IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS NAVIGATED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HOLWORTHY PALMER, of Surrey Square, Old Kent Road, in the County of
Surrey, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of April, in the second year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Hol-
worthy Palmer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said George Holworthy Palmer, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said George Holworthy Palmer, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING
SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS NAVIGATED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said George
Holworthy Palmer, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, George
Holworthy Palmer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and with the aid of the Figures or Drawings hereunto annexed do hereby
describe and ascertain the manner in which my said Invention is to be per-
formed, in which Figures or Drawings similar parts thereof are marked or
referred to by the same letters.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of part of a boat or other vessel V, V,
which is intended to be propelled by means of steam or other motive power,
and a longitudinal section of an air chamber X, X, in which is exhibited a
front elevation of my improved paddle wheel or propeller, with all the paddles
removed except two, the timbers Z, Z, being intended to protect the paddles
from injury. Figure 2 is an end view of the same paddle wheel, and a trans-
verse section of the same chamber or air vessel. Figure 3 is a front view of
the strap which supports one. end of the axis, of the paddle wheel. Figure 4 is
a plan of a paddle and its shaft, shewing the mode of strengthening the paddles.
Figure 5 is a front view of one of the arms which connects the paddle shaft with
the guide wheel A, A, Figures 1, and A, Figure 2, is the axis, of. the. paddle
wheel, being the main driving shaft, to which motion may be communicated at
the end a, Figure 1, either by means of a crank, suitable wheel gearing, or
otherwise (as may be determined), to turn the paddle wheel upon its axis, for
the purpose of propelling the vessel in which it is fixed. B (Figures 1 and 2)
is the shaft or axis of the guide wheel, which must be permanently fixed and
firmly secured to a suitable framing or standard, as shewn at 6 (Figure 1), or
in some other proper manner, so as to be capable of supporting the guide wheel,
and also one end of the main driving shaft, with which it is connected by a
.metal strap. The shafts A, A, and B must be placed level, and ranged so as
to be parallel with each other. C, C, (Figures 1 and 3) is an iron strap, one
end of which is to be firmly fixed and secured upon one end of the shaft B, and
the other or opposite end of which strap is to receive and support one end of
the main driving shaft A, A, in which it is to revolve. The centre of the
shaft A, A, may be placed at such a distance from the centre of the shaft Bas
may be thought most expedient, but which in practice will be found most con-
venient when varying from about one half. to the whole width of the paddle.
The end a of the revolving shaft A, A, is to be properly supported at S, S, and
in Figure 1 is represented as working in a stuffing box y, y, which may be
used when the paddle wheel is placed in an air chamber D, D; and E, E,
(Figure 1) are wheels or frames furnished with radial arms r, ?, r, r, (Figure 2),
terminating in a centre or boss, and firmly secured upon a shaft.A, A. Upon
the fixed shaft B is fitted a guide wheel F, F, (Figures 1.and 2) of the same

page_text: diameter as the wheels D, D, and E, E, which guide wheel is made so as to
revolve freely on the fixed shaft B between the strap C, C, and the collar J
(Figure 1), which is keyed to the shaft B, when the key which fixed the collar
J is removed, and the collar J will slide back from the guide wheel F, F, and
the guide wheel may then be drawn back from the paddle wheel until the pins
K, K, (Figure 1) are liberated. In the guide wheel are made round holes or
bushes to receive the pin K (Figure 1) placed at one end of the arm i, i,
(Figure 1) of each paddle shaft. G, G, and G, G, (Figure 1) are two
of the paddles, which are secured to their respective axes 9, 9, and g, g,
(Figure 1), and are supported by the wheels or frames D, D, and E, E. To
one end of the axis g, g, of each paddle is fixed an arm i, i, (Figure 1) furnished
with a pin K, K, (Figures 1 and 5) which passes through one of the said
round holes or bushes in the guide wheel. The distance from the centre of
the axis 9, 9, of each paddle to the centre of the pin K must be precisely the
same as the distance from the centre of the shaft A, A, to the centre of the
shaft B. It is not necessary that the centre of any paddle wheel should be
the centre of the paddle shaft to which it is attached, although the best prac-
tical result will (in my opinion) be produced when the centre of the paddle and
paddle shaft are the same. To the opposite end of the axis of each paddle is
fixed an arm 1, 1, (Figures 1 and 2) of precisely the same dimensions as the
arm i, i, and furnished with a pin m (Figures 1 and 2), similar to the pin
K. H, H, (Figures 1 and 2) is a guide frame, in which there are holes or
bushes to receive the pins m, m, m, m, upon which the frame is suspended
and works. Figures 1 and 2 are intended to represent a paddle wheel with
four paddles only, but any other number may be adopted, according to the
diameter of the paddle wheel and its intended velocity. But when the paddle
wheel is to work in an air chamber it ought to be of smaller dimensions than
if placed at the side of the vessel, and four or five paddles will generally be
found to be sufficient when the paddle wheel is placed in an air chamber. The
distance from the centre of the shaft B to the centre of the drawing shaft A, A,
is (as before stated) exactly the same as from the centre of each paddle shaft
9,g, to the centre of the pin K, K, and also the same as the distance from the
centre of each paddle shaft g, g, to the centre of the pin m, and the distance
from the centre of the shaft A, A, to the centre of the paddle shaft g, g, exactly
corresponds with and are the same distance as from the centre of the fixed
shaft B to the centre of the pin K; therefore the several points i, i, i, i, K, K,
1, 1, 1, 1, and m, m, m, m, move through equal distances in the same periods of
time, and thereby compel each paddle G, G, to maintain the perpendicular
position in every part of the paddle wheel's rotation. Thus when the motive
power is applied to the shaft A, A, so as to cause it to revolve, the shaft in

page_text: whichever direction it may revolve carries round with it the wheels D, D, and
E, E, together with the paddles. The circular motion of the paddle wheel is
by means of the arms attached to the paddles communicated to the guide wheel,
which moves round upon its own axis, and completes one revolution during the
same time that the paddle wheel completes a revolution, and thus keeps the
paddles in the perpendicular position. The guide frame H, H, is intended to
equalize the pressure upon each paddle between the arm i, i, and the arm l, l.
The guide frame also performs another important office, namely, that of keeping
each paddle in the same position as the others, when the guide wheel F, F, is
drawn back, and the pins K, K, liberated. The paddles may be thrown out of
action whenever sails are intended to be substituted for steam power or for any
other purpose. The mode of throwing the paddles out of action is effected as
follows the key which fixes the collar J being removed, slide back the
collar J from the guide wheel F, F, and then draw the guide wheel back from
the paddle wheel until the pins K, K, (Figure 1) are liberated and perfectly
free from the guide wheel, when the action of the water upon the paddles (if
the boat be in motion) will instantly "feather" the paddles, that is, cause them
to move into a horizontal instead of a perpendicular position, in which position
they may be secured, or may be left to drag on or in the water, and they will
then offer very little resistance to the progress of the boat or other vessel
through the water. The guide frame keeps the arms (1, 1, and I, 1, Figure 1,)
and consequently the arms (i, i, and i, i, Figure 1,) in the same relative position,
and when it is intended again to connect the paddles with the guide wheel it will
be only necessary to bring one of the pins K, K, opposite to one of the holes or
bushes in the guide wheel F, F, when it will be found that the other pins K, K,
will also be opposite to their respective holes or bushes in the guide wheel, and the
guide wheel may then be easily pushed towards the paddle wheel, and each of
the pins K, K, will return into their proper holes or bushes in the guide wheel.
The collar J must then be replaced, and the key inserted as before, when the
paddles will be again ready for action. Should the paddle wheel be applied
within an air chamber (as represented in Figures 1 and 2), in that case the
water will rise in the chamber level with the boat's draught of water during the
shifting of the paddle boards. But the water may in a few minutes be again
displaced and kept at a proper level by suitable blowing apparatus or air pump
communicating with the air chamber through a tube or pipe, as shewn at L,
Figure 1. The level of the water in the air chamber may be known at all
times on inspection by the use of a glass guage or inverted syphon, with a gra-
duated scale attached thereto, the tube of the syphon being charged with water,
quicksilver, or other fluid, and connected with the air chamber, as shewn at M
(Figure 1). Figure 3 is a front view of the strap C, C, which connects the

page_text: shaft A, A, with the shaft B. Figure 4 is a plan or edge view of a paddle and
its shaft (in a detached form) shewing a mode of strengthening the same by
the application of two wrought-iron bars n, n, and o, o, secured at each end to
the shoulders of the paddle shaft, and in the centre, passing over the projecting
pieces of metal p and 7, and thereby forming a double truss. Through the
paddle shaft is made a mortice, in which the paddle is inserted, and secured by
means of screw bolts or rivets passing through the paddle shaft and paddle.
Figure 5 is a front view of one of the arms i, i, fixed upon the end of the
paddle shaft, and carrying the pin K. Provided always, and I do not claim as
of my invention any parts of the said paddle wheel herein-before described
which have been heretofore discovered by others, or which are now known to
the public; but that I do claim as of my invention the guide wheel and its
axis, the metal strap, and the guide frame herein-before described, and also the
combination of the said guide wheel, metal strap, and guide frame, or either
of them, with a paddle wheel as herein-before mentioned; and I further declare
that although I have only described one form and position of my improved
paddle wheel or propeller, yet I hereby claim as of my invention the said
improvements in paddle wheels or propellers, in whatsoever variety of form
they may be made, and whether placed in an air chamber, as herein-before
mentioned, or at the sides of the vessel (as common paddle wheels are usually
placed), or in any other position in which they can be conveniently placed in
the vessel to be propelled through the water.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Holworthy Palmer, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year