Reports of Judges. 113 



"The patent Union power capstan combines the following advan- 

 tages, very few of which are found in any other capstan in use, and 

 in no other are they all, or nearly all, combined: 1. The men 

 travel with the levers, alwa3'S in the direction in which the barrel 

 winds. 2. It winds in either direction at pleasure, as a simple 

 capstan. 3. It winds in either direction at pleasure, as a power 

 capstan. 4. The free working of the capstan in both' directions, 

 prevents the necessity of fleeting the line, unless it is desired, and 

 any over-riding is also thereby easily corrected. 5. Our gears arc 

 perfectly at rest when the simple power is used, while the spindle 

 bearings are unchanged. 6. The capstan remains perfect and 

 unobstructed, as a simple capstan, in the contingency of a possible 

 derangement by breaking of gears or otherwise, of the power 

 arrangement. 7. A patent provision is made for the application 

 of a ])lock, so as to draw a line from aloft, at an angle, in any 

 direction. 8. There is a more powerful purchase than in any other 

 power capstans, viz. four and one-half to one. 9. There is no tor- 

 sional strain on the spindle, as the gear pm-chase communicates 

 directly with the bed plate. 10. We have a safety, elastic element 

 in our plan of construction, insuring the equalized action of all the 

 gears. 11. All working parts become perfectly accessible by 

 simply removing a pin in the top of the shaft. 12. All laboring 

 bearings ai'e on metals not subject to rust. 13. The gear wheels 

 are of the best metal for the purpose. 14. The capstan is not liable 

 to become inoperative from neglect or rust, and all parts are 

 detachable with the greatest facility. 15. The side shafts have a 

 tin coated surface within the upper geai's, so that the last and only 

 chance for rust to prevent the free tjJdng apart of the entire 

 machine on shipboard, is entirely removed. 16. Our patent coni- 

 cal gear arrangement secures a facility in moulding which insures 

 finer castings, and better surfaced gears than other plans. 17. Our 

 patent arrangement affords us the facility, and we therefore rein- 

 force all the o:ear teeth with abuttinor flanjjes. 18. There is not the 

 common but objectionable jutting out of the upper part of the 

 barrel, found in most power capstans; on the contray, it is free 

 from anything to interfere with the free manipulation of the line 

 or cable over and around the capstan. 19. We have combined 

 greater originality and more perfect letters patent protection, 

 proba1)ly, than is found in any other capstan in existence." 



Xo. 750. Screw Steering Apparatus. (James L. Jackson <fe Bro.) 

 This seems to be a valuable improvement in the methods hereto- 



riNST.l 8 



