IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS ON INLAND WATERS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SPENCER, of Hungerford Street, West Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer's Draftsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-,
minster, the Eleventh day of January in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George
Spencer, her especial licence. full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said George Spencer, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said George Spencer, 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
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS ON INLAND WATERS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said George
Spencer, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said
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
George Spencer, do hereby 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, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
(that is to say)—
My Invention of improvements in propelling vessels on inland waters con-
sists in the application of locomotive engines or carriages, combined with cer-
tain apparatus herein described, when applied to the purpose of tracking or
propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters; and I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not claim the invention of anything herein described when
applied to any other purpose than the above; also, that I do not claim the
application to such purposes of ordinary locomotive engines with rigid axles and
flanged wheels when uncombined with horizontal or oblique guide wheels.
But what I do claim is,-
First, the use of horizontal guide wheels generally when applied either to
locomotive engines or to carriages used in propelling boats or other vessels on
inland waters, several modes of applying which are shewn in the Drawing,
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and described herein-after.
Second claim-The use of oblique guide wheels generally when applied
either to locomotive engines or to carriages used in propelling boats or other
vessels on inland waters. One method of application is shewn in the Drawing
Figures 9 and 14, and described with another application herein-after.
Third claim: The use of a pivot or turn plate either in locomotive engines
or carriages used in propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters, to enable
the axles of such locomotives or carriages to assume a line radial, or nearly
so, to the centre of the curve round which such locomotives or carriages may
be passing. Several methods of applying such pivots or turn plates are shewn
in the Drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
Fourth claim The use of a toothed rack of wrought or cast iron fixed to
the middle guide rail, or forming part thereof, or fixed to or forming part of
the bearing rails. Such racks being intended to be used in combination with
a cog wheel or wheels attached to the driving wheel or wheels attached to
the driving wheel shaft of a locomotive engine, when applied to the purpose of
drawing or propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters, the intention of
such application being to enable the engine to go up or down inclined planes
at the locks or changes of level; and the same may be used, if found desirable,
for the permanent way, to increase the adhesion of the driving wheel.
Fifth claim: The use of an additional or small driving wheel, either

page_text: attached to or forming part of the usual driving wheel, for the same purposes
mentioned in the fourth claim. One application is shewn in the Drawing,
Figure 7 V.
Sixth claim-The application of the additional middle guide rail, whether
formed of fir, beech, oak, teak, lareli, or any other suitable wood, in the natural
state; or prepared by any known preservative process, such as Bethell's, Payne's,
Kyan's, or Burnett's, or of cast or wrought iron in the natural state, or pre-
pared by any known preservative process, such as the galvanic method. Several
applications are shewn in the Drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, when
applied to the purpose of drawing or propelling boats or other vessels on inland
waters.
Seventh claim-The combination of horizontal guide wheels and frames
working on pivots described herein, and shewn in the Drawings, Figures 1, 2,
3, and 12, when applied either to locomotive engines or to carriages used in
propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters.
Eighth claim: The combination of horizontal guide wheels and axle frames
working on a pivot or pivots described herein, and shewn in the Drawings,
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 12, when applied either to locomotive engines or carriages
used in propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters.
Ninth claim-The combination of fixed guide wheels, whether horizontal
or oblique, and whether attached to the engine or carriage framing, or to the
axle shafts, as described herein-after, and shewn in Figures 8 and 9, when
-applied to the purpose of drawing or propelling boats or other vessels on inland
waters.
Tenth claim:The use of the methods described herein of causing the
opposite bearing wheels of engines and carriages to run independently of each
other, and to reduce the friction on curves when applied to the purpose of
drawing or propelling boats or other vessels on inland waters.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In the accompanying Drawings and descriptions similar letters refer to
similar parts. Figure 1, Sheet 1, represents a side elevation of a locomotive
engine with my improvements applied. The driving wheels A are attached to
the frame of the engine in the usual manner, being keyed to the axle B, and
retained in their position by the axle guards C, as is clearly shewn in Figures 1
and 2. They are worked at right angles to the framing, and do not turn on a
pivet. The driving wheel shaft may be made straight, and be worked as
shown in the Drawings, Figure 1, or it may be cranked and worked with out-
side bearings, as shewn in Figures 4 and 6, Sheet 2. The ends of the carriage

page_text: or locomotive are carried by the axle frames F, which are made to turn on the
pivots or turn plates G, Figures 1, 2, and 3, so as to allow the axle E to assume
a line radial or nearly so to the centre of the curve of railway. These axle
frames are supported on the wheels D and axle E by the spring L and axle
box M working on the sides of the axle frame, in the same manner as in the
ordinary railway engine and carriages. To the lower part of the axle frame F
are attached the horizontal guide wheels H, working against the middle rail N,
which are intended to retain the carriage or locomotive on the rails, and
against which wheels the pull of the boats principally acts.
It will be seen by reference to the Drawing, Figure 2, that the pivots G¹
and G are retained in their places by the struts I and the plate J, which are
bolted to the framing. One of these horizontal guide wheels is shewn in section
in the Drawings, Figure 12 H, with one mode of attaching it to the frame
axle F. Another variation is shewn in Figure 3, but I prefer the one shewn
in Figure 12, which I will now particularly describe: To the frame axle F is
attached the casting 6 shewn in section, in which revolves the shaft a, to which
the horizontal guide wheel H is screwed, as shewn, or it may be attached in
any convenient manner, and retained by the pin d. The two guide wheels on
the same side of the guide rail may be connected by the rod g, if required, as
shewn in Figures 12 and 2. It will be obvious that by this arrangement that
in passing round curves the horizontal guide wheels will compel the axle F of
the wheels D to assume a line radial, or nearly so, to the centre of the curve.
In the Drawing, Sheet 2, Figures 4, 5, and 6, is shewn another arrangement
of engine for effecting the same purposes. The driving wheels A and the axle B,
Figures 4 and 6, are attached to the framing of the engine, in the same
manner as the driving wheel shewn in Figure 1; but the two axle guards C
are continued downwards, and being connected at their lower ends, as shewn
in Figure 6, form a bearing for the two horizontal guide wheels H*. The
axle frame or guard C being attached to the engine frame, only two guide
wheels are required. These driving wheels may be worked with outside or
inside bearings, as before observed of Figure 1. The other end of the engine
or carriage is carried by a frame or truck O, having four bearing wheels D³,
and four guide wheels, Figures 4 and 5, the axle frames or guards F's being
fixed to the trunk framing, and connected at the bottom to form a bearing for
the horizontal guide wheels H³, as will be clearly seen in the Drawing. Attached
to the lower part of the engine frame and the upper part of the truck frame
are two plates of iron e, f, smoothly surfaced; and to the centre of the truck
framing is attached the cast iron socket g, in which the pivot h works. Springs
are placed to each wheel in the usual manuer, which may be readily under-

page_text: stood from Figures 4 and 5. By this arrangement the engine will be enabled
to traverse curves of small radius. It is evident that a similar truck to O,
Figure 4, may be placed at each end of the engine or carriage, with the driving
wheel shaft in the centre; and it is also evident that in the arrangement shewn
in Figure 1, one of the systems of axles and wheels turning on the pivot Gi
might be dispensed with, using only one set of bearing wheels and guide wheels,
and having the driving wheel axle guard connected at bottom, and provided with
two horizontal guide wheels, in a similar manner to the driving wheels A shewn
in Figures 4 and 6.
Figure 7, Sheet 3, shews an arrangement of axle frame similar to that
patented by Mr. G. A. Kollmann in One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six
and One thousand eight hundred and forty. G³ are the pivots or turn plates,
which are connected to similar pivots on a similar frame axle, which carries
the bearing wheels. F³ is the frame axle in which the axle boxes M³ work.
These axle boxes are connected by the rods and cross heads m, on which the
springs are attached to the frame axle F. Four horizontal guide wheels are
attached to the bottom of the axle frame, as in Figure 1. The object of this
arrangement is to effect the same purposes of dispensing with the flanged
wheels and rigid axles, and also by causing the wheels to run on short separate
axles, to allow of the boiler to be brought lower down, and to diminish the
friction consequent upon having the opposite wheels coupled, as shewn in
Figures 3, 5, 8, &-9; but I prefer that the axle should be carried through.
Figure 8 shews an arrangement of guide wheels attached to ordinary carriages
or engines where the wheel axles are not made to turn on pivots, and which
would answer very well on straight lines, or where the curves happen to be of
large radius. In this case only four guide wheels would be required on each
carriage or engine, and it will be obvious that the flanges to the bearing wheels
may be omitted, and that the wheels may have flat tires.
Figure 10 shews a mode by which the guide wheels may be caused to act
against the side rails in either of the above arrangements of engine or carriage,
by which means I am able to dispense with the middle guide rail N.
Figure 11 shows an arrangement of guidance by which, where the axle
frames turn on pivots, two horizontal wheels working in a channel or trough of
iron k will be sufficient for each axle frame; and one guide wheel to each axle
frame will be sufficient when the axle frame is fixed to the framing. This will
be obvious from an inspection of the Drawing.
Figure 9 shews an application of what I call the oblique guide wheel, shown
in section, Figure 14. By its use flat bearing wheels may be used, and the
flanges of said wheels may be dispensed with. As applied in the arrangement

page_text: shewn in the Drawing, the guide wheels are attached to the frame, having its
bearing on the axle T. It is connected to a similar frame, and guide wheels
attached to the axle of the other bearing wheels of the engine or carriage from
the point t. I prefer this arrangement; but the frame carrying the oblique.
guide wheels may be attached in any convenient manner to the framing of the
engine or carriage; but the inconvenience of this mode of application is, that
the guide wheels, by the action of the springs, rise and fall with the carriage,
while in the application shewn the guide wheels are always kept in the same
relative position with the bearing wheel, and is thus less liable to be thrown off
the rails by any sudden jerk.
Figure 13 shews an arrangement of double axles designed to enable the
wheels to run independently of each other. wis an ordinary round axle keyed
to the wheel nave W; on this is shewn (in section) a hollow axle x keyed to
the wheel nave X. The bearings being on the axle w the wheels run inde-
pendently of each other. The axle shewn in the Drawing is intended for out-
side bearing, but it may be easily modified to suit inside bearings. The boats
or vessels to be drawn or propelled may be attached in any convenient manner
to the locomotive engine or carriage by means of tow ropes of flax, hemp, brass,
or iron or copper wire. I propose to lay down a railroad on one or both banks
of the canal, river, or other inland water, formed in either of the modes shewn
in the Drawings, along which the engine or carriage used in propelling or
drawings the vessel will travel.
Figure 15 shews the side elevation, and
Figure 16 plan of one application
of my improvements as applied to a canal. The boat is drawn or propelled by
means of the rope or ropes attached to the engine framing. The engine runs
on the rails p, and is kept in its position by the horizontal guide wheels F,
which bear laterally against the middle guide rail N, and trains of boats may
be drawn by the same means. The boats may be steered in the usual
manner, in which case only the rope (No. 1) will be necessary, or it may be
steered without the rudder by attaching the additional length of rope (No. 1*)
in the following manner:-The rope being attached to the boat at the stem,
as shown, passes twice round a drum on some convenient part of the engine or
tender. The other end of the rope is then made fast near the stern, as shewn.
By turning the drum the head of the boat will be guided inwards or outwards,
according as may be desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Spencer, have hereunto set my
-
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand cight hundred and forty-five.
GEORGE (L.S.) SPENCER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eleventh day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1845, the aforesaid George Spencer came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.