IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CARTER, of Padstow, in the County of Cornwall, Ship Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord 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 Thomas Carter, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Carter,
my exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Carter,
my exors, adiiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Carter,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
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, 1, the sant
Thomas Carter, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists in the propulsion of vessels by means of direct-acting
propellers so arranged and constructed that they exert their whole effective
working power, when in action, to propel the vessel, and at the same time are
capable of being feathered so as to present the least surface of resistance in
their reverse stroke.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed represents a side elevation of
my improved propeller, as detached from the vessel, and Figure 2 an end
view of the same: A, A, is a rectangular open framing which is attached at
the stern or other convenient part of the vessel, where it is desired to apply
the propeller. B, B, is a second frame which is free to slide to and fro in the
framework A, A. This frame B is attached by means of the connecting rod C,
which is passed through a stuffing box in the stern of the vessel, and is attached
by other connecting rods and guides to the crank of a steam engine or other
prime mover by which the necessary reciprocating motion is imparted to the
propeller. The frame B has a series of friction rollers shewn in dotted lines
on its top and underside, and on which the frame traverses in the guides a, a,
in the framework A, A. D, D, are two circular plates or dises, one on each
side of the frame. These discs are centred by means of the spindles b, b,
(which run on friction rollers) in the frame B. E is a float which forms the
propeller. This float is attached by stays or brackets to the discs D, D, and
has the same reciprocating motion imparted to it with the frame B. F, F, are
catches which are jointed at c, c, to the framework A, A; and G, G', are studs
which are fixed upon each of the discs D. The object of these studs G, G',
is to give to the float or propeller E its various positions when in work, as
herein-after explained. H, H, are a second set of catches, which are also
jointed to the framework A at d, d, and serve, when in action, to reverse
the propeller. F, F, and H', H', are tail pieces which are connected each
to their respective catches, and serve to unite them to cross heads e, c, which
run across the top of the framework A, and are connected in a similar manner
to corresponding catches on the other side of the framing. F, H, are rods
which are jointed to the centre of the cross heads e, e, and are passed through
the guide bar I, and connected to the levers F³, H³, shewn in red lines in
Figure 1. The levers F³, I³, are jointed by the rods F, H, to the levers
F, F, which are capable of being worked by the fect of the steersman who

page_text: has thus the entire control over the action of the propeller, and can reverse the
propeller or throw it entirely out of action or stop the progress of the vessel,
as circumstances may render expedient. The levers F, H', are connected
together at by the chain K passing over the pulley L. The action of this
propeller is as follows:-Supposing it is desired to propel the vessel in a
forward direction, the catches F, F, are placed in the position indicated in
Figure 1. Upon motion being communicated to the rod C, the frame B and
propeller E are caused to traverse along the guides a, a, in the frame A.
The position which the propeller assumes in its back stroke is vertical, as
indicated in the dotted lines, which position it maintains until it arrives at the
point indicated by the red lines (No. 1), when the stud G comes in contact
with the catch F. The frame B still continues its back stroke until it arrives
at the position indicated by the red lines Number 2, when the catch F causes,
through the stud G, the propeller to be feathered or placed at right angles to
its former position, the discs D being turned round one quarter of a circle.
The frame B is now caused to travel forwards, and the feathered position of
the propeller is preserved until it arrives at the end of the return stroke or to
the point represented by the red lines Number 3. The propeller then com-
mences again its back stroke, when the stud G, which fell into the position
when the frame B arrived at Number 3, comes against the catch F, where it
is retained until the frame B traverses back to the position Number 4, during
which time the propeller is being turned into its vertical position, so as to
exert its full effective power on the water during the back stroke. The tail
part of the stud serves, when turning from Number 3 to No. 4, to throw up
the lever F, and liberate the frame B, when it traverses backward until it
again arrives at the position Number 1, when the propeller is feathered, as
before explained. M, M, are bars pivotted to the frame, and serve to keep
the propeller in its proper place, while it is being shifted from one position to
the other. Instead of the bars being pivotted at the points represented in the
Drawings, they may be turned the reverse way, and both pivotted upon the
same pin in the centre of the framing A. For reversing the action of the pro-
peller in backing the vessel, the catches F, F, are thrown out of gear by the
action of the foot levers, which also throw the catches H into gear with the
studs G, G', when precisely the opposite effect is produced, the propeller being
thereby feathered in its back stroke, and in full action in its forward stroke.
When it is desired to stop the action of the propeller the catches F and I
are all thrown out of gear, when the levers F³, II, will be both level or in the
same plane. By thus placing the propeller under the controul and command
of the steersman, the engine need not be stopped or reversed, as is necessary

page_text: with propellers of the ordinary construction when it is desired to stop or
reverse the progress of the vessel. Figure 3 represents the position in red
lines, in which I propose to place the propeller or propellers when two or more
are used; although I do not confine myself to this position, as they may be
placed under the quarter or any other convenient or effective position.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare what I claim in respect thereof
to be as follows:-
I claim the propulsion of vessels by means of propellers constructed and
arranged in the manner herein-before described and represented in the Draw-
ings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Carter, have hereunto set my
Enrolled the Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-three.