IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATING FLUIDS, AND IN MEANS, MODES, AND PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH; THE INVENTION BEING ALSO IN PART APPLICABLE FOR BLOWERS, AND FOR RAISING AND PREVENTING THE SINKING OF VESSELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Wellesley Lake, of 21, Addison Gardens North,
in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATING FLUIDS, AND IN MEANS, MODES, AND PROCESSES
CONNECTED THEREWITH; THE INVENTION BEING ALSO IN PART APPLICABLE
FOR BLOWERS, AND FOR RAISING AND PREVENTING THE SINKING OF
VESSELS."-A communication from abroad by Thaddeus Hyatt, of the city,
County, and State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Wellesley Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1882.
ARTHUR WELLESLEY LAKE of 21 Addison Gardens North in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATING FLUIDS AND IN
MEANS, MODES AND PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH; THE INVENTION BEING
ALSO IN PART APPLICABLE FOR BLOWERS AND FOR RAISING AND PREVENTING
THE SINKING OF VESSELS A communication from abroad by Thaddeus Hyatt of
the City County and State of New York United States of America.
"
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus or machinery for locomoting
fluids; to wit for producing locomotion through air and water, and in means,
modes, and processes connected therewith, the same being in part also applicable as
Blowers" and as "Camels" for raising sunken vessels, and to prevent vessels
from sinking.
"
My invention as to the air is based on my discovery of the Law, in virtue of
which flying creatures are enabled though heavier than air, to rise and float in
it; viz the lifting and supporting power of wind or air in motion as a current or
breeze, flotation being the condition precedent to flight.
My invention as to water is based on my discovery of the true law of propulsion
through fluids, to wit. Sliding Pressure upon variable inclines regulated by the
speed of the body moved.

page_text: Birds traverse the air by their own weight upon outstretched wings in descending
planes being sustained on their wings as a man is by a parachute. Birds also sail
through the air upon horizontal planes being impelled thereupon by wind pressure
against their wings set as sails obliquely, or at an angle with the horizon. Birds
also float bigh up in the air and apparently motionless but sustained upon
unperceived air currents that hold them as a pea may be held motionless in the air
at the end of a pipe stem by the air current of a boy's breath. Like insects, birds
propel themselves through the air by the fanning action of their wings which drive
the air backwards. Insects having but little weight are under the necessity of
using their wings constantly as propellers as well as supporters or floats, not being
able like birds to sail by their weight or hold themselves poised against the
currents of the air, in this respect resembling balloons. From whence it follows
that men, and vessels in the air containing men will be more powerful than the
largest birds and proportionately defy the severest gales. The play of the wind
against the oblique sails of a vessel diverges it from its course, but the play of the
wind against a bird's wings set obliquely that is to say at an incline to a
horizontal plane produces forward motion in the direction or face of the wind, the
weight of the bird preventing the wind from driving it upward. In the water,
fishes move by the convolution of body and tail, the propelling force being the
result of self lubricated sliding inclined surfaces produced by the convolutions, the
angles of the inclines being instinctively determined by the creature with reference
to its applied power and rate of speed at the moment, the pressure surfaces are
therefore variable inclines, the pitch of which is determined by the power regulated
or governed by the speed. In water the conditions for the flotation of heavy
bodies exist. But in still air they must be created.
Air-currents or winds are the conditions required to float bodies heavier than
the air, the density of the fluid being practically in proportion to its rate of speed
or the violence of the wind, tornadoes lift rocks and houses. The method to make
flying possible, consists in an apparatus not to change the relative weight of the
creature but to practically change the relative density of the air Wings are wind
generators producing a flow of air from the front to the rear of the creature which
lifts it on the first effect the angle of inclination to a horizontal plane made by the
birds' combined body and wings determining the amount of lifting power required;
bats with their imperfect apparatus rise upon a very easy ascent from the earth,
requiring but little power, but birds rise more sharply When a bird flaps his
wings vigorously, as a pigeon does when frightened and in a hurry to mount, the
in-flowing air current is practically in the form of an enclosing air column or
cylinder the longitudinal axis of which is substantially coincident with the
longitudinal axis of the body of the bird, the length of the birds wings determining
the diameter of the air column and hence its lifting power, this power being in
proportion to the cubical contents of the column and this being dependent upon
the diameter. Doubling the length of a birds wings gives him therefore four times
the power and so on increasingly as are the squares of surface and consequent
cubical contents of the air column.
In Water Locomotion the propellers ordinarily employed are known as screw
propellers the blades of which are rigid and permanent hence wasting power;
often breaking and always liable to be dragged through the water during some
portion of the revolutions of the screw. My invention is not a screw but a wheel
armed with yielding pressure blades or fans the axis of the wheel lying parallel
with the longitudinal axis of the boat in manner like the screw the blades or fans
when the wheel is at rest standing at right angles to its face but so attached to the
arms of the wheel by means of springs or made to be elastic in themselves by their
own construction or the material from which they are formed as that upon the
revolution of the wheel, they shall yield sufficiently in their resistance to the water
to become inclined and thus press against it as sliding inclined surfaces analogous
to the inclined sliding surfaces of the fish made by his convolutions governed and
regulated like those of the fish. I propose to make this wheel of the size of ordinary

page_text: paddle wheels, and to place it at the stern of the vessel but it may be smaller and
submerged like the screw. The fans are so attached as to be capable of being
reversed to the opposite face of the wheel to produce a reverse effect as in backing
the vessel, the nature of this propeller being such that with the fans upon one face
of the wheel the propulsion is uniformly in one direction regardless of whether the
wheel is revolved to the right hand or the left and upon the other face a like effect
n the opposite direction. To distinguish this propeller from the screw I have
named it the Fan Propeller.
The ideal form of a fish seems to be that of a double wedge of four sides, the
angles being taken off the sides being unequal. A form of this kind where the
four sides are equal produces when the angles are removed at the centre a perfect
circle with receding elipses to the right and left of the middle line the elipses
becoming flatter until they terminate in a straight line at either end one standing
cross wise to the other.
This form I consider to be the form of least resistance for cleaving the water
and the perfect ideal form for a boat.
1
LUBRICATING THE IMMERSED SURFACES.
Inasmuch as a very large percentage of the motive power employed to drive
steamers is taken up by the friction of the vessel against the water. I propose in
imitation of nature to lubricate the vessel it being probably cheaper to oil the hull
and the pressure surfaces than to oil the machinery I propose to arrange suitable
troughs or reservoirs containing oil at given points around the vessel either within
or without provided with automatic feeders to allow a proper flow of the oil down-
wards in an enveloping sheet over the entire submerged portion of the hull of the
vessel to keep it constantly lubricated and upon the Fan propeller a similar method
to lubricate the fans.
RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.
To raise a sunken vessel I construct a float or frame armed with the fan pro-
pellers located at various points and so arranged as to act vertically or in a vertical
or partially vertical direction against the water so as to produce a lifting effect
upon the frame or float, this float being intended to accomplish the work of a
"camel "
I propose to either lower the float to the wreck, or locate it over it,
connecting the two by suitable attachments in such a way that by a partial
submergence and successful "bites" of the float upon the wreck the revolution of
the fan propellers shall by their lifting power bring the wreck to the surface. To
prevent vessels from sinking I locate a suitable number of the fan propellers at
various points within the hull of the vessel at the sides, so boxed and connected
with the outward sea that upon the vessel springing a leak and the fan propellers
being set in revolution their vertical pressure against the sea shall prevent all
tendency of the vessel to sink, the philosophy being that it is better to keep the
sea out than to bail or pump it out.
The wings of flying creatures whether insect, bat, or bird fan the air backwards
both by their up and down strokes thus producing a constant current of air that
flows from the front to the rear of the creature; this breeze or air current pro-
ducing flotation, at the same time that the fanning movement of the wings produces
propulsion.
Insects however and humming birds poise or hold themselves as it were at rest
in the air by a rapid shifting of their wings in a way to produce a balance of

page_text: "
"
forces as though the creature were located at the centre of a sphere and fanned the
air in all directions from this centre. The wings of all flying creatures are made
to approach the air as nearly as possible in their specific gravity the resistance of
the air being great or small in proportion as the wing is light or heavy a heavy
wing being useless as it would cut through the air without resistance. The defect
in almost or quite all the blowers in use for driving air into mines or blast
furnaces is that they are made without reference to this cardinal principle of
nature. The construction of blowers upon this principle forms a part of my
invention. In constructing such a blower I use a hub or revolving centre having
spokes or arms to which I attach fans or wings made preferably by stretching
calico or other light and strong material or membrane upon a flexible frame made
of steel or other strong material adapted to the purpose, the fans being so curved
and set upon the wheel as to blow or fan the air in the direction required.
Ordinary blowers being constructed to work centrifugally the air is taken in at
the hub or centre and hence requires boxing but my blower being a revolving
wing and working according to the principle of wings does not need boxing but
may be connected with a conductor or funneled pipe when found necessary to lead
it as a blast. This blower I call a Revolving Wing Propeller which when employed
for air navigation I construct as follows viz.-three or more main stems at equal
distances apart are made to project from a common hub, like spokes. These steins
are strong light and flexible being like reeds largest at the base.
For a wing I employ several reeds to form one of the spokes or stems bunching
them together at the hub and radiating them from thence as supports at regular
intervals to support the wing surface or membrane the ends of the reeds being
curved backwards to produce the back flowing air current. In constructing the
machine I make first a float which consists of a body which is long and slender
made somewhat in the form of a dragon fly which I term the float or fly. This
fly is attached by suitable means to a platform or car which carries the motive
power and the person or persons to be carried. The fly is so connected with the
platform as to be readily adjusted to any angle in accordance with the line of flight
on which it is intended to rise The fly carries the wings or propellers and I
propose to likewise attach one or more horizontal sails arranged to swivel so as to
be easily inclined to any required angle.
In some cases I employ but one revolving wing propeller located at the head of
the fly, in other cases I locate an extra one at the tail; in other cases I arrange a
number of propellers along the length of the fly one behind the other at intervals
upon each side of the body of the fly
The Breezes or air currents produced by the propellers are made to produce
flotation and propulsion by their action against the inclined horizontal sail or sails
and where more than one sail is employed they are arranged one above the other
in parallel horizontal planes at suitable distances apart each sail being arranged
to swivel and be inclined at any desired angle. A single propeller is adapted to
two sails; one at the axis line and another above it in line with the top of the
propeller but by placing a second propeller below the first another pair of sails may
be employed and increased lifting power gained thereby a third propeller below
the second and another pair of sails, still increasing the lifting power of the float
or fly and so on increasingly according to the number of propellers and sails.
In some cases I provide the fly with reciprocating wings in pairs of two or
more attached to the sides of the long body; the revolution of the wing propeller
at the head of the fly producing flotation and the beating of the wings propelling
the fly.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Arthur Wellesley Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1882.
ARTHUR WELLESLEY LAKE of 21 Addison Gardens, North, in the County of
Middlesex IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATING FLUIDS, AND IN
MEANS, MODES, AND PROCESSES CONNECTED THEREWITH: THE INVENTION BEING
ALSO IN PART APPLICABLE FOR BLOWERS AND FOR RAISING AND PREVENTING
THE SINKING OF VESSELS,-A communication from abroad by Thaddeus Hyatt of
the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
:
The said Invention as to Navigating the air is based on my discovery of the law in
virtue of which flying creatures though heavier than air, are able to rise and float
in it; viz the lifting and supporting power of wind or air in motion: flotation
being the condition precedent to flight: My invention, as an Apparatus, is a winged
wheel or propeller; the wings, 3 or more in number, constituting as a whole, a
Rotating Wing or Fanning Wheel, the primary object of which, with reference to
the navigation of the air, is to produce a Vacuum or tendency to vacuum by rapid
revolution; the wing-surface for this purpose being relatively small; but, like the
wings of such insects as dragon flies, bees, and wasps, worked at a high rate of
speed this construction giving to navigation of the air power over the winds of
the atmosphere, instead of being subject to them like kites; for I hold that the
failure of mankind through all past ages, in their attempts to fly, has arisen from
their imitation of bird-flying where the birds sail upon natural winds: whereas
the essence of true flying consists in upholding one's self in the air (as the bee
does) by the wind of one's own creation.
The wings of all flying creatures, in their specific gravity, approach the specific
gravity of the atmosphere as nearly as possible; the object of their movement
being to produce resistance; the amount of resistance being in proportion to the
inability of the wing to cut through the air. Imitating Nature, I construct iny
Fanning-wheel or Rotary-wing of materials, having, for their strength, the least
specific gravity.
"
This Fanning-wheel I propose to employ as a substitute for "Wind Engines
and "wind mills "-and as a substitute for "fan-blowers" for all purposes where
wind-power-or an air-blast is required, or an exhaust is needed, for ventilation or
for supplying air to fires, or otherwise.
The Invention as to water, is based on my discovery of the true law of
propulsion through that element-viz: the sliding pressures of inclined planes
varied automatically in obedience to the combined speed and momentum of the
body moved by them.
Water animals are created somewhat heavier than the fluid to be able to cleave
it readily. Were they materially heavier or lighter they would need greater motive
force than they possess: steam boilers are not usually surrounded with cold water
to increase their effectiveness; on the contrary, the best non-conductors are employed
to prevent undue waste of their energy: hence the specific gravity of water-
inhabitants has reference to the conducting power of the water in which they are
immersed their motive force is small, and they need but little for locomotion.
Whales though "warm blooded" move through the water usually at the rate of
only four to five miles an hour; birds on the contrary move through the air at the
rate of from 20 to 40 miles an hour; and birds in addition to their non-conducting
clothing of feathers are immersed in air which of itself is a good non-conductor.
Bees and creatures similarly constructed are able to float themselves in still air

page_text: upon winds made by the rapid beating of their own wings: but birds in general,
because of their relatively great weight in comparison to their motive force, are
under the necessity of relying mainly upon the natural winds of the firmament :-
the flotation of heavy birds in still air is obtained by occasional vigorous flapping
combined with gliding. The gliding of a bird through the air is flotation produced
by the weight of the creature acting as projectile force; were the air to move
under the bird with the same velocity, the bird might stand still; for the velocity
of air in motion is equivalent to density: wind is therefore the first necessity for
aerial locomotion, as it practically increases the density of the atmosphere and
makes the flotation of heavy bodies possible in it.
My invention of an apparatus for navigating the air is therefore such an
arrangement of wings or fans as enables me to produce the greatest amount of
wind at the least expenditure of power. Wings or fans made of metal can only
be supposed to be adapted to an atmosphere at least of the practical density of
water, or greater: that is to say air made practically dense by reason of the
velocity of its movement; consequently where this practical density of the atmo-
sphere is required to be produced by the fanning action of wings, such wings, if
made of metal, would require to be moved at a rate of speed far beyond what
would be required of wings made of light materials in imitation of Nature: and
such increased rate of speed for the metallic wings or fans means increase of power
and consequent cost: hence my invention of the Fanning-Wheel as a substitute for
fan-blowers" is the substitution of an economical for a wasteful apparatus-And
inasmuch as water is a fluid equally with air my apparatus effects in the water as
a substitute for "screw-propellers" an equal economy for the navigation of vessels
through that fluid; the action of the fanning-wheel in the water being practically
or substantially of the same character as in the air.
With reference to the atmosphere, the principle which I have discovered will
make its navigation possible-this principle being that to be able to navigate the
air, we must first work a change in its density-and that this change consists in
compelling it to move with a velocity equivalent to a density sufficient to float the
person or vessel in it and my fanning wheel or apparatus is the instrument
employed by me in reducing to practice the principle which I bave discovered, and
which I call the Insect principle of flying.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1. represents a Fanning-wheel-A'. the wings or fans, attached to the
hub B, which is fastened to the shaft C, which runs through the body D, within
which it turns upon suitable bearings in which it rests-a. b. c. are the frame
pieces of the wing to which the surface covering is attached.
Figure 2, is a front elevation of the wheel.
Figures 3 is a plan and 4 a side view representing the application of the fanning
wheels to a vessel for navigating the air, D. the body of the flying machine which
carries the fanning-wheels, and E. the platform for motive power and passengers
carried below the flying body as the heavy body of a bird is suspended below its
wings. G. is the motive power, connected with the shaft C, by the rod r,
When the wheel is at rest, the wings stand at right angles to the face of the
wheel as represented in Figure 2, the edges of the wings being all that shew in the
drawing.
The fanning wheel A¹ located at the front of the machine is designed to produce
flotation, and for this reason is of larger diameter than the four smaller wheels
behind it placed two on each side of the body D.-These side wheels are designed
to revolve in opposite directions; A" A" revolving from the body D. on the one
side and A³ A³ revolving from the body D, on the other side. By this arrange-
ment an equal number of fans or wings are constantly pressing downward as
inclined planes against the air upon each side of the vessel simultaneously; the
more powerful wheel A', at the front of the machine furnishing to the smaller rear

page_text: ones an atmosphere of greater density for them to act in as propellers, than would
be the case but for this disposition of the wheels. The front large wheel A¹ I call the
Flotation fanning wheel; and the rear ones I call the Propelling fanning-wheels.
METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE FANNING WHEEL.
The frame pieces a. b. c. in imitation of the bones and quills of birds wings I
make of hardened rubber and hollow; in shape resembling reeds, largest at the
butt and tapering to fine ends. These tapering tubes may all spring from the
hub B. or the largest one a of the set may be made to carry the others. For a
membranous covering I prefer to employ silk. I attach the wings to the hub in
such wise that upon the shaft C. revolving each wing surface shall automatically
adapt itself to the air-pressure created by the revolution of the wheel, and thus
press against the air at an incline proportioned always to the power applied as
affected by the momentum of the travelling body impelled.
The hub to which the wings are attached may also be made of hardened
rubber.
The body D. I propose to also make hollow and of hardened rubber.
All the fanning wheels are attached to the body in a workmanlike manner: and
the attachment of the flying body to the platform E. is so contrived as to allow of
its adjustment to any desired incline for easy flotation and propulsion upward.
Having thus fully described and illustrated my Invention-what I claim and
desire to secure by Letters Patent, is :-
First: The mode or process of floating heavy bodies in the atmosphere by
practically changing the density of the air in manner substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth and illustrated
Second-The mode or process of navigating the air on the Insect principle,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and illustrated.
Third: A Fanning-wheel as a new manufacture or machine and its application
to air and water as a substitute for wind-engines or "mills" for fan-blowers: for
Bcrew-propellers; and for other apparatus or machines for moving and producing
movement and locomotion in fluids, substantially as and for the purposes herein
set forth and illustrated. In witness whereof I the said Arthur Wellesley Lake
have hereunto set my hand and seal this fourteenth day of September 1882.