IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Richard Stephens Taylor, junior,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
on the 13th November 1872.-A communication from abroad by
Edmund Waterton, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
I, RICHARD STEPHENS TAYLOR, junior, of Gray's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, Attorney at Law, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS,"
to be as follows:
The improved construction of vessel which forms the subject of the
present Invention may be described as a triple steamer, formed of a
vessel cut into three longitudinal sections with spaces between them
but which are transversely united or braced together by strong girders;
the engines, boilers, furnaces, and coal bunkers are placed in the centre,
and the paddle wheels in the spaces between the centre and outer
sections. The vessel is formed stem and stern alike, so that it will
steam in either direction without requiring to be put about, and the
second rudder may be locked or raised when not used.

page_text: The advantages of this mode of constructing steam vessels are very
great and comprise the following, namely,―
1st. The complete centralisation of all dead weight, engines, boilers,
coal bunkers, and furnaces.
2. Perfect immunity of the paddle wheels from all external injury.
3. Light draught of water.
4. The vessel will turn in her own length as if on a pivot, with
disconnected engines.
5. She will work both with paddles and with twin screws, each with
separate engines.
6. The powerful engines and light draught will give great speed,
eighteen to twenty knots per hour.
7. She may come alongside of any pier without fear of damaging
paddles or paddle boxes.
1
8. She may be adapted for sails and will carry any amount of 1
canvas.
9. She will beat to windward (if the centre section is provided with
sliding keels), or lee boards might be fitted to the sides of the centre
section.
10. This construction of vessel renders the paddle wheels capable of 1
being raised in the event of sails alone being used.
11. The length over all of the improved construction of vessel is
twice or twice and a half her beam.
12. This immense proportion of beam, and the fact of all the dead
weight being exactly in the centre, and the two outer sections giving
great floatage and buoyancy, ensures the greatest amount of steadiness
that can be obtained in a cross sea.
13. This triple construction of vessel might also be constructed of
tubes or pontoons.
14. The length, beam, and draught may be increased or modified,
according to the peculiar service for which the vessel is required.

page_text: 15. The deck of this vessel affords immense capability for the
accommodation of passengers, horses, carriages, troops, artillery, and
also for railway trains.
16. Her immense beam renders capsizing an impossibility.
17. For the accommodation and conveyance of the mails and
passengers from Dover to Calais, a vessel built on this principle could
not be surpassed and the existing harbours are available; with a low
waterboard and high bulwarks the deck could be roofed over, and the
passengers would be completely protected from the spray, whilst in fine
weather the roof might be used as a promenade deck.
18. With four pole masts, and fore and aft sails with booms or not,
the sails might be reversed or swung round, and thus rendered available
in either direction, two jibs being required, one for either end, as the case
might be; and if necessary the funnels might be on the telescopic
principle.
19. The details of the rigging and so forth depend upon the service
for which each vessel may be constructed and required. These details
however do not affect the triple principle of construction of the hull.