Posted by Bob Read on September 20, 1998 at 11:33:19 in pm3-1-073.apci.net:
In Reply to: Re: Forecastle Steam Valves posted by Scott Andrews on September 20, 1998 at 00:18:15:
Scott:
I know of the small wheels and gear boxes you describe. The two new pedestal mounted steam controls (similar if not identical to the others)
are just outboard of the structures you describe.
I'm not sure from your post if you are saying the pedestal mounted controls are not there or what.
From the Titanic movie and the FSM article there appear to be six pedestal mounted steam controls plus the hand brake wheels that are there. In the FSM article the two new controls are in a shadowed area in front of the forward hatch. Thats why I originally missed them. It wasn't until I saw the movie that they were in sunlight and could be seen. I think I can identify all six wheels in an enlargement of the photo of the Olympic's forecastle taken about the time of her maiden voyage. It is the one with an officer in dress whites walking across the deck.
Regards,
Bob Read
: Bob,
: Those two extra wheels are the on-deck
: controls which operate the braking mechanisms
: of the anchor windlasses. On page 123 of Bob
: ballard's book (fold out mosaic) the two hand
: wheels atop their gear boxes can be seen
: along with the shafting (pipe-like structures)
: which connects them to the windlass brakes.
: In the same book on page 97 in the upper left
: corner of the large photo of the wreck, you will
: see the universal joint of the shaft on the port
: windlass. On the handwheel shaft, inside the
: gear box, is a worm gear which turns a spur gear
: on the shaft going to the windlass. This shaft
: tightens a brake band around a drum keyed to
: the windlass shaft underneath the large bed
: plate of the windlass gear. The brake is used to
: let go the anchor and as part of the gear to hold
: it in place when weighed (the hoop-like objects
: at the end of the chain rails in the photo just
: above this one would also be cranked down
: with the short handwheels seen next to them
: when at sea, clamping down on the anchor
: chains, and as an additional measure, chain
: nippers (the small chains that pass through the
: anchor chains in that photo) would also be put
: in place. The same type of brake mechanism
: is still used on windlasses and winches today.
: For those of you familiar with antique autos,
: this type of brake looks and works similar to the
: external contracting type brakes used on autos
: built from about the turn of the century on into
: the mid-20's, prior to the adoption of the internal
: expanding type we still use on drum brakes.
: Regards,
: Scott