IMPROVE- MENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS
Year: 1855

page_text: 66
LETTERS PATENT to William Leighton, of the Town and County of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, General Broker, for the Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS."
Sealed the 3rd June 1856, and dated the 12th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Leighton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
December 1855.
I, WILLIAM LEIGHTON, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
General Broker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing a paddle wheel, in which the floats,
whether in or out of the water, are kept in a vertical or nearly vertical
position, whereby little or no back water will be thrown when the wheel is at
work.
I employ two main wheels, the centre of the one being placed either above
or below the other. One, the inner wheel, is fast on the paddle wheel shaft,
while the other is supported upon an independent shaft or spindle, which
revolves in bearings provided for it in the outer side beam of the wheel case.
The end of the main shaft carries a wheel or disc, which is connected to the
spokes of the outer main wheel by six or more.cranks, or pins and levers, which

page_text: act as cranks, whereby the motion of the shaft is communicated to the outer
wheel. At right angles to the outer rim of the inner, and the inner rim of
the outer main wheel, are fixed strong spindles, which project to a distance
equal to one half of the length of the floats. Each float is furnished with four
blocks, pierced, to receive the spindles from the rims of the inner and outer
wheels. One spindle to each float being above the other, and the floats being
'capable of slight motion upon the spindles through their perforated blocks, it
follows, that whether the wheel is stationary or revolving in either direction,
the floats will be retained in a vertical or nearly vertical position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Leighton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LEIGHTON, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, General. Broker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Leighton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Leighton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Leighton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS," upon, the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Leighton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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.
2
NOW KNOW YE, that. I, the said William Leighton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is, to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings whereunto
annexed (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention consists in constructing paddle wheels, in which the floats,
whether in or 'out of the water, are kept in a vertical or nearly: vertical
position, whereby. little or no back water will be thrown when the 'wheel is
at work.
I employ two main wheels, the centre of the one being placed either above
or below that of the other. One, the inner wheel, is fast onvthe paddle shaft,
while the other is supported upon an 'independent shaft ior.:spindle; which
revolves in bearings provided for it in the outer side beam of the wheel
case. The end of the main shaft carries a wheel or disc which is commnected to
the spokes of 'the.outer main wheel by six or more cranks or pins:and levers,
which act as cranks, whereby the' motion of the shaft: is communicated to the
outer wheel. At right angles to the outer rim of the inner; and: the inner rim
of the outer main wheel, are fixed strong spindles, which project:tosa idistance
equal to one half of the length of the floats. Each floatsis! furnished with four
blocks, pierced, to receive the spindles from the rims of the inner.iand.outer
main wheels. One spindle to each float being above the other, and; the floats
being capable of slight motion upon the spindles through their perforated
blocks, it follows, that whether the wheel is stationary or trevolving in either
direction, the floats will be retained in a vertical cor nearly vertical position.
I sometimes modify the above-arrangements as follows:-Iattach each of
the floats to an axle, which is carried by bushes in the rims of two wheels,.
arranged like those in the ordinary paddle wheel,' and fixed to the ipaddle.shaft.
Another wheel, which is to be placed above or below the wheels just: men-
tioned (according to the principle of my Invention), I mount, upon a, grooved
disc or sheave firmly bolted to the vessel's side, and having formed in it a
hole, through which the paddle shaft passes. The axles of the floats are
prolonged through the rim of the inner of the two wheels on the paddle
shaft, and are connected to points in the rim of the third wheel by means
of cranks, or of pins and levers, which act as cranks, in such manner, that
when the whole set revolving in either direction, the floats will be retained,
as in the former case, in a vertical or nearly vertical position.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed, I have represented a paddle wheel fitted
according to the last-described arrangement, and shewing the manner in which
my Invention is carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation, and Figure 3 a
transverse section, of the paddle wheel.
A, A, A, are the floats, each of which is attached to an axle B, which is

page_text: carried by bushes C, C, in the rims of the two wheels D and E, which are fixed
(as in the ordinary paddle wheel) to the paddle shaft F; G is the third wheel,
which is placed above the wheels D and E, and mounted upon the grooved
disc or sheave H, firmly bolted by screw bolts or otherwise to the vessel's side,
and having formed in it at I the hole through which the shaft F passes. B, B,
are the axles of the floats, and K, K, are the cranks by which the axles B, B,
are connected to the rim of the wheel G.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the constructing of paddle wheels, the floats of which are kept con-
tinually vertical or nearly vertical; by combining a wheel fast on the paddle
shaft with another supported upon an independent shaft, which revolves in
bearings on the outer side beam of the wheel case, and a disc on the end
of the main shaft, together with floats supported on spindles, one set of which
is upon the first-mentioned wheel and the other set upon the other wheel, the
disc being connected to the spokes of the outer wheel by cranks, or pins and
levers, which act as cranks, as herein-before described.
Second, the constructing of paddle wheels, the floats of which are kept con-
tinually vertical or nearly vertical, by combining floats attached to axles carried
in the rims of two wheels fixed to the paddle shaft with another wheel, mounted
upon a grooved disc or sheave, which is bolted to the vessel's side, and through
which the paddle shaft passes, together with cranks, or pins and levers, which
act as cranks, by means of which the axles of the floats are connected to the
rim of the inner wheel, as herein-before described, and represented in the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Leightou, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
WILLIAM LEIGHTON. (L.8.)