IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1841

page_text: SHALL COME, I, OWEN
WILLIAMS, of Basing Lane, London, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of August, in the Fifth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Owen
Williams, her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,,
the said Owen Williams, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Owen Williams, my exors, admors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,.
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my,
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS;". in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Owen Williams, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
Owen Williams, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: (that is to say)-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING MARKED A.
Figure 1 represents part of a section of a steamboat, having propellers
applied thereto according to the first part of my Invention.
Figure 2 represents a side view of the same parts. a is part of the main
or driving shaft, turning in bearings b, b, there being two cranks c formed
thereon, to give motion to the two propellers d, d. These two propellers are
affixed to rods e, e, which pass through guides f.f, and slide freely through
those guides. The guides f, f, turn in bearings, in order to allow of the rods
e, e, assuming the various angular positions caused by the revolution of the
cranks c, c, the rods e being-connected to-the cranks c, c, as is shown; and it
will be seen that each rod e moves on and through its guide, the guide acting
as a fulcrum to a sliding lever; and it will be evident that the angle of the
propellors entering and leaving the water may be varied by a change in the
lengths of the cranks, or by varying the position of the guides f. In applying
this arrangement of propellers to vessels, I usually place two on each side of
the same vessel; but that number may be varied.
What I claim as the first part of my Invention is the mode of combining
the parts c, f, e, d, as above described.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which is
shown in the Drawing marked B.
Figure 1 represents the stern of a vessel having this part of my Invention
applied thereto. Figure 2 represents part of a side view of the vessel and
machinery. This part of my Invention has for its object the application of
machinery to vessels, in order to take advantage of the rolling and pitching
motion of a vessel, and of the motion of the waves, in order to obtain power
to propel a vessel. a, a, represent two surfaces which are connected by pin
joints to the rods b, b, such rods being retained to move vertically by the
parallel rods c, c. The rods b, b, pass into the vessel, and are caused to work
pumps, as is shown, in order to raise water, and force it through openings
below the water line of the vessel, and by such means to propel the vessel;
or the rods 6 may be caused to put paddlewheels or other propellers into
motion by introducing any suitable gearing or connecting machinery between
the propellers and the rods b. This part of my Invention simply relating to the
means of obtaining power to propel a vessel, it will not be necessary to shew
how that power is to be applied.' And I would remark, that although I have

page_text: shown the acting or floating surfaces a, a, as being below the water, there
may be floating surfaces placed on the surface of the water in connection with
suitable mechanism for driving propelling machinery, such surfaces when
placed on the water being buoyant. And although I have shewn the
improvement as applied to the stern of the vessel, the same may be applied to
other convenient parts.
What I claim as the second part of my Invention is the mode of propelling
vessels by obtaining power by the motion of a vessel and by the motion of
the waves.
In witness whereof, I, the said Owen Willians, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.