CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PADDLES AND MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS ON WATER
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, OBLANDO
HARRIS WILLIAMS, of North Nibley, in the County of Gloucester, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventh day of January, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-nine, in the tenth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Orlando Harris Williams, His
especial licence, that I, the said Orlando Harris Williams, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Orlando Harris Williams, 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, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PADDLES AND MACHINERY
FOR PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS ON WATER;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Orlando Harris Williams, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His 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
Orlando Harris Williams, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained-in-and-by-the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof (that is to say):-
My improvements in the paddles and machinery for propelling ships and
other vessels on water have for their object,-
First, a method of constructing and enlarging the propelling surfaces for
the purpose of accommodating them to the draft of the vessel.
5
Secondly, saving that sacrifice of power which is expended in working the 1
ordinary paddle wheels at the points of entering and leaving the water.
Thirdly, the capability of obtaining a more effective and direct stroke of
the paddle with the smallest amount of lateral resistance in every part of its
rotatory progress.
These objects are effected by the peculiar construction of radial paddles 1
exhibited in the accompanying Drawings, the particulars of which will be fully
understood by the following explanation thereof (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents one of the paddles or propelling arms, any convenient
number of which arms and paddles are intended to be mounted in radial
positions in a paddle or carrying wheel in the manner shewn in Fig. 2, or
they may be placed in any other way suited to propelling vessels on water.
I make the paddles of metal or wood, or of any other suitable substance, by
attaching two plates, sheets, or boards together by means of bolts and screws,
the bolts passing through the stretchers or forked parts of the paddle arms.
In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the paddle consists of two wooden boards bolted
together, and in order to increase the length of the paddle one of the boards is
made to shift, so that it may be slidden upward 'or downward, and the surface
elongated to any required dimensions by passing the bolts through other holes,
and then screwing up the nuts tight. When the paddles are constructed of
metal, which in general I should prefer, I make them of plates or sheets
of iron or other metal, bent or cast into the form shown in the section Fig. 6,
that is, slightly concave in the middle of their outer surfaces, and levelled
on their edges to a thin feather or angular edge. These plates may be con-
nected together by bolts passed through the forked stretchers of the paddle
arms, and may be elongated when required, in the same way as the wooden
paddle boards above described; or, if found requisite, I can in like manner
enlarge the breadth of the paddles by shifting the boards, plates, or sheets in lateral
directions, the modes of doing which are shewn in the sectional Figures 7 and 8.
Having described the modes of enlarging the propelling surfaces I now pro-
Я

page_text: ceed to explain the manner in which I avoid the perpendicular resistance which
the ordinary paddles are subject to in entering and leaving the water. This
object is effected by what may be called feathering the oar or paddle, that is,
causing it to enter the water edgewise, and then to turn, so as to present
its broad surface to the resistance of the water, for the purpose of propelling
the stroke. In Fig. 2 there is a series of paddles A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, shewn
mounted on turning or moveable arms c, c, c, c, &c., placed in radial positions
in a paddle wheel or circular carrier I, I, I, which is affixed to the main rotatory
shaft K connected to the engine or other first mover. Behind this paddle
or carrier wheel there is a circular guide surface or stationary ring a, a, a, fixed
to the vessel, which is shewn detached at Fig. 4; against this circular ring or
surface the guides b, b, b, b, b, b, which keep the paddles in their proper positions
during their rotatory course, are intended to slide. Fig. 5 shews portions of
the edge of the guide ring a, a, a, upon which the guides b, b, b, are intended
to slide. Fig. 3 is a section taken vertically through the carrier wheel and
guide ring, showing the positions of the paddle arms and paddles; the same letters
referring to similar parts in all the Figular. These guides are fixed upon the
arms c, c, c, of the paddles by keys or otherwise, as shewn in the Drawings;
they may be made as crossed in the way represented, or squares, or of any
other shape, provided the guide of each paddle has four surfaces at right angles
to each other, capable of sliding upon the face of the ring a as the paddle or
carrier wheel traverses round, which guides are for the purpose of preventing
the paddle arms from turning, and consequently keeping the paddles fixd in
its position as it passes round with the carrier wheel. Upon each of the paddle
arins c, c, c, there is also affixed a cross armed wiper or tappet d, d, d, which,
when it comes in contact with a stationary projecting piece or cam l, (shown
affixed to the side of the guide ring,) turns the paddle the paddle arm one
quarter of a rotation. This operation will be rendered perfectly evident by
reference to the three positions of the guide, the tappet, and the parallel, (the
latter of which is shewn by dots,) in the edge views of the guide ring Fig. 5.
Supposing the paddle to be proceeding edgewise, which it does on entering the
water, the guide 6 sliding against the surface of the ring a, the tappet and
paddle would then assume the position shewn at A, in Figures 2 and 5. As
the paddle proceeds further in its circular course the tappet comes in contact
with the projecting piece or cam e, which turns it over as at B, in Fig³ 2
and 5, and having passed the projecting piece or cam another part of the guide
comes into contact with the surface of the guide ring, and the paddle then
presents its broad face to the resistance of the water as at C, Figs. 2 and 5,
which is the propelling position. It may be necessary to remark that there are

page_text: small holes or recesses g,g, in the guide ring behind the projecting pieces or
cams as seen in Fig. 4, and shown by dots in Fig. 5, for the purpose of allow-
ing the angles or projecting parts of the guides to sink into the ring at those
points where the paddle arm turns over one quarter of a rotation. The paddle
having performed its full stroke, which I recommend to be in the space of
about fifty-five degrees of the entire rotation of the carrier wheel, the tappet
comes into contact with another projecting piece or cam f, see Fig. 4, and the
paddle is again turned one quarter round, so that it passes out of the water
edgewise as it entered it. The situations of these cams or projecting stationary
pieces e and determine the points at which the paddles shall be turned from
the edgewise positions in which they respectively enter the water to that of pre-
senting their broad surfaces against the water, for giving the propelling strokes,
and of again turning and passing out of the water edgewise. I do not, there-
fore, confine myself to placing the projecting pieces or cams in the precise
situations shewn in the Drawings, though I believe those situations to be best
for the general performance of the paddles or propellers.
In the Drawings above referred to I have supposed the wheels to which my
improved paddles are attached as acting perpendicularly on the sides of a vessel,
and impelled by steam or any other power; it is not, however, necessary to
limit them to any particular situation, as they may be applied at the head
or the stern of a vessel, or even in the interior, working through the sides or
bottom, provided the vessel was constructed in a proper way to allow of their
working effectually in those situations. Under a suitable arrangement these
improved paddles might also be made to propel vessels by acting against the
air or wind, by being mounted on a carrier wheel placed horizontally or other-
wise, and driven round by any adequate power, as by manual labour of the
crew of the vessel, or any other means, in which situations the paddles in succes-
sion might be brought to act and bear against the air or wind, and by that
means propel the vessel forward. If under any circumstances, as the want
of fuel or other cause, it should be necessary to suspend the operations of the
paddle wheels and to employ the sails only, it will be desirable to bring the lower
paddle, which is immersed in the water, to an edgewise position, in order that
it may not impede the course of the vessel, and that its feather edge may cut
its way through the water; this may be done by turning the upper paddle arm
which stands perpendicularly from its position one quarter round, and then
turning the paddle wheel until this paddle arm has passed over the first
projecting piece or cam; and when the paddle arrives at the lower part of
the wheel it will have been brought edgewise, and not into the propelling
position as above described, but in a position to cut the water. A plug, as

page_text: at h, Fig. 4, is inserted into a hole at the upper part of the guide ring,
which, on being removed, allows the arm to be turned round for the above-
described purpose.
In order to repair any accidental fraction in any of the paddles I pro-
pose to connect them to the arms by sockets and bolts, so that any one may
be readily removed, and another paddle mounted in its place.
In describing these my improvements in the paddles and machinery for
propelling ships and other vessels on water I have necessarily exhibited many
parts which are not new in their application to propelling. I therefore wish
it to be understood that my improvements consist in these two particulars :-
First, the described method of constructing and increasing the surfaces of the
paddles or propellers; and, secondly, the mode of guiding and turning the paddles
by means of the peculiarly constructed guides and tappets fixed on the paddle
arms, and the peculiarly constructed guide rings and projecting pieces or
cams for directing their action, which are fully set out in the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and described as above.
In witness whereof, I, the said Orlando Harris Williams, hath here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine
ORLANDO HARRIS (L.s.) WILLIAMS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of July, in the
Tenth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Fourth, the said
Orlando Harris Williams came before our said Lord the King in His Chan-
cery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing
therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
in the Fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third,
Inrolled the Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-