A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Muntz, late of England, but
now of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of
America, for the Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT
Sealed the 7th December 1853, and dated the 11th October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry
Muntz at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th October 1853.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNTZ, late of England, but now of the State
of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention of "A NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN
PADDLE WHEELS FOR NAVIGABLE VESSELS" to be described and repre-
sented in the following Specification and the accompanying Drawings,
letters, figures, and references thereof :--
Figure 1, of the said Drawings denotes a side elevation; Figure 2,
an end elevation; Figure 3, a central vertical and longitudinal section;
and Figure 4, a central vertical and transverse section of my improved
paddle wheel.
In the construction of it I employ three circular wheels A, B, C,

page_text: which I affix (parallel to one another and at suitable distances apart)
to a shaft D', which runs through the centre of each of them. The
middle wheel B, is about twice the diameter of each of the others, viz.,
A, C, and may be termed the cutwater wheel. To these wheels the
buckets D, D, &c., E, E, &c., are affixed, one set of them being made to
extend from the circumference of one wheel A, to that of the wheel B,
while the other set, viz., E, E, are made to extend from the circum-
ference of the wheel C, to that of the wheel B, the said buckets being
fastened to their wheels in any suitable manner.
Each bucket is formed of sheet metal bent in the following
manner-
First, it is bent or formed so that one part a, shall stand at about a
right angle to the other part b. The part a, of each may be termed
the paddle or float, while the part b, may be termed the guard. The
part a, is made to stand about perpendicularly to the side of the cut-
water wheel, and is curved flatways from the edge of the smaller
wheel to where it strikes the cutwater wheel, the chord of such curve
being about tangential to the circumference of the outer wheel, and
inclined toward the inner wheel. The inner edge of the float is curved,
and forms an acute angle with its outer edge or joining with the guard,
the widest part of the float being near the outer supporting wheel A,
or C, whichever it may be attached to. The float is thus made to take
a form approximating to that of a bird's wing. The guard of the
bucket is made about of an equal width throughout, and to extend
from the circumference of the outer wheel A, or C, to the cutwater
wheel B, and it may be curved as seen in the Drawings, it being so
arranged (as seen in the Drawings) that it shall enter endwise into the
water and pass edgeways through the water during the revolutions of
the paddle wheel. The float strikes the water flatways, but enters at
an angle of about forty degrees to the horizontal, so that its narrowest
part shall not only enter the water first, but shall be the first part of
the float to leave the water. In the act of passing into the water to
its greatest submergence the propelling surface of the float constantly
increases, while in passing from the position of its greatest submergence
the propelling surface of the float decreases, the increase as well as

page_text: the decrease of propelling surface being not only in the direction of its
width, but also in that of its length; whereas, with a common radial
rectangular float arranged in the plane of the axis of the wheel, the
increase or diminution of the propelling surface in passing through the
water is in one direction only, viz., in that of the width of the float.
While the guard and float constitute a bucket that operates to great
advantage under the peculiar arrangement of it, the guard not only
serves to strenghen the float but to protect it from injury, and it throws
off the water externally somewhat as do the bows of a vessel.
Thus by making the middle wheel B, larger in diameter than each
of the side wheels A, C, and applying the guard to them as described,
the paddle wheel in passing through the water is made to cut the water
somewhat after the manner of the bows of a ship, the form of the
wheel and the guards of the buckets tending to diminish the resistance
in passing through the water as do the bows of a ship. The float and
the guard not only compose a bucket, but are of great advantage in
propelling a vessel, as by the peculiar manner in which the bucket so
made enters the water there is little or none of the jar or vibration
produced that is incident to the flat paddle. Besides, in passing out of
the water the tendency to lift back water is very much less. On steam
vessels that are compelled to pass through fields of floating ice my wheel
will be found to be very advantageous. Its great strength also renders
it of much importance.
The mode of making the paddle wheel is claimed by me as new and
of my Invention, such mode consisting, 1st, in making the supports of
the buckets a cutwater wheel B, and two wheels A, C, of smaller
diameter; 2nd, of forming each bucket of a float and guard made to
stand at an angle to each other; 3rd, of making the guard to extend
from the rim of the cutwater wheel to the other or smaller wheel,
and so that the guard shall not only pass edgewise through the water,
but endwise into the water, the float being made to project inwards
from the guard, as stated. And in combination therewith I claim the
making the float narrowest at its outer end or at the cutwater wheel,
and gradually increasing in width towards its inner end, as described:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Williani Henry Muntz in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 28th January 1854.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM HENRY MUNTZ, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, by Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, of the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did grant unto me, the said William
Henry Muntz, my heirs, exccutors, administrators, and assigns, an
exclusive property or right, for fourteen years, to make, usc, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "A NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENT IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR NAVIGABLE VESSELS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Henry Muntz,
by an instrument of writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office or Office of the Commissioners of Patents
for Inventions within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Muntz, do
hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following Specification and the accompany Drawings,
letters, figures, and references thereof:
Figure 1, of the said Drawings denotes a side elevation; Figure 2, an
end elevation; Figure 3, a central vertical and longitudinal section; and
Figure 4, a central vertical and transverse section of my improved
paddle wheel.
In the construction of it I employ three circular wheels A, B, C,
which I affix (parallel to one another and at suitable distances apart)
to a shaft D', which runs through the centre of each of them. The

page_text: middle-wheel B, is about twice the diameter of each of the others, viz.,
A, C, and may be termed the cutwater wheel. To these wheels the
buckets D, D, &c., E, E, &c., are affixed, one set of them being made
to extend from the inner part of one wheel A, to that of the wheel B,
while the other set, viz., E, E, are made to extend from the circum-
ference of the wheel C, to that of the wheel B, the said buckets being
fastened to their wheels in any suitable manner.
Each bucket is formed of sheet metal bent in the following
manner:-
First, it is bent or formed so that the part a, shall stand at about a
right angle to the other part b. The part a, of each may be termed the
paddle or float, while the part b, may be termed the guard. The part a,
is made to stand about perpendicularly to the side of the cutwater wheel,
and is curved flatways from the edge of the smaller wheel to where it
strikes the cutwater wheel, the chord of such curve being about tan-
gential to the circumference of the outer wheel, and inclined towards the
inner wheel. The inner edge of the float is curved, and forms an acute
angle with its outer edge or joining with the guard, the widest part of
the float being near the outer supporting wheel A, or C, whichever it
may be attached to. The float is thus made to take a form approxi-
mating to that of a bird's wing. The guard of the bucket is made
about of an equal width throughout, and to extend from the circum-
ference of the outer wheel A, or C, to the cutwater wheel B, and it
may be curved as seen in the Drawings, it being so arranged (as seen
in the Drawings) that it shall enter endwise into the water, and pass
edgeways through the water.luring the revolutions of the paddle wheel.
The float strikes the water flatways, but enters at an angle of about
forty degrees to the horizontal, so that its narrowest part shall not only
enter the water first, but shall be the first part of the float to leave the
water. In the act of passing into the water to its greatest submergence
the propelling surface of the float constantly increases, while in passing
from the position of its greatest submergence the propelling surface of
the float decreases, the increase as well as the decrease of propelling
surface being not only in the direction of its width, but also in that of
its length; whereas, with a common radial rectangular float arranged

page_text: in the plane of the axis of the wheel, the increase or diminution of the
propelling surface in passing through the water is in one direction only,
viz., in that of the width of the float. While the guard and float con-
stitute a bucket that operates to great advantage under the peculiar
arrangement of it, the guard not only serves to strengthen the float, but
to protect it from injury, and it throws off the water externally some-
what as do the bows of a vessel.
Thus by making the middle wheel B, larger in diameter than each
of the side wheels A, C, and applying the guards to them as described,
the paddle wheel, in passing through the water, is made to cut the
water somewhat after the manner of the bows of a ship, the form of
the wheel and the guards of the buckets tending to diminish the resis-
tance in passing forwards through the water as do the bows of a ship.
The float and the guard not only compose a bucket, but are of great
advantage in propelling a vessel, as by the peculiar manner in which
the buckets so made enter the water there is little or none of the jar or
vibration produced that is incident to the flat paddle: Besides, in pass-
ing out of the water the tendency to lift back water is very much. less.
On steam vessels that are compelled to pass through fields of floating
ice my wheel will be found very advantageous; its great strength also
renders it of much importance.
I would remark, that a wheel may be made by dispensing with the
guard to each bucket, and constructing each of the buckets as a float,
having its greatest width at or near its connection with the cutwater
wheel, such float being made to stand tangentially or at an angle with
the rims of the smaller supporting wheels.
.
The mode of making the paddle wheel is claimed by me as new and
of my Invention, such mode consisting, first, in making the supports of
the buckets a cutwater wheel B, and two wheels A, C, of smaller
diameter. Second, of forming each bucket of a float and guard made to
stand at an angle to each other. Third, of making the guard to extend
from the rim of the cutwater wheel to the other or smaller wheel, and
so that the guard shall not only pass edgewisė through the water, but
endwise into the water, the float being made to project inwards from
the guard, as stated. And in combination therewith I claim the

page_text: making the float narrowest at its outer end or at the cutwater wheel,
and gradually increasing in width towards its inner end, as described.
I also claim the mode of making a wheel of a cutwater and two
smaller supporting wheels and each of the buckets without the guard,
and to be supported by the cutwater and side wheels, and be widest
at or near the cutwater, and narrowest at or near the smaller wheel,
and to stand tangentially or at an angle to the rim of the lesser wheel,
as specified.
In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my hand and seal, the
21 day of November 1853.
WILLIAM HENRY MUNTZ. (L.S.)