IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM VESSELS POR OCEAN AND RIVER NAVIGATION
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM VESSELS POR OCEAN AND RIVER NAVIGATION."
-A communication from abroad by Seth Wyle Wilson, of the
City and State of New York, United States of America.
Scaled the 4th May 1869, and dated the 15th March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th March 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM VESSELS FOR OCEAN AND RIVER
NAVIGATION," a communication, to be as follows:-
The vessel is to be made with a nearly flat bottom and vertical sides,
the usual or desired lines of taper are to be given to the said vessel
fore and aft or towards the ends.

page_text: The nature of the first part of this Invention consists in a longitu-
dinal truss or deep keelson, rising vertically within the vessel to a
height sufficient to stiffen the said vessel, and prevent injury to the
same by the weight, whether riding upon or between waves. By this
construction the vessel presents less hydrostatic resistance and draws
less water, for the same capacity of burden, and is very strong to resist
the effects of strain or torsion.
The second part of my Invention relates to forming the guards and
upper works of a vessel to receive four or more paddle wheels, two on
each side; the rear pair of paddle wheels is to be driven at such a 1
speed that their perimeters will travel faster than the perimeters of
the forward pair of wheels, thus causing the aft pair of wheels to be
equally operative upon the water notwithstanding the movement
imparted to the surrounding water by the front pair of wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of
"IMPROVE! ENTS IN STEAM VESSELS FOR OCEAN AND RIVER NAVIGATION,'
communication to me from abroad by Seth Wyle Wilson, of the City
"

page_text: and State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification.
The vessel is to be made with a flat bottom and vertical sides, the
usual or desired lines of taper are to be given to the vessel fore and aft
or towards the ends.
The nature of the first part of this Invention consists in a longitu-
dinal truss or deep keclson, rising vertically within the vessel to a
height sufficient to stiffen the vessel and prevent injury to the same
by the weight whether riding upon or between waves. By this con-
struction the vessel presents less hydrostatic resistance, and draws less
water for the same capacity of burden, and is very strong to resist the
effects of strain or torsion.
The second part of this Invention relates to forming the guards and
upper works of a vessel to receive four paddle wheels, two on each side,
the rear pair of paddle wheels to be driven at such a speed that the
perimeters thereof will travel faster than the perimeters of the forward
pair of wheels, and the wheels are placed in such relative positions that
cach shall work in water unbroken by the others, the fore pair and the
aft pair of wheels being equally operative upon the water.
By this arrangement and construction the vessel is adapted to with-
stand the strain and torsion to which ocean vessels are exposed, the
resistance is lessened because the vessel does not sink so deep in the
water, and is not so much exposed to hydrostatic pressure, and there is
opportunity to apply as much power as possible to the propulsion of
the vessel, and in case of injury to one engine the other engines
can be kept in operation and maintain the ordinary speed of steam
vessels.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a cross section of a vessel fitted with the said
improvements, and Figure 2 an elevation of the same, with part of the
hull in section.
In the Drawing a is the bottom, and b, b, the sides of the vessel,
c, d, and c, represent the decks, to be of iron. Along in the middle of
the vessel the keelson is extended up to form a longitudinal truss f, that
is to be made of iron plates or braces, so as to stiffen the vessel and
strengthen the same. The paddle wheels g and h are arranged in two
pairs, and cach wheel is driven by one pair of engines. The rear pair
of wheels must be larger in diameter than the leading pair. The said
wheels may be parallel with the centre of the vessel, or the leading pair
may throw one or more degrees from the ship while the rear pair
throws two or more degrees under the ship's counters. The perimetal
speed of the rear pair of paddle wheels h is to be greater than that of
the front wheels, and thus each pair of wheels excrts the proper pro-
pelling power in the water, and the power of the engines being divided
renders it unnecessary to have the respective parts as large and heavy
as heretofore usual with a single pair of paddle wheels.
What is claimed and to be secured by Letters Patent is,-
First. Constructing the vessel with a truss running longitudinally
and of a height to strengthen and stiffen the vessel so as to allow for
the use of a flat bottom and shallow draft of water substantially as
set forth.
Second. The arrangement of four wheels upon a steam boat, and pro-
pelling them so that the perimeters of the rear pair of paddle wheels
travel faster than that of the front pair, and so that each pair is equally
effective, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twenty-seventh day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)