CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING AND MOVING VESSELS, VEHICLES, AND OTHER BODIES ON AND OVER WATER
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
SANG, of No. 58, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex, Artist in Fresco,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Sixteenth day of
September, in the sixteenth year of Her said Majesty's reign, did give and
grant unto me, the said Frederick Sang, my exors, adiiors, and assigns, Her
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Frederick Sang, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Frederick Sang, my exors, adññors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time and at all times thereafter during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the limits therein mentioned, my Invention
of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING AND MOVING VESSELS, VEHICLES, AND
OTHER BODIES ON AND OVER WATER;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso requiring that I, the said Frederick Sang, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument under my hand and seal, to be
enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery in England, within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick Sang, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner of performing the same, are fully described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
My Invention consists in the application of moveable hollow buoyant vessels
or chambers to ships, boats, vehicles, or other bodies, by which such ships,
boats, vehicles, or bodies may be sustained either entirely or partially over
or in the water, and which ships, boats, vehicles, or bodies are moved
over or on the water by the motion in the water of such hollow vessels
or chambers, or of floats, blades, or other surfaces attached to such hollow
vessels or chambers, or moving therewith, or the motion of which ships, boats,
vehicles, or bodies over or on the water by whatever moving power is
facilitated by such sustaining hollow. vessels.. or chambers yielding to the
impulse of the water, and revolving or rotating thereon and therein as
the body which they sustain is moved over or on the water.
And I propose
to carry out my said Invention in manner following, though I do not confine
myself to the precise details, forms, or arrangements represented in the
Drawing, or herein described.
Figures 1, 2, 3, shew an elevation, section, and plan of one arrangement
of my Invention, in which the same letters of reference are used to indicate
the same parts.
a is a body or ship constructed of wood, iron, or other
suitable material, with interior arrangements suited to the objects for which
such vessel is designed, being entirely suspended or sustained above the water.
As lightness combined with stiffness is an essential feature of the construction
the body may be supported in a suitable frame b, b, constructed in such a
manner and of such material as are best calculated to afford the requisite
strength to sustain the weight of the body and cargo and the weight and
stress of the propelling machinery, and also, when intended for the sea, to resist
the straining incident to such structures when subject to the action of the
sea; and with these objects in view, such frame may be constructed of longi-
tudinal beams c, c, braced with diagonal struts and ring posts, and plated
on the sides with a wood skin consisting of two or more layers of diagonal
mahogany planking with felt interposed between any equally light and
substantial substitute. The bottom may be similarly formed on iron T section
ribs, and the deck in the usual manner of planking on iron beams con-
veniently spaced. The central portion of the body may conveniently be
appropriated to the steam engine or other moving power, being floored and
lined with iron if necessary as a protection from fire. d, d, are hollow vessels

page_text: or drums of iron, copper, or partly of metal and partly of wood, or other
suitable material, and of such capacity as will displace the requisite quantity
of water equivalent to the weight of the whole machine. They may be
immersed to about one fifth or one fourth of their diameters. It is important
to make these drums of as large a diameter as convenient, so that the
immersed portion may be a minimum; under the circumstances the resistance
arising from the oblique action of the paddles on entering and leaving the
water will consequently be a minimum also. The breadth of such drums
may be about six tenths of their diameter, which I find a convenient pro-
portion, although I do not confine myself to any definite ratio, as it is
entirely dependent on the size and arrangement of the vessel and cargo,
and the service intended, and must be regulated thereby. In some instances
it may be preferable to use two drums whose breadth is equal to twice their
diameter, or even more, and placed one at the head and the other at the stern
of the body, or the before-mentioned proportion may be used, as seen in
Figures 4, 5, and 6; and for very light vehicles the breadth may be one fourth
of the diameter, or even less, the diameter being regulated by the judgment
of the constructor. In order to avoid the excessive slip which would be
experienced if the friction of the peripheries of the drums in the water were
relied on for giving motion to the vessel, they are furnished with paddles, either
fixed as in ordinary use or moveable on the principle of the feathering paddles.
The periphery of the drums should be formed in section similar to the midship
section of a steam vessel, having a flange or keel in the centre for the pro-
tection of its surface, and the ends raised in a convex form so as to resist
a change of figure arising from the action of any external force; but as it is
desirable to limit the draught of water the sectional form should approach
as nearly as possible to that of a cylinder, the maximum displacement being
obtained by that confirmation. The drums should be strengthened by stays
or framings similar to those shewn in the Drawing in Figures 11, 12, or by
corrugation, or in any other way which will combine lightness with strength.
The number and size of such drums required for any vessel will depend on the
displacement and draught which such vessel requires. e, e, are axes which
pass through the drums and lower portion of the vessel, and must be so firmly
secured to the drums by means of strong frames similar to the frames of an
ordinary paddle wheel, and rivetted to the convex sides of the drums, the
centre part being connected with bosses or flanges, and fixed on the shafts
or axes with keys. The inner framing of each drum may be formed of two
plate iron truncated cones, united at their bases by broad flanges which form
the keels of the drums, and having the smaller ends rivetted firmly to the

page_text: centre plates of the convex ends; these cones may be further connected
to the convex ends by means of plate iron stays so as to render the whole
construction capable of resisting external violence, and to transmit the power
to the paddles without derangement. f, f, are carriages or bearings through
which the axes e, e, pass, and upon which the whole weight of the vessel
reposes. Those portions of the axes e, e, which pass through the body of
the vessel a may be conveniently formed as cranks to be connected with a
steam engine or other first mover by means of connecting rods; shafts and
gear work may also be employed for the same purpose, but I prefer the
former as being less subject to derangement. Increased speed being one of
the chief objects of this Invention, I prefer to use high-pressure engines,
which are peculiarly adapted for high velocities with a minimum weight of
machinery.
Buoyant propellers may be constructed of a variety of forms, as, for instance,
drums of cylindrical and other sectional forms, or continuous or endless chains,
or floats, or caissons, working over pullies, and driven by suitable polygonal
toothed or other wheels, and guided by suitable rails and flanged or other
wheels or rollers; such floats or caissons, separately or combined, being so
constructed as to be capable of sustaining or floating the weight of the vessel
to which it may be attached, and by their motion to propel it over the water.
Figures 7 and 8 shew such an arrangement of the endless chain form of pro-
peller, such caissons being united together by hinges at the angles or other
convenient part, and, so connected, passing round polygonal wheels working
on axles supported at each end of a strong frame. To the ends of the joint
pins or bolts flanged or grooved wheels are fitted to run on or against rails
fixed to the framework, of sufficient strength to sustain the upward pressure
of the floating caissons. The space between such rails may be used as
stowage for coals, goods, etcetera. Two or more such series of chains will
be requisite for a vessel, and the body would be sustained between them
for the accommodation of passengers, etcetera.
The form of the caissons may
be rectangular, or nearly so, with a curved immersed section as described
for the drums. The bottom of each caisson may be inclined upward in
a forward direction so as to present a propelling surface to the water, instead
of using projecting paddles.
Figures 9 and 10 represent an application of my Invention to a vesse!
partially immersed so as to sustain a portion of its own weight and cargo, and
thus diminish the immersion of the drums or propellers. For this purposo
the bottom of the vessel should be constructed of such form as to give the
least resistance to its motion through the water; but I do not profess to have

page_text: ascertained the form of least resistance, and have only to observe on this point,
that, as the stability of the vessel is secured by the drums, the form of the
immersed portion of the vessel itself will be determined without reference.
to the question of stability. Hollow drums similar to those above described,
but without paddles, may be used to sustain vessels over or in the water, either
wholly or in part, without being also used as propellers, the vessels being
propelled by any known method. In such case the drums are kept free
to revolve on and partly in the water, and produce a beneficial effect by
diminishing the resistance like the wheels of land carriages.
In applying my Invention to steam vessels of ordinary construction, I
simply substitute the hollow drums fitted with paddles for the ordinary paddle
wheels, by which I obtain a better effect as regards speed, the draught of the
vessel a' being diminished and its stability increased. The guiding or steering
of the vessel is accomplished by a rudder, or by two or more rudders of the
ordinary form, worked from the vessel by a tiller or tillers, or a wheel or
wheels, as may be found convenient.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim
"the application of moveable hollow buoyant vessels or chambers of any form
to ships, boats, vehicles, or other bodies, by which such ships, boats, vehicles,
or bodies may be sustained, either entirely or partially, over or on the water,
and which ships, boats, vehicles, or bodies are moved over or on the water
by the motion in the water of such hollow vessels or chambers, or of floats,
blades, or other surfaces attached to such hollow vessels or chambers, or
moving therewith, or the motion of which ships, boats, vehicles, or bodies
is facilitated by such sustaining hollow vessels or chambers yielding to the
impulse of the water, and revolving or rotating thereon and therein as the body
which they sustain is moved by any means over or on the water; but I do not
claim the use of hollow vessels or chambers for sustaining bodies in water,
unless the same vessels or chambers either move in the water so as to propel
the body which they sustain, or so as to accompany and agree with the motion
in the water of that which propels the sustained body, or yield to the impulse
of the water, and revolve or rotate, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Sang. have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
FREDERICK (L.S.) SANG.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid Frederick Sang came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified in form
above written. And also the Specification' aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.