AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING AND OPERATING HORIZONTAL SUBMERGED
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Lear, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING AND OPERATING HORIZONTAL SUBMERGED
Sealed the 26th June 1855, and dated the 19th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Lear at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th April 1855.
I, PETER LEAR, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ARRANGING AND OPERATING HORIZONTAL
SUBMERGED PROPELLERS" to be as follows:-
In the effort to protect the paddle wheels of sea-going vessels from shot and
other casualties to which they are exposed when above the surface of the
water, and when entirely outside the hull of the vessel or boat, various forms
of propellers have been tried, and amongst others the ordinary paddle wheel
has been placed in a horizontal position within the hull, and caused to project
a short distance therefrom. Such an arrangement has, however, been liable
to several objections.
In the first place, so great a body of water was carried round within the
wheel-house, which, being submerged, was constantly filled, that it was found

page_text: impossible to get up a sufficient speed at the extreme periphery of the wheel
to use the power applied economically.
Secondly, the labor of drawing in the water to supply the place of that
which is thrown out centrifugally by the buckets as they leave the wheel-house,
is all imposed upon the buckets as they re-enter the case.
Thirdly, the water that is thrown from the wheel-house leaves it in a direc-
tion making a considerable angle with the course of the ship. To remedy all
these objections is the object of my present Invention, which consists in open-
ing a passage into the centre of the wheel-house for the admission of air, and in
the use of a deflector or guard in advance of the wheel, by means of which the
water is caused to leave the wheel-house in a direction very nearly parallel to
the course of the vessel, while the air which is drawn into the wheel-house by
the centrifugal action of the paddles displaces a portion of the water which
would otherwise obstruct the motion of the wheel, which is thus made capable
of revolving much more rapidly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Peter Lear in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
LEAR, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, United
States of America, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 19th day of April, in the year of our Lord 1855, in
the 18th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Peter Lear, Her special licence that I, the said Peter
Lear, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Peter Lear, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
ARRANGING AND OPERATING HORIZONTAL SUBMERGED PROPELLERS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Peter Lear, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-

page_text: formed, 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 Peter Lear, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon:-
In the effort to protect the paddle wheels of sea-going vessels from shot and
other casualties to which they are exposed when above the surface of the
water, and when entirely outside the hull of the vessel or boat, various forms
of propellers have been tried, and amongst others the ordinary paddle wheel
has been placed in a horizontal position within the hull of the vessel, and
caused to project a short distance therefrom. Such an arrangement has,
however, been liable to several objections.
In the first place, so great a body of water was carried round within the
wheel-house, which, being submerged, was constantly filled, that it was found
impossible to get up a sufficient speed at the extreme periphery of the wheel
to use the power applied economically.
2dly, the labor of drawing in the water to supply the place of that which
is thrown out centrifugally by the buckets as they leave the wheel-house is all
imposed upon the buckets as they re-enter the case.
3dly, the water that is thrown from the wheel-house leaves it in a direction
making a considerable angle with the course of the ship. To remedy all these
objections is the object of my present Invention, which consists in opening
a passage into the centre of the wheel-house for the admission of air, and
in the use of a deflector or guard in advance of the wheel, by means of which
the water is caused to leave the wheel-house in a direction very nearly parallel
to the course of the vessel, while the air which is drawn into the wheel-house
by the centrifugal action of the paddles displaces a portion of the water which
would otherwise obstruct the motion of the wheel, which is thus made capable
of revolving much more rapidly.
"
My Invention also consists in placing the wheel-house in the "run of the
ship, so as to allow the floats to enter a sufficient distance into the water with-
out projecting beyond the midship section, thus enabling me to use the deflector
to greater advantage than could otherwise be done.
To enable others skilled in the art to understand my Invention, I will pro-
ceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.
In the accompanying Drawings, A is the hull of the vessel; B, the horizontal

page_text: submerged paddle wheels, consisting of rectangular floats or buckets a attached
to the hubs b, which latter are secured upon vertical shafts c. These wheels
are placed in a suitably formed chamber or case in the run of the vessel, and
are allowed to project sufficiently into the water to insure the most advan-
tageous action. Immediately in advance of the wheel is placed the deflector
or guard G, which forms a continuation of a portion of the midship section
of the hull, of the depth of the paddle box, above and below which the model of
the vessel remains unaltered, the object of which is to cause the water which
leaves the wheel tangentially to be thrown in a direction parallel or nearly so
to the course of the vessel. P is a pipe, which enters the wheel-house and rises
a short distance above the load water line. The object of this pipe is to admit
air to the centre of the wheel-house to supply the place of the water which is
thrown off tangentially, by which means the wheel-house is kept partially filled
with air, and the wheel is allowed to revolve much more rapidly than where the
wheel-house is filled with water. The paddles also, as they enter the case, are
relieved of the great labor of drawing in water to supply the place of that
which is thrown off centrifugally by the wheel. Where it is not desired to
increase the velocity of the wheel, and it is only required to unfetter its natural
centrifugal action, water may be admitted to the centre of the wheel instead of
air, such water being drawn through a pipe opening towards the bow of the
vessel; for this purpose the following arrangement is adopted :-P is the tube
or passage which admits the air to the centre of the wheel; f is a pipe enter-
ing this tube, through which water is admitted; in such case the opening i in
the top of the pipe P is closed by a tight-fitting valve or gate. Instead of
admitting the air to the wheel-house through the top of the pipe P, as above
described, it may be caused to enter it through a pipe g, terminating in the
hold of the vessel, by which means the latter may be efficiently ventilated; a
branch of this pipe may also enter the pump well, and thus be used to pump
out the ship. These passages are to be supplied with suitable gates to bring
them into operation as required, and also with valves so arranged as imme-
diately to close on the stoppage of the wheel, to prevent the reflux of water
into the vessel, should the wheel at any time be stopped while the gates above
spoken of are open. Under certain circumstances the opening for the admis-
sion of water may be made immediately beneath the wheel through the bottom
of the wheel-house; this will be but a modification of my Invention, and need
not be further described.
What I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st, opening a passage to the centre of the wheel-house, for the purpose
herein set forth.

page_text: 2d, the deflector G, constructed and operating substantially as herein set
forth.
3d, I claim placing a horizontal submerged propeller in the run of the
ship, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
fourth day of August 1855.
Witness,
SAM. COOPER.
PETER LEAR. (L.S.)