Improvements in the Construction of Ships or Floating Vessels, and in Means for Propelling the same.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 19th Mar.,
1898
Improvements in the Construction of Ships or Floating Vessels,
and in Means for Propelling the same.
1, JOHN MACLAREN ABERCROMBY, 27, Stephen Street, Dublin, Bakery Manager,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to avoid the great resistance to the progress of a
vessel which takes place when such vessel is driven at a high speed through the
water.
This object I attain by a construction which I call an ocean locomotive and
portable floating railway. The locomotive consists of a structure corresponding in
some degree to the hull of a vessel, in so far, that on it, or in it, accomodation
is made for engines passengers etc. but differing from the hulls of ordinary vessels
in so far, that it is, wholly or mainly supported above the water. Like the land
locomotive, the ocean locomotive is designed to run on wheels. These wheels are
sprocketed and travel over rails which consist of endless chains. These endless
chaius pass under each line of the locomotive wheels, from front to rear and over
the same line of wheels from rear to front. The locomotive may be constructed
to work over only one pair of these chain rails like an ordinary land locomotive
but I prefer to use two or more pairs of parallel chain rails as giving, in the first
place, greater stability and in the second the two or more pairs of driving wheels
may be driven by independent gearing or by separate engines and thus enabling
the structure or locomotive to be guided at will.
This railway I render buoyant in the following or similar manner. Between each
pair of chain rails and at frequent and regular intervals I fix a number of horizontal
shafts one end of each shaft being fixed to one or other of the chains thus coupling
the pair of chains together. Upon each of these shafts I fix a large caisson or
hollow vessel of such dimensions and buoyancy that the immersion of less than half
of the entire number of these caisson shall have sufficient floatage power to support
the entire structure.
These caisson correspond, in effect, to the sleepers of a land railway_supporting
as they do the lines of chain rails upon which the locomotive travels. Half of the
number of these caisson are submerged beneath the wheels of the locomotive while
the other half are supported in the air, beneath the platform of the locomotive, by
the upper edges of the same wheels.
In operation and when power is applied to the driving wheels of the locomotive
he structure moves forward, the caisson that have previously been suspended in the
air pass forward, over and between the front wheels down into the water and after
the locomotive has passed over them they are drawn up by the chain rails over the
ear wheels passing forward again through the air to the front where they are again
leposited in the water thus enabling the locomotive to continue its course.
Dated this 19th dar of Norah 1807

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Ships or Floating Vessels,
and in Means for Propelling the same.
I, JOHN MACLAREN ABERCROMBY, 27, Lower Stephen Street, Dublin, Baker
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to avoid the great resistance to the progress of a
vessel which takes place when such vessel is driven at a high speed through the
water.
This object I attain by a construction which I call a new or improved portable
floating railway and locomotive, therefor of which Figs. 1 2 & 3 show a general
plan and elevation. The locomotive consists of a structure A coresponding in some
degree to the hull of the vessel, in so far, that in it, or on it accomodation is made
for engines, passengers etc., but differing from the hulls of ordinary vessels in so
far that it is wholly or mainly supported above the water.
Like the land locomotive the floating locomotive is designed to run on wheels BB.
These wheels are sprocketed or flanged or cogged C, in such a manner that they can
grip the endless chain rails D over which they travel so as to prevent any slipping
either laterally or longitudinally.
These endless chain rails are arranged in
pairs DD and there may be one, two, or more pairs according to the construction
of the locomotive but preferably I use two pairs. Each of these endless chain
rails DD runs over one of the front and one of the rear wheels of the locomotive in
a manner similar to the chain of ordinary chain gearing. The locomotive may
be constructed to travel over one pair of chain rails like an ordinary land locomotive
but I prefer to use two or more pairs of parallel chain rails as DD as giving, in the
first place, greater stability and in the second place the two or more pairs of driving
wheels B may be driven by independent gearing or by separate engines and thus
by varying the speed of these driving wheels the locomotive may be guided at will
Between
This railway I render buoyant in the following or similar manner.
each pair of chain rails DD and at frequent and regular intervals I fix a number
of horizontal shafts F each end of each shaft being fixed to one or other of the
chain rails D thus coupling the pair of chains DD together. Upon each of these
shafts I fix a large caisson G or hollow vessel of such dimensions and buoyancy that
the immersion of less than half of the entire number of these caissons shall have a
sufficient floatage power to support the entire structure. The caissons G corres-
pond, in effect, to the sleepers of a land railway supporting as they do the lines of
chain rails D upon which the locomotive A travels. Half of the entire number of
these caissons are submerged beneath the wheels of the locomotive while the other
half are supported in the air by the upper edges of the same wheels.
In operation and when power is applied to the driving wheels of the locomotive
the structure moves forward the caissons that have previously been suspended in
the air, pass forward over and between the front wheels, down into the water and
after the locomotive has passed over them they are drawn up by the chain rails over
the rear wheels passing forward again through the air to the front, where they are
again deposited in the water, thus enabling the locomotive to continue its course.
Otherwise the method by which this construction acts when driven may be
described as analogous to a rack and pinion. The water may be likened to the
rack, the teeth being formed by the bodies of water between the floating caissons,
while the chain with its caissons may be termed a flexible cog wheel the cogs being
formed by the aforesaid caissons, G. Movement imparted to the chain wheels B

page_text: and consequently to the flexible cog wheel D as described ensures a forward
movement to the whole structure or locomotive A.
In practice I have found it advisable to prevent any sagging of the chain rails D
between the wheels either upwards, while immersed in the water or downwards
while suspended in the air.
This object I attain either by forming the chains in such a manner that they are
inflexible and rigid except in the particular direction in which flexibility is re-
quired to enable them to travel over the front and rear wheels of the locomotive;
or by attaching guide wheels K to each end of each caisson spindle or shaft so
arranged that these guide wheels travel over and under guide rails H which are
attached to, and form part of, the structure of the locomotive A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
(1) A structure or locomotive A travelling on circular or practically circular
wheels B over a portable floating railway G.
(2) The use in connection therewith of chains D of such construction as to be
rigid and inflexible except in one direction.
Fig. 4, 5, 6, 7 are different views and forms of caissons.
JOHN MACLAREN ABERCROMBY.