IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Spencer, of No. 1, Adelaide Place,
London Bridge, Marine Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MARINE ENGINES."
Scaled the 25th September 1858, and dated the 29th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick Spencer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th March 1858.
I, JOHN FREDERICK SPENCER, of No. 1, Adelaide Place, London Bridge,
Marine Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINES," to be as follows:-
The first part of my improvements relate to the combination of an ordinary
injection condenser, with a metallic surface condenser in the same engine or
engines, the surface condenser being of that kind in which the condensing
water is supplied by a pump or pumps, and not by the cooling action produced
by the ship passing through the water. I effect such combination, which is
so arranged that one set of air pumps can be attached at pleasure to either
kind of condenser, thus giving facilities for repair without detaining the ship.
The second part of my improvements refer to a form and arrangement of
marine engine in which the steam cylinders are inverted over the main pro-
pelling shaft, and connected direct to the same; in such engines it is usual
to work the air and water pumps by levers, rods, or cranks attached to the
moving parts of the propelling engines. In my improved construction and

page_text: arrangements I add an inverted steam cylinder over each air pump, and
connected direct to the same with rods and cranks, as may be found most
convenient. I attach this additional steam cylinder by bolts and keys or
otherwise, direct to the casting forming the cylinders of of the main engines,
thus combining the main and air pump engines in one construction. The
novelty in the particular arrangement or combination described being an air
pump engine of the kind described, and a propelling engine of the construction
described, connected together in manner refered to.
The third part of my improvements relate to the addition of a solid or
hollow piston rod to the upper side of piston, to pass through a stuffing box in
the cylinder cover; this rod is to be of such a diameter that the difference of
pressure on the two sides of the piston shall equal the weight of piston rods
and cranks connected therewith, thereby causing uniformity of motion during
each revolution.
The fourth part of my improvements relate to the addition of auxiliary
boiler power to work all assistant engines attached to and working the air
pumps of marine engines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Frederick Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FREDERICK SPENCER, of No. 1, Adelaide Place, London Bridge, Marine
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Frederick Spencer, Her special licence that I, the said John
Frederick Spencer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Frederick Spencer, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MARINE ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Frederick Spencer, by an instrument in writing under my or

page_text: their hand and seal, 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.
- NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Frederick Spencer, 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 following
statement and accompanying Drawings:
=
The first part of my improvements relates to the combination of an ordinary
injection condenser, with a metallic surface condenser in the same engine or
engines; the surface condenser being of the kind in which the condensing or
cooling liquid is drawn or forced through small oval, flat, or round tubes by a
pump or pumps, and not by the action of the ship through the water. The
surface condenser which I prefer to employ being constructed in accordance
with a Patent granted to me, dated the 16th of November 1857. In such
combination the same air and feed pump or pumps may be arranged to work
either condenser, or there may be two sets of pumps, one set for each kind of
condenser; and I adapt such last-mentioned combinations to all forms or.
descriptions of marine engines. And also to the use and application of double-.
acting air pumps, in such combined injection and surface condensing engines,
so arranged that when attached to the injection condenser, the whole capacity
or both the ends of each pump shall be employed in removing the air and
condensed steam from the condenser, and when attached to the surface con-
denser, one end only of each pump shall do duty as the air pump, and the
other end of the same double-acting pump shall supply the surface condensor
with the liquid required to condense the steam around the small tubes.
The second part of my improvements relates to a form and arrangement of.
marine engines in which the steam cylinders are inverted over the main pro-
pelling shaft, and connected direct to the same; in such engines it is usual.
to work the air and feed pumps by levers, rods, or cranks attached to the
moving parts of the propelling engines. In my improved construction and
arrangements I add an inverted steam cylinder over each air pump, connected
direct to the same, with rods and cranks, as may be found most convenient.
I attach this additional steam cylinder by bolts and keys, or otherwise, direct
to the castings forming the cylinders or standards of the main engines, thus.
combining the main and air pump engines in one construction. The novelty.
in the particular arrangement or combination described being an air pump
engine of the kind described, and a propelling engine of the construction.
described, connected together in manner referred to. I do not claim the use

page_text: of auxiliary steam engines for working the air pumps of marine engines, but
only the particular arrangement described, in which the auxiliary steam
cylinders are attached in the position described to the main propelling engines,
and immediately over the air pumps to be worked thereby.
The third part of my improvements relates to the addition of a solid or
hollow piston rod to the upper side of piston, to pass through a stuffing box in
the cylinder cover; this rod is to be of such a diameter that the difference of
pressure on the two sides of the piston shall equal the weight of piston, and
rods, and cranks connected therewith, thereby causing uniformity of motion
during each revolution,
The fourth part of my improvements relates to the addition of auxiliary
boiler power to work all assistant engines attached to and working the air
pumps of marine engines; one advantage of such arrangement being the
power of using higher pressure steam in the auxiliary steam boiler than that
used in the main boilers.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents in elevation a pair of over-
head cylinder engines, with a surface condenser fitted between the independent
air pump engines and also between the ordinary injection condensers, and
exhibits the independent air pump engines arranged at the side of the main
engines, and generally the arrangement by which the combination is effected.
The ordinary condenser or the surface condenser may be employed separately;
but the means or manner of communication at pleasure between the main
propelling engines and the injection and surface condensers, and between those
condensers and the air pump passages are not described in detail, as ex-
perience may require alterations therein; but the power of making, and the claim
for such necessary means or manner of communication are herein fully implied
and understood, one half of Fig. 1 being a longitudinal elevation taken in
the line of the ship's keel, and the other half thereof exhibiting the inde-
pendant air pump arrangement by a vertical section taken on the line H, H,
of Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section or sectional elevation taken on the line I, I, of
Fig. 1, and exhibits the injection condenser, as also the surface condenser in
front thereof. In this view the arrangement of the air pump engine and
pump valves is shewn; the several valve passages being lettered respectively
A, B, C, D, in Figs. 1 and 2, the more clearly to define them in each Figure..
The feed pump and bilge pump of each engine are shewn in section in Fig. 1,
and the passages to boiler, to the hot well, and from the sea are respectively
shewn, as are also the passage to exhaust into surface condenser, which admits
of being shut off by means of a valve or moveable bonnet, suitably arranged

page_text: for enabling the communication to be opened or closed, so as to admit of either
the surface condenser or the injection condenser being used.
The form of marine engine which I prefer to adopt, which is shewn in the
accompanying Drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, has the surface condenser between
the two frames or standards which support the main cylinders, and I employ
the hollow trunk, or the upper side of the piston, as herein-before mentioned,
for the purpose of balancing and rendering more uniform the said engines,
and I place the slide chests of the two main cylinders face to face, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 3.
I prefer to construct the cylinders of both main and air pump engines each
with an internal and moveable cylinder, in accordance with that part of my
Invention patented the 16th of November 1857, which relates to the method
of constructing steam jacketings, and which mode of construction and fitting
steam cylinders is shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, applied to the main engine cylinder,
and also to the steam cylinder employed to work the air pump.
Fig. 3 represents a half plan, and a sectional plan, taken on the lines E, E,
and F, F; the dispositions of the main and air pump engine cylinders, as also
of the exhaust and steam passages, and the surface and injection condensers
are respectively shewn.
Instead of describing at length in the Specification the several parts by
means of numerous letters referring to the Drawings, I have preferred
drawing the several parts of the said engines considerably in detail, and have
written upon the several parts wherever any doubt might exist, a description
thereof, whereby the several figures in the accompanying Drawings are made
thoroughly intelligible to any person acquainted with such matters; and the
nature of my said improvements, and the method I prefer of carrying them
into effect are herein and hereby particularly described and ascertained.
Now what I claim is, 1st, the combination of an ordinary injection con-
denser, with a metallic surface condenser, as herein described in the same
engine or engines.
2nd. The combination with such duplex system of condensers of an air
pump or combined air and feed pumps, constructed according to my previous
Patent.
3rd. The application and combination of the two last-mentioned arrange-
ments to other forms of marine engines than that which is shewn in the
accompanying Drawings.
4th. The arrangement and application of double-acting air pumps in com-
bined injection and surface condensing engines, as herein-before described in
the first part of my said improvements.

page_text: 5th. The arrangement and disposition of an inverted steam or without
cylinder over each air pump, as herein described, when combined with engines
fitted with a surface condenser or condensers.
6th. The addition to the upper side of the pistons of direct-acting overhead
cylinders of marine engines of a solid or hollow piston rod of such a diameter
that the difference of pressure on the two sides of the piston shall equal the
weight of the piston and rods, cranks, and other moving parts of the engine, as
herein described.
7th. The addition of auxiliary boiler power to work assistant engines
attached to and working the air pumps of marine engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Spencer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE CHURCHILL,
JOHN FREDERICK SPENCER. (L.S.)
18, Salisbury Street, Strand.