Improvements in Paddles Applicable for the Propulsion of Boats, Ships, or like Vessels.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 29th Jan., 1859
Improvements in Paddles Applicable for the Propulsion of Boats,
Ships, or like Vessels.
1, GEORGE WHITAKER of Fountain Villa, Oxenhope, near Keighley in the
County of York, Coal Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows, that is to say:
It relates to improvements in paddles to be used in connection with that
are arranged on
class of propellers for boats etc. wherein endless chains
cach side of said boat to be operated by suitable driving wheels, and consists of
constructing same so that its operations shall be more effectual than heretofore.
As is well known, when paddles mounted on chains as above described, are
used in connection with vessels etc., those of said paddles that are on opposite portions
of said chains, travel in opposite directions, consequently had the whole of the
driving chains and their paddles to be inserted in the water little if any effect with
respect to the propulsion of the vessel would ensue, unless one portion of these series of
paddles was made to move through the water edgewise while the other portion was
made to present their broad sides in the direction of such motion.
Now this invention has for its object the production of a paddle that shall
automatically when free to operate, present its broad side to the water whenever
moved in any direction against said water, and yet shall be easily guided so that
it might be made to move edgewise through said water as and whenever desired,
and that without the employment of additional motor parts, in this manner
producing that which is well known as a feathering paddle.
This I attain by forming a suitable elongated opening or hole lengthwise in each
of these paddles said opening being for the reception of the cross bar which extends
between the endless chains as is well understood, and upon which said paddle is
mounted, in such a manner as to form the axis for 'said paddle to revolve upon. As
will be seen, by the opening in the paddle being of the form above described, when
said paddle is caused to pass by means of its axial bar, through any resisting
medium such as through a volume of water, it is more certainly caused to present

page_text: its broad side to said resisting pressure of water, than if only pivoted thereon at
about its central part as in the well known manner; since the position of stable
equilibrium that it assumes during its time of inaction, if we take for granted that
this position is as far as can be from the one above described, will be the one that it
will have the least power to retain when in motion, on account of the pressure of the
medium through which it is passing, acting only on one side of its pivotal axis, by
which means it is caused to rotate on said axis until it assumes the position wherein
the pressure is the same on both sides of its said axis.
Suitable guide pieces are employed, to cause said paddle to "feather" at the
places desired during its course.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1888.

page_text: Improvements in Paddles Applicable for the Propulsion of Boats,
Ships, or like Vessels.
I, GEORGE WHITAKER of Fountain Villa, Oxenhope near Keighley in the County
of York, Coal Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
It relates to improvements in paddles to be used in connection with that class of
propellers for boats etc. wherein the paddle is arranged to be operated by being
mounted upon endless chains driven by suitable driving wheels and operating along
the sides of said boats etc., and this invention has for its object the production of
a paddle that shall be more effectual in its operations than are those heretofore
employed.
In order that this invention may be more readily understood, I have hereunto
appended a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof, to which, by figures and letters,
reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is side. view of a boat illustrating the application thereto of this
invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are front and end views respectively of the improved
paddle. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of said paddle. Fig. 5 is a side view
of the driving chain and other mechanisms similar to parts shewn by fig. 1, the
boat being omitted for the sake of clearness.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of paddle.
are drawn to a larger scale than are figs. 1 and 5.
Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the
several views.
As is well known when paddles, mounted upon chains as above described, are
used in connection with vessels etc., those of said paddles that are on opposite
portions of said chains, as a and b, travel in opposite directions to each other as
shewn hy arrows c, consequently had the whole of the driving chains and their
paddles to be inserted in the water little if any effect with respect to the propulsion
of the vessel would ensue unless one portion of these series of paddles, as at a, were
made to move through the water edgewise while the other portion, as at b, was
made to present their broad sides in the direction of such motion.
Now this invention has for its object the production of a paddle that shall
automatically when free to operate, present its broad side to the water whenever
moved in any direction against said water, and yet shall be easily guided so that it
might be made to move edgewise through said water as and whenever desired, and
that without the employment of additional motor parts, in this manner producing
that which is well known as a feathering paddle.
This I attain by forming a suitable elongated opening d through about the axial
centre of the paddle e, or this opening may be formed by the straps ƒ, which join

page_text: the two parts e e¹ together, being bent as shewn by figs. 3 and 4. This opening d
being for the reception of the cross bar upon which the paddle e is mounted,
said cross bar being employed for joining the endless chains on each side of the
driving wheel, together in the common and well known manner.
By the opening d being of the shape illustrated by figs. 3 and 4, when the paddle e
is caused to pass by means of its axial bar g, through any resisting medium. such
as through a volume of water, it is more certainly caused to present its broad side
to said resisting pressure of water as is shewn at fig. 1, b, than if only pivoted.
thereon at about its central part as in the well known manner; since the position
of stable equilibrium that it assumes during its time of inaction, even if we take
for granted that this position is as far as can be, from the one above described, will
be the one that it will have the least power to retain when in motion, on account
of the pressure of the medium through which it is passing acting only on one side
of its pivotal axis, by which means it is caused to rotate on said axis until it
assumes the position wherein the pressure is the same on both sides of its said
axis.
the guide
In order to guide the paddle e so that it shall move edgewise as at
piece is employed as shewn by fig. 1, or again the formation or shape of this
guide piece may be modified by modifying the formation or shape of the opening d
as is shewn at d figs. 5 and 6. By the opening being of the shape as shewn,
the relative positions of the paddle e and the bar will be somewhat as shewn
by fig., consequently the guide piece is not required to extend the whole
distance from the driving wheel to the wheel ¹ as it does when the opening d
is of the form hereinbefore described, however in this latter case tlie supplementary
guides have to be made use of, and for the sake of strengthening the guide
pieces, they may if desired be joined together as shewn in broken lines fig. 5.
The stay bars m are employed to strengthen the binding or attaching of the
parts e el together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what i
claim is :
1. A paddle e e formed in such a manner that the opening d, through which its
axial bar y passes, may be formed of the shape described for the purpose specified.
2. A paddle, of the class herein referred to, having an opening for the reception
of its axial bar considerably larger in cross section than is its said axial bar, said
opening being of such a form in said cross section as to enable said paddle to be
operated and to operate automatically substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1888.