STEERING APPARATUS, in antiquity, was always of one or usually two long GIL'S, the rudder and helm having probably been invented by the Scandinavians, as all the words descriptive of their parts are old components of our language. A rudder with tiller is found on a seal as early as 1226, but no preventive tackle appear ever to he shown. The enormous length necessary for a tiller in a large ship causes the first improvement, the steering-wheel. This is a fixed windlass, on me barrel of which wind and unwind ropes carried over compound pulleys to the ends of the tiller, and to eyebolts in the side. The length of rope wound on the barrel will usually be somewhat over three times the angle traversed by the tiller, or between four and five turns to put the helm hard either way, from mid-ship. The next improvement was to suspend the rudder, not by pintles .ou the stern-post, but by a pivot at the bottom, leaving nearly a third on one side of the Axis, as a counterpoise—the balance-rudder. This, very valuable on a screw ship, was needlessly powerful when under sail, and the counterpoise side was therefore made movable, and locked stiff when necessary—the compound balance-•udde•. Still, the angle traversed being enlarged, the work" of a steering-wheel was enormous, and in a sea a ponderous system of braces and preventer-tackle was necessary. About 1863 was
introduced into the British navy the steam or hydraulic steering apparatus. The Minotaur had needed, to set her helm over 23', 18 men at the wheels, 60 men at the relieving tackles, and 11 minutes. To complete a circle required 71 minutes. A balance rudder would probably have increased the arc traversed to 40°. Fitted with the steam apparatus 2 men at the wheel set the rudder 33' in 1G seconds, making the circle in 5/ minutes. It is now usual to have a small auxiliary engine, an wheel irr case of accident, and for the old tiller is now substituted a yoke. There are many varieties of modern yoke wheels, both horizontal and vertical, working by pistons, by a ratchet, or by contrary-screws with levers. Steamboat rudders have long been worked from the house by the pilot.; but the trouble of applying machinery to chains necessarily so long has always lain in the slack and the shock. The latest invention consists in attaching to each chain a piston which may receive steam on either side, one moving forward as the other Imovcs aft, preventing all slack, and cushioning enough to deaden the shock almost entirely.