AN IMPROVED ECCENTRIC ENGINE, APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSES OF
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Vanden Hielakker, of Brussels, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED ECCENTRIC ENGINE, APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSES OF
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Vanden Hielakker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 16th March 1853, pursuant to the 9th section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
I, JOHN VANDEN HEILAKKER, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED ECCENTRIC ENGINE, APPLICABLE TO THE
PURPOSES OF GENERAL NAVIGATION," to be as follows:-
The object being to propel vessels of any tonnage, whether the motive
power may be steam, air, or otherwise, through the water; and I
conceive my arrangements to be fully serviceable, whether such vessels
may be navigated on the seas, in rivers, canals, or lakes, as will be seen
by reference to the annexed drawing; in which, Figure 1, shews an

page_text: elevation; Figure 1, a back or front view, if taken from the side
of the vessel, either from the stem or stern; Figure 1, a plan,
as the system would appear if seen from above, or with the top of the
paddle box removed. Figure 2, shews an elevation, front or back
view, and a plan of the system when only a single eccentric is used.
Figure 3, shews a plan view of the system of a double eccentric,
as used on board; or, in other words, working in a compartment
of the vessel left hollow for the purpose, or as they might be worked
in a gemini or twin boat. Figure 4, shows in general plan the
working of the double eccentric, as applied to the out boards or ex-
terior of the sides of a vessel; and Figure 5, is a general plan of a
single eccentric, in a similar position. My system is founded upon the
application of eccentric force, and by such eccentricity I obtain the
means of plunging the paddle floats into the water in a vertical position,
and of withdrawing them in the same manner; or, in other words, the
At
float dips and rises vertically, making its stroke horizontally.
Figure 1, of the drawing will be seen a double eccentric movement,
where two excentrics A, A, fixed and working on axles F, are framed,
hinged on and supported by two longitudinal bearers b, b: to these bearers
are attached the floats, which, it will be seen, are of unequal size or
depth, such being essential to the true working thereof. d, d, are
radial bars, serving to keep the floats in their proper positions. On
referring to the side elevation, Figure 1", the mode of fixing my appa-
ratus will be distinctly seen, the excentrics A, A, being fixed on the
main shaft F, at the points 0, 0, from which shaft the rotative motion
is communicated to two sets of floats. Both these sets of floats turn
in the same sense or motion, the one being suspended in the air while
the other is immersed in the water; and one set, being always under
water, produces an unceasing traction. For the one moment one set
of the paddles or floats bears the water; the other set enters or descends
therein without noise or jerk, in consequence of the floats entering the
water in a vertical position. Figure 1, is a plan view shewing
the excentrics A, A, attached at O, to the driving or main shaft F,
and keyed or fixed on to the ends of the fixed axles e, e, e, c, by nuts
and screws or other fastenings: these axles are fitted where the curved

page_text: supporting bars d, are placed on them, with axle boxes h, h, h, h, for the
purpose of supplying these axles with lubricating material, and which
are of course made water tight. Figure 2, shews three views of a
single eccentric, which need not be further explained, as the descrip-
tion of the working of the double eccentric applies also to the single,
except that there are only one set of floats, paddles, bars, axles, &c.,
instead of two. Figure 3, shows a top plan of the whole apparatus of
a double eccentric working in the interior of a vessel, where a proper
cavity has been left for the operation thereof. The same would apply,
with slight variation, of the apparatus were used between boats having
a common deck, as in the "Gemini" steamer, or the double boat
ferries used in various parts of Europe and America. Here it will be
observed that g, denotes the double eccentric movement, as previously
shewn; F, the main or driving shaft; i, the winch; K, the deck of
the steamer or other vessel, on board of which the apparatus is fixed
and working. At Figure 4, the double excentrics are seen in plan
outside each side of a vessel; g, denoting that apparatus. F, is the
main or driving shaft; i, the winch; and K, the deck. At Figure 5,
the same is shewn, but with a single instead of a double excentric on
each side the ship. It is intended that the whole of the apparatus,
and eccentrics, bearers, paddles, or floats, axles, &c., should generally
be made of wrought iron; but I do not confine myself to that metal or
material, as causes may occur where other material may be used with
advantage.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, its different parts,
and the means by which the same is carried into practical effect, I
desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to any
description of axle or grease box for the purpose of lubrication, reserving
myself the right of choosing whichever may be most applicable to the
purposes required, and most capable of lubricating for a lengthened
period the moving parts of machinery when under water; nor do I
confine myself to any precise size or shape of float or paddle, or to the
relative proportions of parts shewn in the drawings, as the whole may
be varied, according to circumstances, to suit various sized vessels,

page_text: whether impelled by steam or other power, without departing from the
principle of my Invention, which I declare to be, and I claim ns new,
Firstly, the application of eccentric movement or motion to propel-
ling vessels at sea, in rivers, lakes, or other waters:
Secondly, the particular combination of parts by which I cause the
paddles or floats to enter and leave the water in a vertical or perpen-
dicular position, as herein described and set forth and illustrated by the
annexed drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Vanden Heilakker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
JOHN VANDEN HEILAKKER. (L.S.)
Witness, F. BIEBUYCK,
Rue du Marché, No. 2,
This Eleventh day of March,
Brussels.