A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT FOR THE WORKING OF STEAM ENGINESment for Working of Steam
Year: 1796

page_text: BATLEY'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BATLEY, of Manchester, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the thirty-sixth year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said William Batley, His especial licence,
that I, the said William Batley, during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might use, cxcrcise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT
FOR THE WORKING OF STEAM ENGINES;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said William Batley, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (rela-
tion being thereunto had) may moro fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Batley, do hereby declare that my said Invention of a Certain Improve-
ment for Working of Steam Engines is described in the plan and description
thereof hercunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Batley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-six.
WILLIAM BATLEY (L.B.)

page_text: I make use of a cylinder or steam vessel with two pistons therein, which
move in a contrary direction to each other, that is to say, when one ascends the
other descends, and so vice versa. On my cylinder (which may be in two
pieces screwed together) the nozzles for the steam and injection regulators,
and for the eduction or sinking pipe are fixed near the middle. When the
pistons are at the greatest distance and nearest to the top and bottom, the
cylinder is prepared for the reception of the steam, which being admitted and
occupying the space between them, the injection water enters to cause the
vacuum upon which the pistons come very near together. The pistons are
connected to the beams (or what may be substituted), by the general methods,
at the ends next the cylinder; at the other end they are connected to a double
crank for a rotative motion, or to a wheel or two ends of a cross bar for
raising water and other weights; but every mechanic may apply his apparatus
to the two pistons in the way most to his own satisfaction.
Herewith are Drawings as I make use of them, wherein the engines are
described standing erect; they may be placed in an horizontal or an inclined
position. In some cases two cylinders instead of one will be useful, thereby
forming a double engine to work alternately, then I make a partition in my
boiler of copper, iron, &c. which may wholly divide the vessel into two parts, or
it may
be a partial division, if it goes so low into the water as to prevent the
steem (on that side which should be at rest) from rushing into that part which
is supplying its cylinder. Two steam pipes from the boiler will be requisite, one to
cach steam regulator, so that on one side of the partition the steam will always
be gaining strength whilst the other is supplying its cylinder. Upon this
principle I fix engines upon a frame of wood or cast iron, without any brick s
or stone work, either to support them or to set the boilers, making the whole
portable, the boiler is fixed upon or within a stove or cockle of cast iron; it
may be placed in or near a factory or other building, and by flues therefrom
convey the heat into one or more rooms; as the heat is now conveyed from
stoves, the boiler is made according to the shape of the stove; a round stove is s
preferable; the top of the boiler may also be the top of the stove, with a flanch
projecting from it; the lower part of the boiler, whether of cast iron, sheet iron,
or copper, has also a flanch, which is fixed in between the two flanches of the
top and the lower part of tho stove. There are various ways of inclosing them,
but this appears preferable. For the purpose of keeping my pistons well packed,
I make use of a spring, which goes round the rod or shank of tho piston, one
end of which may be fastened thereto; the spring is confined round it till the
packing is put in its place, and then set at liberty, it presses the packing close

page_text: to the sides of the cylinder, till it is nearly worn away. In working the hand
irons instead of a single shaft, both for the steam and injection regulators, I
make use of one for each, by which means each of them are opened and shut
at pleasure independent of the other. The two pistons in one cylinder being
the leading principle of my improvement will be very considerably amended,
and the power increased, by the use of tho air pump, and condensing in a
separate vessel with a closed cylinder; but these being the subject of another
grant I cannot apply them, altho' I have made various experiments which
have convinced me that at the expiration of such grant they will be of
advantage.
References to the Drawings herewith.-Fig. 1 represents an engine for a
rotative motion. A, the wood frame; B, the cylinder; 6 is a piston, made
circular at the bottom, with an eduction pipe therein; C, the injection box;
D, the hand irons; E, the plug frame; F, F, the piston shanks; G, G, the
parallel irons; H, H, the two beams; I, I, the connecting rods; K, the
fly wheel; L, L, the doublo crank upon the same staff with the fly wheel.
Fig. 2, the opposite side view of the same engine, with an apparatus for raising
water; 0, a cross bar, the length (as the crank) according to the length of
the stroke of the engine; M, a wheel with a chain connected to it, commu-
nicating with a pump-the wheel is shewn with its diameter double the length
of the cross bar-it may be made to any dimension, according to the length
of stroke required; N, the upper beam, which is extended to double the
length of the other side the centro, and may also be decreased, the frame may
be made to the length of the beam, and a spring fixed upon it. This may be
used at the same time with the wheel, or either of them alone, to work one
or two pumps; P, P, the spring and catch when the wheel is used alone;
Q, the steam box. Fig. 3, the hand irons, as fixed. A, A, two shafts, on
which wheels are fixed, to work in two racks and open the injection and steam
valves; B opens the injection valve; C opens the steam valve; D, E, cranks
upon the shafts, to which one end of a perpendicular rod is fixed, with a spring
or a weight at the other end to assist in opening the valves. Fig. 4, the
section of the stove and boiler, with the man-hole and steam pipe branch.
Fig. 5 is the ground plan of the same, shewing the grate and the flue round
the boiler

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-second day of
December, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Batley came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year above written.