CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING OF VESSELS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES BY MEANS OF STEAM OR OTHER POWER
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING,
we, JOHN BAILLIC, of Great Suffolk Street, in the Borough of Southwark, in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, and JOHN PATERSON, late of Mincing Lane,
but now of Trinity Square, Tower Hill, in the City of London, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of December, in the sixth year of His
reign, did give and grant unto us, the said John Baillie and John Paterson,
our exors, adñiors, and assigns, full power, sole privilege and authority to make,
use, exercise, and vend the therein recited Invention of us, the said John
Baillie and John Paterson, of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING OF VESSELS
AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES BY MEANS OF STEAM OR OTHER POWER," within that part
of Great Britain called England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also within all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, for
the term of fourteen years from the day of the date of the said Letters Patent;
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that we, the said
John Baillie and John Paterson, shall, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and shall 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 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, we, the said
John Baillie and John Paterson, do hereby declare the nature of our Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a vessel having our improve-
ments applied thereto; Figure 2 is the side view of a vessel, having some of
the framing which supports the machinery removed in order to show the
working of the improvements more clearly. In these two Figures the same
letters are used to indicate similar parts, and such is the case in respect to the
other Figures hereafter to be noticed. A, A, A, and B, B, B, are two sets of
sweeps or paddles, placed on each side of the vessel or other such body which
it is desired to propel on seas, rivers, or canals, or other waters, by steam or
other power. Each of these sweeps or paddles is very similar in construction to
an ordinary oar; they therefore do not in their individual condition constitute
any part of our Invention. But our improvements relate to the combining of a
series of such oars or sweeps in such manner, that, in applying the recipro-
cating or the rotatory motion from a shaft actuated by a steam engine or
other power, some portion of such scries shall be actuating or propelling the
ship, vessel; or other body, whilst others are moving edgewise after having
performed the propelling operation, in order to be brought to a position to
again become the propellers of the ship, vessel, or other body. The sweeps
B, B, B, are connected at their upper ends by the connecting rods B', and
the sweeps A, A, A, by similar connecting rods A', as is clearly shewn in the
Drawing. The sweeps A, A, A, and B, B, B, cach consist of two parts, the
frames A and B (the construction of which will readily be seen and under-
stood by an examination of the Drawing), and the blades or propellers C, and
it will be seen that the sweeps A, A, A, and B, B, B, move or oscilate on
axes D, D, D, there being suitable brasses fitted in openings formed in the
frames A and B of the sweeps, as is clearly shown in the Drawing (Figure
2). The axes. D, D, D, are supported by triangular bearings E, E, E,
bolted to the ship's side, and by the outer or spring beams F, F, all which
will readily be understood by. an examination of the Drawing; and such
will be the case in respect to the nature and construction of the blades
C of the sweeps A and B, such blades having axes G, G, which move in
collars H, H, and the sweeps A and B are guided in their oscillation by
working between the parallel curved guides I, affixed to the ship's side, and to
.

page_text: the spring beam J are cranks affixed on the main shaft of a steam engine and
are actuated thereby. K is a connecting rod, one on each side of the ship or
vessel, attached to the cranks J, and also to the sweeps A, consequently motion
being communicated to the cranks will cause the sweeps A, A, A, to oscilate
on their axes. L is a connecting rod (one on each side of the vessel) attached
to the cranks J, and also to the sweeps B, by which means motion is com-
municated to the sweeps B, and they are caused to oscilate on their axes.
But in addition to oscilating it is necessary that such sweeps should perform a
feathering movement in coming into and going out of propelling action. In
order to accomplish this object, M, M, are stops, against which the spring
tongues N strike at the end of the oscillating motion of the sweeps A and B,
and thus feather the blades or paddle surfaces C; that is to say, when the
sweeps A aro turned at right angles to the side of a ship or vessel, and con-
sequently come into action for propelling the ship or vessel, the sweeps B
will be moving edgewise in the same direction as the ship or vessel, and thus
the sweeps B will offer little resistance; and when the sweep A and B arrive
at the end of their oscillation, the sweeps B will be turned at right angles with
the ship or vessel and propel the same, whilst the sweeps A will move edgewise
in the direction of the ship or vessel; and it should be remarked that if each of
the blades or paddle surfaces C were perfectly equal on either side of its axes
there would be little necessity for any provision for retaining the sweeps in the
position that they are turned to by coming in contact with the stops M, but in
order to insure the securo holding of the sweeps in the desired position.
Figure 3 shews a plan of the apparatus for effecting this purpose. O is a pro-
jecting arm affixed on the axes of each of the sweeps; P is a bar against the
arm 0; and Q, Q, are rods attached to the spring R, which is attached to the
frame S, S, which carries the collar of the axes of the sweep, which frame bas
cars T through which the rods Q, Q, work; it consequently follows that when
the sweep is turned by its tongue N, the arm O will force out the bar P, as
is partly represented by Figure 3, and pass partly round and be retained in
the opposite corner of the frame S. Figures 4 and 5 show the means of
reversing the motion of the ship or vessel, which consist of a series of cranks
affixed to the axes of the stops M; these axes are permitted to turn in proper
bearings, as is clearly shewn, and the stops are connected by a series of con-
necting rods, which are acted on by the lever V, by which it will be evident
that the two sets of stops M may be alternately brought into a position to turn
the sweeps, and it will depend on which of the stops M (whether the inuer or
outer ones) are in position that will determine whether the ship or vessel will
make head or stern way.