An Apparatus for Propelling and Steering Vessels.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Propelling and Steering Vessels.
JONATHAN JOPLING 5 Thornhill Gardens Sunderland Retired Ironfounder do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This improvement consists in having a paddle or fan wheel with say eight
paddles or fans or thereabout, revolving in a circular case, the case being about
twice the diameter of the wheel or more; it is partly cone shaped top and
bottom, the outer portion of the case being flat or parallel.
It has an incline about one third of its circumference, leading to an outlet for the
water & there is another underneath it. The case to be turned by the steersman
when required for altering, the vessels course; the engines for driving the wheel,
will not be required to reverse, because by turning the case the vessel is moved in
the direction desired; the apparatus is fixed under the stern of the vessel.
Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus.
Figure in n cantion through 1:
A
עד
1 JONATHAN JOPLING, of 5 Thornhill Gardens, Sunderland, Retired Iron-
founder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention for improvements in apparatus for propelling and steering vessels
has for its object to provide improved means whereby the vessel can be propelled
and steered or reversed without altering the direction of rotation of the engine and
consists in enclosing a paddle or fan wheel in an enclosing casing having central
inlets and suitable peripheral passages and outlets, the position of the casing
determining the direction of the vessel.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a
propelling and steering apparatus constructed according to this invention and
Fig. 2 is a plan, Fig. 3 a vertical section on line x-x, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 a
horizontal section on line y-y, Fig. 1, of the same.
The paddle or fan wheel A having a suitable number of paddles or fans mounted
on the shaft a revolves in the centre of the lower part of a circular case B of
considerably larger diameter and provided with central iulets c c' at the top and
bottom.

page_text: An inclined race or passage D is formed inside the casing immediately outside
the wheel A. The commencement of the race is in communication with the centre
part of the casing. It is perfectly flat at the beginning and then rises for about
half a revolution and is again flat to the upper outlet E. The top of the casing is
similarly inclined so that the outlet E is perfectly free. Immediately below the
upper outlet E is a lower outlet E' communicating with the centre of the casing.
The inclined race D is enclosed by the top and bottom inclined plates d d by the
outer periphery of the casing and an inner lining d². The partitions e e¹ enclose
the race or passage leading to the lower outlet E.
The apparatus is fixed under the stern of the vessel with the axis of the fan
vertical. The fan is arranged to be driven by the motive power engine and the
casing can be rotated by the steersman round its axis by suitable mechanism to
steer the vessel.
The operation is as follows:-On the fan wheel being rotated the water is drawn
into the casing through the top and bottom inlets and is driven up the inclined race
and forced out at the upper outlet E. The reaction propels the vessel. The
outlet E can be rotated round the axis a so that the jet of water is delivered in the
required direction according to the course it is desired that the vessel shall take.
Any water not forced up the incline race is forced out at the lower outlet E' and
assists in the propulsion of the vessel.
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 :
1. A propelling apparatus provided with an inclined race surrounding the fan
or paddle wheel and communicating at its lower end with the space in which the
fan or paddle wheel revolves and having an outlet at its upper end.
2. A propelling apparatus substantially as described with reference to the
drawings.
Dated this 19th day of June 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.