IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING STOKE HOLES AND ENGINE ROOMS OF STEAM SHIPS."
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rudd Oswald, of Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Engineer, and George Hough, of No. 57, St.
Mary Axe, in the City of London, Marine Surveyor, for the
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING STOKE
HOLES AND ENGINE ROOMS OF STEAM SHIPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rudd Oswald
and George Hough at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 5th October 1870.
We, WILLIAM RUDD OSWALD, of Sunderland, in the County of
Durham, Engineer, and GEORGE HOUGH, of No. 57, St. Mary Axe, in
the City of London, Marine Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING
STOKE HOLES AND ENGINE ROOMS OF STEAM SHIPS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to improve the ventilation of the
stoke holes and engine rooms of steam ships. For this purpose we place
a fan blast in the stoke hole, trunk, or hatch. Through the side of

page_text: the fan casing openings are made by preference into the engine room
where practicable, and the bottom of the casing is left open in a bell-
mouthed or other suitable form. The axis of the fan is driven in a
direction to draw air in at the side openings in the casing and force it
down into the stoke hole. We transmit motion to the axis of the fan
by means of an endless cord or band from the main shaft of the engines
directly to a small pulley on the axis of the fan, or if increased speed is
required motion might be given to a countershaft, which by a cord and
multiplying pulleys transmits increased motion to the fan shaft.
The above described arrangement affords a very simple and efficient
means of employing a fan for effecting the ventilation of the stoke hole
and engine room, and insures a proper and efficient draft for the boiler
furnaces. The firemen also will be able to work in comfort, conse-
quently the stoking will be better performed, fuel will be saved, and
an equal head of steam readily maintained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Rudd Oswald and George Hough in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, WILLIAM
RUDD OSWALD, of Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineer,
and GEORGE HOUGH, of No. 57, Saint Mary Axe, in the City of London,
Marine Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Rudd Oswald and George Hough,
Her special license that we, the said William Rudd Oswald and
George Hough, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said William Rudd Oswald and George Hough, our 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 " IMPROVEMENTS IN

page_text: APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING STOKE HOLES AND ENGINE ROOMS OF STEAM SHIPS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Rudd
Oswald and George Hough, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Rudd Oswald, 'on behalf
of myself and the said George Hough, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to improve the ventilation of the
stoke holes and engine rooms of steam ships. For this purpose we place
a fan blast in the stoke hole, trunk, or hatch, or other convenient part
of stoke hole. Through the side of the fan casing openings are made
by preference into the engine room where practicable, and the bottom
of the casing is left open in a bell-mouthed or other suitable form. The
axis of the fan is driven in a direction to draw air in at the side openings
in the casing and force it down into the stoke hole. We transmit
motion to the axis of the fan by means of an endless cord or band from
the main shaft of the engines directly to a small pulley on the axis of
the fan, or if increased speed is required motion might be given to a
countershaft which by a cord and multiplying pulleys transmits increased
motion to the fan shaft.
The above described arrangement affords a very simple and efficient
means of employing a fan for effecting the ventilation of the stoke hole
and engine room, and insures a proper and efficient draft for the boiler
furnaces. The firemen also will be able to work in comfort, consequently
the stoking will be better performed, fuel will be saved, and an equal
head of steam readily maintained.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention we will
proceed to describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed we have shewn so much of the
engine room and stoke hole of a steam ship as is necessary for shewing
clearly the manner in which we prefer to carry out our Invention.

page_text: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section taken through the engine room and
stoke hole, and Figures 2 and 3 are transverse sections.
In these Figures A is the back end of the screw propeller shaft, which
is also the main shaft of the engines as usual; B is a fan placed in the
stoke hole, trunk, or hatch, and carried by the partition C which
separates the engine room from the stoke hole, trunk, or hatch. The
shaft of the fan is carried through this partition and carries a pulley D
which is driven by a cord from a pulley E on the back end of the main
shaft A, either directly, as shewn at Figure 2, or through multiplying
gear, as shewn at Figure 3, if increased speed is required. Openings
are made through the side of the fan casing into the engine room or
stoke hole, and at the bottom of the casing is an open bell-mouth the
fan is driven in a direction to draw in air from the engine room or
upper part of the stoke hole and discharge it into the lower part of the
stoke hole. A. fresh current of air is thus drawn in continually through
the engine room skylight or stoke -hole hatchway and is delivered into
the stoke hole. A similar arrangement of apparatus may be adopted
in paddle-wheel steamers.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention and the manner
of performing the same, we would have it understood that what we
claim as our improvements in apparatus for ventilating stoke holes
and engine rooms of steam ships is, the combined arrangement herein
described of a fan placed in the stoke hole, trunk, or hatch, or other
convenient part of stoke hole and driven from the main shaft of the
engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rudd Oswald, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Third day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
WM. R. OSWALD. (L.S.)