Temporary Rudder, for the Preservation of Ships from being lost at Sea. By Captain JAMES PEAT, of Bloomsbury-square. From the TRANSACTIONS of the SOCIETY for the Encouragement of ARTS, MANUFACTURES, and COMMERCE. The Gold Medal was voted to Captain PEAT for this I BEG to submit, for the consideration of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, a sketch of a temporary rudder, invented and used by me on board of the ship Cornwall, under my command, on my voyage from this country to Jamaica, in January, 1811; which ship was engaged by the Transport Board for the conveyance of 14 officers, 200 privates, seven women, and four children, to Barbadoes. In lat. 44° 0', long. 19° 30', on my passage out, I encountered a very severe gale of wind with a heavý sea, which carried away my rudder, and the rudder braces on the stern-post: I was, therefore, under the necessity of fixing a temporary one from the best materials I had then on board. On reference to a plan of Pakenham's temporary rudder, I found it impracticable to fix a rudder constructed on his plan, on account of the heavy sea to which we were exposed. It was, therefore, absolutely necessary, for the preservation of the lives entrusted to my care, that I should set about the construction of a rudder, which could be brought to act in a heavy sea, or under any circumstances whatever. This, I am happy to say, I accomplished, after a progressive improvement of fifteen days, and found this machine, when substantially fixed, to act in every point with the same effect as the regular rudder. One of the great advantages of the rudder invented by me is, that it can be shipped and unshipped at pleasure with the greatest facility, and under any circumstances. The engraving, No. 1, (see Plate . left in the Society's Repository,) is from a draft made by Mr. Lockwood, the Master-attendant of his Majesty's dock-yard at Barbadoes, who had an opportunity of witnessing the effect, having been aboard for some hours, when we were working the ship under all sail in sight of his Majesty's squadron lying in Carlisle Bay. In the engraving, No. 2, (also in the Society's Repository,) is an improvement introduced in the rudder, which I found it required on my passage from Barbadoes to Jamaica, which I made in six days. The improvement consists of an additional weight suspended on a jack-stay, which is necessary to be let down when going more than eight knots an hour. At my request, a survey was held upon this rudder by the principal officers of his Majesty's yard, and all the old masters of the ships lying at Barbadoes; who were unanimous in their opinion, that the same was a better rudder than could be procured at that island; and recommended my proceeding with the ship in that state to Jamaica, which I had no hesitation in doing. I have had the honour to submit a sketch of this temporary rudder to the honourable the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, who were pleased to speak in high terms of the invention, and have subscribed for twenty copies of the above-mentioned engraving for their use. Being requested by Captain Peat to confirm and state the particulars of what I know respecting his invention of a temporary rudder, that he had made on board the ship Cornwall, then commanded by him when on a voy+ age from England to Jamaica. I lament that I am not in London, where I have some papers whereby I could give dates' of particular occur rences, which I stated fully in the Barbadoes newspapers on our arrival there. However, I recollect that it was on the night of the 3d of January, 1811, that the ship parted with her rudder, when it blew a perfect hurricane, and which continued, without any abatement, the succeeding day and night. When the storm subsided, Captain Peat devised a plan of making a rudder, with a spare fore-topsail-yard fixed over the stern, and by means of blocks reefed on each side, it served as a kind of paddle. The first trial was not a successful one, for want of a sufficient weight to keep the paddle under water; but which was soon remedied, for I think that it was on the 10th of January the ship answered the helm, and we proceeded on our voyage, every day discovering some new im provements; inasmuch, that on or about the 16th, he fixed his helm to the wheel, and we proceeded the rest of the voyage without any interruption, unless it was by negligence of the man who steered. So confident was I of the safety and utility of this new invention, that, on my arrival at Barbadoes, I proceeded in her to Jamaica, when I might have gone in other conveyances, a distance of 1000 miles. At Barbadoes, the Master-attendant of the King's yard proceeded to sea in the Cornwall, by directions of Admiral Laforey, for the purpose of forming an opinion of the new rudder. On his return to Carlisle Bay, he declared that he would have no hesitation to sail to the Pacific Ocean with the rudder. He took a drawing of it, which the Admiral was to send to the Admiralty Board. This new discovery I cannot too much praise, as being the means of once preserving my life, and the fatigue and labour which Captain Peat endured in accomplishing this machine, had nearly cost him his, by a severe fit of illness brought on by anxiety and exertions. If Captain Peat can derive any benefit from the British Government for his discovery, and of which I have bore testimony, I will add to his merits, by stating his humanity in affording comforts to 220 recruits whom he had on board, together with their wives, who were in the most deplorable situation occasioned by the storm, when the ship was unmanageable, and it being necessary to throw their beds overboard, many were sick, and received nourishment from Captain Peat's liberality. Birmingham, Nov. 10, 1812. JOHN RICHARDS. It having been represented to us by Captain John Peat, late commander of the ship Cornwall, of London, in our employ, then engaged in the Jamaica trade, that he had submitted, for the consideration of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, &c. &c. &c. an engraving and model of a temporary rudder, invented and used by him on his passage from this country to Bar-, badoes in January 1811, to which place he was conveying 235 of his Majesty's troops: We consider that it would be doing Captain Peat a great deal of injustice, were we not to give him every credit due for so valuable and simple an invention, the efficacy of which has been proved by the distance run in so short a time, and the documents we have in our possession, with the information received from many experienced nautical men of great respectability, who were aboard at the time, and had an opportunity of witness ing ing the great ease with which the vessel was steered on the different points of sailing under all sail, and from the high terms with which it has been spoken of in this country by nautical men of the greatest experience and respectability, cannot fail of being of great utility to the public, and we consider that great praise is due to Captain Peat for his perseverance and daily improvement in substantially fitting the machine, from the idea which first suggested the construction of it. We have received a letter from Mr. Lockwood, of his Majesty's Naval Yard, Barbadoes, accompanied with a sketch from that gentleman on the subject.. THOMSON, OSBOURNE, Billiter-square, Nov. 12, 1812. Gentlemen, and Co. Feb. 18, 1811. I have the honour to forward a sketch of the temporary rudder, by which Captain Peat governed the Cornwall to this island. The apparent ease with which the ship reached this anchorage, the direct course she made under a press of sail, even studding sails, and the account of its action, led me to investigate the circumstance minutely, and enable me to speak very confidently of its properties; and, in order that you may have yet more information that I have time to write, I inclose the sketch with a Barbadoes paper. It was my first intention to send the plan to Mr. Robert Blachford, Chartseller, Minories, for immediate impression, and to propose giving him a right or title to the plan, by sending me 200 copies. Captain Peat suggested the idea of my sending it to you. I, therefore, Gentlemen, beg your acceptance of my humble labour; my sole wish was to render it public for the good of society, as, in my opinion, it not only super sedes |