CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PADDLE WHEELS, AND IN THE PADDLE BOXES OR CASES OF STEAM VESSELS
Year: 1838

page_text: ESSEX'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
Essex, of the Parish of Saint Mary Islington, in the County of Middlesex,
Silversmith, 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 Eighth day of February, in the first year of Her reign, and
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, did for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert
Essex, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Robert Essex, my exccutors, adiñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said Robert Essex, my executors, adiiors, 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 in
all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PADDLE WHEELS, AND IN THE PADDLE BOXES
OR CASES OF STEAM VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Robert Essex, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, particularly 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 inrolled 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, 1, the said
Robert Essex, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of certain improvements in the construction of paddle heels,
and in the paddle boxes or cases, of steam yessels, applies only to such steam
vessels as are furnished with masts, rigging, and sails, to enable them to take
advantage of favorable winds, and either act in conjunction with the steam,
and assist in propelling the vessel, or to be used by themselves independant of
the steam power; and the object of my improvements is to construct and apply
the rotary paddle wheels, with their paddle boards, to steam vessels, in such a
manner that the use of the same for propelling the vessel may be suspended or
dispensed with when required, and a portion of the paddle wheel removed from
out of the water, so as not to interrupt the sailing of the vessel, which it would
do if allowed to remain in the water in a quiescent state, and consists in con-
structing and adapting the paddle wheels and their paddle boxes in such a
manner that a portion of the paddles and the wheels (as quadrants, sections,
or segments) may be easily and readily removed out of the water, and placed
within the paddle boxes or cases, or other convenient situations, where such
portions will be secure from damage, and ready to be easily applied to the
wheel when again wanted,-the improved paddle boxes being constructed and
adapted to receive and retain the said portions of the wheels and paddles,—all
of which will be better understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings
and following description of the different modifications thereof (that is to say):
Fig. 1 is a side elevation or representation of a paddle wheel, with such part
of the framing of the paddle box or case as will serve to illustrate my improve-
ments therein, and one method of carrying my Invention into effect, the side
casing of the paddle box being removed to shew the interior. Fig. 2 is a plan
view of the same; the top casing in this Figure being taken away, the paddle
wheel being shewn in both Figures, as when ready for propelling the vessel.
Fig. 3 is a similar representation to Fig. 1, shewing a portion of the paddle
wheel removed from out of the water, and resting within the paddle box
or case, as when the steam power is dispensed with. Fig. 4 is a plan view of
the same. A, A, is the side of the vessel; B, B, the main timbers or framing
of the paddle box or case, secured and built into the framing of the vessel in
the usual way; C, C, is the paddle wheel; D, D, the paddle-wheel shaft
mounted, turning in proper bearings on the beams or framing, as in common.

page_text: The wheel is composed, as usual, of several rings or hoops of iron, and radial
arms extending from the centre or boss to the periphery, all of which parts are
firmly bolted together, the radial arms carrying the paddle boards as usual;
but by my improvements the wheel is separated into two or more parts or
sections, which, when put together, are firmly secured to one another by strong
joints and screw bolts and nuts, as will be hereafter described. a, a, and b, b,
are the portions of the outer rims or hoops of iron, which are at all times firmly
attached to the paddle-wheel shaft. c, c, and d, d, are those portions which are
to be occasionally detached from the wheel. e, e, is the inner or more central
ring, which may either be formed in one piece and at all times attached to the
paddle shaft, or it may be made in two parts, one moveable, the other attached,
as thought desirable. f is the boss or nave of the wheel, firmly secured in the
usual manner to the shaft D. 9, 9, are the paddles, which are to remain with
the wheel; and h, h, those which are capable of being removed therefrom. The
portion of the outer rim c, c, is firmly secured, when the wheel is in action, to
the other parts a, a, by the strong hinge joint at i, the bolt of which passes
through all the outer rings, and is secured by a screw and nut at the end, and
also by the other junction of the outer rings at k and 1, l, they being secured
in like manner by strong screw bolts and nuts, and the movable portion m of
the central ring or hoop e, e, is also firmly bolted to the continuous ring when
the wheel is in working order. o, o, are extra braces to strengthen the junc-
tions of the parts of the wheel, and through which screw nuts and bolts
may be passed if thought necessary. p, p, is the casing of the paddle box,
which in this instance is extended beyond the usual size in order to cover the
parts of the paddle wheel when out of use. 9,9, are railways or ledges for
receiving and guiding the movable part of the wheel into its proper situation.
When out of work these railways or ledges are placed on each side of the
wheel, and are formed with movable parts or ends at r, which are so constructed
(in this instance with hinge joints) as to be capable of being turned up out of
the
way when the paddle wheel is in working order, and projected forward so
as to come in the way of the small pulleys or wheels s, s, when the portion of
the wheel is being detached. These wheels are placed, turning on studs or
pins, in the end of the part c of the outer ring. t is the beam or timber for
receiving the movable portion of the paddle wheel when it is disconnected from
the shaft. Whenever it is wished to detach the portion of the paddles, and
use the sailing power only to propel the vessel, the paddle wheel is to be stopped
with the movable portions upwards. The ends 7, 7, of the railways q,.q, are
then to be projected so as to come in the way of the wheels 8, s. When this
is done all the screw bolts of the various joints at k, l, and m, are to be removed,

page_text: the bolt of the hinge joint i remaining undisturbed. The paddle wheel is then
to be "backed," or turned slowly the reverse way to that for propelling forward;
the wheels 8, s, will then come into contact with the ends r, r, of the railways or
ledges q, q, and consequently the wheels s, 8, will be made to run along the rails
and ledges, and bring the movable portion of the wheel into the positions shewn
in Figures 3 and 4, when this portion of the wheel will rest upon the ledges q
and the beam t. The paddle wheel being securely fastened in this position,
the sailing of the vessel will go on without interruption from the saddles.
When it is desired again to apply the steam power, the wheel must first be
released, and then turned slowly forwards, by which the movable portion of
the wheel will again be raised and drawn from off the rails or ledges q, and
brought on to the permanent portion of the wheel, at which time the screw bolts
of the joints k, l, and m, are to be applied, and the whole firmly secured, when
the wheel will be ready for action. It will be seen that the whole of these
operations are effected in the upper part of the paddle boxes or cases, without
the necessity of any person going under them, there being proper doors or
openings in the casing to allow the workmen free access to the paddle wheels.
Another method of carrying my Invention into effect is shewn in Fig. 5 of
the accompanying Drawings, in which the movable portion of the wheel is
shewn constructed in two parts, E and F, which are to be placed one before
and the other behind the paddle wheel. When this plan is to be put into.
operation the movable portions are to be detached from the wheel below the
paddle casing, and drawn up into the box, with suitable tackle and property
secured therein. The junctions of all the parts are to be firmly secured by
screw bolts, as in the former instance; and the construction and the manner
of applying this modification of my Invention being easily understood, it is not
necessary for me to enter into further detail. The same letters of reference being
marked upon corresponding parts, as in the former Figures, no further descrip-
tion will be necessary. And further, I would remark that the movable por-
tion of the wheel, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, may be removed in the same
way by hauling it up into the paddle boxes from the under side, but this mode
would be attended with more trouble and labour than the method above
described.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carry-
ing the same into effect, I would remark, that if it should be thought desirable
the whole of the movable portion of the paddle wheel may be detached from
the wheel by withdrawing the bolt of the binge joint at i, and the same may
be removed from out of the paddle boxes or cases, and placed in any convenient
and secure situation; and when this is done I should apply proper movable

page_text: cranes, staunchions, and tackle to the paddle boxes for the purpose of facilitating
the removing and applying of the detached portion of the paddle wheel, the
manner of doing which is well known to all practical engineers, and need not
be described by me. And in conclusion, I wish it to be understood that I do
not mean or intend to claim as my Invention the removing separately the paddle
boards from the wheel, or any plan whereby the portions of the wheel, or part
of it, is left in the water, so as to interrupt the sailing of the vessel; but what
I claim as my Invention is, the constructing, and adapting, and applying the
paddle wheels to steam vessels, so that portions or sections, segments or quad-
rants, of the wheel may be easily and readily removed from out of the water when
the steam power is to be dispensed with, and again applied when required, and
the constructing and adapting the paddle boxes or cases, with suitable bearings
and railways or ledges, to receive the said detached portions, as above set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Essex, have hereunto set my hand
cranes, staunchions, and tackle to the paddle boxes for the purpose of facilitating
the removing and applying of the detached portion of the paddle wheel, the
manner of doing which is well known to all practical engineers, and need not
be described by me. And in conclusion, I wish it to be understood that I do
not mean or intend to claim as my Invention the removing separately the paddle
boards from the wheel, or any plan whereby the portions of the wheel, or part
of it, is left in the water, so as to interrupt the sailing of the vessel; but what
I claim as my Invention is, the constructing, and adapting, and applying the
paddle wheels to steam vessels, so that portions or sections, segments or quad-
rants, of the wheel may be easily and readily removed from out of the water when
the steam power is to be dispensed with, and again applied when required, and
the constructing and adapting the paddle boxes or cases, with suitable bearings
and railways or ledges, to receive the said detached portions, as above set
forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Essex, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thonsand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
ROBERT (L.s.) ESSEX.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of August, in the
second year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Robert
Essex came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
ROBERT (L.S.) ESSEX.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of August, in the
second year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Robert
Essex came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of
the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Eighth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-eight