This is a ship's engine order telegraph, a communication device used on ships to transmit commands from the bridge to the engine room. Before automated systems, officers on the bridge would use this device to signal desired engine speeds and directions (such as "Full Ahead" or "Dead Slow Astern"). The engine room would then acknowledge the order and adjust the engines accordingly.

The telegraph in the photo displays settings like "STOP," "STAND BY," "DEAD SLOW," "SLOW," "HALF," and "FULL," for both "AHEAD" (forward) and "ASTERN" (reverse). The text "J.W. Y & (LIVERPOOL) LTD LIVERPOOL & LONDON" indicates it was manufactured by J. W. Ray & Co. Ltd., a British company known for marine instruments, specifically based in Liverpool and London. These devices are now mostly superseded by electronic controls but remain a classic symbol of maritime history and engineering.