At the commencement of every revolution of the adding axes, it is
evident that the several bolts placed upon them must be shot in order to
perform the various additions. This is accomplished by a third set of
seven axes, placed at some distance behind the range of the wheels,
which turn upon the adding axes: these are called _bolting axes_. On these
bolting axes are fixed, so as to revolve with them, a bolting finger
opposite to each bolt; as the bolting axis is made to revolve by the
moving power, the bolting finger is turned, and as it passes near the
bolt, it encounters the shoulder of a hammer or lever, which strikes the
heel of the bolt, and presses it forward so as to shoot its tooth
between the crown teeth of the adding wheel. The only exception to this
action is the case in which 0 happens to be at the index of the figure
wheel; in that case, the lever or hammer, which the bolting finger would
encounter, is, as before stated, lifted out of the way of the bolting
finger, so that it revolves without encountering it. It is on the
bolting axes that the fingers are spirally arranged so as to equalize
their action, as already explained.
The same axes in the front of the machinery on which the figure wheels
turn, are made to serve the purpose of _carrying_. Each of these bear a
series of fingers which turn with them, and which encounter a carrying
claw, already described, so as to make the carriage: these carrying
fingers are also spirally arranged on their axes, as already described.
Although the absolute accuracy which appears to be ensured by the
mechanical arrangements here described is such as to render further
precautions nearly superfluous, still it may be right to state, that,
supposing it were possible for an error to be produced in calculation,
this error could be easily and speedily detected in the printed tables:
it would only be necessary to calculate a number of the table taken at
intervals, through which the mechanical action of the machine has not
been suspended, and during which it has received no adjustment by the
hand: if the computed number be found to agree with those printed, it
may be taken for granted that all the intermediate numbers are correct;
because, from the nature of the mechanism, and the principle of
computation, an error occurring in any single number of the table would
be unavoidably entailed, in an increasing ratio, upon all the succeeding
numbers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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