56 AUTOMATIC STEERING. 
pedestal containing the automatic mechanism. The handle for throwing the automatic in and 
out of connection with the steering wheel is seen at A in the lower part of the figure. Near 
the top of the pedestal is shown the little tiller wheel B, by means of which all changes of 
course are set and, in fact, the ship is often steered by this little wheel through the auto- 
matic. The adjustments for steering with the least helm according to different conditions of 
the ship, light or loaded, and also weather conditions, are seen to the left of and below the 
little tiller wheel B. Any standard telemotor, indicated at C, may be employed with either 
equipment. All parts of the mechanism inside the pedestal are completely accessible from 
the back, and the gear from a door on the side of the forward conical projection. The 
mechanism is found to operate continuously day and night almost without perceptible tem- 
perature rise. The standard pedestals coming through for service on a number of ships are 
smaller than the one shown in Fig. 3. 
With an experienced and highly skilled quartermaster and a gyro-compass repeater con- 
veniently located, especially with the usual magnifying reading glass (seen in Fig. 2) near 
its card for ease in observation of minute indications, an accuracy in steering can be obtained 
that leaves practically nothing to be desired, with the possible exception that with automatic 
steering the frequency with which the helm is altered may be greater, and the “helm,” 
as such, is employed to a higher degree of efficiency. By “helm” is meant a central position 
taken up by the helm for automatic neutralization of tide, stream and wind, from which 
slight departures only constitute all the steering necessary. This contributes directly to 
fuel saving. 
Another matter that never fails of interest is the difference with the same helmsman 
steering by magnetic and gyro. A small part of such a record is shown in Fig. 6, Plate 4, 
on natural scale. Fig. 7, Plate 4, shows parts of a similar record on a scale magnified 
ten times. Here we have an adjacent section of the same magnified record showing a piece 
of remarkable steering by the same quartermaster brought about by the simple substitution 
of the gyro for the magnetic compass. 
Fig. 8, Plate 5, is not without interest owing to the fact that it shows extremely good 
hand steering compared with a high class of automatic steering. This indicates that the 
hand steering by this particular expert quartermaster was a trifle better than the automatic. 
This is the upper line; in the lower line the same with another quartermaster, showing poorer 
steering by hand than with the automatic. 
Fig. 9, Plate 6, gives a glimpse of how the studies referred to in the leading para- 
graphs have been prosecuted. This is a simultaneous record of helm angle and ship’s head- 
ing by special magnified and quick moving reel, the chart amplitude of the latter being multi- 
plied by 10, the helm angle by 3, and the time by 20. These magnified records are made 
by the operation of the automatic steering mechanism itself at sea. The perfection of auto- 
matic steering is here shown by the extremely small amount of yaw angle. This, being on 
the order of 1/3 of a degree only from the course, illustrates how ponderous masses can be 
brought under strict control. : 
It is the magnification of results like this that has taught us much during the perfection 
of the apparatus. Not only are wide angles of yawing and sinuous course prima facie evi- 
dence of bad performance in requiring a longer distance to be traveled on each leg of the 
course, but it involves bad angle of attack of the seas as compared with straight steering 
and a definite waste of propulsive power under each of the above counts. 
If the best steering that can be done by magnetic is seen to make such a poor showing 
