demands the use of winding drums of very large diameter to prevei'it serious bending strains in the hawser when wound onto and off the drum.

In my present invention, I contemplate an entirely different mode of operation from that above stated, and which may be described generally as follows: Instead of increasing the steam pressure to oppose an increase of hawser stress, as contemplated by the prior art, according to my inventi on any slight increase in the stress of the towing hawser is followed by an instantaneous reduction ofthe steam pressure in the engine cylinders, thus permitting the hawser to be paid out as much as is demanded by the motion of the ships, and thereby prc vent undue stresses in the hawser. hen the stress in the towing hawscr decreases and the hawser slackens somewhat, according to my invention the pressure in the steam cylinders is increased and the towin engine thereby is caused to wind in the hawser until the desired or normal tension or stress is restored thereto.

When employing an engine, according to my invention, 1 am able to prevent ex cessive stresses in the towing hawser, because any pull on the hawser which would result in an over-strain is immediately reduced by the lowering of the steam pressure, permitting the drum to pay out the hawser and thereby relieve the strain. In other words, I am able to maintain practically a normal stress on the towing hawser under all conditions of towing. This results in being able to employ a towing hawser of small diameter-f0r instance, a steel wire hawser of one inch, or one and a quarter inch diameter, and consequently a winding drum of reasonable dimension. I am also able to use a shorter hawser and because the hawser is light of weight and short in length it may, and usually does, remain entirely out of the water when it offers no resistance to towing.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention m; the accompanying drawings to be taken as a part of this specification, and wherein Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of a towing engine embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of the structure shown in Fi 1, certain parts being omitted for the sa re of clearness;

Fig. 4 is a section view of a controlling or regulating valve for controlling steam supplied to the engine; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view, partly in section, of regulating or adjusting means for the valve shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 1 designates generally a bed or base-frame consisting of a base-plate 2- adapt-ed to be secured by any suitable means to a deck-plate or other part of a ship structure (not shown). This base-plate 2 is provided with vertical side standards 3, 4, each preferably consisting of flanges on opposite sides thereof, and extending longitudinally from front to rear of the same. The standards constituted by the flanges 3, 4;, serve as supports for the engine frame, which supports the towing line drum, which will now be described. This engine frame consists of a base 5 consisting of horizontal

side frame members

6, 6, and front and rear transverse members 7 8.

The frame 5 is provided with depending lugs 5 on opposite sides thereof and at points intermediate the front and rear of said frame, which lugs respectively project between the flanges 3, 4 of the standards 'on the base 1, and are connected thereto by fulcrum pins 5", let through said flanges and lugs whereby the frame 5 is movably mounted upon the bed frame, which move ment in the preferred arrangement shown is a rocking one-that is, the frame 5 may rock on the pins 5" under conditions to be presently described.

Mounted on the

side frames

6, 6 are pillars 9, 9 carrying at their upper portions bearings 10, in which turns a horizontally disposed drum shaft 11 carrying a winding drum 12 having end flanges 13, 13, and provided at one end with a gear 14, by means of which said drum is driven through means to be presently described. Mounted on the forward portion of the frame 5 are bearings 15, 15 in which are ournaled the ends of a horizontally disposed driving shaft 16 extending parallel to the drum shaft 11 heretofore described. On the ends of the driving shaft are crank disks 17 provided with crank pins 18 connected by pitmen, not shown but indicated by dot and dash lines 19, with cross heads 20 in turn con: nected to the piston rods 21, see Fig. 1, of reciprocating pistons of engine cylinders 22. The driving shaft 16 also carries .eccen tries 23 for operating the slide valves 24 for said engine cylinders, the connections between said eccentrics and slide valves not in the art. The power shaft 16 carries a.

pinion 25 which meshes with the gear 1 1, heretofore described, and serves to drive the drum or control it as will be presently described. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, the rocking movement of the drum supporting frame due to the pull in thetowing line, is resisted by the force of springs 26 preferably arranged between the forward ends of the bed plate 2 and the frame 5, said springs being each seated at their lower ends respectively in seats 27, in the bed plate 2, and having their upper ends located in spring seats or sockets 28 in the under portion'of the frame 5. The seats or sockets 28 may each contain a follower plate 29 adjustable by a screw 30 threaded in the frame 5, as at 31, whereby the normal height of the forward end of said frame 5 may be adjusted to regulate the extent of the rocking movement of said frame 5, and the expansive force of said springs may also be regulated. The springs 26 are of suflicient strength to exert their force to maintain the frame 5 at a determined distance'above the plate 2, and this distance may bevaried by adjustment of the bolt 30. Between the rear end of the frame 5 andthe plate 2 are provided cushioning springs 26seated in sockets 27 28 in the base plate of the frame 5 respectively, said springs serving to cushion any sudden drop of the rear portion of the frame, which may result from breaking of the towing line or sudden abnormal decrease of tension therein. Said springs 26 also, in conjunction with the springs 26, serve to balance the engine supporting frame 5 on its pivots. The frame 5 is normally supported by the springs 26 with its forward end elevated, so that increases in the tension on. the towing line will tend to rock the frame on its fulcrum against the resistance of the springs'26, and thereby depress the forward part of the frame a distance in proportion to the increase in the towing line tension; this movement being utilized to control the flow of motive agent to the engine cylinders, so that the pressure in the cylinders will be decreased instantly when an appreciable increase of tension is imposed on the towing line. I will now describe the controlling valve, the steam connections or supply thereto, and the means whereby it is operated due to movement'of the frame 5 to control the steam pressure in the cylinders.

Through the base frame 1 is an opening 32 through which extends a steam supp y pipe 33 leading to a steam line from a steam generator (not shown). This pipe is connected by a pivot joint of any suitable type, indicated at 34, to a feed pipe 35 which in. turn is connected to a throttle valve 36 of any suitable type and controlled by handwheel 37 to control the supply of steam. The outlet branch 38 of the throttle valve is connected to the inlet duct 39 of the casing 41 of a reversing valve forming part of the controlling valve structure. This reversing valve comprises a vertical casing 41 divided by a partition 42 into cylindrical chambers 43, 44; the latter being connected by oppositely disposed conduits 45 with the valve chests 24 of the engine cylinders, one of the said conduits being indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 4. In the chamber 43 is a cylindrical valveway having upper and lower sets of openings 46, 47 and intermediate openings 48 communicating respectively with annular steanrways 49, 50, and 51, respectively. The way 51 opens to the main steam line supply pipe 3-9, the way 49 to the exhaust pipes 52 from the cylinder valve chests and the way communicates with a port 53 leading to a cylindrical valve-way 54 opening at its upper end into the chamber 44 and at its lower end into a port 55 opening through the valve-Way, heretofore described, into the exhaust chamber 56 of the valve casing, the latter also communicating with the exhaust passage 49, as shown in Fig. 4. The upper and lower ends of the valve chamber 43 are connected by means of the by-pass or exhaust chamber 56 by means of the ports 58 and 59, and theannular passages 60 and 61. The main exhaust connection is shown at 62 In the cylindrical cage 43 is arranged a double piston valve having heads 63,64, connected by a reduced portion 65, the heads being so spaced that when the valve is moved the space between the heads will span either the openings 47, 48 or the openings 46, 48, so that in the first position the exhaust ports 52 of the cylinder valve chests 24 will be connected to the exhaust 62 of the casing on the one hand and the steam inlet 39 with the port 53 on the other hand, while in the second position the steam inlet 39 will be connected to the port 46 to reverse the flow of the steam to the engine cylinders, and the passage 47 will beconnected to the eX- haust. This piston valve is provided with an extension rod 66 extending through a stuffing-box 67 in the head of the valve casing, said rod being threaded through a hand-wheel nut 68 rotatably mounted on the casing, said hanchwheel being operable to shift the valve to either of the positions above set forth;

In the cylindrical valve-way 54 is a puppet valve consisting of a hollow shell having a head 69 normally located in the chamber'44 and adapted to cooperate with the upper edge of the way 54 to control the How of steam between the chamber 44 and the port 53. This hollow valve is formed at its lower end with an annular piston head 70 connected to the head 69 by a reduced stem 71 which permits passage of steam around said valve in passing from the port 53 to the chamber 44; The head 70 terminates at its lower end within the passage 55, so that the chamber 44 communicates with said passage 55 under conditions to be described presently. The puppet valve is normally urged toward its seat by an expansion spring 72 seated on said valve and a spring plate 7 3 having a part 74 slidable in an opening 75 in the head of the casing and engaged by an adjusting bolt 76 threaded through the head of the casing and operable to regulate the expansive forceof the spring. Arranged in the valve-way beneath the head 70 of the puppet valve is a piston head 77 which is adapted to either engage the lower end of said head 7 O to cut ofi communication between the chamber and the passage 55, through the puppet valve, or to be moved away from said head to leave free communication between said chamber and passage. This piston 7 7 is carried by a stem 78 having at its lower end an enlarged cylindrical portion 79 slidably disposed in the head 80. The portion 79 of said stem 78 is connected to a vertical threaded rod 81 having a spherical upper end, by a ball and socket joint. The rod 81 has a squared lower end 82' seated in a correspondingly formed seat 83 in the frame 5, to prevent turning of said stem, but permitting vertical reciprocation thereof. On this rod 81 is threaded a pinion nut 84 having a collar 85 straddled by a yoke 86 on one end of a lever 87, the other end of which is fulcrunied, as at 88 on the frame 5. This lever 87 is formed with a longitudinal slot 88 in which is slidably arrai'igcd a block 89, having pivotally connected thereto, as at 90, one end of a link 91, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the bed plate 2, as at 92. By this arrangement, it will be seen that whenever the forward portion of the frame 5 is lowered, the rear portion of said frame will be raised, which will result in the valve casing 40 moving relatively to the piston head 77. In order to provide for the proper adjustment of the valve so that it will operate properly when the plate 5 raises and lowers, under the changes in tension of the towingline, the block 89 may be moved longitudinally of the slot 88 inthe lever 88 and held in position by means of adjusting bolts 93 engaging said block 69 at one end, and having their opposite ends seated in sockets 94 in the end walls of said slot 88 Arranged parallel to the rod or stem 81 is a vertical shaft carrying a pinion 96 in mesh with the pinion 84 on said store, said ill) first-named pinion nut being of such length as to be in constant driving engagement with said pinion nut during all positions of movement or adjustment of the latter. On the said shaft 95 is a beveled gear 97 meshing with a beveled gear 98 on one end of a connecting shaft 99, on the opposite end of which is a beveled gear 100 meshing with a beveled gear 101 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 102. On the upper end of said vertical shaft 102 is a beveled pinion 103 meshing with a beveled pinion 104 on a hand-operated shaft 105 provided with a hand-wheel 106 for re volving the same. This arrangement provides means for the manual adjustment, regulation and operation of the puppet valve independent of the automatic means consisting of the rocking movement of the drum support, and particularly for the adjustment of the valve when setting it for the desired inpulling power, so that the steam pressure will be properly regulated by the automatic control.

The construction and arrangement being as above described, the operation of the invention is as follows: The towing engine is constructed and arranged to automatically take in and pay out the hawser, so as to maintain an approximately constant pull thereon, which pull or tension can be regulated by the operator to a range of from, say five thousand to twenty-five thousand pounds or more. Suppose, for example, the engine be regulated so as to exert a pull of twenty thousand pounds on the towing line at a pressure of one hundred and twenty pounds steam pressure in the engine cylinders, and the valves are in substantially the position shown in Fig. 4, when steam is turned on through the throttle valve .36 the engine will revolve the drum to take up the towing line and will continue this winding operation until the strain on the towing line increases toward twenty thousand pounds. During this winding operation the main frame 5 which supports the drum is hold at its highest point above the base plate 1 by means of the springs 26. The springs 26 will have an initial compression due to springs 26 and will not be further compressed unt'l the cable stress exceeds a determined amount. As the pull on the towing line approaches the determined amount, say twenty thousand pounds, said pull will serve to gradually depress the drum support against the force of the springs26; this downward movement or depression of the forward part of the frame will serve to lift the rear portion of the same and permit the valve head 69 to seat and cut-off the supply of steam to the engine cylinders, and if continued the piston 77 will be hauled downward opening the cylinders to the exhaust. The steam pocketed in the cylinders will act as a cushion only to the degree required, the

exhaust port being instantly closed when the resistance. to paying out is reduced slightly below normal. It will be understood that the point at which the valve 69 closes is determined by the preliminary vertical adj ustment of said valve relative to its seat through the operation of the hand-wheel 107 shifting the valve stem 81 by means of the nut 85. This operation, 2'. 6., closing of the valve, having taken place, the frame of the engine normally maintains a position relative to the bed frame corresponding to the desired pull on the towing line, so that'increases in the tension on the towing line will serve to further depress the drum frame against the force of the springs 26, while decreases in tension will result in the force of the springs being exerted to lift the drum frame. Should the change of tension on the towing hawser be an increase, and theforward end of the frame consequently depressed, the rear end of the frame will be raised carrying with it the controlling valve casing which will result in the valve head 77 being separated from the puppet valve head 70, the result being that theichamber 44 may be open to the exhaust port 55if necessary, through the hollow puppet valve and the space provided between thelower end of the latter and the head 77, and the steam will be permitted to escape from the engine cylinders, thus permitting the pull onthe towing line to overhaul'the engine without increasing the steam pressure in thecylinders, until the tension on the towing line drops to the point determined whereupon the previously depressed springs 26 will raise theforward end of the frame and cause the controlling valve cylinder to move downward to thereby cause the heads 70 and 77' to meet and close communication between the chamber 44 and exhaust port 55 through the puppet valve, thus maintaining the steam in the engine cylinders at the required pressure to cushion the pistons and thereby maintain the desired pull on the towing line. It will be understood that byoperation of the handwheel 106 in either direction the connections between the frame and the puppet valve may be changed, so as to regulate the point at which the controlling valve closes, so that the towing engine may be regulated'to pull any amount within the limits of capacity of the engine. Supposing that a decrease in tension in the towing line takes place, the springs 26 will raise the forward end of the drum frame and thereby depress the con trolling valve, so as to cause the steam valve 69 to rise from its seat, so that the steam inlet 39 is open through the port .53 and the valve-way 54 to the chamber.%, and the steam is permitted to flow into the engine cylinders to move the pistons therein to drive the drum in a direction to wind the rope thereon and restore the determined tension in the towing line. As soon as the de sired tension is. reached the forward portion of the frame is again depressed against the force of the springs 26 and the controlling valve thereby'elevated to shift the same relative to the valve stem 81 to permit the steam pressure and the spring 72 to close the valve. The description of the operation just given applies to the operation of the towing line after the same has been connected tothe tow, and it will be understood that in connecting up the towing vessel with the towed vessel that the automatic valve does not function.

-Vi hen it is desired to pay out the towing line to connect it to the towed vessel, the handwheel 106 is operated to set the puppet valve to pull, say four thousand pounds, which raises the puppet valve from its seat and establishes communication between the chamber 43 and the port 53. The double-headed piston valve 63, 64, is raised to bridge the ports 49 and 51, thus connnunication is established between the steam supply and the conduits 54 for the cylinders, and also between the exhaust 62 and the exhaust conduits 45 to the cylinders. The flow of steam is, therefore, reversed from what it is during the towing operation, and the en ine may be operated to pay out the towing inc. If desired,the one or both of the disks 17 on the power shaft may be encircled by a brake band 107 operable by a foot lever 108 to re tard operation of the driving shaft 16 when the towing line is being paid out.

In towing engines internal friction of the towing engine and its parts has hitherto constituted an important consideration which could'not be disregarded, because it,

together with the steam pressure, constitute the two forces which oppose the hawser stress, butone of theadvantages of my invention is that within reasonable limits this internal friction may be ignored. By way of explanation, suppose a towing machine could be built which would be frictionless and that it would oppose a thirty thousand pound hawser stress at one hundred pounds steam pressure, in which case the only force opposing the hawser stress would be the force exerted by the steam pressure. In. actual practice, however, in an engine of the capabilities mentioned, about thirty per cent. of the force afforded by the'steam pressure would be expended. in overcoming the friction in the machine, so that but twentyone thousand pounds pull. would. be available to haul in the hawser. Should the hawser pull exceed twenty-one thousand pounds it might go as high as the theoretical force exerted by the steam enginez'. 0., thirty thousand pounds, plus the'force expended in overcoming friction- 5. 6. nine thousand pounds, which equals thirty-nine thousand poundsth-at is, the hawser might build up as high as thirty-nine thousand pounds before it would overhaul the machine and could become slackened, which obviously would result in an extraordinary over-strain in the hawser which might re suit in the breaking of the latter. These conditions cannot take place in my invention, because the steam pressure is immedi ately reduced in the cylinders as soon as there is an increase of cable stress above twenty-one thousand pounds. hen the hawser pulls beyond twenty-one thousand pounds the steam is reduced, the hawser is then opposed by the friction of the machine, say nine thousand pounds, and a reduced pressure of steam, say about twelve thousand pounds. Then if the hawser pull slackens say to twenty thousand pounds, the valve closes and the steam pressure is again increased in the cylinders, causing the engine to wind up the hawser until its stress is again raised to normal, whereupon it is held by the engine until there is either an appreciable drop or rise in the hawser stress. The advantage of this is apparent, because I am able to disregard the friction within reasonable limits as the total force of the friction and steam pressure can never exist simultaneously in opposition to the hawser when the hawser stress builds up over the determined normal, inasmuch as the steam pressure is immediately reduced whenever the hawser stress rises above normal and there is consequently no force but the fricti on plus the amount of steam pressure permitted to exist by the opening of the controlling valve in proportion to the degree to which said valve is open.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of :the United States, is;: a

1; In a towing engine,a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a movable support for the drum bearings, said support being movable under changes of tension in the towing hawser, a motor for drivingthe drum, a controller for the motor, and meanswhereby the movements of said support due to change of tension in the towing hawser operate said controller.

2. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a movable support for the drum bearings, a motor for driving the drum, a controller for the motor, and means whereby the movements of said support operate said controller to cause the motorto pay out the hawser when the tension on the latter increases, and to take up the hawser when the tension thereon decreases.

3. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing-hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a movable support for the drum bearings, a fluid pressure engine for operating the drum, a valve controlling the sup ply of motive agent to the engine, and means whereby the movement of said support opcrates said valve to increase the supply of motive agent to the engine when the tension on the hawser decreases, and to reduce the motive agent when the tension on the haw ser increases.

4. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a support for the drum bearings capable of movement in two directions, a fluid pressure engine for operating the drum, a valve controlling the supply of motive agent to the engine, and means where by movement of the support for the drum hearings in one direction operates said valve to increase the supply of motive agent to the engine, and movement of said support for the drum bearings in the other direction decreases the supply of'said motive agent.

' 5. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a rocking support upon which said drum is mounted, a fluid pressure engine for driving the drum, a valve for controlling the supply of motive agent to the engine, and means whereby the movement. of said support in one directionoperates saidvalve to increase the supply of motive agent to the engine, and the movement of said support in the other direction decreases said supply of motive agent.

6. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a movable support for the drum bearings, yielding means sustaining said support, an engine, a valve for controlling the supply of motive agent to the engine, and means whereby movement of said support against said yielding means operates said valve to decrease the supply of motive agent. I 7. In a towing engine, va drum adapted to have a towing hawserwound thereon, drum-bearings, a movable support upon which said drum bearings are mounted, a yielding means opposing movement of said support, an engine, a valve for controlling supply ofmotive agent to the engine, and connections between said support and said valve whereby the valve is operated to decrease the supply of motive agent when the support moves against said yielding means. 8. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, drum bearings, a movable support'for the drum bearings, a spring opposing movement of said support in one direction, an engine for operating said drum, a valve for supplying said motive agent to saidengine, and means whereby movement of said support against the force of said spring operatesthe valve to decrease the supply of said motive agent to the engine. i

'9. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a

movable support for the drum, an engine mounted on said support and adapted to operate said drum, a base upon which said support rests, a valve for controlling said engine, and a connection between said-valve and said'base whereby movement of said support relative to the base operates said valve.

10. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser, wound thereon, a rocking support for said drum, a spring 0 posing movement of said support in one direction, an engine mounted on said support and adapted to operate saiddrum, a valve controlling the supply of motive agent to said engine, and a connection between said valve and a fixed point .05 the support whereby rocking movement of said support against the force of said spring-operates said valve to decrease the supply of motive agent to said engine.

11. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a support for said drum fulcrumed at apoint intermediate its ends, a spring opposing swinging movement of said support on'its fulcrum in one direction, an engine for operating saiddrum, a valve controlling the supply of motive agent to said engine, and means whereby movement of said support against the force of said spring operates the valve to regulate the supply of motive agent. 12. In a towing engine, a'drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a rocking support upon which said drum is mounted, said support being movable in one direction when tension on the tow line increases, a spring opposing movement of the drum in said direction, an engine for operating the drum, a valve for controlling the supply of motive agent to the engine, and means whereby movementof said's'upport operates'the valve. t 1

13. In a towing engine, a drum on which a towing hawser is adapted to be wound, drum bearings, ,a movable support for said drum bearings, a motor for operating said drum a controller for the, motor, means whereby movement of said support under changes of tension in the towinghawser operates said controller, and means opposing movement in one direction of said support when the towing hawser is subjected to an increase of tension. I 1-1. In a towing engine, in combination, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a support for said'drum fulcrumed on an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum, a spring opposing the rocking movement of said support in one direction, an engineto operate the LClIllll], a valvefor controlling supply of motive agent to the engine, and means whereby said valve is operated to decrease supply of. motive agent when said support is moved against the force of said spring.

15. In a towing engine, a base, a supporting frame fulcrumed in a point intermediate its ends 011 said base, a drum mounted on said supporting frame, a spring between the base and said frame to oppose movement of the latter in one direction, an engine for operating the drum, a valve for supplying motive agent to the engine, and a connection between said valve and said base whereby the valve is operated when said frame swings on its fulcrum.

16. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, a rocking support upon which said drum is mounted to move with said support, a fluid pressure engine for operating the drum, and means whereby rocking movement of said support and drum controls said engine.

17. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to have a towing hawser wound thereon, bearings for said drum, means for supporting said bearings whereby the latter are movable laterally of the axis of rotation of the drum under changes of tension in said hawser, a motor for operating the drum, a controller for the motor, and means whereby movement of said hearings in one direction under an increase in tension of the hawser operates the controller to reduce the pulling power of the motor, and the movement of said bearings in another direction under a decrease of tension in the hawser operates the controller to increase the pulling power of the motor. 7

18. In a towing engine, a drum adapted to 19. In a towing engine, movable drum bearin s a drum revoluble in said bearin s and movable therewith, a motor, a controller for the motor, and means whereby the move ment of the drum bearings operates said controller.

20. In a towing engine, a motor, a drum mounted in bearings whereby the axis of the drum is movable laterally, means whereby the said lateral movement under increases and decreases in pull of a hawser operated by said drum controls the motor to reduce the'pulling power of the motor when the pull of the hawser increases, and to increase the pulling power of the motor when the pull of the hawser decreases.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SPENCER MILLER.

l/Vitnesses EnNn-s'r Potsronn, J. STOKES OARSWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G.

arrections in Letters PatentNo. 1,319,601.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,319,601, granted October 21, 1919, upon the application Of Thomas Spencer Miller, of South Orange, New J ersey, for an improvement in Towing-Engines, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 130, after the Word pinion insert the Word nut; page 4, line 1, strike out the word nut and that the said Letters Patent should he read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of November, A. D., 1919.

[SEAL] M. H. GOULSTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Ci. 254M172.