PRO- 17 is a TON MET WATER
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jolm Rawe, junior, of Lemaile, near Wade-
bridge, in the County of Cornwall, for the Invention of "PRO-
17 is a TON MET WATER"
Sealed the 22nd July 1858, and dated the 5th May 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Rawe, junior.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th May 1858.
I, Joux RAWE, junior, of Lemaile, near Wadebridge, in the County
of Cornwall, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"PROPELLING VESSELS AND OTHER VEHICLES ON THE WATER" to be as
follows:-
I construct four, six, or any other convenient number (according to
the size of the vessel) of bodies of a circular form, and so made, by
being hollow, as to possess considerable buoyancy when placed on the
water. Each two of these bodies, which may be described as floating
wheels, are connected by an axle with some interveaning space between
then. The circumference of these floating wheels, or that part which

page_text: bears on the water, is made with projections or indentations, so as to
have a hold on the water. The vessel or vehicle to contain the freight
and the engine or motive power is suspended from the axles between
the floating wheels, but so that the bottom of the vessel is not at so
low a level as the lower parts of the floating wheels.
When a revolving motion is given to the floating wheels through
force applied to the axles, a progressive motion is effected, and as the
motion of the vessel and of the floating wheels will be on and over the
water, and not through, it I believe, a higher rate of speed will be
attained than can be by the ordinary method of navigation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
filed by the said John Rawe, junior, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 4th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN RAWE, junior, of Leninile, near Wadebridge, in the County of
Cornwall, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, hearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Johu Rawe, junior, Her special licence
that I, the said John Rawe, junior, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as 1, the said John Rawe, junior, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, aud
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "PROPELLING VES-
SELS AND OTHER VEHICLES ON THE WATER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that T, the said John Rawc, junior, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the

page_text: Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and inune-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Rawe, junior, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
The object of my Invention is to produce a more rapid means
of transit for mails and passengers over water than has yet been
accomplished.
From a consideration of the well-known law of fluid resistance, that
to a body moving through water the resistance increases as the square
of the velocity, it appears evident that a very high velocity can never
be attained on the ordinary principle of navigation. The obstruction to
a floating body arises from the inertia of the water, and this property.
although very slight at low velocitics, yet increasing according to the
above law, renders the water practically immoveable when impinged on
by any body at an extremely high velocity. From these considerations
I designed the plan of constructing a number of light hollow drums or
cylinders connected together by framework and axles, and made to
revolve on the water by steam or other motive power; a suitable
vehicle for the engine and freight being attached to the axles, and so
placed that it would have but little bearing on the water, except when
passing over waves. The full particulars of which my said Invention
are set forth in the following description, and the accompanying
Drawings. Figure 1, represents an elevation; and Figure 2, a plan
of the Invention, which I propose calling the Sea-Locomotive. The
same letters are affixed to corresponding parts in all the Figures, and
the Drawings are on the scale of a of an inch to the foot. A, A, A,
Fig. 1, are the hollow.drums or cylinders connected by axles to corre-
sponding drums on the other side of the vehicle, the direction in which
they revolve being shown by arrows. B, B, the vehicle or vessel;
C. chimney; D, D, part of the frame supporting the ends of
the axles in suitable bearings; F, rudder; G, line of the deck;
H, H, bulwarks; I, 1, parts of the framework, the construction of
which is shown more clearly by Fig. 4, the middle bar being of wrought

page_text: iron tube to afford greater stiffness. In Fig. 2, part of the deck is
represented as removed, to to show the interior of the vehicle, and
also the arrangement for working the axles and drums. The central
axle K, being double-cranked, in order to be worked by two steam
cylinders in the ordinary way. The other axles I, L, are shown with
pulleys keyed on them, and worked by the endless chains N, N. In
sea-locomotives of the largest size it would be best to have two
cranked axles, cach worked by independent cylinders and pistons.
Fig. 3, is a verticle section of one of the drums, showing the internal
frame of wrought iron radiating from a boss O, which is keyed on the
axle. To these iron arms the metal plates composing the exterior of
the drum are firmly riveted. Each end of the drum is constructed in
a similar manner. P, P, the metal circumference of the drum;
Q, Q, projections on the drum to give it a hold on the surface of the
water; R, R, metal flanges to support the projections Q, Q, and to
have a guiding effect similar to the flange of the railroad wheel, or the
keel of a vessel. Fig. 5, shows the form of the axles except the
cranked one, being constructed of iron tube, all but the extremities, to
ensure the greatest amount of strength in proportion to the weight.
The bearing parts S, S, are made by whelding the rings on the tube, so
as not weaken the shaft. Friction rollers inserted on the upper
bearings would be advantageous. In making the sea-locomotive
capable of effecting the intended object of a rapid transit over water
without any considerable displacement of the fluid, it is absolutely
necessary to construct every part in such a manner as to ensure
sufficient strength with the greatest possible lightness. With this
view I design the whole of the metal plates of which the drum and
vehicle are composed to be of hammered copper, and the angle iron
used as well as the axles to be of the best iron. In constructing the
steam engine, as well as all other parts, all unnecessary weight must be
avoided.
Having now described my said improvements in propelling, I wish
it to be understood that I do not claim as new the making of
buoyant paddle wheels, as plans for applying such wheels to vessels
have been already published; but I believe that in all the various

page_text: attempts at improvements in propelling by paddle wheels one principle
is found which is incompatible with very great velocity, namely, a
volume of water nearly equal in weight to the entire vessel has to be
displaced in every vessel's length passed over. Now what I claim as
new and useful in my said Invention is, such a construction and
adaptation of the several parts as will avoid the necessity of this
displacement of water, but will produce a rapid transit over the surface
of the water.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Rawe, junior, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
JOHN RAWE, JUNIOR. (L.S.)