IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HAYWARD FORD, of Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the County of Middlesex, 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 Third day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Hayward Ford, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said George Hay-
ward Ford, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said George
Hayward Ford, my exors, adñors, 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, the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING POWER," communicated to me from
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
George Hayward Ford, should 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 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 Hayward Ford, do hereby declare that the nature of the 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 said Invention consists in the result produced by availing myself of
well-known laws that govern elastic fluids, and by availing myself of that law
of nature known as centrifugal force, whereby all. bodies. having a rotary
motion given to them recede or fly off from a common centre; and it is a well-
known law of nature that the pressure or force of fluids in motion increases as
the square of the velocity, or thereabouts; and it is by the adaptation of certain
machinery to these laws, and the use of an elastic fluid therewith, that I
produce the result which I claim, which is that of a self-acting motor or power
of unlimited extent, being only restricted in its power by the capability of
matter to restrain, and which, requiring only an elastic fluid for its production,
is or can be amply supplied from the ordinary atmosphere, and, being once put
in motion, will continue to act so long as the machinery whereby the effect is
produced continues in order. To produce this result I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereto annexed, and which will show the machine as preferred
to, be constructed, and considered most convenient and efficient.
a, Figure 4, represents a conical disk, with four arms or fans 6 radiating
from the axle c. Fig. 5, d, represents a similar disk, with the exception of
a circular. opening f, f, which has a long hollow wheel or cylinder g, Fig. 6,
and which wheel or cylinder has longitudinal openings in the sides, with ribs at
each opening placed at an angle of about 45 degrees inwards from the line of
the periphery. This wheel or cylinder is shown in cross section in Fig. 8,
9, 9, being two of the ribs. The two conical disks, Figs. 4 and 5, being placed
together, form an enclosed blower with four arms or fans, having the wheel or
cylinder g,, Fig, 6, as the opening through which it receives the supply of fluid
when in motion, which it delivers by its centrifugal force. This blower is
shown in section at Fig. 7, with its supply wheel or cylinder j, j, attached, and
its axle k, k, running through it. Fig. 1, h, h, h, h, represents an iron or other
sufficiently strong chamber, and which is made air-tight, except in the
connecting parts, as valves, &c., and which chamber is divided into two
apartments of unequal sise, as the dividing line z, z, shows, with an opening in
the partition z, z, sufficient to admit the collar of the wheel or cylinder g,
Fig. 6, belonging to the blower. Fig. 7, i, i, is the blower before described,
with its axle k, k, with the pulley 1, outside the chamber. There will, there-

page_text: fore, be no communication between the two apartments of the chamber h, h, h, h,
except through the blower and its receiving or supply wheel or cylinder.
y, y, are the boxes in which the axle k, k, runs, that end within the larger
apartment of the chamber o, o, being supported by a cross or other convenient
mode. m is a high-pressure steam engine of sufficient power to drive the
wheel i, i, referred to. n is a supply pipe in connexion with the larger
apartment 0, 0,-of-the-chamber, and-also-in-connexion with the supply valves
of the engine m. P, P, is another pipe in connexion with the smaller
apartment of the chamber q, q, and also with the escape valves of the engine m.
R is a larger engine in similar communication with the chamber h, h, h, h, as
that described of the engine m. The engine m is placed in connexion with
the pulley l, and, by shaft and counter shaft with band, is made capable of
transmitting a velocity to the blower i, i, of 686 feet per second of the
periphery. t is a forcing air pump in connexion with one or the other of the
engines, but which can be disconnected at pleasure, or be used to force air
into the chamber h, h, h, h. U is a valve, cutting off the communication of the
engine m with the 'smaller apartment of the chamber h, h, h, h, and opening a
communication with the common atmosphere outside. At the end of the
axle k, Figure 1, outside the chamber there is a pivot to receive the pressure
on the blower in that direction arising from the difference of power in the two
apartments. Fig. 9 is a cross section of the chamber h, h, h, h, in which the
projecting trunk w is built out from the chamber opposite the blower i, i, and
on that side on which the motion of the blower would deliver the air, as
marked. The engines are much more amply supplied by their supply pipes
receiving the air from this trunk. The valves of the engines are to be made
as large as proper workmanship will allow. In starting the smaller engine, as
herein-after described, the motion given to the blower must be in that direction
which will cause the supply wheel or cylinder to revolve in the direction
marked in the section; Fig. 8, and it must be arranged that such motion will
also deliver the air, as before described, in the trunk w, Fig. 9, for the supply
pipes. It is also necessary to observe a proper proportion between the
apartments of the chamber in regard to dimensions. Now the operation of
the afore-described apparatus is based on the laws of nature heretofore referred
to; that is to say, if the wheel i, i, placed in the chamber h, h, h, h, be caused
to revolve with a velocity of 343 feet in a second on the periphery, the air will
be drawn from the smaller apartment and thrown into the larger, until the
equilibrium between the two is destroyed to the extent of one pound per square
inch, or thereabouts, because in practice a current of air thrown against any
stationary surface with that velocity will exert a pressure against that surface

page_text: equal to one pound per square inch, or thereabouts, there being a slight
variation dependent on the density of the atmosphere. But it is also a well-
known law of nature that the effect produced by fluids in motion with a com-
mon velocity is in proportion to their density; that is, if air thrown, as above
described, with a velocity of 343 feet per second produces one pound pressure
per square inch, water thrown with the same velocity will produce about 800lbs.
to the square inch, water being in comparison with air as about 800 to 1 in
gravity. Therefore, if air of the ordinary weight of the atmosphere thrown
with the velocity named, 343 feet per second, produces a pressure of one pound
per square inch, ten atmospheres, or air having ten times the gravity of the
common atmosphere, thrown with the same velocity, will produce ten pounds
pressure per square inch. It requires a given power to throw a given weight
of atmosphere with a given velocity by centrifugal force, and that produces a
result which we will call one. If that same weight of atmosphere be thrown
with double the velocity, the result will be four. But it will require but little
more than double the power to produce this result; and consequently, if we
continue to double, or a little more than double, the producing power, while
we quadruple the power produced, the result must soon exceed the power
required to produce that result, and to this there is no limit.
I will now proceed to describe the operation of the apparatus and engines
heretofore described. First, the air pump t is worked by manual or other
power, until say ten atmospheres, or about 150 pounds to the squ. inch, is
accumulated in the two apartments of the chamber h, h, h, h, the power of the
air pump or a safety valve to the chamber being so guaged as not to allow any
farther accumulation of pressure than 150 pounds to the inch. The valve u
in the pipe P, P, is then opened with the common atmosphere, and sufficient
compressed air from the chamber let on the engine m, which will then work
like an ordinary high-pressure engine exhausting in the open atmosphere.
In working this engine it must have a motion given to it, that the direction of
the blower may be so as to carry the supply wheel or cylinder in the direction
that the ribs are pressed against by the air as it enters, and it then exerts a
large propelling force, such direction being marked in section, Fig. 8. Theo-
retically, this power is sufficient to keep the machine in motion. It will require
but a moderate power to derive the engine m, so as to transmit a velocity of
686 feet per second to the periphery of the blower i, i, in the chamber, and it
will then draw the air from the smaller apartment of the chamber, and throw
it into the larger, until it destroys the equilibrium between the two apartments
to the extent of about 40 pounds per square inch; because one atmosphere
thrown with the velocity named, 686 feet in a second, would exert a pressure

page_text: of
against the object that resists it of four pounds per square inch; and as ten
atmospheres has ten times the specific gravity of one, the result will be equal
to ten times four when ten atmospheres are used, and in like proportion for
any greater or smaller number employed. The equilibrium between the
smaller and larger apartments being thus destroyed to the extent of forty
pounds p' squ. inch, the valve u in the pipe P, P, of the engine m is closed
from its communication-with-the-common-atmosphere, and the communication
opened with the smaller apartment of the chamber h, h, h, h. The engine m, being
then allowed to work as a high-pressure engine, will constantly have an excess
pressure equal to forty pounds, or thereabouts, to the square inch on one side
of the piston, and exhaust such pressure constantly into the smaller apartment
of the chamber h, h, h, h, when it is instantaneously thrown by the motion of
the blower into the larger apartment of the chamber h, h, h, h. But it will
require only a small part of the power generated in ten atmospheres to keep in
motion and supply with sufficient power the small engine m, because without
the assistance of the wheel or cylinder, as described in Figures 6 and 8, and
attached to the blower, it would require only sufficient power to throw the
weight of air used by the engine with the velocity with which it moves, and to
overcome the friction of the moving parts; and therefore, when once started,
the larger apartment of the chamber h, h, h, h, may be compared to a steam
boiler, and the smaller apartment to the open air; and it is in this view that
the large engine R is worked, being supplied with air at forty pounds more
pressure to the inch from the larger apartment, and constantly discharging that
air, when it has performed its duty, into the smaller apartment. It is, there-
fore, obvious that the proper dimensions and strength of a machine is all that
is required to produce the requisite power without limit. It is proper to
observe that the size of the blower being constant, it will require about four
times the power to give it double the velocity; but the result being four times
the pressure, and about twice the quantity of air, the power produced is about
eight times the first, which is nearly equilvalent to doubling the velocity and
quadrupling the power. After the engine is started, or both engines, as before
stated, it will be likely to lose a little compressed air even with the most perfect
workmanship of the parts. Whenever the guages shew this to be the case,
the air pump t is connected with one of the engines, and allowed to work until
the loss is supplied. No particular number of atmospheres nor any particular
velocity is necessary, except that the velocity must be extended so far as to
generate a surplus of power over the power used for generating; nor are any
particular number of arms or fans to the blower, or any particular form to
them or the disks, necessary. The effect may be produced by a succession of

page_text: blowers, and they can be made to run on a common shaft. And any elastic
fluid may be used instead of atmospheric air, but the latter is obviously the
most convenient. In using a succession of blowers the rotary motion of the
air must be destroyed as it is delivered from the annular opening of each
blower, otherwise its flow is materially obstructed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details as herein -described so long as the peculiar character of the
Invention be retained. But what I claim is, the adaptation of certain prin-
ciples of nature to machinery, using for that purpose as a principal vehicle
the well-known and used law of centrifugal force, to avail myself of the
afore-detailed laws that govern elastic fluids heretofore unknown as 'a
motor, and whereby, in connexion with working engines, I destroy the
equilibrium of power between the moving parts, precisely as in the steam
engine, and that I am enabled to keep up such destruction of equilibrium with
much less power than is produced thereby, and that, in fact, the power so to be
and that can be produced is limited only by the capability of matter or
machinery to sustain it, and is in principle infinite.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hayward Ford, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
New York.
C. H. STANLEY,
British Consulate,
New York.
Her Britannick Majesty's Consulate, New York.
I, Robert Bunch, Esq., Her Majesty's Acting Consul, do hereby certify
that this day personally appeared before me George Hayward Ford, named
and described in the annexed Instrument, whose identity has been satisfac-
torily proven before me by the oath of Edson D. Hammond, a subscribing
witness thereto, and who duly executed the same in my presence by setting

page_text: hereto his hand and seal, and acknowledging it to be his act and deed for the
urposes therein mentioned.
In testimony whereof, I do hereunto set my hand and seal of office, at
the City of New York, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
This is the Specification referred to in the Affidavit of William Henry
Ritchie, sworn before me, this 22d day of November, 1850.
HENRY MOWBRAY.
William Henry Ritchie, of Old Square, Lincoln's Inn, Gentleman, maketh
oath and saith, that he hath been informed and verily believes that the signa-
ture "George Hayward Ford," now of New York, in the United States
of America, but late of Saint Martin's-le-Grand, in the County of Middlesex,
set, subscribed, or written at the foot of the Specification hereunto annexed,
and marked with the letter A, and dated the Fifth day of November instant,
is of the proper handwriting of the said George Hayward Ford. And also that
the said Specification was acknowledged by him, the said George Hayward
Ford, before Robert Bunch, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at New York,
aforesaid.