IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES, AND IN MOVING CARRIAGES UP INCLINES, AND IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MCINTOSH, of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth
day of January, One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the
tenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John McIntosh, my exors, admors, and
assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John McIntosh, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John McIntosh, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES, AND IN MOVING CARRIAGES UP
INCLINES, AND IN PROPELLING VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said John McIntosh, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully
and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John McIntosh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon!
(that is to say):-
My Invention consists, first, of improvements in that description of
rotatory engine for which Letters Patent were granted to me, the said John
McIntosh, the Seventeenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-four.
Secondly, my Invention consists of improvements of rotatory engines pecu-
liarly applicable to propelling carriages, and arranging such engines in respect
to railways as to facilitate the moving of carriages on inclines.
And, thirdly, my Invention consists in propelling vessels by employing
flexible inflated instruments or apparatus, as hereafter explained.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a vertical section of a steam engine constructed according to
my Invention. Figure 2 shows a horizontal section of the same. a is the main
shaft or axis of the engine, on which the arm bis fixed. The shaft or axis a turns
in suitable bearings, and passes through stuffing boxes in the side plates c, c, to
prevent air flowing into the interior of the chamber c which is in communica-
tion with the condenser, so that this chamber is at all times vacuuous when
the engine is at work, supposing the engine to be a condensing engine; but if
high-pressure steam be used, and no condensing, then the chamber formed by
the plates c will be open to the atmosphere. The periphery or outer circum-
ference of the chamber c is formed by the ring d, the section of which is clearly
shown by the Drawing. e is a flexible material fixed on the interior of the
chamber c, as is shown; and this flexible material e is so arranged that it may
be alternately inflated and emptied, as hereafter explained. The flexible
material used is to be steam-tight, or as nearly so as may be; what I use for
the purpose is a very strong closely-woven linen cloth, like sailcloth, but thicker
and stronger; and in order to protect such flexible material e, I apply a second
similar cloth, with fillets of metal f at intervals; and I apply the rings g, g,
which are cach made of three picces, on the interior, in order to fix the flexible
material; and the edges of such rings g', ', are so formed as to receive and

page_text: support the ends of the fillets on the outer flexible material; by this arrange-
ment it will be perceived that the flexible material e (which is fixed all around
on the interior of the ring d), when it is inflated, will pass from the inner
surface of the ring d, and will be supported by the rings g', g', and the flexible
material will be prevented from being forced too far by the fillets on the outer
flexible material, being supported by the edges of the rings G', G¹. On the
arm 6 is a roller or cylinder, which I prefer to be hollow, so as to receive oil or
lubricating material; this cylinder revolves freely on its axis, the bearings of
which are capable of being adjusted by means of screws h, h; steam is admitted
by the slide valve i, the steam entering at j, and the steam passes away to the
condenser at . The slide valve (according to the arrangement shewn) will
only require to be moved when the direction of motion is desired to be changed,
or it is desired to stop the engine. When the engine is at work the steam
(supposing the valve remains in its position) will flow continuously, as indicated
by the arrows, constantly pressing the roller forward, by which rotatory motion
will be communicated to the axis or shaft of the engine. This engine differs
very materially from that described under my said former Patent, inasmuch as
the chamber in which the steam acts is stationary, and the roller gives motion
to the main axis or shaft. It also differs, inasmuch as fillets are applied to the
flexible material, and the roller is of a cylindrical form.
Figure 3 shows another arrangement of my engine in section, and Figure 4
a horizontal plan of the same. This engine is very similar to that described
in my said former Patent, but it differs, inasmuch as the roller steam stop of
the present engine is of a cylindrical form, and the flexible cover has fillets of
metal fixed thereto in like manner to that described in respect to Figures 1
and 2 of the Drawings. In this arrangement the flexible material revolves with
its wheel, and the wheel is fixed on a hollow axis, as in my former Patent.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists
of improvements in rotatory engines, arranged suitable for propelling
carriages.
Figure 5 shews an elevation of a wheel which, together with a steam boiler
or other means of supplying fluid, constitutes the improvements. Figure 6
shows the edge view of two wheels on the axle of a carriage, one of them
being shown in section. The peculiarity of this apparatus is, that each
wheel has a hollow ring or tube of flexible material fixed around the
periphery, and I prefer to use for such purposes vulcanized or otherwise con-
verted india-rubber, and I cover the same with strong leather. The axle / is
hollow, having two passages which communicate with a hollow spoke m; also
having two passages, one passage in the spoke and in the axle, being an induction

page_text: passage, and the other an eduction passage. Steam, or it might be other fluid,
is admitted by the induction way, which constantly inflates the flexible material
which is closed at the point a. The steam or other fluid acts against the
point as an abutment, and against the surface of the road, and thus drives
the wheel round, and consequently the axle on which it is fixed; the steam
passing back through the eduction way is by a pipe to be conducted into the
chimney of the engine or to a suitable condenser. The wheels above described
are peculiarly applicable to carriages to run on common roads; but when
suitable guide wheels are used, or the rails are otherwise arranged to prevent
the wheels running off the rails, the same may be applied to railways. In
constructing a locomotive engine, what would be required in addition to these,
and a pair of ordinary wheels, would be a carriage having a steam boiler affixed
thereon, a steam pipe, a stuffing.box m², and a suitable cock or valve on the
steam pipe. to shut off or turn on the steam to the wheels; by this arrange-
ment. the cylinders, and parts. of locomotive engines now used, would be
dispensed with.
Figure 7 is a side view in section of another arrangement of rotary engine,
intended to propel. carriages on railways; Figure 8 shows a transverse section
thereof. In this arrangement only one rotatory engine,, according to my
Invention, is applied to the axle, and a central fixed rail n is employed. This
rotary engine or wheel is very similar to those just described, but the flexible
material only covers. a groove formed in the periphery of the wheel, the groove
corresponding with the convexity of the central rail....
Н
Figure 9 shews a 'section of parts when a plain upper-surface of central rail
is employed, and the flexible material has fillets fixed as described in respect to
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, by. which it will be understood that the mode of
arranging the various parts may. be varied so long as the peculiar character
of the Invention be retained; and I would state that. this part of my Invention
is also suitable for facilitating railway carriages in moving up inclines when
ordinary locomotive engines are used for propelling trains of carriages or other
parts of a line of railway; in this case or mode of employing my improved rotatory
engine, it would only come into use when the locomotive comes to an incline, and
it should be fixed on one or more of the axles of the locomotive or other carriage,
with convenient means for conveying steam thereto from the boiler when it is
desired to bring the rotatory engine. into use. It should, therefore, be under-
stood that, in constructing locomotive engines, this part of my Invention may
be alone used, or it may be employed simply as an auxilliary to aid in ascending
inclines; in which latter case the, central. rail. will only be necessary at the
inclines on a line of railway, when steam or other fluid being admitted into

page_text: the rotatory engine, it will cause it to revolve in contact with the rail, and
thus aid the other wheels of a locomotive carriage in moving carriages up
inclines.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which consists of
employing flexible tubes on a vessel in such a manner that they may be alter-
nately filled with steam or other fluid, and emptied.
Figure 10 shows the side view of a vessel, and Figure 11. a plan thereof,
fitted with flexible tubes or surfaces, according to this
part of my Invention.
The Drawing shows two flexible tubes on each side of the vessel, but the
number and position of the flexible tubes fixed to a vessel externally may be
varied. a, a,, are the upper flexible tubes, and b, b, the lower flexible tubes.
The tubes a, a, and b, b, are to have pipes and apparatus so arranged that
steam or other fluid may pass in at either end, so as to fill the tubes or vessels
a or b. The surface c, produced by the inflation, (and which is continually
changing its position along the tubes or vessels a, b,) acts upon the water so as
to propel the vessel in either direction as occasion may require. Thus,
supposing it desired to propel the vessel forward, the steam or other suitable
fluid would be admitted into the forward ends of one set of tubes, say a, by
which that end of cach tube a would be inflated, and the inflation would pro-
ceed aft until the whole of the tubes a become inflated; then the tubes bin
like manner would be inflated, the tubes a, a, in the meantime becoming
empty of steam or other suitable fluid; and it will be understood that if high-
pressure steam be used, then the steam will be conducted into the chimney of
the boiler furnace, or directly into the atmosphere, or, when a condenser is
employed, the steam would flow to the condenser.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the details, so long as the peculiar character of either part of my
Invention be retained. But what I claim is,-
First, the improvements in rotatory engines herein described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of constructing rotatory engines applicable to
carriages, and also the so arranging them in respect to a railway as to move
carriages up inclines.
And thirdly, I claim the applying flexible tubes or apparatus external of a
vessel, to propel the same, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John M'Intosh, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-seven.
JOHN (L.S.) MACINTOSH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid John McIntosh, Esqre, came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.