Improvements in Gun Boats.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Boats.
I, HENRY SAMUEL ATKINSON of High Street, Much Wenlock, in the County
of Shropshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be
as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in gun boats which are applicable
for other purposes and are specially adapted for use on shallow rivers where only
a very small draft is available on account of the shallowness of the water but
they are of course not confined in their use to shallow water. My invention is
as follows:-
My gun boats may be driven by steam or other motive power but I am about
to describe those as driven by steam power. My boat consists essentially of two
narrow hulls fixed at a certain distance apart and parallel to each other so that a
space exists between the two. In this space I mount two paddle wheels or their
equivalents. One paddle or propellor wheel is at or near the stern and the other
about one third of the length of the boat measured from the bows or thereabouts.
I mount a platform or lower deck behind the foremost paddle wheel upon which
the engine or engines are fixed. The engines are of the high pressure compound
type or tripple expansion engines, but these would be designed to suit each
particular boat whether of the kind mentioned or of the other types of engines.
In any case the back paddle wheel is coupled to the front one by two shafts
running longitudinally down each of the small hulls composing the one boat and
by mitre wheels at each end. By this arrangement I can in case of accident or
need, uncouple either wheel and drive the boat from one wheel only. My boiler
or boilers are fixed on a low platform at the front of the forward paddle wheel so
that the centre of gravity is very low. These low platforms may be continued any
convenient distance fore and aft and at such a height as to well clear the rough
water as it is driven behind the front wheel. Another deck or decks may be
erected over the engines and boilers and guns may be carried either on the upper
or lower decks or upon both. These boats may be built of steel, aluminium
or other suitable metal or material the whole being well braced together by the
lower decks and cross bracings.
Dated this 27th day of January 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE
Improvements in Gun Boats.
1, HENRY SAMUEL ATKINSON of High Street, Much Wenlock in the County
of Shropshire Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object improvements in gun boats which are applicable

page_text: for other purposes and are specially adapted for use on shallow rivers where only
a very small draft is available on account of the shallowness of the water but
they are of course not confined in their use to shallow water. My invention is
as follows:-
My gun boats may be driven by steam or other motive power but I am about
to describe those as driven by steam power. My boat consists essentially of two
narrow hulls fixed at a certain distance apart and parallel to each other so that a
space exists between the two. In this space I mount two paddle wheels or their
equivalents. One paddle or propellor wheel is at or near the stern and the other
above, one third of the length of the boat measured from the bows or thereabouts.
I mount a platform or lower deck behind the foremost paddle wheel upon which
the engine or engines are fixed. These engines are of the high pressure compound
type or triple expansion engines but these would be designed to suit each particular
boat whether of the kind mentioned or of other types of engines. In any case the
back paddle wheel is coupled to the front one by two shafts running longitudinally
one down each of the small hulls composing the une boat and by mitre wheels at
each end. By this arrangement 1 can in case of accident or need uncouple either
wheel and drive the bont from one wheel only. My boiler or boilers are fixed on
a low platform at the front of the forward paddle wheel so that the centre of
gravity is very low. These low platforms may be continued any convenient
distance fore and aft and at such a height as to well clear the rough water as it is
driven behind the front wheel. Another deck or decks may be erected over the
engines and boilers and guns may be carried either on the upper or lower decks
or upon both. These boats may be built of steel, aluminium, or other suitable
metal or material the whole being well braced together by the lower decks and
cross bracings.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings upon which
I have illustrated an example of one of my boats of special construction with its
low set platforms or decks for carrying the engines and boilers and for otherwise
working the boat.
Figure 1 is a side or longitudinal elevation of one of my boats without the upper
deck shown.
Figuro 2 is a plan of one of my boats as shown at Figure 1 in elevation.
Figure 3 is a cross sectional elevation on the line 1-2 Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a cross sectional elevation on the line 3-4 looking to the right
hand.
Figure 5 is a diagram view of the driving shaft and gear placed in a different
position to that shown by Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal elevation showing the lower decks Y and Z more
clearly extending across the two hulls B1 and B2.
My gun boats are composed of two hulls B1 and B2 connected together by lower
decks or platforms Y and Z which extend any convenient distance fore and aft of
the boat and are designed to carry the engines at Y and the boiler or boilers at Z
so as to distribute the weights as near the centre of the boat as possible. The
engines and boilers may be of any desired type suitable for the purpose. My
paddles are placed in two positions as shown, viz., the one M forward of the centre
and the one N at the stern. These paddle wheels are driven by two longitudinal
shafts, S, S which are connected at one end to the shafts S1 and S2 and at the
other end to the shafts S and S. The middle portions S, S are driven from the
engine by a main or supplemental shaft by either spur or bevel or mitre wheels or
by chains and sprocket wheels. By means of the couplings ", and I am
enabled to run either both paddles M and N together driven by both side shafts or
driven by one side shaft only and in the same manner I may disconnect either
wheel and drive only one wheel which is a most convenient arrangement in case of
accident or in case any portion should be destroyed in action. In Figures 1 and 2
the shafts are shown on a level with the axles of the paddle wheels but I may

page_text: arrange them at or near the bottom of each hull B1 and B2 as shown by the
diagram Figure 5 in which the vertical or diagonal shafts s" and 12 transfer the
power from the driving shafts to the wheels W whether bevel or mitre wheels.
The shafts S, S S1, S2, S3, and S are so set in their plummer blocks P that they
are all capable of running independently of each other. The assumed water line
for the purpose of this particular explanation is E from which it will be seen that
such boats are capable of navigating very shallow rivers. My arrangement of
low decks in combination with two hulls connected together such for instance as B¹
and B2 enables me to mount the engines and boilers very low in the boat. In
some cases however parts of the machinery and boilers may be carried into y¹
or 2. Not only is the centre of gravity kept low but opportunity is afforded to
lightly plate the outside of the hulls to protect the engines and boilers and
batteries in case of action I may mount the heavier guns on the lower decks and
the lighter ones on the upper decks U.
It will be obvious that I may connect the two hulls B1 and B' by one deck or
platform instead of two as shown and the two hulls would be braced and stiffened
together by straight or curved cross girders and bracings according to the size of
the boat which will be well understood by boat builders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The improvements in gun boats and other similar light river craft consisting
of two hulls B and B brought together to form one complete hull B with the paddle
wheels M and N mounted between the two and having the lower deck or decks Y
and Z or either uniting the two together upon which the engines and boilers may
be fixed and the guns worked substantially as herein set forth and as shown upon
the drawings by Figures 1 to 6 inclusive.
2nd. In such like boats as set forth in compressed form by claiming Clause 1
the particular modes of arranging the shafting and gear so that one or both the
paddle wheels may be worked at once by one or two driving shafts with their
connections and driven substantially as herein before described and as shown upon
the drawings.
Dated this 5th day of March 1896.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.