IMPROVE- MENTS IN PROPELLING AND STEERING SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROPELLING AND STEERING SHIPS AND VESSELS."-A communication
from abroad by John Harris, of the City of Montreal, in the Province of
Canada, Brewer.
Sealed the 81st May 1864, and dated the 22nd January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd January 1864.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING AND STEERING SHIPS AND VESSELS," a com-
munication to me from abroad by John Harris, of the City of Montreal, in the
Province of Canada, Brewer, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain peculiar combinations of mechanism for
actuating reciprocating paddles to be employed in the propelling of ships and
vessels, and to the steering of ships and vessels by the employment of recipro-
cating paddles situate at the stern. The paddles to be employed in propelling
and also for steering ships and vessels are secured to the straight stems, slotted
or not longitudinally, for the facility of guiding and controlling the movements
of the same either by the aid of a stationary pivot or antifriction roller
working in the slot, or by two or more antifriction rollers acting on opposite
sides of a solid stem and carried in a swivelling frame; or two stationary

page_text: guides may be employed, the one being vertical and the other horizontal; or in
lien of two stationary guides a single vertical oscillating slotted guide may be
used. When the first-mentioned guides are employed motion is given to the
paddle stem direct from a rotating crank pin situate above the guiding point.
Where two stationary guides are employed, the one perpendicular to the other,
a compound motion is imparted to the paddle stem, consisting of a vertical
reciprocating motion obtained from an overhead vibrating beam or lever
actuated by a crank, and to one end of which lever the upper extremity of the
stem is connected, combined with a horizontal reciprocating motion obtained
from a second crank shaft, the crank of which is connected by a rod to the
lower portion of the paddle stem, and being either rotated or vibrated imparts
a lateral vibratory motion to the paddle simultaneously with its vertical motion.
When an oscillating guide is used the guide is suspended from a fixed centre
at its upper end and receives a vibratory motion from a crank on a rocking or
rotating shaft, whilst the paddle stem is actuated by a revolving crank pin
connected to the upper end of the stem. The cranks employed are for the
sake of lightness made from angle, T, or other suitably shaped bars of wrought
iron, rivetted together in the form of a circle, or segment of a circle, in lieu of
as heretofore being made from oue solid piece of metal.
In steering a ship or vessel according to this Invention any one of the
herein-before described arrangements of reciprocating paddles is to be placed
at the stern, so that the paddle or paddles may act upon the water in a direction
at right angles to the keel. It is also proposed to employ a peculiar arrange-
ment of feathering reciprocating paddles or floats for propelling and steering
ships and vessels. This arrangement consists of a skeleton frame attached to
the lower end of the stern, in which frame are arranged the paddles or floats in
pairs, or two in each frame, so as to turn a swivel on vertical axes inside the
frame. These floats may either be flat or convex on one side and concave on
that side which strikes the water, and are made to describe an arc of 90° when
feathering. A short horizontal lever is secured to the upper end of each axis,
the ends of these levers working freely in vertical slotted arms or levers carried
at their upper ends on a rocking shaft in the vibrating paddle stem, and
receiving its rocking motion by means of suitable connections and levers, the
levers being acted upon by the guide pin of the stem, so that the motion of the
stem imparts the feathering action to the floats at the proper time. The stem
itself derives its vertical and lateral motion from a revolving crank pin to
which the upper end of the paddle stem is connected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JonN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROPELLING AND STEERING SHIPS AND VESSELS," a communication to
me from abroad by John Harris, of the City of Montreal, in the Province of
Canada, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should parti
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to certain peculiar combinations of mechanism for
actuating reciprocating paddles to be employed in the propelling of ships and
vessels, and relates also to the steering of ships and vessels by the employment
of reciprocating paddles situate at the stern. The paddles to be employed in
propelling and also for steering ships and vessels are secured to straight stems,
slotted or not longitudinally, for the facility of guiding and controlling the

page_text: movements of the same either by the aid of a stationary pivot or antifriction
roller working in a slotted stem, or by two or more antifriction rollers
acting on opposite sides of a solid stem and carried in a swivelling frame;
or two stationary guides may be employed, the one being vertical and the
other horizontal; or in lieu of two stationary guides a single vertical
oscillating slotted guide may be used. When the first-mentioned guides are
employed motion is given to the paddle stem direct from a rotating crank pin
situate above the guiding point or fulcrum. When two stationary guides are
employed, the one perpendicular to the other, a compound motion is imparted
to the paddle stem, consisting of a vertical reciprocating motion obtained from
an overhead vibrating beam or lever actuated by a crank, and to one end
of which lever the upper extremity of the stem is connected, combined
with a horizontal reciprocating motion obtained from a second crank shaft,
the crank of which is connected by a rod to the lower portion of the paddle
stem, and being either rotated or vibrated imparts a lateral vibratory motion to
the paddle simultaneously with its vertical motion. When an oscillating guide
is used, the guide is suspended from a fixed centre at its upper end, and
receives a vibratory motion from a crank on a rocking or rotating shaft, whilst
the paddle stem is actuated by a revolving crank pin connected to the upper
end of the stem. The cranks employed are for the sake of lightness made
from angle, T, or other suitably shaped bars of wrought iron, rivetted together
in the form of a circle, or segment of a circle, in lieu of as heretofore being
made from one solid piece of metal. In steering a ship or vessel according
to this Invention any one of the herein-before described arrangements of
reciprocating paddles is to be placed at the stern, so that the paddle or paddles
may act upon the water in a direction at right angles to the keel. It is also
proposed to employ a peculiar arrangement of feathering reciprocating paddles
or floats for propelling and steering ships and vessels. This arrangement
consists of a skeleton frame attached to the lower end of the stem, in which
frame are arranged the paddles or floats in pairs, or two in each frame, so as to
turn or swivel on vertical axes inside the frame. These floats may either
be flat or convex on one side and concave on that side which strikes the water,
and are made to describe an arc of 90° when feathering. A short horizontal
lever is secured to the upper end of each axis, the ends of these levers working
freely in vertical slotted arms or levers carried at their upper ends on a rocking
shaft in the vibrating paddle stem, and receiving its rocking motion by means
of suitable connections and levers, the levers being acted upon by the guide
pin of the stem, so that the motion of the stem imparts the feathering action
to the floats at the proper time. The stem itself derives its vertical and

page_text: lateral motion from a revolving crank pin to which the upper end of the paddle
stem is connected.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents the plan of a boat shewing some of the
various arrangements or modifications which may be made use of for giving
motion to the paddle. Fig. II. is a side elevation of the boat shewing the
paddle provided with double oscillating guide bars. Fig. III. represents a
side elevation of the boat shewing the paddle provided with a single oscillating
guide bar. Fig. IV. represents a side elevation of the boat shewing the
application of a vibrating beam arrangement for giving motion to the paddle.
Fig. V. represents an enlarged transverse section through the boat shewing
paddles represented in Figs. II. and III. Fig. VI. represents an enlarged
side view of the paddle with a single oscillating guide bar. Fig. VII. represents
an enlarged side view of the paddle with double oscillating guide bars. Fig. VIII.
represents a side view of a feathering paddle. Fig. IX. represents a front view
of the same. Fig. X. represents a front view of a skeleton crank constructed
of angle or T-bars of wrought iron. Fig. XI. represents a side view of the
same; and Fig. XII. represents friction rollers for the lever of the paddle.
a represents the hull of a vessel to which the lever paddles are attached;
6 is the main crank axle passing through the vessel from side to side, as shewn
in Figs. I. and V. I have not shewn any means for imparting motion to the
main crank axle, as any well-known arrangement may be employed for that
purpose; c, c, are wheels or cranks attached to the ends of the main crank
axle, provided with suitable pins near the circumference, to which are connected
the levers or handles of the paddles; d, d, are double guide bars arranged and
attached to the vessel's sides in the manner shewn in Figs. I., II., V., VII.,
VIII., and IX.; they are suspended from and swing freely on strong pivots
passing through the stock g immediately under the crank or wheel c, and are
provided with a slot or opening of a length equal to the diameter or throw of
the crank and along which the guide rod of the paddle traverses; e is the
paddle or float of any convenient size commensurate with the vessel or power
to be exerted, it is attached to the end of a lever or stem f, and by this means
is connected to the crank c. In the feathering paddle shewn in Figs. VIII.
and IX. the arrangement is different, and will be herein-after described. The
metal stock g is arranged in the form shewn in the various Drawings, its

page_text: purpose being to carry the double oscillating guide bars d, d, by means of a
pin, which acts as the fulcrum when a horizontal motion is given to them and to
the paddle by means herein-after described. h is a rocking shaft connected
to the main crank axle by the arm i and the connecting rod k, as shewn in
Figs. I., II., V., and VII. At each end of this rocking shaft, on the outer
shell of the vessel, there is a second crank arrangement coupled by the
connecting rod to the oscillating guide bars d, d, for the purpose of com-
municating a horizontal or oscillating motion to the paddle; m is a slotted
handle or lever of the paddle or float e, as shewn in the various Drawings,
provided with a slot or opening of a length equal to the diameter of the
wheel c or throw of the crank; n is a pin attached to the side of the vessel
passing freely through the slot above referred to, and forming the fulcrum of
the lever m when the paddle is in motion; or in place of this arrangement
two antifriction rollers u, u, Fig. XII., may be used, in this case the rollers
will take the place of the pin before mentioned, and will be arranged in a
rocking frame v secured to the main stock g by two strong pivots, one on each
side; the rollers will be placed one on each side of the lever or handle m of
the paddle, and will be provided with grooves in which will work guides attached
to the lever or handle for the purpose of steadying it. With the ascent and
descent of the paddle the frame v will adapt itself to the various angles made
by the handle or lever m consequent on the revolution of the crank or wheel c;
o is a vibrating beam arrangement for giving a vertical motion to the paddle,
and when used will be placed on each side of the vessel, a horizontal motion
along the guides d, d, will be communicated to the paddle by the connecting
rod attached to the rocking shaft h, which shaft derives its motion from the
crank axle in the manner shewn in Figs. I., II., and VII. The handle f
(Fig. IV.) is jointed at its upper end to the connecting rod from the vibrating
beam, the joint of such connecting rod working in the vertical guides d¹ so as
to impart an up-and-down motion to the paddle. Simultaneously with this
motion a horizontal or to-and-fro motion is imparted to the paddle by the
link connected with the arm on the rocking shaft h, antifriction rollers being
fitted to the end of the link at n, between which the handle or stem of the
paddle works freely whilst the antifriction guiding rollers are traversed to and
fro along the horizontal guide d.
In Figs. VIII. and IX. is shewn the arrangement proposed for the
feathering paddles or floats; d, d, representing the skeleton framework to
which they are secured. They are arranged in pairs, or two in each frame,
marked e, e, placed in a vertical position, and may be either flat or convex on
ene side, and concave on that which strikes the water. They will revolve

page_text: one-quarter of a circle, so as to present their entire surface to the water when
shut or their edge when open. The upper end of the vertical axis on which
each of them turns will pass through the frame, and have a short lever firmly
secured to the end at right angles to it, the other end of the short lever in
question fitting loosely into an open slot provided in the lower end of the
lever or arm s. The levers or arms s, 8, are attached to a small wheel or
rocking shaft s', which is moved by the combination of levers r and p and con-
necting rod or link q by the action of the pin n against the curved handles of
the lever p, when the whole frame is in course of ascent or descent by the
revolution of the wheel or crank c. In other words, when the crank has
passed through the lowest point in its revolution, and the paddles commence
to ascend, the curved extremities of the lever p come in contact with the
fulcrum or pin n, causing the lever in question to partially revolve on its
central pivot. This movement is communicated by the rod q and lever r to
the rocking shaft s', which in turn gives a corresponding motion to the levers
8, 8, and so to the vertical axles of the paddles, causing them to turn one-
quarter round and thus to open, and they continue open until the crank com-
mences to descend, when the curved arm of the lever p comes in contact with
the fulcrum n, reversing in so doing the previous motions, which has the
effect of closing the paddles about the time of entering the water, and pre-
senting their entire surface thereto. The slotted stem shown in Fig. 3 may
be double, as shewn in the feathering arrangement, Fig. VIII., or several
may be combined together when the paddle is of large size. These stems are
intended to be trussed or their width' increased, so as to possess any desired
amount of strength.
In place of the ordinary wheel or crank c for giving motion to the paddles,
the arrangement shewn in Figs. X. and XI. may be advantageously employed.
It consists of a number of T or angle irons rivetted or secured together,
either in the form of a circle or in any portion of a circle. It is thought that
for a crank possessing a considerable stroke an arrangement of this kind will
be both cheaper, lighter, and stronger than any of the ordinary plans.
I will now proceed to describe more particularly the mode of operating the
paddles above referred to. The single oscillating guide bar paddle is the
simplest arrangement of the various ones proposed. The handle m of the
paddle e may be provided with a slot or opening, as shewn in Figs. III. and
VI., with its upper end attached to a pin in the peculiarly formed crank
shewn at Figs. X. and XI., or to a pin in a wheel, as in Figs. III. and VI.
A second pin n is firmly secured to the vessel's side, and passes through the
slot in the paddle lever forming the fulcrum of the same, when the paddle is

page_text: moved by the revolution of the crank; or, if thought desirable, friction wheels
u, u, arranged in a rocking frame v, Fig. XII., may be substituted in place
of the foregoing arrangement, and thus preserve the full strength of the lever.
The paddle & may have a plain flat surface on both sides, as shewn in the
Drawing; but it is considered better to provide that side acting on the water
in making the stroke with a rim at the edges so as to give it more hold on
the water, and to join to it on the reverse side a second paddle or plate
curved so as to present a convex surface to the water in the direction of the
vessel's motion when the paddle is returning or descending; or the single
paddle may be concave on one side and convex on the reverse. This description
of paddle may be placed on each side of a boat, either in single pairs or more,
working together or alternately, or it may be placed at the stern of the boat.
If the latter, it is proposed to place two, one near each side of the vessel,
between the rudder and stern post, and capable of being worked together or
separately by any well-known appliances, and so either propel or steer the
vessel or turn it as required; or if intended for steering only, then only one
paddle need be used (as shewn in Drawings, Figs. I. and II.,) with the blade
of the paddle at right angles to the vessel's longitudinal axis. When the
steering paddle is used in conjunction with the screw propeller, it is proposed
to make that part of the propeller shaft immediately behind the stern serve as
the fulcrum in place of the fixed pin, and also to take the driving power from
the screw or propeller shaft. Any other well-known means may be adopted
for giving motion to the crank shaft of the steering paddle. In each case the
paddle could be either the ordinary stationary one or self-feathering, as shown
in Figs. VIII. and IX., the crank or wheel c being worked by any suitable
machinery.
In the second modification of the lever paddle the power for giving the
horizontal motion is differently applied. In this instance the double oscil-
lating guide bars d, d, are suspended by pivots to the stock g, and properly
connected together by cross bars. The lever or handle f is connected at one
end to the driving crank, and near its junction with the paddle to a cross bar,
which moves freely up and down in slots provided in the upright guide
bars d, d, (see Figs. II. and VII.,) the oscillating movement being commu-
nicated to the bars and paddle by the rod l, which is connected to the crank
of the rocking shaft h, which in its turn derives its motion from the main
crank axle b, and all arranged to work harmoniously together, permitting the
paddle to be withdrawn from the water at the same angle as it made when
entering it, and without causing back water. The rod may be arranged for
pushing the paddle, or what would be better, the rocking shaft and rod could

page_text: be placed abaft the main crank axle, as shown in the Drawings, in which case
the "pushing" motion would be converted into a " pulling" one; or the
parts can be so arranged as to work the paddles by pulling one and at the
same time in conjunction with the vertical motion pushing the other into the
proper position for repeating the stroke.
The third modification in the mode of applying the power is by a vibrating
beam arrangement shewn in Fig. IV., but as the general feature is the
same as in the last arrangement, namely, by the use of the rocking shaft,
the Drawing and previous description will suffice to give the required
information.
In the beam arrangement Fig. IV. oscillating guides may be substituted
for the fixed guides through which the vertical motion is communicated, in
this case the hinge or turning joint must be at the bottom of the guides, so
that their movement will be similar to that of an inverted pendulum. This
arrangement will then communicate precisely the same motion to the paddle
as if a crank or wheel were employed.
Some of the parts of these various arrangements may be combined together,
for instance, the oscillating guide bars in Fig. II. may be substituted for
the sliding fulcrum or frame shewn in Fig. IV., also the fulcrum pin
or frame in Fig. III. may be made to slide in horizontal guides by the same
contrivance shewn in Fig. IV. to increase the angular stroke of the paddle
without the necessity for shortening the leverage so much.
In such arrangements as those shewn in Figs. II. and IV., instead of giving
a regular reciprocatory motion to the rocking shaft, it is preferred to give it a
gradual slow motion in one direction and a quicker motion in the reverse
direction, for which purpose the arrangement shewn at Fig. II. may be
employed. In this arrangement a slotted or solid stem T, moving on &
fulcrum F, is connected to a crank C on the main shaft S inside the
vessel, and to the lower end of this stem T a link or connecting rod L
is jointed, the other end of which is jointed to an arm A on the rocking
shaft R, the dotted lines show the positions of the parts when the crank is at
two other points of its revolution. This arrangement may be used in all cases
where the rocking shaft is employed, and need not interfere with the external
arrangement of the paddles.
The Figure described by the peculiar motion given to the paddle by the
various contrivances or arrangements of actuating mechanism herein-before
referred to and illustrated by the Drawings is one approaching the form of
an ellipsis.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the various peculiar combinations of mechanism for imparting a
combined vertical and horizontal reciprocating motion to lever paddles for
the propelling and steering of ships and vessels, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings."
Second, the system or mode of steering ships and vessels by the aid of a
reciprocating paddle situate at the stern and acting in a direction at right
angles to the keel, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Third, the peculiar arrangement for giving a slow motion to a reciprocating
paddle in one direction and a quick motion in the opposite direction, as herein-
before described.
Fourth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of feathering recipro-
cating paddle, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Fifth, the construction of the cranks employed in working reciprocating
paddles of bars of wrought T or angle iron rivetted together in the form of a
circle, or segment of a circle, and suitably braced, substantially in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.