IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING AND NAVIGATING SHIPS, VESSELS, OR BOATS BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, Greeting. I,
the said JOHN RUTHVEN, of the City of Edinburgh, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, dated at Westminster, the
Fenth day of August, in the thirteenth year of Her reign, did give and grant
io me, my exors, admors. and-assigns: Her especial license; full power, sole
privilege and authority. that I, the said John Ruthven, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I. the said John Ruthven, my éxors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times hereafter during the term of years therein mentioned. should
and lawfully might make, nse. exercise and vend, within England. Wales.
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROPELLING AND NAVIGATING SHIPS, VESSELS, OR BOATS BY STEAM OR OTHER POWER;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that the said
John Ruthyen, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed. by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had.
may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE that in compliance with the said proviso, J. the said
Ruthven, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
[Price 6d.]

page_text: Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:
The said improvements in propelling and navigating ships, vessels, or boats
are obtained by taking in and expelling water, the water being admitted
through certain apertures in or through the bottom of the vessel into a canal or
pipe to supply a machine communicating with it, which machine being worked
by steam or other power discharges the water through pipes taken from it to ench
side of the vessel, and through it at, near, or above the usual water line of the
vessel, the direction in which it is discharged being obtained by a nozzle or bent
pipe at each side of the vessel on the outside communicating with the pipes
from the machine in the vessel, and made to move in a socket fixed in the side
of the vessel. so that the direction of discharge may be changed as required.
Thus, when the nozzle or bent pipe is placed so that the water is discharged
towards the stern of the vessel, in a direction parallel to a horizontal line from
stern to stern, the vessel goes ahead, when the nozzle is turned round in its
socket so as to discharge it towards the bow, the vessel goes astern. When made
to discharge the water in a vertical direction there is no propelling force either
way, the force being in the opposite direction to the discharge; it merely raises
the vessel a little in the water when discharged downwards, and according to
the angle of direction between the vertical and horizontal position that it is
made to discharge at either iowards the bow or stern, so is the force more or
less as a propelling force on the vessel to move it ahead or astern, and as
these nozzles can he moved independent of each other, the vessel can be made
to turn to either side by making the one nozzle discharge in a horizontal
direction and the other at an angle, or the vessel may be made io iurn round
without progressing either ahead or astern by making the direction of
discharge of the nozzle on one side of the vessel towards the bow, and on the
other side towards the stern. The management of these nozzles may be on
any part of the deck or where most convenient, and they can not only be made
independent of each other, but entirely independent of the steam or other power
employed-to-discharge the water, so that a vessel can be propelled ahead or
astern, or stand still or turn round, or to one side or other, without the necessity
of reversing or stopping the engine, thus leaving the control of the motions of
the vessel to those having the management of the nozzles, and should the
rudder be lost or damaged the vessel can be navigated without it by attending
to the nozzles. The said improvements in propelling and navigating ships,
vessels, or boais by steam or other power, and the mode of obtaining the above,
will be understood by examining the accompanying Drawings with the following
explanations Drawing No. 1.. Figure 1, is a top view of port of a vessel

page_text: with the deck removed, showing the machine with the pipes to each side of the
vessel. the nozzles. and canal or pipe. Figure 2, outside vertical side view of
Figure 1. Figure 3, a vertical section through the length from C to D of
Figure 1. Figure 4, a vertical cross section through A, B. of Figure 1.
Figure, a section on an enlarged scale through the center of one of the
nozzles supposed to be directed to bow or stern.
Drawing II., Figure 6, top view of the machine for discharging the water on
an enlarged scale. Figure 7. top view of the end of the canal on which the
machine is fixed. Figure 8. vertical section of Figure 6 through C. D.
1.
Having 'thus noticed all the Figures of the Drawings. it may be stated that
the same letters refer to the same places in all the Figures. E, E. apertures
for admitting the water to the canal or pipe F, F, which conveys it to the
machine, by the working of which the water is expelled, of which 1, I. I, is the
case containing the wheel G. G. The case I, I, I, is fixed water-tight to
the canal or pipe F. F. communicating with it by the large round aperture e, e,
and by the pipes ., to each side of the vessel communicating with the
nózzles M, M. The wheel G. G, has blades or floats placed between two disks
or circular plates extending to the extremity of the blades. made of a conical
shape, as shewn in section, Figures 3 and 8, with an aperture at the side next
the canal nearly the size of the aperture c. e, of the case, and having the
ring d. d. (see enlarged section. Figure 8.) to fit the disks at the aperture e, e,
more closely, and by lying so loosely on its bed that should the wheel G, G,
be made to revolve a little to one side or other, it would carry the loose
ring d, d, with it, so that the wheel G. G. might revolve pretty nearly water-
tight at that place with little or no friction. The case I, I, I, is made of a
similar shape to the wheel G. G, as shewn by the sections, Figures 3 and 8.
This shape depends for its proportions on the draught of water of the vessel, as
all or part of the wheel must be under the level of the water, so that when
standing at rest the wheel and case may be full or nearly full of water. That
the wheel G. G. may revolve water-tight in the case I, I, I, or the upper side
there is the ring L. L, held to the wheel by the adjusting screws m, m, shewn
in Figure 8, and which may have small springs on their points. The ring L, L,
has a packing n. n, round it to make it water-tight in the ring O. O, which
forms part of the case 1,1,1, and yet allow it to be moved as required by the
adjusting screws m, m. To make the adjustment still more easy there may be
a smaller ring let into the face of the ring L, L, with an elastic substance, such
as india-rubber, behind it at r, r, thus making it water-tight with little friction
when the wheel.is made to revolve water-tight at the upper side of the case by
simply having the shaft of the wheel through a stalling box, but the object of

page_text: having the ring, as described. is to relieve the wheel from the pressure of
water on the top side to the amount of that surface, and by making it (the
ring L, L.) longer than the aperiure at e, e, it tends, when the wheel is in
motion and a pressure of water in the case, to relieve the weight of the wheel
from its bearing, and if the size be made suflicient, according to the weight of
the wheel and pressure produced in the case, the wheel may be floated as it
were, the pressure being more on the under side than the upper, and this
altogether relieves the weight from its bearing. The top views of the
machine. Figure 1, and on the enlarged scale. Figure 6. shews the wheel G, G.
and the blades (supposed to be seen through the case) in red ink, and the
shape of the case I, I. I. shewing the gradual encrease in size from the place
that the water leaves the case by one pipe K till it comes to the other, when it
leaves the case at nearly a tangent to the wheel, and in the same direction
that the wheel G, G. ought to be revolved in. The blades or floats are curved
at and as they approach the aperture by which the water enters the wheel, as
shewn by the red lines, and also in the sections, Figures 3 and 8. The number
of blades or floats is not important: six answers very well, but more may be
used for a larger size of wheel. Figure 7 shows a top view of the end of the
canal or pipe F, F. on which the case I. I. T. is fixed, but with the case and
top covering removed, shewing the plates X, X. shaped or curved, as shewn,
and in connection with the section, Figure 8, shewn also in feint lines in the
top views of the machine, Figures 1 and 6, supposing them to be seen through
the intervening parts. The purpose of them is to guide the water or change
the direction of the current as it rushes along the canal, so as to make it rise
up into the aperture of the wheel, and with something of a revolving motion in
the same direction as the motion of the wheel. The canal or pipe F. F, is
made to gradually encrease in capacity till it comes to the last of the apertures
E. E. that is, the apertures nearest the case and wheel; the apertures E. E.
being constructed as shewn, or similarly. M, M, nozzles (Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5),
moveable in the sockets N, N. fixed on the side of the vessel and end of the
pipes K, K, which conveys the water from the case I, I, I, to the nozzles M, M.
through which it is discharged when the wheel G, G, is revolved in the
case I, I, I, the power being applied to the shaft H. H. of the wheel G, G.
R, R. wheels for turning the nozzles M. M, as required, communicating to them
by the chains or ropes and shafts S, S. The nozzles M, M, have an enlarged
port V, V, for the chains or ropes to pass round, and may be formed similar to
what is shewn. They have also a bearing or journal T, T, on a projection of
the hull, or a projection to defend the nozzles, which journal is also made so
as to hold the nozzles into their sockets, and may have a wedge t, t, as shewn

page_text: in the enlarged section, Figure 5, as an adjustment to keep it up to the
socket.
Having thus described the different parts, it may now be stated that the
steam or other power being applied to revolve the shaft II, H, to which the
wheel G, G, is fixed, the water in the wheel that is in the spaces between
the blades or floats of the wheel G, G, is carried round with it, and by centri-
fugal force it presses outward to the periphery, and not being allowed to
escape by the water-tight case I, I, I, except by the pipes k, l, it is carried
by them to the nozzles M, M, and discharged through them, a constant supply
being received from the water in which the vessel floats through the apertures
E, E, and by canal F, F. It may be further stated that a sluice or valve
W, W, may be arranged so that by lowering it the communication would be
cut off from the apertures E, E, and valves, placed where most convenient
round the end of a canal, could be opened so as to communicate with the
interior or hold of the vessel and the machine, so that in the event of any heavy
leak, the wheel might receive its supply from the hold of the vessel instead of
the apertures E, E. The canal or pipe may be of various dimensions, provided
a free supply is obtained and taken from either the bow or stern, as the vessel
can be propelled either way whatever the position the supply of water comes
from, so it might be taken by an aperture right under the wheel; but for high
speeds, and when the vessel is mostly used going ahead, it is best to have the
canal as described in the Drawing, Figure 1, which represents the bow end of
the vessel. The principle of propulsion is the fact of a pressure or force being
obtained in the opposite direction to the discharge of a fluid, this propulsive
force being equal to the pressure of discharge at a speed or velocity equal to
the speed or velocity with which the fluid is discharged. If the vessel moves
at a less speed than the velocity with which the fluid is discharged, then the
propulsive force in the opposite direction to the discharge is greater than the
pressure of the orifice of discharge; in short the action is similar to the action
in the machine called Barker's mill, which is worked by a discharge of water.
The discharge in Barker's mill being generally by a natural supply of water
from a higher to a lower level, while for propelling vessels the discharge has to
be effected by steam or other power acting on the machine as described,
producing a pressure by centrifugal force, which acts the same as if the supply
of water come from a height above the nozzles through which the water is
discharged. By this mode of propelling it may be arranged so as to loose no
power in theory and but little in practice, whereas by the paddle wheel,
and all methods of propelling, which act by pressing against the water outside