OR IMPROVED MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Garrod White at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th August
1864.
1, JOHN, GARROD WHITE, of Bayham Street, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to secure the mechanically perfect action of
the oar, or equivalent propeller, by means of suitable machinery to be placed
within the ship or vessel, so adapting the same to the efficient propelling of
ships or vessels.. This I accomplish by means of machinery in which the
floats, propellers, or paddles constantly describe an oval or elliptical curve by
means of a travelling center, while at the same time they are maintained
during the stroke in that position which is most advantageous for applying
the pressure to the water, whereby the maximum effect is obtained; thus, for
instance, I attach a connecting rod to a crank placed on a driving shaft,
which is caused to rotate by means of a steam engine or other primum mobile.
The other end of the said connecting rod is to be attached to a screw, ratchet,.
or other suitable apparatus whereby it can be raised or lowered as may be
desired, for the purpose of accommodating the floats, propellers, or paddles, to
the draught of the ship or vessel, or to raise the floats, propellers, or paddles
far above the water when not in use where adopted as an auxiliary in sailing.
vessels

page_text: The said connecting rod is also to be fitted with guides in order to
allow for the reciprocating action. Through such point in this connecting
rod (herein-after called the travelling center) as may be deemed advisable
according to the requirements of the seas or waters which the ship or vessel is
to navigate, I have a center pin of iron, steel, or other metal, the said center
pin being securely fixed in its place and attached to the aforesaid connecting
rod. The projecting ends of this center piu are made to slide smoothly
through holes in two travelling-beams (side, levers or connecting pieces) by
which mechanism the said travelling beams accommodate themselves to the
versed sine of the arc described by the arms or levers, whereby the floats,
propellers, or paddles are worked. The arms or levers whereby the floats,
propellers, or paddles are worked are attached by universal joints to the afore-
said travelling beams, one arm or one lever being attached to each end of each
of the said travelling beams, by which mechanism the floats, propellers, or
paddles are maintained 'in that position which is most advantageous. The
arms or levers whereby the floats, propellers, or, paddles are worked are attached
at any convenient point to suitable, standards as fulcra by universal joints,
whereby they may turn freely in accommodating themselves to the backward
and forward motion of the aforesaid connecting rod, and also to the oval or
elliptical curve described by the travelling center. The extremities of the
aforesaid arms or levers are connected by a connecting rod so attached as 'to
be moveable in a horizontal direction to accommodate itself to the are
described by the extremities of the aforesaid arms or levers. Upon this said
connecting rod the floats, propellers, or paddles are fixed, one or more at each
side of the ship or vessel. The floats, propellers, or paddles, may be made
either fixed or moveable, so as to reef or feather. A second pair of floats, pro-
pellers, or paddles may be made to act either simultaneously or alternately with
The former pair by means of a crank or excentric working 'a repetition of the
aforesaid machinery from the same or other driving shaft. The 'equable
motion of the floats, propellers, or paddles may be effected by means of
counteraction cylinder with its appliances, which may be worked 'from
the end of the aforesaid connecting rod by air, steam, or other primum
mobile.
...!!
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