IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PROPELLING STEAM SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES JONES ASTON of 13 Pembroke Gardens Kensington in the County of
Middlesex and of 4 Middle Temple Lane London one of Her Majesty's Counsel do
hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF
PROPELLING STEAM SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS" and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
and to the Letters words and figures marked thereon that is to say.
The nature of my said Invention relates to propelling Steam Ships and other
Vessels on along or through the water at a greater velocity thau is hitherto
practicable out of the same amount of Steam or other power.
My said Invention consists of Improvements upon my improvements described
in my Specification filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st day of
October 1875 pursuant to Her Majestys Letters Patent granted to me and dated
the 24th day of April 1875 N° 1512 I do not now claim anything disclosed in my
said Specification I use paddle wheels made up of narrow flat metal blades or
paddles similar in form to those shewn in Figure 1 in the Drawing accompanying
my said Specification filed as aforesaid but I have found out since the making of
my said Specification by experiments on the "Castalia" of above 1500 tons and
other Vessels that I was at the date thereof in error or rather in ignorance of the
best width to make such blades for the purpose of propelling Steam Ships and
other ves-els in order to get the greatest amount of speed out of a given amount of
power and I have found out that the Statement in my said Specification that
Vessels when fitted with my improved blades described in my said Specification
might have their width regulated with reference to the said last mentioned
Figure 1 and the width of their blades increased or diminished having regard to
the said Figure 1 and the width of their respective beams was a mistake and
would not produce a satisfactory result I have found out by the said experiments
that the width of about 6 inches for my improved metal blades is the best possible
width for all large and other Steam Ships or Vessels and that an increased width
of blades if used on the same shaft does not give so beneficial a result for the
additional power taken up in driving such. increased width as if the same power
were applied in driving another set of blades on another shaft placed across
another part of the Steam Ship or Vessel.

page_text: I have found out that the addition of a pair of my improved paddle wheels
made of such narrow blades of about 6 inches in width as aforesaid is a great
improvement and may also as it were be said to put the Ship on wheels Figure 1
in the Sheet of Drawings accompanying this Specification shows some of my
improved narrow blades Figure 2 in the same. Sheet of Drawings shews how I
should place one pair of my improved narrow wheels across the bows and another
near to the stern of the Vessel and in some cases in very long Ships like the
Oregon lately built for the Guion Line from Liverpool to America I should put a
third pair of my improved narrow wheels on a shaft placed across the middle of the
Ship I believe that a Ship so fitted might be made of the same size as the Oregon
and travel from Liverpool to America with the same amount of power as the
Oregon in about 41/2 days as against the about 7 days now I believe taken by the
Oregon.
as
I may mention here that my design is to propel ships with the least possible
disturbance of the water and that I do not believe in the old theory of the paddle
wheel that that paddle wheel is the best which drives the greatest volume
of water astern the narrow blades in my improved wheels are numerous
described in my said first mentioned Specification and being very narrow and
numerous they disturb or lift very little water and cause or make no noise, and they
do not cause any vibration of the vessels to which they are attached and being so
narrow they may be built into the upper lines of Vessels so that such Vessels look
at the sides like screw Vessels.
In Twin-ships or Vessels I should place at least two and in very large Vessels
three and in large Twin-War ships for greater safety I should put 4 of my improved
narrow bladed wheels (worked by separate engines) between the hulls of the Twin-
ships each of my improved narrow bladed wheels being placed on a separate shaft
placed across different parts of the Twin-ship if only two of such wheels I should
place one across the space between the hulls near to the bows and the other near
to the stern and if 3 or 4 I should place the additional one or two between the
other two. I believe this combination of 2, 3 or 4 will be very useful for War-
Ships Canal vessels Tugs and other vessels and as to the Twin-Ship Calais-Douvres,
sometimes running between Dover and Calais I should place one set of my
improved blades on one of each of her present wheels and another on a shaft in
advance of such wheels near to the bows to be worked by one of her present pairs
of Engines and another of ny improved wheels on a shaft near to her stern to be
worked by another of her present pairs of engines by gearing or otherwise.
I should generally immerse my improved narrow bladed wheels to about the
same immersion as is commonly used in paddle wheel boats and where it is desired
to alter an existing padd'e wheel boat to my narrow bladed system in order to
apply her power advantageously I advise that she should be altered to drive two
shafts as far apart as reasonably practicable each shaft being fitted with a pair of
iny narrow blade wheels and connected and worked together by the Engines by
gearing or otherwise.
Where a Vessel is to be driven by one pair of my improved wheels if an
or.linary Ship or by one only if a Twin-ship or vessel I put my improved wheels
upon a Shaft near to the stern of each vessel much in the same place as the wheel
is shewn in Figure 2 near to the stern and my improved wheels if thus placed will
for a single pair or a single wheel if a Twin-ship give a better result when thus
placed than if placed at any other part of the Ship or Vessel.
My improved narrow blades should be made of sufficient s'rength and should be
strongly mounted and secured by arms and rings upon the paddle shaft or
shafts which should be caused to revolve by suitable power to propel the Ships or
vessels.
Steam power applied as I have above described will give better results in speed
than any hitherto attainable.
Having now particularlarly described and ascertained the nature of my said
"Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I do

page_text: not claim the use of 2 or more paddle shafts as novel but I declare that what I do
claim is
1. The Invention of the fact that Steam power applied to propel Steam Ships
and other Vessels is applied with better results in speed than hitherto by using
my narrow metal bladed wheels of only about 6 inches in width substantially as
herein before described.
2, The Invention of the fact that it is a great improvement to apply steam
power to propel Vessels by using a combination of two or more pairs of my
improved narrow metal bladed wheels on two or more shafts and on a Twin-ship by
u-ing a combination of two or more of my narrow metal bladed wheels on two or
more shafts substantially as herein before described.
3. And the Invention of the fact that where a single pair of my improved
narrow bladed wheels are employed or a single improved wheel on a Twin-ship
they give the best results when applied on a shaft placed near to the stern of the
vessel as hereinbefore described.
4. And I claim the application of such Inventions to the propulsion of Steam
Ships and other Vessels on along or through the water by the manufacture use and
combination of the same Inventions substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this third day of January 1884.
JAMES JONES ASTON.