154 New Patents 
MR. EDWARD MASSEY’S, (HANLEY- 
STRATFORD,) for aa INSTRUMENT 
er APPARATUS for TAKING {he 
SOUNDINGS at SEA with more Certain- 
’ ty and Correétnefs than heretofore, and 
Sor other Nautical Purpofes and Matters 
connected with or relating to Naviga- 
270”. 
Although a perfeét idea of this inftru- 
ment cannot be given without the affittance 
of figures, yet perhaps the following will 
be fufficient as a general account. 
The apparatus confiits of a founding- 
weight, about eighteen inches long, the 
body of which ccntainsa regifter with two 
dials—of an iron or brafs rod, twelve 
inches long—and of a tin bucy, about fix 
inches fquare and four deep, which muft 
be air-tight. Tothe bottom of the buoy 
is fecured a pair of f{pring-tongs, one end 
of which refts on a hook, and in the {pring- 
part of the tongs ts fixed a rotator, or re- 
volving-apparatus. This apparatus is 
compofed of a copper, or other metallic, 
tube, and four brafs, or other metallic, 
vanes. ‘Thetube muitbe air-tight, about 
twelve inches long and ove and a haif in 
iameter, with a conical point about four 
inches in length. ‘The vanes muft be 
foldered to the tube in a fpiral-diredtion, 
fo as to produce a rotatory-motion round 
the axis of the tube when fent in the water. 
On each vane is a regulator, whole office 
is to make a rotator perform a certain 
number of revolutions in a given fpace 
correfpondent with the calculations of the 
wheels of the regifter. The rotators are 
to be adjufted, by experiment in water, to 
correfpond with the regifters to the great- 
efinicety, that is, to afcertain the fpace 
the machine will defcend .by every revolu- 
tion of the rotator. By altering the an- 
gles, and the fize of the vanes, the rotator 
may be made to revolve in any defired 
fpace. 
By this method foundingsmay be taken 
in very deep water ; and in water of 
twenty fathom, without the trouble of 
heaving the veffel to, although the may 
be going at the rate of five miles an hour; 
for as the rotator regifters the defcent of 
the founding-weight, there is no eccafion 
to pay any refpect to the length of Jine 
out; fo that the mariner may veer out any 
quantity of line which will give time for 
the machine to defcend, 
Mr.Maffey enumerates the effential parts 
ef his improyements, which are as follow : 
\ 
lately enrolled. f Sept.5 
1. Fn refpeét to the founding-machine, the 
chief obje&t of which is to do away or 
leffen the errors arifing from the old me- 
thod of taking feundings, as the chief 
guide for the mariner by that method is to 
judge of the perpendicular. depth of line 
out, which is apt to deceive him ; whereas 
on this principle he is governed by the de- 
{cent of the founding-weight only, without 
any regard to the length of the line, ex- 
cept in cafe of ufing the reel. 2. Fhe 
improvements in the rotators are the in- 
vention of the air-tube, and the method of 
adjufing or regulating it. Arotator. on 
this principle will anfwer both quick and 
flow failing, and give the true diftance, 
without any danger of its breaking the 
regifter in quick failing by holding too 
much water. To enable the mariner te 
determine whether the rotatorhas met with 
any accident, there isa fteel guage, one 
end of whichis fixed ina det nearly at the 
extremity of the vane, the other end 
reaches tothe next vane. A mark is made 
on it, and all the vanes are marked in the 
fame manner, and as they. are fixtures, 
their marks always remain at the fame dif- 
tance from each other, if the rotator has 
not received any injury, notwithftanding 
the rotatory-motion may be altered by 
the regulator, the vanes {till remaining fta- 
tionary, fo that the mariner may be af- 
fured whether the rotator has received any, 
injury by applying the guage. 
—— eee 
REPEAL of MR. MURRAY'S PATENT 
for IMPROVEMENTS 04 the sTEAM- 
ENGINE.—The King v. Murray. 
This was a caufe inftituted to repeal a 
patent granted to Mr. Murray,* for im- 
provements in the conftryction of a feam- 
engine. The profegution was carried on 
at the inftance of Meffrs. Bolton and 
Watt, with a view to prove that all thofe 
parts of the invention in queftion which 
were really ufeful, and deferving of a pa- 
tent, were invented and practifed at their 
works for a confiderable time befare the 
date of this patent. 
On the day preceding that appointed 
for trial, the defendant withdrew his plea, 
and confented that judgment fhould go by 
default, by which the patent is repealed 
and cancelled. 
* See Monthly Magazine, vol. 15, p. 172. 
MONTHLY 
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