MECHANISM OF REELS. 17 



causes it to catch in the teeth of the wheel which- 

 ever way it turns. In Fig. 2, a denotes the notched 

 wheel upon the end of the drum; c, the steel ratchet 

 which catches into the teeth of the wheel a; b, a 

 steel spring which guides the ratchet ; and d, the 

 external plate of the reel, on which the ratchet and 

 spring are fixed. The use of this mechanism is for 

 the purpose of opposing a certain degree of resistance to 

 the too easy run of the line off the reel, and is tolerably 

 efficient in this respect ; but it has one 'or two grave 

 d 



Fig. 2. CLICK-REEL. Fig. 3. FRICTION PLATE. 



faults which must not be overlooked. It is apt to stop 

 working altogether, when either the teeth of the wheel, 

 or the point of the ratchet, or the head of the nail which 

 fixes it to the plate, become worn, which they certainly 

 will in the course of time ; although, when new and 

 well finished, this reel is certainly a very neat piece of 

 apparatus. 



A much better method of applying friction is to in- 

 terpose a thin circular plate of brass, slightly convex in 

 the middle, and slit so far up at intervals around the 



B2 



