Improvements in Marine Propulsion.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1899-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Marine Propulsion.
I, ALBERT THEODOR OTTO, Engineer, of 32, Broadway, New York, U.S.A., dg
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:
1
My invention relates to marine propulsion and consists in an improved form
of small motor and screw propulsion apparatus attachable to and removable from
the stern of a boat.
The preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention is illustrated in
the accompanying three sheets of drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the completed apparatus with certain parts broken
away.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same with the motor removed:
Fig. 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section on line
of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.
Throughout the drawings like reference figures refer to like parts.
Any convenient form of small motor may be used, but I have illustrated
small gasolene motor having a horizontal cylinder 1, with piston and connecting-
rod, not shown, directly connected to cranks concealed in a crank chamber
the whole being supported on projections 5 of the main frame 6, which is
attachable to and removable from the stern board 7 of the boat by means of the
clamping screw 8 or equivalent apparatus. The crank shaft 4 of the motor is
the driving shaft of the propulsion apparatus and the motor is set in operation
by a few turns of the handle 3.
The vertical oscillating sleeve 9 is journaled at its upper end in a bearing on
the crank chamber 2, and at its lower end in a projection 10 from the main
frame 6. At the lower end of the oscillating sleeve 9, is the main bearing 11
for the hollow propeller shaft, said bearing being supported from said sleeve
by means of an elbow casting 12, and also supported in part by the strap 13
fastened to the lower end of the rudder 14, which is also rigid with the oscil
lating sleeve 9.
On the outer end of the rudder 14, is carried the outer board
bearing 16, for the hollow propeller shaft 16. The vertical sleeve 9, rudder 14,
and propeller shaft 16, may all be oscillated by means of the tiller 17 attached
to the upper portion of the sleeve 9.
Two propeller blades 18-18" are mounted in the outer end of the hollow
propeller shaft 16, and are adjustable thereon by means of the pinions 19—19%,
on the inner end of the propeller blades, which respectively mesh with the short
racks 20-20, carried by the longitudinally sliding shaft 21, said shaft and the
above described gearing being all concealed within the hollow propeller shaft
On the forward end of the longitudinally sliding shaft 21 is the grooved
collar 22, into which the forked lever 23 takes, said forked lever 23 is fulcrumed
at 24 on the oscillating sleeve 9, and its upper end is connected by the link 25
to the handle 26, which slides longitudinally on the tiller 17. "The driving

page_text: shaft 4, journaled at its upper end in the crank chamber 2 of the motor, and
at its lower end in the oscillating sleeve 9, has the bevel gear 28, which meshes
with the bevel gear 27 on the forward end of the hollow propeller shaft 16.
The mode of operation of my invention is as follows:"
The motor being set in operation by a few turns of the handle 3, the driving
shaft 4 transmits rotary motion to the hollow propeller shaft 16. When the
propeller blades are set in the position shown in Fig. 2, the propeller shaft being
rotated from left to right, looking toward the stern of the boat, the boat will
be driven forward, the operator by swinging the tiller 17 will swing the whole
oscillating frame composed of the sleeve 9, rudder 14, propeller shaft bearings
and propeller shaft carried thereby, so as to drive the boat forward or to port or
starboard in the same manner as the boat is ordinarily steered by the rudder
alone.
The pitch of the screw propeller blades may be adjusted so as to drive the
boat faster or slower by moving the sliding handle 26 longitudinally along the
tiller. When the sliding handle is in its foremost position as shown in Fig. 2
under the previous assumption that the motor runs from left to right in the
direction of the hands of a watch, when looking down upon it, the boat will go
ahead at full speed. If the sliding handle is moved back into its central posi-
tion, then the pitch of the propeller blades will be reduced to zero and the boat
will stand still. If the sliding handle is shoved back to its rearmost position as
indicated in Fig. 1, the pitch of the propeller blades will be reversed, and the
motor still running in the same direction continuously, the boat will back at
full speed. Of course the motor could be made to run in the opposite direction
and then the above described arrangement would be reversed, but I prefer the
arrangement as described, because then the longitudinally sliding shaft 21 is in
its rearmost position while the boat is going forward, and the pressure of the
water on the front face of the collar 22, and the end of the sliding shaft, will
tend to keep it in that position. On the other hand, when backing, the sliding
shaft and collar will be in their foremost position and whatever resistance is
offered by the water to such backward motion will tend to hold the longitu-
dinally sliding shaft again in its proper position for that particular motion. It
is evident, of course, that the whole apparatus could be lifted out of the water
for storage or repair by releasing the clamping screw 8.
The advantages of my invention reside in its simplicity and lightness, resulting
from the reduction of the number of parts, also in the strength resulting from
having all the main parts rigidly connected together or journaled in the rigid
oscillating frame formed thereby. Moreover the gearing and adjusting mecha-
nism for the propeller blades being all concealed within the hollow propeller
shaft, there are no revolving projections to churn up the water and present
useless resistance to the driving apparatus. In fact, the whole driving and
adjusting mechanism is concealed within the right angled line of pipe former
by the oscillating sleeve 9, the propeller shaft and bearing 11, and hollow pro-
peller shaft 16. The entire control of the driving apparatus both in steering
and backing is also produced by the motions of the single handle 26. A further
advantage is as hereinbefore described, that the action of the water through
which the boat is moving, normally tends to hold the reversing gear in the
proper position to effect the motion which produces that particular action of
the water pressure.
It is evident of course that various changes could be made in the details of
the apparatus described without departing from the spirit and scope of my in-
vention, so long as the relative arrangement of parts shown in the drawing of
the principle of operation disclosed in the specification is preserved. Other
forms of gearing for adjusting the propeller shaft might be changed. Other
means of supporting the propeller shaft, journal bearings from the oscillating
sleeve might be used, and certain of the improved features of my invention
might be employed without others herein described. All such changes, however,

page_text: I consider matters of form and not of substance, and the resulting apparatus
will still be within the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:-
1. The combination of the stationary frame, the vertical sleeve journaled
therein, the propeller shaft, the journal bearings therefor carried by the vertical
sleeve, the driving shaft journaled in said sleeve, gearing between the driving
shaft and the propeller shaft, and means for oscillating said vertical sleeve
about its axis.
2. The combination of the stationary frame, the vertical sleeve journaled
therein, the propeller shaft, the journal bearings therefor carried by the vertical
sleeve, the driving shaft journaled in said sleeve gearing between the driving
shaft and the propeller shaft, and the tiller fastened to the upper portion of
said vertical sleeve.
i
3. The combination of the stationary frame, the vertical sleeve journaled
therein, the propeller shaft, the journal bearings therefor carried by the vertical
sleeve, the driving shaft journaled in said sleeve, gearing between the driving
shaft and the propeller shaft, and means for oscillating said vertical sleeve about
its axis, together with the rudder mounted on said vertical sleeve and the out-
board bearing for the propeller shaft carried by said rudder.
4. The combination of the hollow propeller shaft, the propeller blades adjust-
able thereon, and mechanism concealed within the hollow shaft for adjusting
the blades.
5. The combination of the hollow propeller shaft, adjustable propeller blades,
a longitudinally sliding shaft within the hollow shaft and gearing concealed
within said hollow shaft, connecting the propeller blades with the longitudinally
sliding shaft.
6. The combination of the hollow propeller shaft, adjustable propeller blades,
a longitudinally sliding shaft within the hollow shaft, and gearing concealed
within said hollow shaft connecting the propeller blades with the longitudinally
sliding shaft, together with the grooved collar on the forward end of the longi-
tudinally sliding shaft, which projects beyond the hollow propeller shaft, and
the forked lever engaging with said grooved collar.
7. The combination of the hollow propeller shaft, adjustable propeller blades,
a longitudinally sliding shaft, within the hollow shaft, and gearing concealed
within said hollow shaft connecting the propeller blades with the longitudinally
sliding shaft, together with the grooved collar on the forward end of the longi-
tudinally sliding shaft which projects beyond the hollow propeller shaft, the
oscillating vertical sleeve which carries the journal bearings for the propeller
shaft, and the forked lever fulcrumed on said vertical sleeve and engaging
with above mentioned grooved collar.
8. The combination of the oscillating frame journaled at the stern of the boat,
the propeller shaft journaled in said frame, adjustable propeller blades, the tiller
which swings the oscillating frame, the longitudinally sliding handle for said
tiller, and mechanism carried by the tiller and oscillating frame connecting
said sliding handle with the adjustable propeller blades.
9. The combination of the oscillating frame journaled at the stern of the boat,
the propeller shaft journaled in said frame, adjustable propeller blades, the
tiller which swings the oscillating frame, the longitudinally sliding handle for
said tiller, and mechanism carried by the tiller and oscillating frame connecting
said sliding handle with the adjustable propeller blades, comprising a shaft
sliding longitudinally in the propeller shaft, rack and pinion gearing between
the sliding shaft and the inner ends of the propeller blades, a collar on the
forward end of the sliding shaft, a forked lever engaging the collar and ful-

page_text: crumed on the oscillating frame, and a link connecting the upper end of the
forked lever with the sliding handle.
10. The combination of the rotating propeller shaft, the adjustable propeller
blades mounted on said shaft, an adjusting mechanism for said propeller blades
whereby the resistance of the water through which the boat is passing, normally
tends to hold the propeller blades in that position of adjustment which will move
the boat in a manner to create said direction of water pressure.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1899.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.