IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Southwood, of Penryn, in the County
of Cornwall, Civil Engineer, and Frederick Charles Mathews, of
Penzance, in the same County, Shipbuilder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS."
Sealed the 27th February 1874, and dated the 5th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Southwood
and Frederick Charles Mathews at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th December 1873.
We, WILLIAM SOUTHWOOD, of Penryn, in the County of Cornwall,
Civil Engineer, and FREDERICK CHARLES MATHEWS, of Penzance, in
the same County, Shipbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention has for its object the adaptation and application to ships
and other vessels of mechanism, by means of which a screw propeller is
or can be worked by the wind, and the combination therewith of
auxiliary steam power to work the same propeller during calms,

page_text: By means of the whole arrangement the agency of the wind can be
utilised to an increased extent without depending entirely on it as a
motive power.
The apparatus or mechanism for working the screw propeller through
the agency of the wind consists of frames or capstans mounted so as to
be capable of revolving on fixed upright masts or standards, such
capstans carrying pivoted frames covered with canvas or other suitable
material so as to present the required surface to the action of the wind.
The pivoted frames are carried between an upper and under capstan.
These pivoted frames are so arranged that when presented to the wind
at an angle to the direction in which it is blowing they become fixed by
means of a catch or stop. By this means the capstans will be carried
round until they reach the opposite side of the mast. The pivoted
frames are then caused to present their sides or edges to the wind by
one end working in a groove or against a guide until they arrive at the
point they originally started from, or until each pivoted frame becomes
fixed as before.
The groove or guide in or against which the said pivoted frames work
may be so arranged as to be under the control of a vane upon which the
wind acts, thereby keeping the said frames at all times at their proper
positions in relation to the wind.
The revolving motion of the bottom capstan is communicated by
means of a wheel and pinion and a pair of bevil wheels to the horizontal
shaft of the screw propeller, such wheel and pinion being of such
relative diameters as to increase the speed of the said horizontal shaft.
The auxiliary steam power for working the screw propeller when there
is no wind to drive it consists of an engine, which is connected to the
shaft of the said propeller when required to turn it, the shaft being at
other times free to turn independently of the engine. For this purpose
we prefer to use a rotary engine with two chambers for the steam in the
cylinder, which is admitted alternately into each chamber, thereby
keeping up a continued revolving motion without the aid of a fly
wheel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Southwood and Frederick Charles
Mathews in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, WILLIAM
SOUTHWOOD, of Penryn, in the County of Cornwall, Civil Engineer, and
FREDERICK CHARLES MATHEWS, of Penzance, in the same County, Ship-
builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Southwood and Frederick
Charles Mathews, Her special licence that we, the said William South-
wood and Frederick Charles Mathews, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Southwood and
Frederick Charles Mathews, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Southwood and
Frederick Charles Mathews, or one of us, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent:
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Southwood and Frederick-
Charles Mathews, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-

page_text: Cons for US object the adaptation and application to
ships and other vessels of mechanism by means of which a screw
propeller is or can be worked by the wind, and the combination there-
with of auxiliary steam power to work the same propeller during
calms.
By means of the whole arrangement the agency of the wind can be
utilized to an increased extent without depending entirely on it as a
motive power.
The apparatus or mechanism for working the screw propeller through
the agency of the wind consists of frames or capstans mounted so as to
be capable of revolving on fixed upright masts or standards (such
capstans carrying pivoted frames covered with canvas or other suitable
material) so as to present the required surface to the action of the
wind.
The pivoted frames are carried between an upper and under capstan.
These pivoted frames are so arranged that when presented to the wind at
an angle to the direction in which it is blowing they become held at that
angle by means of the guide for a portion of its travel, and when the
sail has travelled a given distance at that angle the guide causes it to
turn to a different angle and gradually to present its edge only to the
wind. The pivoted frames are then caused to present their sides or edges
to the wind by one end working in a groove or against a guide until
they arrive at the point they originally started from or until cach pivoted
frame becomes fixed as before.
The groove or guide in or against which the said pivoted frames work
may be so arranged as to be under the control of a vane, upon which
the wind acts, thereby keeping the said frames at all times at their
proper positions in relation to the wind.
:
The revolving motion of the capstan is communicated by means of a
wheel and pinion and a pair of bevil wheels to the horizontal shaft of
the screw propeller, such wheel and pinion being of such relative
diameters as to increase the speed of the said horizontal shaft.
The auxiliary steam power for working the screw propeller when there
is no wind to drive it consists of an engine, which is connected to the

page_text: shaft of the said propeller when required to turn it, the shaft being at
other times free to turn independently of the engine. For this purpose
we prefer to use a rotatory engine with two chambers for the steam
in the cylinder, which is admitted or otherwise into each chamber,
thereby keeping up a continued revolving motion without the aid of a
fly wheel.
The Invention will be well understood by the following detailed
description and the annexed Drawings, on which letters of reference are
marked :-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a screw propelled ship with our
Invention applied thereto, and Figure 2 is a plan of the same. A is the
hull, in the after part of which a propeller B is fitted in the usual
manner, but with a short length of shafting C, which can be turned in
any direction through shifting the reversing gear when the wind is
blowing by the pinion D, which is geared into by the toothed wheel E
upon a long length of shafting F, this being rotated by bevil gearing G
from one or from more than one series of canvas sails or sheets H
arranged in suitable framings above the deck I. The sail or sheet frames
are pivoted upon and between an upper and lower capstan, which are
fixed to hollow tubes revolving round the main masts J, the end of
which is firmly fixed in the bottom of the vessel A. The frames with
the sail sheets can move round the main masts J and rotate upon their
centres K under the action of the wind, and change their position from
edge to the wind to full surface to the wind, and again edge to the wind
in succession, the changes of exposed surface as well as the rotation
being effected by the wind, and guided by the ends of levers L riding in
curved races M of a guide upon a movable table N, which works upon
friction rollers fitted upon a platform above the deck. This table may be
turned from larboard to starboard, and vice versa, as the wind changes or
on at any point of the wind, and held there by catches or guides. Upon
the under side of this movable table N and attached thereto we arrange
chain or rope gearing or toothed wheels P, round which chains or ropes
Qare wound leading from a chain or toothed wheel R on the end of a
short shaft or spindle S, a toothed wheel on which is geared into by a
wheel T on a vane shaft U, the blade V of which as it is turned to
indicate the direction from which the wind is blowing acts upon the
wheels and chains Q, and consequently upon the curved place N, and
C

page_text: in any suitable manner, but we prefer to employ the rotatory auxiliary
engine shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings. Here the piston
is partitioned off by a ring f, and is provided with two lugs, against
which the steam acts in succession to turn it round, the cylinder being
stationary. To the outside of the cylinder we attach small check valve
cylinders g, g, the pistons of which are acted upon against one face to
draw the check valves back with the piston while the projection m is
passing them, and then to be pushed into contact again and be held
there until the projection m comes round again. The check valves
steam ports are covered and uncovered, also their exhauster by slide
valves in boxes h, h, the valves being actuated by pins on the ends of
their rods riding in grooves formed in cams i upon the main shaft j of
the engine, the steam inlets and exhausts ports of the main. piston being
opened and closed by other valves worked from different grooves in the
same cams, as will be seen in Figure 4, the exhauster being always
open.
In the event of the screw being disabled all the sails may be made
fast to the guide at a proper angle to the wind, and caused to present
themselves to the wind at any point of the compass by the action of the
turntable or tables, or guides, as in Figure 6.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim,-
First. The combination and use of top and bottom capstans, between
which we fix upright frames and sails (acted upon by a guide table, as
shown), the said sails and capstans being caused to revolve round a
stationary or fixed mast by means of the wind through the agency of a
tube and gearing, revolving a screw, as herein described, for the purpose
of propelling ships or vessels.
"
Secondly. We claim the guide plate and table, as shown in Figure 6,
in combination with the top and bottom capstans and sails, as herein
described, when the sails are not required to revolve round a fixed mast,
but to move only so far as may be required to adjust their sails to the
wind for the purpose of propelling ships and vessels.
Thirdly. We claim the arrangement of apparatus for winding and
unwinding upright sails, as herein described, for the purpose of propelling

page_text: Fourthly. We claim the making and using a steam engine as an
auxiliary containing a division in the cylinder, as herein described, for
the purpose set forth of propelling vessels or ships.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Southwood, for myself
and on behalf of the said Frederick Charles Mathews, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.