IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1852

page_text: REED'S SPECIFICATION...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME OR BE MADE
KNOWN, I, JOSEPH HAYTHORNE REED, of Oxford Cottage, New Road,
Hammersmith, in the County of Middlesex, late of the Seventeenth Lancers,
Gentleman, send greeting.
1
WHEREAS Her most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by *Her Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-'
minster, the Thirty-first day of January, in the fifteenth, year of Her said
Majesty's reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-two, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Haythorne Reed, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Hay-
thorne Reed, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
Joseph Haythorne Reed, my exors, admors, and assigns, should from time to
time or at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years (to wit, fourteen years, pursuant to the Statute in that
case made and provided) therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within Her said Majesty's Kingdom of England, Her
Dominion of Wales, in the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Islands of
Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS:"
And whereas in the Royal Letters Patent herein-before mentioned is contained a
clause providing that I, the said Joseph Haythorne Reed, shall, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, cause a particular description of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, made, or carried into
practical effect, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within

page_text: six months next and immediately after the date of the said herein in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being had thereto, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Haythorne Reed, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
of "Improvement in propelling Vessels," 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 illustrative Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.
And in order to set forth distinctly the nature and advantages of my said
Invention, herein-after fully described and ascertained, I consider it necessary
to allude to the defects in the mechanical arrangements of construction at
present in use for the purpose of propulsion. The inconvenience of paddles,
as regards bulk and complexity of parts, is so generally admitted, and, the
superiority of the screw principle so fully acknowledged, that there is no longer
any necessity for enlarging on the advantages of the latter mode of propulsion
over the former; but, great as those advantages are recognized to be, there still
remain disadvantages in the mode of applying the screw propeller practically
to suit the acknowledged principles of, ship-building. If, as at present used,
offers serious difficulties to the full and beneficial extension of the screw
principle. The safety of a naval construction depends essentially on the
strength, curves, relative proportions, and soundness of its framework; and it
being an acknowledged principle in the art of carpentry, that wherever straps
and keys can be substituted for "bolts," the same should be used in order to
avoid weakening the combination of parts in construction. It is of the greatest
importance that the most important position of the framework of a naval
construction, viz, that cut by its vertical longitudinal plane through the keel,
should not be interfered with in any way for obtaining means of communication
between the motive power within and the propeller without; accordingly it has
been found indispensible to make such alterations for the admission of the
screw and its axle which tend materially to weaken the original strength
of the parts, as combined according to the best received authorities for sailing
or paddle vessels. The objection to such a substitution of parts, and the con-
sequent alteration of the proportions of the same, must be evident. The
hydro-dynamical theory of the motion of floating bodies necessitates that when
the form of any such bodies is symmetrical on both sides of its vertical plane
the dynamical action be directly in that plane, or composed of equal and
contrary forces on each side of the same, as in the case of a pair of oars or
paddles. The consequence is, therefore, that as the action of the screw itself

page_text: being the result of the pressure of an "oblique" plane, a loss of a considerable
portion of the power derived from the prime mover is the consequence.
Another defect is, that the surface of the plane of the screw of the old construc-
tion remains invariable. In order to remedy these defects I have equalized
the action on each side of the central vertical plane of the vessel by means
which I now proceed to explain, reference being had to the accompanying
illustrative Drawing, the diagrams on which illustrate my improved method of
propelling steam or other vessels worked by mechanical power, by means of what
I term valve paddles.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, are each and all drawn to the same geometrical scale;
and Figure 4 is an enlargement of the main paddle axles, shewing a horizontal
section of the same.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, shewing the paddles at right angles to the
longitudinal vertical plane of the vessel to which they are appended. Figure 2
is a front view, shewing elevations of the paddles; and Figure 3, a plan of the
In all of which similar letters denote similar parts.
same.
The paddles therein shewn consist of rectangular or otherwise formed
frames F, F, F, F, held in a vertical position by and affixed by means of the
collars c, c, c, c', (or otherwise) to the main hollow axles A, A, and A', A', also
placed in a vertical instead of the horizontal position assumed in all cases of
paddles or screws on the construction at present in use, and work with their
lower extremities in and shouldered on a metal plate M resting on the keel K
of the vessel, and fastened thereto.. Sometimes I apply anti-friction rollers
working on the said plate, or such other mechanical means for diminishing the
extent of rubbing surface as may be found expedient in cases where the amount
of motive power is not considerable. The paddles themselves are formed of one,
two, (as shewn in the Drawing,) or a greater number of vanes V, V, V, V³,
also rectangular parallelograms, or of such other figure or form as I may deem
necessary to suit the shape of the paddle frame, and fitted within the open
spaces of the frames. They are allowed to swing or rotate on axles a, a, a¹, a¹,
a², a, a, a, placed above their centre of gravity, and work freely within metal
pinion holes at b, b, b, b. The vanes I make of metal in most instances, but I
do not restrict myself to any material for their construction, as, when lightness
and economy become matters of consideration and calculation, various sub:
stances or materials may be adopted. The main hollow axles A, A², contain
within them secondary solid ones B, B, B', B', working freely on their axis
within the large ones; and to their lower extremities, opposite to the
lower portions of each of the vanes, are affixed double-toothed catches
D, D, D', D',..projecting beyond the outer circumference of the main

page_text: axles, in which apertures are cut at f, f, ff, for the purpose.. These
catches. (an enlarged plan of which is given in horizontal section .in
Figure 4) when set at the necessary maximum angle prevent the vanes.open-
ing one way, thus rendering them... valvular," but, by a partial revolution of
one part of the circumference of the minor or inner axles, à reversion of the
effect is produced, thus rendering the "valvular" in the contrary direction,
as shewn by the red portions of Figure 4. Thus it will be seen that in either
of the positions of the catch.shewn in Figure 4. the vanes will open or shut, or,
in other words, will be rendered "valvular" according to the direction.com-
municated to: them.by: the main axles in reference to the pressure or reaction
of: the vis inertia of the surrounding medium within which they are made to
work; thus, when moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure. 1,
the resisting inertia of the surrounding medium acting in a contrary or opposite
direction will open them, whereas, when the motion is reversed; they remain
shut, in consequence of the obstacle, présented by the end of the catches, which
prevent their opening the reverse way. By this arrangement, which allows of
the reversion of the action of each of the paddles separately, or both simul-
aneously, by. simply altering the position of one or both, of the, catches, the
necessity of reversing the engine for the purpose of "backing," &c., is super-
seded, and each paddle can be worked independently of the other, so as to afford
every desirable convenience in navigating with them. The catches I have
described may be used and made to act by other mechanical arrangements than
those shown in the Drawing; neither do I deem hollow main axles indispen-
sible, as any mode of reversing the catches of the vanes, so as to render the
action "valvular" will effect every requirement of my Invention, which is in
nowise affected by the manner or means used for the application of the motive
power to the same, whether direct or indirect, manual or mechanical, whether
by steam or caloric, or by any other prime mover that has been or may be
devised for the application of mechanical force. I have, in consequence, left
out all details of gearing, &c., as applicable to the working of the vertical
axles, the details of which will vary with the special circumstances of size, and
amount and nature of power applied and required. A space X, Y; is left open
for the reception of the paddles when not required in use, and when coupled
they become an effective rudder (as shown in dotted lines at R, R³, Figures 1
and 3,) if required for the purpose, in case of accident to the ordinary one,
or from other unforeseen cause which may render the ordinary rudder
useless....
Having thus described the nature of my said improvements, and also the
manner in which the same are to be performed and carried into practical effect,

page_text: I wish to remark that I do not claim parts of apparatus shewn separately, and
used otherwise than for the purposes of my Invention; but the several claims
which I make for the same are,―
Firstly, the "vertical" axles, as a substitute for the "horizontal"
paddle and screw propellers, as hitherto used.
Secondly, I claim the "plane" paddles as a substitute for the "circular" or
other paddles or screws.
Thirdly, I claim the "valve" principle of planes opening in one direction
only, as applicable to paddles generally for the purpose of propulsion.
And, fourthly, I claim the general construction or combination of parts
herein-before described and illustrated in all the Figures of the Drawing for the
more perfect propulsion of ships or other vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Haythorne Reed, have, to this
my Specification of my Invention of "Improvements in propelling
Vessels," set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.