CERTAIN IMPROVED MACHINERY, SUITABLE FOR APPLYING POWER TO COMMUNICATE LOCOMOTION TO BODIES REQUIRED TO BE MOVED ON LAND OR WATER
Year: 1841

page_text: DAVIES' SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
DAVIES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Ninth day of November, in the fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Davies, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Henry Davies, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Henry Davies, my executors,
administrators, 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
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her
Majesty's.. Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVED
MACHINERY, SUITABLE FOR APPLYING POWER TO COMMUNICATE LOCOMOTION TO BODIES
REQUIRED TO BE MOVED ON LAND OR WATER;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said -Henry Davies, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW KE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Davies, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say): :-
I will first described one of my improved arrangements of machinery
for applying power to communicate locomotion to boats or other vessels
requiring to be moved on canals and certain rivers. This arrangement
is shewn in Sheets 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings. It consists in
the employment of a locomotive carriage, running upon the ordinary towing
path of a canal or river, motion being communicated to this carriage from
a motive force contained in the boat or other vessel, which is connected
with the carriage by means of an endless
rope of...
or band through which the
motive force is conducted, and the carriage acting as a tug to draw forward
the boat with which it is connected. Figures 1 and 2 in Sheet One repre-
sent this arrangement in side elevation and in plan view complete. Figure 1,
Sheet 2, represents a side elevation, partly in section, of a mast and driving
pulley carried by the boat. Figure 2 is an end elevation, and Fig. 3 is a
plan or top view of the same. Figure 4 is a side elevation of the loco-
motive carriage or tug. Figure 5, a view of the left-hand end of the same.
Figure 6 is a plan or top view. Figure 7 is a longitudinal vertical section,
and Figure 8 a transverse vertical section; in all of which Figures similar
letters and figures are used to denote the like parts. The general arrange-
ment is shewn in Sheet 1, on which the mast with the driving pulley, &c.
are shewn at A, and the locomotive carriage or tug at B. The mast a, a,
is represented in Sheet 2 as a hollow pillar, through which a driving shaft
b, b, is passed, turning in a socket c, c. The shaft b, b, may be actuated by means
of a steam-engine, placed in any convenient part of the boat. The upper end
of this shaft carries a pulley d, d, around which is passed an endless rope
e, e, e, e; this rope is passed around the lower groove of the pulley d, d, at
e", and from thence around an inclined guide pulley f, which pulley turns
freely on a bracket affixed to the mast. From this guide pulley the rope e, e,
passes back to the main pulley d, d, passing this time around the upper
groove thereof, as shewn at e', from whence it extends to the locomotive
carriage or tug on the towing path of the canal or river, and passing around
the upper groove of a pulley 9, g, mounted thereon, over an inclined guide
pulley h, and from thence around the lower groove of the pulley 9, 9, back
to the pulley d, d, at e², and by these means rotatory motion will be commu-
nicated to the pulley g, g, of the locomotive carriage or tug.

page_text: I will now proceed to state the means by which such motion is transferred
to the driving wheels of the locomotive carriage or tug. The pulley g, g, is
mounted upon a shaft i, i, turning in a socket, formed in an arched support
j,j, attached to the framework of the carriage. At the lower end of the
shaft i, i, is mounted a bevilled pinion k, taking into a bevilled wheel 1, 1,
which is mounted on the axis of the driving wheels m, m, but turns loosely
thereon. This axis marked n, n, n, n*, is hollow, and is divided into two
parts, which turn in bearings o, o, affixed to the framework of the carriage,
and they are supported in the direction of their length by means of a spindle
p, p, which passes through the two parts, and is retained in its proper.
position by means of a head and cotter as shewn in the Drawing. An
opening q, q, is formed through the bevilled wheel 1, 1, through which a
bevilled. piniour, r, mounted on a short shaft s, extends. This shaft turns
in bearings s*, s*, affixed to the bevilled wheel 1, 1, and consequently revolves
therewith around the axis n, n, of the driving wheels (but is also capable
of turning upon its own axis s, at right angles to the axis of the driving
wheels); upon this axis are affixed the two bevilled wheels t, t, which
take into the teeth of the bevilled pinion r on each side thereof. By
this arrangement, on motion being communicated to the pulley g, g,
the bevilled pinion k will cause the bevilled wheel to revolve upon the
axis n, n, carrying with it in its revolution the pinion r, which, being
in gear with the bevilled wheels t, t, will cause them also to revolve,
and these being fast upon the axis n, n³, give motion to the driving
wheels m, m, of the locomotive carriage or tug; and in order that this action
should cause the locomotive carriage or tug to move in a forward direction,
it is necessary that the connection between the pulley 9, 9, and the driving
wheels should be such as will provide for the periphery of the latter revolving
at a velocity not exceeding one-half the velocity of the periphery of the
former. Such an arrangement of connection is shewn in the Drawings.
Forward motion being thus given to the locomotive carriage or tug, the boat
is also drawn forward by means of the endless towing rope e, e, e, e. The front
part of the locomotive carriage or tug is provided with a central guide wheel
u, u, mounted in an arm which turns in a socket v, v, attached to the frame-
work of the carriage; the upper end of this arm is provided with a handle w,
capable of being turned by a man sitting upon the framework of the
carriage in order to guide it along the towing path of the canal or river.
It will be understood by the description before given, that the arrangement
of the pinion r, and the bevilled wheels t, t, mounted on hollow axes on
which the driving wheels are carried, provides for either of these driving

page_text: wheels being caused to revolve without necessarily giving motion to the
other. This arrangement provides great facility for guiding the carriage, as
when the guide wheel u is brought into action, either of the driving wheels
is capable of running faster than the other, as may be requisite to give
the proper direction to the carriage. It will occasionally be necessary that the
cord e, e, should be disengaged from the pullies d or g; to insure its being
returned to the grooves of the pulley 9, 9, (when it has been disengaged from
this pulley, or has become slackened between the pully and the boat,) two arms
y, y, are attached to a socket which turns upon the upper part z of the arched
support, j; upon these arms are affixed the forks 11, through which the
endless corde, e, passes, by which means it is prevented from falling beneath
the edge of the pulley g, g. By the arms y, y, turning upon the upper part
of the arched support j, j, the forks 11 are accommodated to any position of the
endless cord when in operation. From the mast b, b, a bracket 4, 4, projects;
upon its outward end an arm 5 turning upon a centre pin is mounted; this
arm carries a roller 6, which is caused to press by means of a weighted cord 7
against the endless towing cord e, e. The action of this roller assists in
preventing the pulley from revolving without giving motion to the endless
towing cord.
I will secondly describe another of my improved arrangements of machinery
for applying power to communicate locomotion to boats or other vessels
requiring to be moved on water. This arrangement is shewn in Sheet 3 of
the accompanying Drawings. Figure 1 is a front elevation; Figure 2, an end
view of the same, the driving wheels being removed; Figure 3 is a partial
section taken in the line a, b, in Figure 2; and Figure 3 is a partial front view
of the machinery. Certain blades or propellors are shewn at a, a, a, mounted
between two rings b, b, within which they are capable of turning around
centre pins c, c, c. The rings b, b, are provided with arms b*, bx, which are
mounted fast upon the shaft d, d, d, and consequently revolve therewith.
e, e, e, arc arms fixed on a centre ex, ex, which revolves on an eccentric 1,
which eccentric revolves on the shaft d, making one revolution thereon during
the time that the shaft d with the rings b, b, make two revolutions. The
outer ends of the arms e, e, e, are connected with short cranks f, f, f, which
cranks are fixed on the centre pins c, c, c, of the blades or propellors a, a, a.
On the driving shaft d, d, is affixed a toothed wheel i, taking into a similar
toothed wheel h, mounted on the shaft g, g. j, j, is another toothed wheel, of
smaller diameter, also mounted on the shaft g, g, and taken into a toothed
wheel (having twice the diameter of the wheel j) mounted upon the boss of
the eccentric, by which arrangement it will be perceived that a rotatory motion

page_text: being communicated to the driving shaft d, d, the rings 6, 6, and the blades
or propellors a, a, a, will be caused to revolve; at the same time the shaft g
will be driven round, which, by means of the wheels j and k, will cause the
eccentric to make one revolution, whilst the rings b, b, and arms e, e, make
two revolutions, by which means the blades or propellers a, a, a, as they pass
through the water revolving upon the centre d, d, will be caused to turn upon
their centre pins c, c, c, by means of the eccentric revolution of the arms e, e, e,
operating upon the short cranks f, f, f, the blades or propellers assuming at
each revolution the angular directions shewn in Figure 2.
I will thirdly describe another of my improved arrangements of machinery
which is suitable for applying power to communicate locomotion to bodies
required to be moved on land or water. This arrangement consists of certain
machinery attached to a carriage, by which the carriage and machinery are
supported on certain levers or legs, which levers or legs perform the functions
of wheels in ordinary wheel carriages, these functions being performed by the
vibration of the levers or legs on which the weight is supported. This arrange-
ment being capable of employment either by means of animal power applied
to draw forward the carriage, and consequently produce the vibrating motion
of the supporting levers or legs, or by means of mechanical power contained
within the carriage, which mechanical power is then applied directly to
communicate the vibrating motion to the supporting levers or legs, in which
case the levers or legs act as propellers to the carriage, as well as supporters
of its weight. This arrangement is shewn in Sheets 4 and 5 of the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side clevation; Figure 2, a plan
view; Figures 3 and 4, plan views of parts of the machinery. In all these
Figures similar letters and figures are used to denote the like parts.
I will describe the arrangement of machinery by which suitable vibrating
motion is communicated to the levers or legs, reference being made to the ac-
companying Drawing marked "Diagram" Sheet 4, in which one of these levers
or legs is exhibited, and the connections are shewn as though these were all in
the same vertical plane. A and B are two cranks fixed on a shaft which is
attached to the carriage by means of suitable bearings. These cranks always
preserve the same angle with respect to each other. C is a lever fixed on a shaft
attached to the carriage. This lever is connected with the crank A, by means
of a rod D. F is a lever fixed on a shaft attached to the carriage. This lever
is connected with the lever C by means of a link F, and at the connection of
these two a supporting lever or leg G is also connected to them. H is a bent
lever fixed on a shaft attached to the carriage. This lever at the point marked H'
is connected with the crank B by means of the rod K, and at the point H² it is

page_text: connected by means of a rod L with a parallel rod M. This parallel rod is at-
tached at one end to the supporting lever or leg G at the point G', and the other
end is attached to another-supporting lever or leg not shewn in this Diagram.
By reference to the Diagram, it will be seen that when the crank B is in
the position marked 1, and the crank A in the position marked 11, the levers,"
connecting rods, and link will necessarily assume the positions (with respect to
each other) shewn by the shaded figures, and the end of the supporting lever
or leg G will be in the position marked 13, being coincident with the ground line,
this position of the centres of these cranks, connecting rods, &c., being shewn in
the Diagram by black lines passing through the same. When the crank B has
advanced in its rotation to the position marked 2, and consequently the crank A
to the position marked 21, the levers, connecting rods, and link will necessarily
assume the positions shewn by the yellow lines, and the end of the supporting
lever or leg G will be in the position marked 2x, and no longer coincident
with the ground line. In the same manner when the cranks B and A have
advanced to the positions marked 3 and 3", the levers, rods, and links will
assume the positions shewn by the pink lines, and the end of the supporting
When the cranks B and A
lever or leg G will be in the position marked 3*.
have arrived at the positions marked 4 and 41, the levers, rods, and links
will assume the positions shewn by the green lines, and the end of the sup-
porting lever or leg G will be in the position marked 4*. Also, when these
cranks have arrived at the positions marked 5 and 5", the levers, rods, and
links will assume the positions shewn by the blue lines, and the end of the
supporting lever or leg G will be in the position marked 5*, and this lever or
leg will then be gradually approaching to the ground line through a curve,
and when the cranks have arrived at the position marked 6 and 6", the various
levers, rods, &c. will assume the positions shewn by the brown lines, and the
end of the supporting lever or leg G will be in the position marked 6*, being coin-
cident with the ground line. Although this Diagram only shews six positions
of the ends of the supporting lever or leg, it will be found by working out the
various positions of the cranks A and B during their rotation, and the effect
thereby produced on the positions of the other parts of the machinery, and of
the end of the supporting lever or leg G, that provided the carriage were
retained stationary, and the lever or leg G were allowed to move in accordance
with the motion of the cranks A and B, as communicated by the levers and
connecting rods, that the end of this supporting lever would describe the
figure marked by dotted lines in the Diagram, a portion of this figure being
coincident with the ground line. During the period that this figure does
coincide with the ground line, (if the carriage were allowed to move,) the

page_text: supporting lever or leg G would communicate motion to the carriage, and the
carriage would consequently move in a line parallel to the ground line; and,
during the period of the supporting lever or leg G describing the remaining
portion of the figure shewn by the dotted lines in the Diagram, this lever or
leg is returning to the position in which it will again become capable of sup-
porting and giving motion to the carriage. It will be observed, by reference to
the Diagram just described, that the action of the crank B communicates
a forward and backward motion to the supporting lever or leg G, and that
the action of the crank A causes the supporting end of this lever or leg to be
raised from or advanced towards the horizontal or ground line. The extent
to which these two motions are brought into action may be varied by varying
the lengths of the cranks A and B, and of the connecting rods and levers.
Having thus described the action of one of the supporting levers or legs, I
would observe, that the other supporting levers or legs are caused to perform
their vibrating motion in a similar manner. In the accompanying Drawings,
Sheet 5, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the carriage is shewn as having six supporting
levers or legs. N, N, is a framing, to which the various shafts are attached,
as shewn. A, B, are cranks fixed on a shaft O; on which shaft a driving
wheel or pulley P is also fixed, through which power can be applied to give
rotation to the shaft O. D is a rod connecting the crank A with a lever C,
fixed on a shaft Q. K is a rod connecting the crank B with a bent lever H,
which is attached to the framing of the carriage by means of a bracket R,
and which lever is connected by a rod L with a rod M, which rod is connected
at one end with a supporting lever or leg G, and at the other end with another
supporting lever or leg G. A lever E is fixed on a shaft S extending across
the carriage, and the end of this lever E is connected to the upper end of the
supporting lever or leg G, and a corresponding lever E' on the shaft S is con-
nected to another supporting lever or leg on the opposite side of the carriage.
These levers or legs are connecteil together by a pin W. On the shaft Q
a lever C' is fixed, the motions of which correspond with those of the lever C,
and this lever is connected by means of a link F with a lever E2 on the shaft Q
the motions of which correspond with those of the lever E. By this
arrangement, on motion being given to the cranks A and B, the sup-
porting lever or
leg G and the corresponding lever or leg on the opposite side
of the carriage are brought into action in the manner before described. The
lever C is connected by a rod T with a lever C2, which is connected by a
link F and connecting pin U with the two levers E³, E³, mounted on a shaft V
(see Figure 4. A supporting lever or leg G³ is attached to the connecting
pin U, and thereby to the levers E and C. By this arrangement the motion

page_text: of the supporting lever or leg G' corresponds with that of the supporting lever
or leg G. This description applies to a set consisting of three supporting
levers or legs; a similar set of three levers or legs connected in the same
manner is also shewn in the Drawings, and the various corresponding
parts are marked with the same letters and figures, but distinguished by
affixing a X. The crank shafts O and O* are connected by means of the link X,
so placed on these shafts as to cause the one set of supporting levers or
legs to be in contact with the ground line when the other set of supporting
levers or legs are raised from the ground, as shewn in Figure 1. The shafts
O and Ox being eccentric with each other, the action of the connecting link X
causes one of these to revolve more rapidly than the other during a portion
of the revolution, and thus provides for the supporting levers or legs traversing
rapidly when not in contact with the ground, so that the one set of levers
or legs is brought into contact before the other set is withdrawn from
contact with the ground. The shafts V and V* are mounted on an iron
frame Y, which is connected with the frame N, N, by a hollow centre piece Z,
through which the supporting levers or legs G' and G¹ pass, and around
which the frame Y may be turned, being retained by the pins a, a. This
frame has an internal toothed segment b, into which a pinion c is geered, and
this pinion has a handle d, by which a conductor can cause the frame Y to
move round the centre picce Z. By this means the supporting levers or legs
G' and G¹x may be caused to vibrate in a direction at an angle to the length
of the carriage frame, and consequently to cause the direction of the carriage
motion to be changed as may be required. To provide for this change being
effected with facility as regards the supporting levers or legs G and G*, the
shafts S and S* are supported on frames d and d*, which frames are attached to
the carriage frame N, N, by centre pins at e, e, which permits the carriage frame
to assume any angle with the supporting levers or legs G and G* which may be
necessary for the change of motion. Spiral springs f. f, and fx, fx, are attached
to the frames d and d, and to the carriage frame N, N, by the action of which
frames d and d³, are brought back to their usual position, when the levers or legs
connected with them are lifted from the ground. To provide for the motions
of several of the parts described, it is necessary that the connections be made
by means of ball and socket joints, as shewn in the Drawings. I have already
stated that this arrangement of machinery may be used by means of animal
power, in which case the animal is connected with the frame N, N, of the
carriage, and the carriage being drawn forward or pushed backward, the
supporting levers or legs are brought into action as herein described. This
arrangement of machinery may also be used for applying mechanical power

page_text: to produce locomotion, for which purpose, a steam-engine or other first mover
may be attached to some convenient part of the carriage, and the motion from
this, being communicated to the wheel or pulley P, causes the shaft Oto
revolve, and the supporting levers or legs to be brought into action, as herein
described. A carriage body, of convenient shape for the conveyance of
passengers, merchandize, or other articles, may be connected with the frame
N, N, by means of springs, links, and rods, as shewn in Figures 1, the dotted
lines showing the outline of the carriage body.
In explaining my Invention, I have had occasion to describe various parts
or portions of machinery which are well known, and for which I make no
claim. I have also described the arrangements of machinery which I consider
best adapted to carry my Invention into effect, but I do not confine myself to
the exact arrangements described, as these may be modified to some extent,
without deviating from my Invention. As regards my improved arrangement
of machinery first herein described, I claim as my Invention, the adaptation of
a locomotive carriage, moving on the ordinary towing-path of a canal or river,
and communicating motion to a boat or other vessel on the canal or river, the
motive force being generated by an engine placed in the boat or other vessel,
and communicated to the locomotive carriage by means of an endless rope or
cord, which rope or cord also acts as the towing line.
As regards my improved arrangement of machinery, secondly herein described,
I claim as my Invention, the arrangement of certain propelling apparatus for
giving motion to boats or other vessels on water, which apparatus acts when
totally immersed in water, the propellors being presented at suitable angles for
propulsion, by the action of two wheels, one having twice the diameter of the
other, and working in gear together, the larger wheel being fixed on an eccen-
tric as herein described, and the centre of the eccentric being thus caused to
make one revolution round the propeller shaft whilst the propeller shaft itself
makes two revolutions.
As regards my improved arrangement of machinery, thirdly herein described,
I claim as my Invention, the arrangement of certain machinery attached to a
carriage, by which the carriage and machinery are supported on certain levers
or legs, which levers or legs perform the functions of wheels in ordinary wheel
carriages, these functions being performed by the vibration of the levers or
legs on which the weight is supported; this arrangement being capable of
employment either by means of animal power, or by means of mechanical
power, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth
day of May, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.
HENRY (L.s.) DAVIES.

page_text: . AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Ninth day of May, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid Henry Davies came before our Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute in
that case made and provided.