CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING BOATS OR OTHER VESSELS FLOATING IN OR UPON WATER, AND FOR ATTAINING OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES BY MEANS OF AN HYDRO-PNEUMATIC APPARATUS, ACTED UPON BY A STEAM ENGINE OR OTHER ADEQUATE POWER
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
LILLEY, of Brigg, in the County of Lincoln, Gentleman, and JAMES BRISTOW
FRASER, of Blackburn House, in the County of Linlithgow, in North Britain,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of April, in the first year of His reign, did
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Lilley and James Bristow Fraser, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we,
the said George Lilley and James Bristow Fraser, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, by ourselves, or such others as we or they should appoint
or agree with, and none others, from time to time and in all time to come
during the term of fourteen years, as therein expressed, lawfully to make, use,
exercise, and sell, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also within His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, our
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF MACHINERY FOR
PROPELLING BOATS OR OTHER VESSELS FLOATING IN OR UPON WATER, AND FOR ATTAINING
OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES BY MEANS OF AN HYDRO-PNEUMATIC APPARATUS, ACTED UPON BY
A STEAM ENGINE OR OTHER ADEQUATE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso obliging us, the said George Lilley and James Bristow
Fraser, within the space of six calendar months, to be computed from the date
of said gift, to cause to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery,

page_text: by a writing under our hands and seals, a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what way the same is to be performed, as in and
by the said Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
George Lilley and James Bristow Fraser, do and each of us doth hereby
declare that the nature of our said improvements is as follows, viz:-
If an air-tight cistern, having a stop-cock at the lower part of any of its
sides, shall be in part filled with water, then upon the stop-cock being opened
the water will run out with greater or less velocity or force, according to the
diameter of the aperture and the height of the body of water in the said
cistern; and if into the upper part of the said cistern so in part filled with
water a large quantity of air shall be forced by means of a condensing air
pump, so as to increase the air pressure upon the water, then upon the stop-
cock being opened the water will rush out with great force, and if by the
application of a forcing pump to the said cistern a quantity of water equal to
what is permitted to escape by the stop-cock be constantly pumped into the
cistern, the force of the stream issuing from the stop-cock will continue
undiminished; and the nature of our improvements consists in applying the
force of such a stream conducted from such a cistern, placed within a boat or
vessel afloat by tubes, so as to act upon the water under the vessel, to the effect
of propelling such vessel, either head foremost or stern foremost, or in otherwise
causing her to alter her position as may be required, the cistern being supplied
from the water in which the vessel floats. The manner in which the said im-
provements are to be carried into effect is particularly described and ascertained
in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the following descriptions thereof,
that is to say (reference being had to plate first hereunto appended):
:-
Let A, B, C, D, Figure number one, represent a longitudinal section
of the boat or vessel which is to be propelled, of which B, C is the keel,
here delienated as about sixty feet in length, which vessel shall contain a large
cistern or reservoir E, F, here delienated as about six feet high by three and
a half feet diameter, in some convenient part thereof near the bow, from which
cistern there shall proceed one main descending tube G, here delineated as
about four inches diameter, which shall have near to its commencement a plug
H, that may be opened and shut at pleasure, such main tube G being to lie
above the keelstone of the vessel, raised a little in order to allow room for the
plugs, which are to be herein-after described, until it has reached within a con-
venient distance of what may be considered the point immediately below the
centre of gravity of the vessel K, before reaching which point two tubes (one

page_text: of which only is represented at L, Figure first, but both are seen in Figure
second L, L,) shall branch off from the main descending tube G, as afterwards
particularly described, each of the said tubes having a plug O, by which it can
be opened or shut at pleasure; and such tubes shall be made with a convenient
sweep to penetrate through the bottom of the vessel, one on each side of the
keel, pointing towards the stern in a direction parallel to the keel, and at such
a distance from the vessel as to issue against solid water under her, care being
taken that the ends of the tubes here delineated as about five feet long, and
as tapering to about two inches diameter, within a foot of their ends, shall be
rather nearer the bow than what shall be considered the point under the centre
of gravity of the vessel. The main descending tube is (after the pair of tubes
already described have issued from it) to be continued in the same direction
along the keelstone, till it shall have reached a point Y, about one-third of the
length of the vessel from the stern, at which point it shall be divided into two
tubes, each of which two tubes shall, after a considerable sweep, penetrate the
bottom of the vessel, pointing with their ends towards the bow of the vessel, in a
direction also parallel to the keel, and one on each side thereof, as represented at
M, Figure first, and in Figure second at M, M, such tubes to be similar as to
diameter with those described at L, and to have valves opening outwards at
their extremities. The said main descending tube G is to be provided at the point
S, immediately after the first-mentioned pair of tubes have branched off, with a
plug, by which the said main descending tube may be opened or shut at
pleasure; and the way in which the first-mentioned pair of tubes shall branch
off is more particularly delineated in the Figure number two, whereof G, G,
represents the main descending tube; L, L, the branches; 0, 0, plugs, as after
described; r,, (Fig. 3,) piston rods attached to said plugs, but united at e, so
as to act together by means of the single piston rod d. Immediately above the
main descending tube we place a tube R (Figure first). With this tube R
the suction pipe of the pump for supplying the cistern E, F, is to communicate,
and the said tube R is divided into two branches 1, Figure first, and h, h,
Figure second, which shall descend into the water, one on each side of the
keel, as delineated in number two. The ends of these tubes may either point
forward, or be made flush with the bottom of the vessel, or they may point aft,
as delineated in the Figure, which we consider preferable. The tube R shall have
a plug P, figure number first, above both branches, whereby the communi-
cation with the water may be opened or shut, and shall have a third tube g, g,
as represented in Figure second, proceeding from both sides of it, above said
plug, both branches of which last-mentioned tube shall lead into the inside of
the vessel, and, one end of it being opened by means of the plug q, shall draw

page_text: water, but the plug S being opened, shall draw air from the inside of the vessel.
The tubes h, h, must have grates near their ends to prevent the admission of
weeds, mud, or rubbish, and in situations where the vessel is likely to run
through mud, or take the ground, their extremities should be placed as high in
the sides of the vessel as they can be, to be always under water. The tube R
should also be made to communicate with the aforesaid cistern E, F, Figure
first, which may be called a condensing reservoir or condenser, by means of a
tube V, Figure first, with a stop-cock placed below the plug p, that in the event
of the tubes h, h, being obstructed, the engine may be stopped for an instant,
and the plug H shut, and water being then admitted from the condenser by
opening the last-mentioned stop-cock, will force out any such obstruction. We
shall then apply to the after side of the said cistern or condenser E, F, Figure
number one, a pump of any convenient description having its suction pipe
fixed in the tube R, and discharging itself into the cistern at N, which can be
made by the operation of the plugs q or s, (vide Fig. 2,) to pump air or water
that has lodged in the hold, or by shutting them, and opening the plug P, to
pump water from the water in which the vessel floats into said condenser, into
which it shall discharge itself at N through a valve which opens into the
cistern, and which pump shall be acted upon by a steam engine or other
adequate power. Then the plug H of the main descending pipe G being shut,
we pump into the condenser about half the quantity of water which it will
contain, and then the plug P being shut, and the plug S, Figure second, opened,
we pump air into said condenser, until it shall be ascertained by means of a
common safty valve T that it contains as great a number of atmospheres as it
can sustain without danger of bursting, and then the plug S being again shut,
and that at P opened, so as to pump water, and the plugs H and 0, 0, of the
descending tube opened, and that at S shut, the water will proceed with great
velocity or force through the descending tube G, issuing at the tubes L, and
will continue so to proceed, as long as the quantity of water in the cistern is
kept up by the action of the pump, and will have the effect of propelling the
vessel forward. But if the plugs O, O, shall be shut, and that at S opened,
the water will proceed through the tubes M, M, and give the vessel sternway.
The plug at S here referred to may be constructed as follows, viz:-At that
part of the main descending tube G, immediately abaft where the branches L, L,
issue, the said descending tube shall be so formed as to have two short cylinders,
the one above, and the other below, as described at Figures numbers four and
five, whereof five is a cross section, and four a longitudinal section, drawn on
a larger scale than the rest, the upper.one of which shall contain a plug or
piston W, to which there shall be attached a piston rod r, passing through a

page_text: be
stuffing box in the upper end of the cylinder, which plug or piston W may
forced at pleasure, by means of its rod, into the lower cylinder, which shall just
be deep enough to receive the end of the said plug, and this plug or piston
shall then completely stop the main descending tube G at that place, but being
drawn into the upper cylinder, shall again open it, such piston or plug being
rendered pervious to the water by one or two tubes, in the same direction with
its piston rod, to admit of its ascent or descent through the water; and the
plugs at O, O, and H, Figures numbers one and two, may be constructed on the
same plan with that last described, and the plugs S, H, and O, O, shall be per-
forated by a strong copper piston rod S, S, which shall go through a stuffing box
in the lower end of each cylinder or case, to direct and enable them to withstand
the pressure of the water in their ascent and descent. By leading off branches
with similar plugs to them, to be opened or shut at pleasure, carried to the
head and stern of the vessel, and then made to issue into the water at right
angles, to her keel, the vessel can be made, upon opening either of them, to
turn quickly round. These tubes I, I, may be attached to the sides of the
main descending tube G, anywhere between the plugs H and S, as represented
in Figure second, the plugs being united transversely, so that either pair of
plugs being open, the water shall issue near the bow on one side of the keel at
t, t, and near the stern on the opposite side of the keel a, a, which plugs shall
be situate at b, b, b, b, with piston rods connected by pairs, as delineated at
Figure number three, but transversely, the plugs at S and O, O, being
shut if dispatch in turning be requisite. The cistern or condenser E, F, should
consist of a large perpendicular cylinder, with two hemispherical ends made of
copper or wrought iron. From the lower part of it will proceed the main
descending tube G, already described, and from the centre in the upper part of
it will descend a tube X, which shall reach within a foot of the bottom of the
cistern or condenser, through which tube the water will rise, so that its power
may be measured by means of an ordinary safety valve T, applied to the upper
end of the said tube, so adjusted as to permit the water to issue whenever its
power shall exceed what the condenser is capable of sustaining, as shall be
ascertained before it is fitted up and the safety valve regulated accordingly. By
means of small cocks placed at different heights along the sides of the condenser
E, F, it may be at any time ascertained at what height the water is, and-by
attaching cocks with leather pipes to the lower part of the condenser, any
number of fire engines may be kept constantly ready for use; and in like
manner, if a steam engine be used, engines ready to spout hot water may be
kept in equal readiness. The piston rods attached to the plugs should pene-
trate up through the deck, and be so placed as readily to be moved up or

page_text: down, as occasion may require, by means of levers. It is unnecessary to
specify a particular kind of pump. Any pump which receives its water at the
tube R, and discharges it at the tube N, will answer the purpose. But it
may be right to mention that in our opinion the double piston pump exhi-
bited to the Society of Arts by Mr. Richard William Franklin, of London,
will answer the purpose better than any other pump with which we are
acquainted. But whatever pump is used, it must supply as much water as is
permitted to issue from the condensing cistern.
And we farther specify and particularize the following variety in the com-
bination and application of our said Invention, that is to say (reference being
had to Plate second hereunto appended):
:-
A, B, C, D, Figure first, represents a vertical longitudinal section of
a boat or vessel which is to be propelled, of which B, C, is the keel, and
Figure second a plan of the same. The same letters refer to the parts
alike in each Figure; E, a large reservoir or air vessel, into which water is
constantly forced with a pump worked by a steam engine or other adequate
power; F, the pump barrel, in which two pistons 1, 2, with valves in each
opening towards the air vessel, constantly reciprocate when the engine is at
work; G, G, two receiving pipes, one on each side of the stern, opening to
admit the water from the bows to the pump barrel whence it is forced by the
two pistons 1, 2, into the air vessel E; H, H, two delivering or propelling
pipes leading from the reservoir, so as to direct the water towards the stern,
either under the vessel on each side of the keel, or at the sides, as in the
Drawings, Figures 1 and 2. The orifices of these pipes should be situated as
nearly as possible under a transverse line, passing through the centre of gravity
of the vessel; a, a, a, three cranks on the same shàft as the fly wheel of the
steam engine. By these cranks, and their connecting rods b, b, b, which are
joined to the two rods of the pump pistons at c, c, and d, the two pistons 1, 2,
are made to reciprocate from the middle of the barrel F to each end of it, so as
to force a constant stream into the air vessel E. The rod of piston 2 passes
through a stuffing box e, to keep it water-tight; and the rod of the piston 1
works through the rod of piston 2, with a stuffing box to keep it water-tight;
ff, are two parallel movements for keeping the two rods of the pistons in an
horizontal line during the time they are at work. It will be seen that by
this arrangement, while the fly wheel and cranks revolve, the connecting rods
will move the pistons 1, 2, from the middle of their barrel F to the ends of it,
and from the ends of the barrel they will both move at the same time towards
each other, and as the valves of both pistons open the same way, that is,
towards the air vessel, and one of the pistons is always moving towards it,

page_text: excepting at the moment when the stroke is returned, therefore there must
always be a quantity of water forcing into the air vessel during the time the
engine is at work. The air vessel is made the same in diameter at the bottom
of it as the pump barrel, and it should be made sufficiently capacious above.
to admit of as much water as the pistons force in at one stroke, without mate-
rially altering the bulk and pressure of the air contained therein after it is"
compressed to the elasticity intended to be used. Before the pump is set to
work, the air vessel is nearly full of air, but being air-tight when the pump is
working, the air in it will be compressed more or less, according to the power
of the engine and the area of the propelling pipes H, H. If the diameter of
these pipes be made small in proportion to the power of the engine, the air
will be compressed into comparatively little compass, and have greater elasti-
city, but if these tubes be large in proportion to the engine, the air will be
compressed but very little. It will be advisable to have a slide adapted to the
orifices of the propelling pipes, and then the elasticity of the air in the air
vessel may be regulated as required. The valves and pistons 1, 2, should of
course be so constructed as to allow the water to flow as freely as possible;
when the machinery is in action. the power by which the vessel moves forwards
will be according to the quantity of water drawn from the bows of the vessel, the
elastic force of the air contained in the reservoir, and the area of the orifices of
the propelling pipes. Whatever may be the elastic force per inch on the
interior of the air vessel, the same force per inch of the area of the propelling
tubes will be exerted on the interior ends of those tubes next the head of the
vessel, while the open orifices present no resistance. The vessel will therefore
move forward so long as the machinery is kept in action. And although we
have, for the sake of distinctness, described only two modes in which the im-
provements above specified may be carried into effect, and referred to only two
sets of tubes of each kind, and two condensing cisterns of certain specific pro-
portions, yet more condensing cisterns, of the same or of a similar description,
may be used; and a greater or smaller number of tubes variously disposed, with
ordinary stop-cocks, or other plugs different from those here described, well
known to engine makers, may be used, as well as more pumps than one and of
a different kind, and the relative proportions of all or any of these articles
may be varied accoding to the size and shape of the vessel, the uses to which
it is to be applied, and the velocity required. For example, in small vessels
intended to be used in canals, it may be expedient that the greater part of the
machinery should be upon deck, and the propelling tubes lead over the bow
outside of the vessel, and no machinery for giving such vessels sternway, or
making them otherwise change their position, will be requisite.

page_text: And the more fully to ascertain in what our said improvements consist, we
declare that we claim no particular part of the said machinery as new, but we
consider that the combination and application of the whole, producing a
constant powerful stream of water free from sudden jerks, and equalized and
enforced by a body of elastic fluid, constitutes considerable improvements in
the application of a power formerly known to the purpose of propelling vessels
floating in or upon water, which combination and application are new, and of
our Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Lilley and James Bristow Fraser,
have hereunto set our several and respective hands and seals, the eleventh
day of October, in the first year of the reign of His said most Excel-
lent Majesty George the Fourth, by the Grace of God of Great Britain
and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c., and in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty.