IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN PRO- PELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
POAD DRAKE, of Saint Austell, in the County of Cornwall, 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 Fourth day of
September, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Poad Drake, my exors, adâiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Poad
Drake, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Poad Drake, my exors, adñiors, 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 Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN PRO-
PELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said John Poad Drake, 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 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 Poad Drake, do liereby 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, as distinct, so far as I
have been able to discover, from those Patents which do or have existed
for the objects aforesaid, and I claim the right of combining such improve-
ments in shipbuilding as are contained in the accompanying Drawings with
those of my original Patent, which was confined in practice to the building
of those river craft explained by the Drawings enrolled with that Specifi-
cation; and although I considered the principles on which those plans rested
"applicable" to the general building of ships and vessels up to three hundred
tons, I had not the opportunity of completing the original Specification by
the introduction of appropriate--Drawings-and--explanations required, but
having since then carefully matured my plans, I am now able to place them
before the public in a form calculated to improve the building of ships &
vessels of every class up to three thousand tons or more, as the Specification
now enrolled with the necessary Drawings will shew.".
COMPASS, OR THICK TIMBER SYSTEM.
The defective system of building ships with thick or compass timber in
which too much dependence was placed on the quantity and quality of
material employed, commanded my early attention, and the general weakness
so manifest in the practice of shipbuilding agreebly to the rules laid down
in this and other countries appeared to me as capable of much improvement,
when I accordingly applied those principles on which my present plans
principally depend (and which at that period formed no part of the naval
architect's studies) to the strengthening of ships of war of the largest class,
as most requiring such assistance. .
Having submitted my plans to the Board of Admiralty in compliance with
the instructions received, every advantage was taken of them, and my original
plans found their way into the mercantile service through the navy office:
in a way which seriously affected my interests; and it is now an admitted fact
that ships connot be perfectly.constructed without the introduction of those
principles, which, till then, appeared not be understood or valued by ordinary
shipbuilders. Since that period experience has given me ample opportunity.
to improve upon my original Inventions, and I now make such, improvements.
known to the shipbuilder in conjunction with those plans which. have not 1
been as yet acted upon, and which will be found in every respect superior
to anything in present practice, as it respects economy and strength more
particularly.

page_text: Plate 1, No. 1. Longitudinal elevation of part of the frame and other
timbers of a ship of war, composed of short timber, which will be found
perfectly efficient when employed in conjunction with the inside longitudinal
elevation No. 1, which unites the whole as one mass, the general fastening
5 to be composed of the dovetailed trenail and wooden screw so far as they can
be appropriately employed. This cieling, which is composed of two thick-
nesses diagonally, to be made impervious or water-tight by tarred paper or
felt placed between them," when no caulking will be required, and that
between the ports will be found valuable in preventing the splintered timber
in action from being so destructive to the men, and which in. most instances
does more mischief than the shots themselves. A, frame timbers; B, filling
timbers; C; compression blocks or trusses between the timbers; D, shelf piece;
F, beams, &c. No. 2, cross section of the above-described plans. No. 3, section
of the keel, with two keelsons, which extend to, the dead wood at each end
of ship, the space F forming the limbers.
Plate 2. These plans of trussing the inside with plank will be found very
effective and much less expensive than those plans introduced in the Royal
Navy for the same object. No. 1; longitudinal elevation of the inside of a ship
of war, explaining the process of finishing the truss at the extreme ends of the
ship; the space between the truss frame to be lined with board of sufficient
substance to protect the timber from injury, and to keep the dirt from filling
the space between them. A, frame timbers, &c.; B, shelf piece; C, beams;
D, clamp & longitudinal planking over the joints of the timbers, into which
they are to be dowelled occasionally, as explained; E, truss, to be made of
well-seasoned oak plank; F, kelson and dead wood; G, main keel and stem.
The plank D next the kelson should extend to one half the length of the floor
timbers for sharp ships, but for ships with flat floors beyond the joint of the
timbers, and the iron perpendicular ties may be bolted through the outside
plank, and rivetted where they cross the longitudinal ties or plank D, but for
the short truss work they may be fastened with the screws No. 3, which are
to reach two thirds through the timbering A and no further. No. 2, longi-
tudinal elevation of part of the inside amidships, and may be introduced as
drawn or inverted, the diagonal iron ties taking the opposite direction. These
ties are introduced over the truss to keep the whole of the parts in complete
contact, and will be found less expensive and more efficient than the plates
adopted in the Royal Navy, close to and let into the timbering underneath the
nside planking. A, side timbers; B, shelf piece; C, beams; D, clamp;
E, diagonal truss frame. The same observations as to fastening the iron ties
o be observed as in No. 1.

page_text: Plate 3, No. 1. Longitudinal elevation of part of the side timbering
adapted to frigates and smaller ships of war. Instead of two there is only one
filling timber between each frame, and as the whole is well trussed in the
openings, the usual longitudinal ceiling may be employed; at the same time
it will be better to introduce the impervious diagonal ceiling of two thick-
nesses, the trussing being well calculated to releive the plank fastening from
transverse straining, as such fastening should not be employed for any other
purpose than to keep the plank in close contact with the timbers. A, frames;
B, filling timbers on the short timber principle, the end joint of which should
be so arranged that the truss should press them together as explained; C, out-
side planking to be dowelled to the frame timbers at the wale as effecting a better
longitudinal tie; D, truss; E, water way; F, shelf piece. No. 2, longitudinal
elevation of side timbers, being a compound of plank and thick timbering.
The thick timbers A are placed at equal distances, on the short timber
principle, with plank timbers between them, and a close joint, these timbers
uniting the planking on the outside, which is fastened with the wooden screw.
B, plank timbers; C, outside planking; D, compression blocks or truss.
This plan also may be criled longitudinally or diagonally, as in yo other
plans, and will be found me compact and lighter than the ordinary process
of building. The longitudinal sections 1, 2, explain themselves. No. 3,
longitudinal elevation of side timbers as in No. 2. A, thick timbers; B, plank
timbers; C, compression truss to be tenan'd into the thick timbers A, as
explained by the section 3, the plank timbers being bolted through them
as expressed. No. 4, plans for making the various compression blocks and
trusses of cast iron instead of wood, and when compared as to weight and
expense with the quantity of filling timbers which are removed to introduce
trussing between the frames, will be found to have the advantage.
PLANK TIMBER AND DOUBLE BOARDED SYSTEM.
The buoyancy and strength of the Indian canoe in North America attracted
my attention previous to Annesley's Patent for building vessels with board
of three and more thicknesses, and the simple instance which I witnessed in
Montreal, in a vessel built by that Patentee in 1824, convinced me tha
compass or thick timber might be superseded by plank or board in the
building of ships of the largest class, but I could not as a practical buikle
reconcile my mind to the employment of more than two close thicknesses in the
construction of such vessels as might be built under the system, and the
accompanying Drawings shew how far I am able to carry into practice
the result of such conclusion. Subsequently to Annesley's experience the

page_text: advantages as it regards the strength of the double-boarded system was fully
substantiated by Mr. Brindley in the building of the "Rochester Castle"
of four close thicknesses tied together with perpendicular bands of iron
between each boarding, but in the plans of these Patentees the material was
placed horizontally and vertically, and not diagonally as in the several
instances included in the Patent. It was not long however before the
placing of the material diagonally in the double-boarded system was made
public by M. Fouche, who obtained a Patent in France for building vessels
with three close thicknesses, the two inside diagonally, and the outside
longitudinally, the whole fastened together with iron screws and nails; and
the Board of Admiralty, to whom I submitted some of my early plans, put
in practice two close thicknesses diagonally in the building of ships' boats,
without presuming to extend the principle further, but in this as in all the
preceding plans, the material was secured with iron or expensive metal
fastening, and which (as since shewn) facilitates decay. So far as the plans
of the above-named parties are concerned they are now public property, and
my right is consequently confined to the mode without any claim to principle,
and as it respects the practically carrying out of the several plans proposed,
I will undertake to assure the builder that he will not meet with any difficulty
in the building of ships and vessels up to six hundred tons, as the process
throughout has been duly considered.
Plate 1, No. 1, may be considered about the best of the plans proposed for
the general building of vessels with circular bottoms, for it was never my
intention to apply the outside planking diagonally in any other instance than
that of barges or flat-bottom'd craft. Vessels up to five hundred tons burthen
may be built upon No. 1 to advantage. A, plank timbers, every alternate
timber passing up through the gunwale plank B to form the top side; C, shelf
piece as usual; D, impervious ceiling of two thicknesses diagonally; E, out-
side bottom plank longitudinally. The cross section explains the process for
uniting the sides at the keel for sharp vessels. For vessels with very flat
floors the plank timbers A may cross from one side to the other. F, uniting
water-tight cross bottom which will give great strength to this part of the
vessel and increase her safety. No. 2. This plan is also calculated for cir-
cular bottoms as the outside planking is placed longitudinally. The space
. between the timbers C may be reduced to one third the breadth given if
required; A, gunwale; B, shelf piece; C, plank timbers; D, truss; E, hori-
zontal ceiling; F, outside plank.
Plate 2, No. 1. This plan is well calculated for the building of ships and
vessels up. to six hundred tons burthen or more, and will be found of great

page_text: strength and more than ordinarily safe, as there may be two impervious casings,
one on the outside planking, which is composed of two close thicknesses verti-
cally and horizontally, and the ceiling also of two close thicknesses diagonally.
A, top side boarding; B, gunwale plank; C, shelf piece; D, timbering to
be brought in place by steaming, and bolted through the outside with iron or
metal bolts and rivetted; E, outside horizontal plank; F, inside vertical
plank; G, truss; H, ceiling of one or two thicknesses, as explained in the
section sketches. The various sketches of the parts explain themselves.
Plate 3, No. 1. In this plan the timbering E is placed diagonally with
trusses D between them. F, diagonal ceiling of one or two thicknesses;
G, outside horizontal planking; A, top timber uniting piece bolted through
the gunwale B; C, shelf piece. No. 2. This plan is much the [same as
No. 1 in Plate 1, the timbers G being closer together, with horizontal com-
pression pieces or trussing between them, and consequently better calculated
for large class vessels, as the fastening is releived from all transverse straining;
the sketch underneath is on the same principle with a still less space between
the plank timbering, and requires no further explanation. No. 3. This plan
is much the same as No. 1 above, the timbering F being composed of two
breadths changing their position amidships so as to admit of longitudinal or
vertical ceiling, or to be left open without ceiling for ordinary purposes...
Plate 4 may be considered more as a key to the preceding plates than con-
taining any separate plan from those already described, and will give the
builder an opportunity of seeing how the extreme ends of the vessel is.to be.
fitted. No. 1 is applicable to the building of boats with two close thicknesses,
the outside longitudinally and the inside radiated, & is therefore preferable to
two thicknesses diagonally. On this principle small vessels also may be built
with two close thicknesses, but for vessels above fifty tons it will be necessary.
to introduce a ceiling, and as experience proves that three close thicknesses,
as in the instance of Fouche's plan of building, creates premature decay, the
plank timbers A should be placed as described in the Drawing, and trussed
accordingly. No. 2 is explained by preceding. Drawings, the outside plank
being placed horizontally. No. 3 varies something from the plans before
described, inasmuch as the truss is placed. diagonally one way throughout, and
the ceiling also diagonally in the opposite direction. A, plank timbers, the
same in each plan; B, shelf piece; C, keel; D, kelson and dead wood. As
this system is applicable to the general building of such ships and, vessels as it
embraces decks are therefore included; but as. Nos. 1 & 2 in. this plate convey.
so clear an idea of the principles detailed in the foregoing plates it. will not be
absolutely necessary to make 'distinct deck drawings, as the builder. will find

page_text: no difficulty in completing the construction of the vessel without such assistance,
nor will the time prescribed to complete the Specification permit me to finish
and introduce such Drawings as I have provided for this subject.
RIVER BARGES AND CANAL CRAFT., .
The diagonal system of two thicknesses having answered so well I never,
considered it necessary to carry out any other plan which the original. Patent
embraces for the construction of such vessels. Instead of, requiring a general
repair every seven or eight years, as usual in the old plan of building, my asser-
tions have been fully realized as to the durability and strength of the Patent
principle, as the craft built under the. Patent, have not required caulking at
any time, and the slight repairs which injury has occasioned is not worth
naming... It is very evident that strength beyond necessity. has been provided
for in the construction of those vessels. At the same time without reducing it
I am enabled to decrease the cost about two and a half per cent. by a better
distribution of material, which will reduce the labour, and improve the whole
structure, by giving to those parts more immediately requiring it a greater
solidity than the late Patent secured; and this will be found, as explained in
the accompanying Drawing, to consist in the formation of the bottom, which
will not be diagonal, by the removal of the inside framing or timbers, the sides'
being made a little thicker so as not to require further support. By the
suspensión of the lateral division truss, and the superseding of the wooden
knees at the compartments by a more simple and less expensive process of
attaching the beams to the sides, and by the better arrangement of the
material at the gunwale by which the vessel will be enabled to resist the shocks
to which she is continually subjected, the effects of which constitute the prin-
cipal repairs' which have been given to them during the term of my original
Patent:'.
.)
Plate: 1 A section or body plan of a five-room coal barge on the Thames;
B, longitudinal or sheer Drawing of the same; C, half breadth; D, section
at the division, explaining the way of uniting the sides, bottom, &c.; E, ground'
or floor plan of bottom, in 'explanation of the parts, &c.; F, part of side with
process of attaching the beams to the side, and for securing the gunwale plank
to prevent its rising G, uniting or chine piece for connecting the side and
bottom; H, H, plans for attaching the beams to the side and other
fittings; &c.; I, plan"fori constructing the bottom, by which the upward
pressure of the water, when the barge is light, particularly in open barges, will
be prevented from curving the bottom inwards, and, if wished, the outside
thickness may be placed longitudinally instead of across. The inside of the

page_text: barges will be quite plain without timbering, like those built under the
original Patent, the perpendicular pieces being introduced merely to fasten
the partitions to; but in open barges, when great strength is required, these
timbers are to be introduced perpendicular under each beam, with a substantial
cross floor, to be bolted through the longitudinal pieces on which the inside
cross bottom rests, as open barges have not the support of partitions like room
barges, with this exception the inside of the sides will be smooth, the whole
to be fastened together with wooden screws; the outside bottom to be also
fastened together with wooden screws. Tarred paper or felt between to
prevent the necessity of caulking; and in order to add strength, as often as it
may be considered necessary, the inside cross bottom may be scored down
over the longitudinal pieces, and made flush with the bottom inside, the longi-
tudinal pieces passing up through the swims, as in the original Patent..
IRON SHIPS AND VESSELS BUILT OF WOOD AND IRON CONJOINTLY.
The only effectual way to overcome the danger inseparably connected with
the present mode of building iron ships is to line them inside with an imper-.
vious ceiling, as the water-tight compartments have not rendered them so safe
as anticipated. The lining of iron canal boats with wood is already in practice,
but the object being to preserve the inside from injury is quite distinct in
principle from the ceiling of iron ships to prevent them from foundering, and
it is on this distinction & on the precise arrangement of the materials (wood.
and iron) that I found this portion of my claim.
Plate 1. This is a compound of wood and iron, with iron bottom in
the usual way of building, but rendered. safe by an impervious ceiling..
Section No. 1 is built on the outside with iron. plate from the keel to the
water line, and with wood above it, as best adapted to ships of war, the.
dangerous effects of the iron splinters in action having caused the Admiralty to
condemn iron ships for war purposes. No. 2 is a section with the iron plate
on the outside reaching from the keel to the gunwale, with an impervious
ceiling. The letters respectively explain the details of both plans..
Plate 2, No. 1, compound of wood and iron, the plates D united longitu-
dinally with iron stringers E, with a perpendicular impervious ceiling C, which
is to be fastened to the outside plates, as explained in the section, sketches
No. 1. No. 2 is a plan also for dispensing with the angular iron by a series
of plank timbers, over which the ceiling D is placed longitudinally,. &..
fastened to the wood framing C with wooden screws. Both these plans will
require sectional moulds for building, over which the longitudinal stringers
E and F are to be placed for attaching the outside plates to; the moulds are

page_text: then to be removed, and the inside woodwork to be proceeded with, as
explained; the plan No. 1 being more readily repaired than No. 2, less ex-
pensive, and equally strong. A, gunwale plank, & B, shelf piece in both plans.
. Plate 3, No. 1. The plates in this plan are united with angle iron, as usual,
to which the longitudinal pieces H of wood (or of iron, such as J,) are
fastened for attaching the perpendicular ceiling E in No. 2. The ceiling is
horizontal, fasten'd to the flanges much in the same way.
Plate 4. A ship constructed on this plan could scarcely break to pieces under
any circumstance, and if the ceiling be fastened to the iron framing the whole
of the outside plank may be torn off without endangering the safety of the
vessel. A, top timbers; B, process for uniting them to the hull; C, gun-
wale; D, shelf piece; E, perpendicular or diagonal impervious ceiling of one
or two thicknesses; F, diagonal iron frame instead of the usual process of
timbering. G, outside planking horizontal. Nos. 2, section of bottom & keel
for sailing vessels; No. 3, the same for steamers; No. 4, section of side at
water line, the iron framing discontinued above; No. 5, section of side at
weather deck, &c.
Plate 5, No. In this plan the frame G is made of iron with an imper-
vious diagonal ceiling. F, the outside plank. E, horizontal. No. 2, is the
same as the plank timber principle with angle iron A, alternating with the
timbers; D, the outside plank; C, horizontal; and the ceiling E of two
thicknesses diagonally.
Plate 6. This plan is framed alternately with wood and iron made up of
short peices, which can be rivetted in place by the shipbuilder. No. 1, section
of side with the iron frame F. No. 2, parts of which the frame F is com-
posed. A, plank timber; B, gunwale; C, shelf piece; D, outside plank;
E, diagonal ceiling.
Plate 7, No. 1, The bottom E is formed by iron plates united by perpen-.
dicular stringers F instead of angle iron, over which is placed a perpendicular
ceiling of one or two thicknesses, as explained by the section sketches 1..
The ceiling is to be rivetted to the iron plates, or screwed to the iron hori-
zontal pieces without passing through the bottom. No. 2. In this plan iron
bands are to be introduced each side the perpendicular plank timbers E, and
fastened, as explained; no fastening to appear on the outside unless in case of
repairs. The sketches of the parts explain themselves.
To im RomOX PRIVOLDI

page_text: expensive crooked or curved timber is not required in tlie general building of
the vessel. For steam vessels. in particular it will .be, found desirable; and
sailing ships, intended for cargo, may also be built upon it with advantage;
as, under the inside, cross bottom water-tanks or ballast may be stowed, with-
out reducing the capacity of the hold to any appreciable extent. It may be
considered superior to the curvilinear principle for ships' taking the ground,
as the bilge, which in most vessels is the weakest part of the structure, will be
on this principle the 'strongest; and the particular way: the sides and bottom
are united by the continuous. knee or chine piece will make them difficult to
separate, as barges and river craft frequently do on the old plan. The flat bottom
has been confined to barges and canal craft; but my observations of sea-going
vessels lead me to believe that the majority of. traders, will be improved by. its
adoption, and ships of war of the largest class 'may be built upon it with safety
equal to that of vessels of the smallest class. I have selected sufficient exam-
ples for building on this principle which are clearly, described. in the accom
panying Plates:
No. 1, of Plate 1, engine room section of a steam vessel on the thick timber
system, with flat bottom united to the sides at the bilge. .A, side timbers;
B, double diagonal ceiling; C, cross floor passing out through the chine piece D;
to be introduced where considered necessary; between these floors is an inside
water-tight cross bottom F, as shewn' in No. 3; E, sleepers'; D, D, chine
piece; G, main keel; H, kelson; I, cross chock floors, tenonned, into the
sleepers under the cross floor C, for fastening the longitudinal bottom J, but if
the outside bottom L be made thicker, there will be no necessity for I or J, as
shewn in Plate 2; K, side keels, for fastening the outside bottom L. No. 2,
elevation at bilge, the letters corresponding with those of No. 1 respectively.
No. 3, half breadth of bottom inside, the letters also corresponding with
Nos: 1&2.
Plate 2: No. 1 & 2, is similar to the plan above described, without the
inside longitudinal planking. In Nos. 3 & 4,. the cross: floors C are con-
tinuous throughout the bottom, the outside bottom L being brought in contact
with the floors C, thus making a complete solid bottom of two thicknesses fonly,
with the sleepers E on the inside.
No. 6, keel section of Nos. 3 & 4.
No. 5, keel section of Nos. 1 &.2.
No..7 applies this principle to the
various plans above, for vessels built of wood and iron conjointly.
✓
Plate 3. This Plate also contains my plan for uniting the sides, bottom, &c.
The letters of Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7, correspond with those of Plate 1.
No. 8. This is the great principle on which the uniting of the several-parts
depends; and may be variously employed; by it the attaching of beams to the

page_text: side, the top sides to the hull (as explained in my different plans), as well as
the sides to the. bottom, are all accomplished; and if the parts of which the
continuous uniting knee No. 8 is composed be well bolted and secured together,
nothing in the construction of ships will be found so efficient. I have extended
its use to vessels of every size.-Nos. 9, 9". This explains the termination of
the flat bottom at the after part of the vessel, the entrance forward being the
same; & it will be seen that the water lines may be constructed as fine as those of
the fleetest vessel: The longitudinal elevation and ground plan of the principle
are both explained by Nos. 9, 9". By the latter it will be seen now the chine
piece D is brought in contact with the kelson and dead wood, to which it is
securely fastened by bolts passing through the whole from side to side. No. 10
is the same in principle as No. 8, and is much superior to the ordinary way of
attaching the keel G to the floor timbers, as it may be removed with little
trouble, or torn away without endangering the ship, H & K remaining
uninjured; this process may be continued up the stern' post & stern with the
same advantage, and K may make the garboard plank with an impervious
joint without caulking, or may be or may be so placed as to allow the out-
side planking of the bottom to cover it; it may also be graduated to any angle
for sharp ships, or for the extreme ends of the vessel, as expressed by the red
ticked lines.
SAFETY PRINCIPLE.
Although the precedings plans which have impervious bottoms may be con-
sidered safe they are not equally so when compared with the plans contained
in the following Plate. When it is considered that nearly one half the number
of deaths among seamen is attributable to ships wrecked and lost at sea, as
shewn by evidence before the committee enquiring into this subject in 1836,
it is clear that due precaution to render ships safe has not been taken, and we
have numerous instances since then to prove that the present class of shipping
is very defective in this respect.
Plate 1, Nos. 1, 2, 3. Appropriate sections of a steam vessel; so trussed as
to prevent her breaking horizontally or vertically, the trussing being applicable
to ships of every class; more particularly to ships of great length. A, longi-
tudinal vertical truss, to be ranged, in steam vessels, over the sleepers, nearest
the side, clear of the boilers, and to allow sufficient breadth for the cabin, with
space at the sides for sleeping berths, &c. This truss will be of great value to
ships of war, for which I originally invented it, and may be ranged at the
wings between the gun and orlop decks, or amidships in a line with the main

page_text: hatchway, and in old ships at both places, without taking up much room
between decks, or obstructing communication, as a free space is left between
every truss; it will preserve the sheer of the decks, and prevent those undula-
tions which impede the working of the guns, and proved so injurious in the late
war. B, truss to prevent lateral breaking, & fortify the sides against collision
C, C, bulk heads of engine room; D, boiler; E, cylinders; F, cabin floor aft;
G, fore cabin floor and forecastle. Nos. 4, 5, 6, sections of a merchant ship
intended for passengers and cargo, fitted with impervious cabins or upper hold
A, A, to keep the ship from sinking if filled with water. These cabins may
be either raised above the gangways, to increase their capacity, or placed entirely
under the weather deck. A, safety cabin; B, captain's cabin, as usual; C, fore-
castle; D & E, fore & main hold; F, deck or platform, flush with forecastle deck;
G, gangways; H, watercourse. Yachts and sharp vessels may be fitted with
cabins on this principle. No. 7, section of engine room rendered water-tight and
fire-proof, the object of which is to keep the vessel afloat when she would other-
wise founder; and in case of fire that the whole of the vessel may be flooded
by opening plugs (in the vessel's side), under command of the engineer in the
engine room, and also to serve as a refuge for the people on board in time of
danger; the crew, confident in their security, will be enabled to provide for
their further safety, or proceed on the voyage instead of abandoning the vessel.
A, engine room, built of diagonal planking or board, of two thicknesses at the
sides and ends, with an impervious floor independent of the outside bottom;
B, bunkers or coal boxes, the coal to be taken through the slide doors C, which
are to be closed in the event of danger, and the coal then taken up through
the scuttles on deck; D, conical water-plugs, &c.
Appendix, Plate A, explains itself.
PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS.
Plate 1. embraces a principle of raising and lowering the shaft and wheels of
steam vessels to regulate the dip of the paddle boards, so as to bring out the
full power of the engine under every variation of the immersion line, and which,
as the axle has remained till now fixed in a given position, secures to me on
principle the power of adjusting it in every practicable way, either by steam,
hydraulics, or mechanical power, one process for which will be explained as
follows:-
No. 1 represents the circumference of the wheel, which maintains its given
diameter under every change of the water line, the black circumference giving
the position of the wheel when the vessel is deeply laden, and the red when

page_text: light. No. 2 is the section of a steam vessel, with the shaft A raised to its
highest position, & the crank rods B at their greatest length, this length
to be altered when required by an accommodating screw or keys at either end,
or in the middle of the rod. On the one side is an old plan wheel with outer
bearings, and on the other a new plan wheel with no outer bearings, designed
to relieve the side from overhanging weight; it will be found sufficiently strong
in every respect for wheels of moderate breadth, as it is intended that the axle in
this instance shall revolve in substantial plummer blocks placed at the side of
the vessels, and raising or lowering with the shaft. No. 3, screws for raising
the shaft, &c. at the sides and amidships; they may be single or double, or
they may work at the crank bearings. No. 4, plummer block and frame at the
crank bearings, with a series of iron resting plates C, to be changed from
below or above the plummer block as the shaft is raised or lowered, the screws
suspending the shaft for the time. No. 5, screw for raising the shaft and
plummer blocks at the end bearings, and which may be worked as explained,
or on the outside of the paddle box. (For further details see Appendix to
Plate 1., which explains itself.) It may be necessary to remark that the
weight required to be adjusted will seldom exceed fifty tons, and that three
sets of double screws will be adequate to raise and lower two hundred tons
with facility. The wheels, being raised to their greatest height at the vessel's
starting, may be lowered every day, or every alternate day, as found desirable;
the immersion line of the largest class steam vessels, altering about three inches
daily, will give the thickness of the plates C for such vessels. At a stated
time the engineer will stop the wheels in a given position, and key them at the
side plummer blocks to prevent their turning; these blocks, as before explained,
raising and lowering with the shaft, the rods will be left free to adjust them-
selves, and the shaft lowered and fixed, the whole occupying about five minutes
or less, and can be performed at night as well as by day.
Plate 2. By these plans for raising and lowering the wheels independent of
the crank shaft one wheel may be raised above the other as the vessel inclines
under sail, and as the paddle wheels of regular steam vessels are fixed at a
given distance from the water. This principle is also claimed under the Patent
as a novel and useful Invention, though by no means so desirable as the prin-
ciple of raising and lowering the shaft. No. 1 is applicable more particularly
to river steamers, from its ready adjustment. A, B, crank and wheel shafts
respectively, with driving cog-wheels, as explained; C, a cog-wheel, which.
revolves round the shaft A; P, the plummer block or bearing of the wheel; as
the cog-wheel C is moved by the pinion and winch d, the dip of the paddles.
is regulated as required, the palls E keeping the wheel C in a given position:

page_text: rigidly when adjusted. No. 2 is the same in principle as No:-1; but the proces
for adjusting the wheels is different, inasmuch as the wheels are raised and
lowered by screws; much in the same way as explained in Plate 1. A, B, same
as in No: 1; A driving B by a cog-wheel of the same size as that attached to
the end of the paddle shaft, as shewn in the sketch. G, paddle-box, frame, &c
with the screws e, by which the wheel is raised and lowered; D, different sized
pinion wlieels, to be changed as required, to keep the axles A, B, to their
proper distance, the screw F keeping the whole in necessary contact.
.
Plate 3, No. 1, is a self-feathering paddle wheel, the paddle boards entering
and leaving the water at or about the same angle as those of the complicated,
heavy, and expensive feathering wheels in which the paddles are adjusted by
eccentrics, rods, &c.; it is less complicated, and expected to have the same
advantage. in deep immersions; it will act both ways the same; and, by the
simplicity of its arrangeinent, will admit of a greater number of floats than
other..feathering paddle wheels, which is very desirable for river purposes.
No. 2 is a cross section of the wheel, and No. 3 a section of the paddle boards,
which, as it will be seen; can be removed with the greatest facility in case of
repair, &c. Nos. 4, 5, 6,& 7, are various plans for the same object, but not
so desirable as No. 1. No. 8 is an auxiliary paddle wheel, capable of being
shut up clear of the water when the ship or vessel is under sail or short of
coal, and is well calculated for long voyages. The wheel will close up on each
side of the centre spokes, which are fixtures, and should be stronger than those
jointed at the wrought-iron ring B. No. 9 is a cross section of the wheel, and
No. 10 is the outside of 'the paddle box, which may be reduced in height if it
is required to shut up the entire wheel. No. 11 is the uniting screw, 'which
is attached to the chain' and keeps the wheel rigid to its circumference. The
process of shutting up the wheel will be best effected by disconnecting the
chain at the upper half, when the spokes and paddles may be lowered down
to their closed position and there secured, the engine will then give the wheel
one half turn, when it must be keyed or otherwise fixed; the same rule is to be
observed in expanding the wheel to its circular form. .
Plate 4 contains a series of drum paddle wheels, which, by being impervious
or water-tight, will assist in keeping the vessel afloat if the hold should be filled
with water, and prevent her rolling or inclining much under sail. They will
give to the water brought in contact with the paddles greater solidity, and
admit of no superincumbent or broken-water above. the floats, which must
naturally have a retarding influence, in deep immersions more particularly; and
they will also permit a greater number of propellers on the surface, and act
more smoothly, than the common or open wheel. These wheels may be made

page_text: of wood of two thicknesses fastened together with the wooden screws, or of thin
plate or sheet iron. No. 1 is constructed with a series of parabolical propellers;
which in their action will.considerably diminish the evil effects of back water;
as the water will be consolidated between the propellers, the wheel will have a
similar effect to that of one passing over hard ground. No. 2, being much the
same as No. 1 will not require further explanation. No. 3. is a wheel for deep
immersions, and the main paddles are so arranged as to allow the water to
escape freely after the retiring paddle has done its duty; that portion of the
water which may pass between it and the drum will be taken up by the inter-
mediate floats, and carried back without checking the succeeding paddle;
altogether the effect will be similar to that of the cycloidal wheel. No. 4 is
fitted with with radiating floats, close to the drum or not. No. 5, cross section,
shewing construction of the wheel. No. 6, cross section of No. 3, & others.
. Plate 5. contains modifications of the engine, engine frame, shaft, & crank,
for improving paddle wheel propulsion. No. 1 represents a section and plan
of the engine frame and engine, with wooden frame instead of iron; it may be
considered part of the vessel, and is lighter, less expensive, stronger, and easily
removed for repairs, &c. The engine is on the direct acting principle, and
takes up less room than the beam engine, is lighter, and less expensive; the
piston is connected with the crank by a vibrating rod passing through a sliding
stuffing box on the top of the cylinder, and, to keep it true, guide rods may
pass through the piston fixed to the cover and bottom of the cylinder, as shewn,
if necessary. No 2, plan for working the valves of beam engines, superseding
the use of eccentrics; it lessens the number of rods connected with the shaft,
and simplifies the raising and lowering of the axle in Plate 1., and is applicable
to beams engines in general. No. 3. As ocean steam, vessels cannot steam to
advantage when inclined under sail with the wind abeam, one wheel being too
deeply and the other not sufficiently immersed, the Plans Nos. 3, 3, are
designed to mitigate the evil by dividing the shaft at the middle and cranks,
so that the wheel on the lee side may be used under all inclinations; as the
division in the middle throws one engine out of gear, it will be better to discon-
nect the shafts at the cranks, as in No. 3, when both engines will drive the
same wheel; but the object will be still better effected when there are four
cranks to one shaft, as in some of the new first-class steamers. As it
frequently happens that the wind continues in one quarter for days together,
and even during the whole of the Atlantic passage, vessels thus fitted will have
a great advantage over others, as both wheels may be adjusted to work at the
same time, that is to say, one wheel may raised and the other lowered.
It must be manifest to all who understand the advantages of steam naviga-

page_text: tion that capacity for cargo is next in importance to speed, and the want of that
capacity is at present seriously felt by the proprietors of ocean and coasting
steam vessels, as; by the shaft being a fixture, the distance between the
load and light water lines is limited; and since experience proves that the
speed of steam vessels is not much retarded by the difference of displace-
ment of the hull between these lines, that space may be safely increased by the
Patent principle one fourth part or more,, which will give to the first-class
vessels the power of carrying about three hundred tons more of coal or cargo..
In witness whereof, I, the said John Poad Drake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.