A NEW AND IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING ON LAND AND WATER
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Bresson, Civil Engineer, of Paris, in
the Republic of France, and 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
for the Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING ON
LAND AND WATER."
Sealed the 8th January 1853, and dated the 17th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Bresson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 17th November 1852.
I, FRANCIS BRESSON, Civil Engineer, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, and 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW AND IMPROVED MODE OF
PROPELLING ON LAND AND WATER" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in applying the power of re-action or
recoil (repulsion), resulting from the flowing of either water or
gas, to produce propulsion on land and water.
In the annexed Drawing the same letters of reference on the
two Figures refer to parts which are similar.
In Fig. 1, which represents a locomotive engine, I use coal, coke,
or any other suitable fuel in a fire-place conveniently arranged,

page_text: and the air which has served to carry on the combustion of the
fuel is the motive power I employ.
In Fig. 2, which also represents a locomotive engine, I obtain
the motive power from the flowing of the water egressing from the
reservoir R, the water being driven out by compressed air.
The re-acting or recoil force has been already applied for pro-
pelling ships and vessels, but with many disadvantages on account
of the re-acting fluid being forcibly ejected as deep as possible under
the water line of the vessel; now by my improvements I cause the
re-acting fluid (either gas or water) to be forcibly ejected into the
atmosphere, in order that the said fluid will meet with as little
resistance as possible.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Francis Bresson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 16th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
FRANCIS BRESSON, of Paris, in the Republic of France, 4,
South St., Finsbury, London, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of November,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Francis Bresson, Her special licence that I,
the said Francis Bresson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Francis Bresson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "A NEW AND IN-
PROVED MODE OF PROPELLING ON LAND AND WATER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Bresson, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly

page_text: 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 Francis Breson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
therein contained.
The Invention consists in constructing machinery whereby the
force of re-action or recoil resulting from the flow of fluids is em-
ployed for producing locomotion on land and water.
The useful employment of the force of re-action depends on two
principles which I have discovered.
Firstly, that the velocity of the re-acting fluid, cither gas or water,
be double the speed to be given to the body to be moved.
Secondly, that the flow of the re-acting fluid takes place under
the smallest possible resistance; that is to say, in the open air if
possible, or very slightly under water when applied for maritime
propulsion, although the contrary course has been adopted until
now. Therefore, to put a boat in motion at a speed of ten miles per
hour, or fourteen feet two thirds per second, the re-acting fluid inust
be projected at a speed of twenty-nine fect one third per second;
after the fluid is expelled, and has produced its effect, it retains a
velocity of fourteen feet two thirds per second, only having lost
half its real speed by flowing in a different direction to that of the
boat. When I have once determined locomotion the fluid and the
boat continue moving with the same speed, but in contrary di-
rections. As the speed of the flow of the re-acting fluid must be
double the speed of the locomotive or boat, the required speed of
the latter will determine that of the former. Therefore, if I represent
the height of the column of fluid by H, the pressure of which would
determine the speed, I should have H. But then so long as V
V
+9

page_text: is the same, H will be the same; that is to say, for a constant speed
V, the elevation H remains also the same, whether the escaping
fluid be air, water, or mercury. The energy of the re-acting force
and its propelling action on the locomotive or boat is naturally in
proportion to the size of the egress orifice and to the generating
elevation of the flow; it is therefore represented by H, S; and the
pressure of the column of fluid being also proportionate to the
density of the fluid, by representing that density by-d, I have
H, d, S, as the amount-of-the-propelling force; consequently, the
size of the egress orifice and speed being equal in volume of spent
fluid, the force is one thousand times greater if the density of the
fluid is in the same proportion.
To produce a large propelling force with the smallest possible
volume of machinery it is necessary to use the densest. fluids; viz.,
concentrated salini solutions, frisible metallic alloys, such as molten
lead or mercury; the former must be kept in a state of fusion,
either by means of a furnace placed under the bath which contains
them, or by means of lost steam from the motive engine. The use
of gases as re-acting fluids offer very great difficulties, because-the
propulsive action H, d, S, is small, when the density d is small; it
is therefore preferable to employ liquids.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, & 2, represent a locomotive put in motion by the
re-action of heated air.
Figure 3, a locomotive put in motion by the re-action of water or.
any other fluid denser than water.
Figures 4, & 5, show the details of the re-acting engine for
propelling a vessel.
Figure 6, represents a circular re-acting engine, also for propelling.
a boat. To make use of air efficiently as a re-acting fluid its tem-
-perature should be considerably raised, otherwise more force would
be wasted in confining it than it would produce in egressing.
In Figures 1, 2, & 3, A represents the steam generator with

page_text: vertical tubes and reverted flame; it is composed of an iron cylinder
A, A, entirely filled with water, and provided with vertical brass
cubes a, a', a", a", and a steam reservoir B, of a spherical or oval
form adapted above it. The two recipients are united perfectly by
the large tube C, and the water is raised to about half the height of
the reservoir B; the fire is placed at D, the flame passes through the
tubes a, a', a", a"", and heats the top of the reservoir B, and in
descending heats the sides of the cylinder A; it passes hence into
the chimney I; the steam acting upon the piston of the cylinder E,
gives it an alternate motion; this notion may be changed into a
e, and
circular continuous motion by means of the connecting rods
is regulated by the fly wheel d; this engine is similar to an ordinary
steam engine. Figures 1, & 2, show the piston rod E; it is pro-
vided at its upper part with a rod, which is joined to the pistons of
the air pumps G, & H. The pumps have a double action, they
force and aspirate above and under the piston, but the piston E,
cannot be set in motion without giving motion to the pumps G, &
H, and this causes the air to be sucked and forced into the recipient
F, which may be either isolated or partly surround the air pump.
'
Figure 3, shows the piston rod E, united to the piston rod
G, by means of a casing i, which causes the two pistons to
move together. In this case the pump G, instead of acting upon
the air, sucks and forces water or any other denser liquid from the
reservoir Q. The air contained in the upper part of the recipient F
presses on the liquid which the pump G, forces into it, and this
insures an uniform egress through the orifice L, and consequently
a re-action. Upon this reservoir is set a float S, a steam guage R,
and a safety valve T. In Figure 1, the air passes from the reservoir
F, into the heating chamber M, to aliment the combustion, and to
raise its own temperature. This furnace M, is composed of a
hollow cylinder constructed of refractory clay k, k, and formed of
several pieces joined together and terminating conically, the whole
being surrounded by a sheet iron casing I, I, I, to give it sufficient
strength. To prevent the breaking of any part from the difference of
dilatation of the refractory clay and sheet iron coating I apply strong

page_text: springs m, m, which press upon the clay parts; o, is a grate mad
of refractory clay, provided with holes for retaining the com
bustible, and at the same time allowing the passage of the air
Above the furnace I have placed a feeding apparatus P, for holding
fuel; it is also constructed of clay, and surrounded with a sheet iro
casing. Ignition of the combustible in that chamber P, is pre
vented by the exclusion of air, the chamber being closed air-tight
and only opened two or three times per day to be replenished. The
air enters at J, passes through the fuel which occupies the space
M, o, maintains combustion, and trebles its volume in its passage
without increasing its clastic force. It egresses through the
opening L; and by its continuous flowing it produces re-action, and
thereby effects the propulsion of the locomotive. The heated air
when egressing from the motive chamber may be employed for the
generation of motive power (if made to act upon a piston or other
wise). For propelling boats I dispose the apparatus differently to
what has been herein described, and then I make use of water, or a
fluid denser than water, as the re-acting agent.
Figures 4, & 5, represent an apparatus for effecting re-action.
I can place two, three, or even a larger number of similar apparatus
in the same boat, according to its dimensions. In order to act
direct, and avoid as much loss of power as possible, the re-acting
cylinder A, and the steam cylinder D, are joined together as shewn
in Figure 3, their axes are joined. By this means the full action
of the steam on the piston D, is transmitted to the piston C, which
repels the fluid. This steam engine is upon the single acting
principle; the steam given out by the boiler A, B, C, D, Figures 1,
& 2, is admitted through the orifice I, and expelled through the
opening J. I can either employ a high-pressure engine or a con-
densing engine. In the latter case the condenser is composed of
two boxes Q, Q, Figure 3, having their bottom parts joined
together by means of the rods R, R', R", and the tubes 9, 9', 7",
which communicate from one box to the other. The steam arrives
in the box Q. and is condensed in the tubes 7, 1, 1". The con-
densed water falls into the box Q', and passes into the reservoir of

page_text: the feeding pump through the tube p; a small air pump put in
motion by steam applied to the pipe V, serves to produce a vacuum
in the condenser Q, Q. The slide valve i, Figure 4, for the ingress
of the steam, is opened by the distension of the spring H. The
spring H, is made to press on the extremity of the rod G, when the
tumbler E", releases the stopper e, by raising the handle f. The
egress slide j, is set in motion by the same means. It is shut by the
spring K, when the tumbler M, disengages the stop n, by its acting
on the handle m, and the slide j, is opened by the spring N, when
the tumbler 9, raises the handle q'. With a view to utilise the ex-
pansion of steam I cause the slide i, to be shut before the stroke of
the piston D, has ended, by placing on the rod 1, which moves with
the pistons, a small cleat g, which, in passing, shuts the slide by its
action on the hammer h. The expansion may be altered by
changing the position of the cleat g. To prevent the cleat I₁ from
meeting the hammer h, when the piston returns I place the inclined
plane o, so as to slide on o', which raises the hammer h, by which
its meeting with the cleat g, is avoided. If the motion is to be
slow, and not exceed five or six feet per second (three or four
miles per hour), the speed of the ejected fluid must only be ten or
twelve feet per second; the piston C, must then move with the same
velocity, and in that case the cylinder A, is placed outside the stern
of the boat without narrowing the opening. It is desirable that the
speed of the ejected fluid should not be greater; but if this were
desirable, the cylinder A, should be made to terminate in a straight
or curved conical opening a', a", the diameter of which should be
in the inverse ratio to the speed of the piston C. Thus, when the
velocity of the re-acting fluid is to be forty feet, that of the piston is
ten feet. Then the opening a', a", is four times less than the
surface of the piston C. The upper edge of the orifice a', or a",
must be only a few inches under the water line of the boat, and that
arrangement is made to facilitate the ingress of the water into the
cylinder A, when the piston C', returns. If the size of the boat
requires two, three, or four separate apparatus, similar to that
represented in Figure 4, it is understood that the piston C, must

page_text: also be separated in order to distribute the propelling motion
uniformly. Thus, for four apparatus working together, the first
piston being at the beginning of its stroke, the second would be in
the middle, and the third at the end or at the commencement of
its return, and the fourth would be in the middle of the retrograde
motion: A small tube P, with its tap 1", serves for the intro-
duction of the steam into the cylinder, to accellerate the action of
the piston, if necessary.
Figure 6, represents the propelling apparatus in a different form.
The forcing or re-acting piston C, has a continuous circular motion,
instead of an alternate motion, which it receives from any prime
mover by means of cogs or bands. The water is introduced through
the opening D", and egresses through D'. The shutting valve e, is
pressed against the cylinder B, by means of the springs g. When
the valve c, is withdrawn to allow the piston to pass, this piston
compels the valve e, to recede, or this movement may be given to
it by means of a toothed wheel and lever acting on a jointed rod.
The return of the valve is always effected by means of springs. (The
re-action created by this engine is nearly continuous. On a revo-
lution the action ceases during one twelfth of the rotation only, and
this will scarcely cause any slackening in the course of the boat.)
I can besides give to the cylinder D, and to its piston, the diameter
and length required to answer every contingency. The arrange-
ment of the orifices D', D", can also vary, if necessary; as to the
egress orifice D', it must always be placed in the stern of the vessel;
but the ingress orifice D", can be made towards the bows, either
underneath or at one of the sides of the boat. To alter the speed
of emission of the re-acting fluid I can make the opening D' conical,
and arrange it so as to turn either side to cause the boat to tack
about during its motion.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that
1 do not confine myself to the precise proportions or details herein-
before described; but what I claim as new, and intended to be pro-
tected by the said Letters Patent, is,—

page_text: Firstly. The mechanical arrangements for applying the power
obtained from the re-action or recoil of fluids to the propulsion of
conveyances on land and water, as herein-before described and
referred to in the Figures of the Drawing.
Secondly. The employment of denser fluids than water to produce
a greater re-acting force with apparatus occupying a small space,
as herein-before described and referred to in Figure 3, of the
Drawing.
Thirdly. The constructing an air-tight motive chamber and fuel
feeder for obtaining and applying the force from gases raised to a
high temperature, as herein-before described and referred to in
Figures 1, and 2, of the Drawing.
Fourthly. The mechanical arrangements for effecting the immediate
transmission of steam power to the re-acting pistons, without any
intermediate mechanism for transmitting motion, as herein-before
described and referred to in Figures 1, 3, and 4, of the Drawing.
Fifthly. The constructing a circular pump to produce non-inter-
mittent or nearly non-intermittent re-action, as herein-before de-
scribed in reference to Figure 6, of the Drawing.
Sixthly. The constructing a steam generator with inverted
flame, as herein-before described and referred to in Figure 1, of the
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Bresson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the