AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER-WHEEL
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Franz, Anton Lohage, of Unna, Westphalia, in the
Kingdom of Prussia, Chemist, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF WATER-WHEEL."--A--communication from abroad by
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Franz Anton Lohage
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th October 1859...
I, FRANZ ANTON LOHAGE, of Unna, Westphalia, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER-WHEEL," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the application to water wheels of sliding leaves or
paddles, so governed in their movements that they will be presented gradually
to the falling stream, and when they have received all the impetus derivable
therefrom, will be withdrawn, and thereby prevented from lifting back water.
The leaves or paddles are mounted in radial guides enclosed in a water-tight-
drum. The periphery of which is provided with longitudinal slots, to permit
of the paddles protruding from and being drawn within the drum. The end.

page_text: plates of the drum are cast with bosses, in one of which is secured a hollow
axle, which turns in a bearing, and allows of a fixed shaft passing through it.
To the other end plate an axle, which is intended to transmit the motion of
the wheel, is keyed. The inner end of the fixed shaft forms a support for one
end of a cranked or excentric shaft, which is secured thereto by a key; and
the other end of the excentric shaft is supported loosely on the driving axle.
The paddles or leaves are each connected to the excentric shaft by means of
pairs of arms jointed thereto and projecting radially from loose collars carried
by that shaft. In order to drive the wheel the water is conducted to the
wheel by a segmental-shaped waterway, of a breadth equal to the breadth of
the paddles, and otherwise so proportioned as to allow the paddles as they are
protruded from the drum to move freely therein without allowing the water to
run past them when projected to their furthest extent. By thus causing the
paddles or leaves to slide in guides set radially from the axis of the drum
while at the same time they are supported by an excentric shaft, a portion of
the leaves will always be closing the waterway, and thus the efficient action of
the escaping stream upon the wheel will be ensured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Franz Anton Lohage in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANZ
ANTON LOHAGE, of Unna, Westphalia, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Chemist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Franz Anton Lohage, Her special license that I, the said
Franz Anton Lohage, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Franz Anton Lohage, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF WATER-WHEEL," being a com-

page_text: munication from abroad by Mr. Scharschmidt, of Arnsberg, in Westphalia,
aforesaid, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Franz Anton
Lohage, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Franz Anton Lohage, 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 Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the application to water wheels of sliding leaves or
paddles, so governed in their movements that they will be presented gradually.
to the falling stream, and when they have received all the impetus that it may
be desirable to obtain therefrom, these sliding leaves or paddles will be with-.
drawn, and thereby prevented from lifting back water. The leaves or paddles
are mounted in radial guides, enclosed in a water-tight drum, the periphery of
which is provided with longitudinal slots, to permit of the paddles protruding
from, and being drawn within the drum. The end plates of the drum are
cast with bosses, in one of which is secured a hollow axle, which turns in a
bearing, and allows of a fixed shaft passing through it. To the other end
plate an axle which is intended to transmit the motion of the wheel is keyed.
The inner end of the fixed shaft forms a support for one end of a cranked or
excentric shaft, which is secured thereto by a key or other convenient means,
and the other end of the excentric shaft is supported loosely on the driving
axle. The paddles or leaves are each connected to the excentric shaft by
means of pairs of arms jointed thereto, and projecting radially from loose
collars carried by that shaft. In order to cause the wheel to rotate, the water
is conducted thereto by a segmental shaped waterway of a breadth equal to the
breadth of the paddles, and otherwise so proportioned as to allow the paddles
as they are protruded from the drum to move freely therein without allowing
the water to run past them when projected to their furthest extent. By thus
causing the paddles or leaves to slide in guides set radially from the axis of the
drum, while at the same time they are supported by an excentric shaft, a
portion of the leaves will always be closing the waterway, and thus the efficient
action of the escaping stream upon the wheel will be ensured.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a water wheel

page_text: constructed according to the present Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical
section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section. a, a,
is an outer casing, drum, or cylinder, which forms the body of the
water wheel: The ends of this drum a, a, are closed by end plates b, b, so
that it forms a hollow cylindrical vessel. Projecting flanges or rings c, c, are
bolted on to the ends of the drum, so that when the wheel is brought up to
the breast or water channel, they will form a curved waterway, as seen in
Fig. 2. The wheel is supported on a solid axle or shaft d (Fig. 3) on one
side, and on a hollow or sleeve shaft e on the other side. Through the hollow
or sleeve shaft e passes one end of the cranked or excentric shaft f, 'and
therefore forms one of the supports of the latter, which passes through the
wheel; the other end of the shaft f being supported by the axle d, as seen in
Fig. 3. On this excentric or crank shaft fare mounted a series of levers 9,9,
the outer ends of which are connected by hinges or joints to the paddles or
float boards h, h, as seen best in Figs. 2 and 3. The ends of these paddles or
float boards h are fitted to slide in the radial grooves j,j, (Fig. 2,) as the
wheel rotates. The waterway or channel for conveying the water to the wheel
is formed by the curved plate k in conjunction with the side plates or
projecting flanges c, c, and the outer surface of the drum a, a. This curved
waterway communicates with the water supply or reservoir i, i, above by means
of a funnel-shaped channel formed by the plates 1, 1. It will now be under-
stood that when the water descends from the reservoir or chamber i above it
will press upon
those paddles or float boards h, h, which project from the
surface of the drum a into and across the curved channel or waterway h*, h*,
(Fig. 2,) and the water will, by its weight, force these float boards down in
the direction of the arrow, and thereby cause the wheel to rotate. As the
wheel rotates and brings the floats h towards the lower or exit part of the
channel, the levers 9 on the excentric or cranked shaft f will draw up
the floats in their radial guides j, j, and thereby withdraw them into the
interior of the drum, so that they shall offer no impediment to the exit of
the water from the channel h*. By this means the paddles or floats will be
prevented from lifting the water, as is 'the case with the floats of ordinary.
water wheels, and whereby much power is lost or neutralized. It will be of
course understood that as the wheel rotates the paddles or floats on the top
side of the water wheel will, as they approach the upper part of the curved
channel or waterway h*, be caused, by the action of the levers g, g, on the
excentric shaft f, to be gradually protruded from the drum a into the waterway,
so as to be acted on by the hydrostatic pressure of the water.

page_text: Having now described this Invention of an improved construction of
water wheel, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, the improved construction of
water wheel herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Franz Anton Lohage, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty. 1860.
FRANZ ANTON LOHAGE. (L.S.)