Westport resident Randell (Randy) Willard reports that while walking his dog on the beach off Cohasset during an early evening low tide on Oct. 23, he found an antique nautical brass treasure that dates to the late 1800s.
When or how it got there will have to remain one of those tantalizing beachcombing mysteries.
Discovery
Willard says he discovered the object tucked into the sand near the high tide line, and that at first, it appeared to be part of a spent firework rocket. Upon further investigation, he determined that, while it was rocket-shaped, it was made of brass and had four permanently attached brass ‘wings.’ He took it home, polished it up, weighed it – exactly one pound - measured it – 9.5” long and 4” wide at its widest point - then pondered how to determine exactly what it is.
Mystery solved
The mystery as to its name and purpose was solved when Willard posted a photo of the object on Facebook and quickly received a reply from Ocean Shores resident Peter Mason, who identified the treasure as a 19th century taffrail log rotator/propeller.
Through research online, Willard found a photo that very closely matches his taffrail log propeller on the John Bliss Virtual Museum site. John Bliss & Co. manufactured the propeller pictured on the site between 1878 and 1881.
Willard’s artifact dates to the mid-1800s. Engravings at the base of one of the propeller wings include three U.S. Patent dates and one from England – all from the 1800s: Sep.17.78; APL.6.84; DEC. 1.86; and ENG.PAT.DEC. 86.
Knots calculator
A taffrail log is a marine odometer of simple design that measures a vessel’s speed traveling through water to determine distance traveled. A torpedo-shaped propeller like the one found by Willard is dragged from the stern of a ship tied to a stiff braided line connected to a dial attached to the stern rail of the vessel. That rail is called the taffrail, hence the name taffrail log.
As the taffrail log propeller or ‘fish’ rotates, it exerts torque on the line. The measuring dial registers the torque, and translates that measurement into knots. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour.
Long history
For hundreds of years, ships sailing the seven seas have used aft-trailing lines to determine speed and distance. The first rudimentary versions consisted of a braided line with knots tied at equal intervals along its length and a small log tied at one end. The rope and log would be thrown overboard astern and the line allowed to play out. The time it took for the knotted line to be stretched to its full length allowed sailors to estimate the vessel’s speed in the distance traveled.
Englishman Humphry Cole designed the first mechanical patent log in 1688 with a measuring dial and rotating propeller to create torque on the line. Originally, the measuring dial and rotator were mounted together, which made it necessary to pull the log in for reading.
Englishman Thomas Walker is credited for the first taffrail-mounted log, which received an American patent in 1887. Given the DEC 86 English patent date on Willard’s find, odds are good that his propeller is a Thos. Walker & Son, Ltd. design, versions of which were in production until 1980.
Improved versions of the taffrail log were in wide use until the mid-1950s and are still common on sailing yachts as a back-up in the event that electronics fail.
