IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN FLOATING VESSELS, AND IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING THEM
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Baldwin Fulford Weatherdon, of Chancery
Lane, and Charles Dealtry, Esquire; of Anneville House, Guernsey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
CERTAIN FLOATING VESSELS, AND IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING THEM."
Sealed the 5th September 1853, and dated the 5th March 1853..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Baldwin Fulford
Weatherdon and Charles Dealtry at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th March 1853.
We, BALDWIN FULFORD WEATHERDON, of Chancery Lane, and
CHARLES DEALTRY, Esquire, of Auneville House, Guernsey, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN FLOATING VESSELS, AND IN THE MODE OF PRO-
PELLING THEM," to be as follows (that is to say):
We cause to pass transversely through a vessel a series of. rotatory
shafts, and to the ends of each shaft we affix propelling drums or
cylinders, revolving freely on the shaft, and furnished on the periphery
with float or paddle boards, by which the vessel may be propelled. when'
the shafts are made to revolve. The propelling drums are, of a light.
and buoyant construction, and of sufficient size to buoy the whole body.
of the vessel, or nearly the whole, up above the surface of the water, so

page_text: that the water may offer none or but slight resistance to the body of
the vessel, which rolls over the water, and meets little opposition, except
on the front of the drums. Every vessel may have a number of
propelling drums proportioned to its bulk, and arranged in one or
more rows, the rotatory shafts being actuated by steam or other motive
power. As another mode of propelling our floating vessels, we employ
an adaptation or arrangement of a screw or submerged propeller, in
place of the propulsion by the drums or buoyant cylinders, as aforesaid.
In carrying out the practical objects of this portion of our Invention, it
is proposed by us to place at any suitable or convenient part of the
vessel anti-friction wheel bearings, upon which the intermediate shaft,
carrying the propeller, is to revolve in such manner that, at whatever
speed the said intermediate shaft shall revolve, it shall be free to move
at greater velocity than is attained at present, without injuring or
overheating the bearings.
Having now described the nature of this our Invention, we would
have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise
details herein-before given, so long as the general principles of the con-
struction of our floating vessels, and our mode of propelling them, is
adhered to.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Baldwin Fulford Weatherdon and Charles
Dealtry, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the 5th September
1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
BALDWIN FULFORD WEATHERDON, of Chancery Lane, and CHARLES
DEALTRY, of Anneville House, Guernsey, send greeting.
WHEREAS, Fler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand oight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto us, the said Baldwin Eulford Weatherdon
and Charles Dealtry, Her special licence, that we, the said Baldwin

page_text: Fulford Weatherdon and Charles Dealtry; our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such. others as we, the said Baldwin Fulford
Weatherdon and Charles Dealtry, our 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 of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF CERTAIN FLOATING VESSELS, AND IN THE MODE OF PROPELLING THEM,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Baldwin Fulford
Weatherdon and Charles Dealtry, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, '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 Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Baldwin Fulford Weatherdon
and Charles Dealtry, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is
to say:
Our improvements, which have reference, firstly, to a mode or modes
of constructing certain floating vessels, have for their object to give to
mail and passenger vessels a locomotive speed upon the water approaching
to that which is obtained upon railways; and whereas it will be apparent.
that the said object cannot be attained by any present construction of
vessels; we, therefore, propose to build or construct vessels or marine
carriages with a series of wheels, or buoyant drums or cylinders, firmly
keyed upon their respective shafts, and supported by strong framework
to each side of the vessel or carriage, and so arranged and constructed
as to buoy up and support the hull' entirely out of the water, with the
exception of a deep narrow keel, to which will be attached the rudder
or rudders to steer with, and which will, at the same time, act as a lee
board, and prevent drifting to leeward. Should it be, however, deemed
advisable in boisterous weather to sink the vessel partially into the

page_text: sea, and thus to offer less resistance to the wind, provision is madė to
take in water ballast, and discharge it when necessary; with a small
amount of labour, so that the vessel is made to sink to the required
depth, and rise again when the weather has become more moderate.
The wheels or propelling drums will also be built in compartments, to
prevent any accident occurring from a leak. There will also be an internal
pressure of air maintained or kept up within each wheel, equal to seven
pounds upon the square inch, by means of a jump forcing air into
each compartment thereof through an opening in the shaft, which would
force out any water through the valves without diminishing the internal
strength or density of the air, whereby the dangers that might arise from
pumping water out of a damaged paddle wheel, and thereby causing
it to collapse, are avoided, and a great advantage gained, much as the
iron, being strengthened by the pressure of air within, would resist the
action of the waves without, and, instead of water running in through
any crevice in the iron, a stream of air would be always pressing out-
wards. The smallest-sized paddle wheels with which the vessel should
be constructed would be sixteen feet in diameter, and so made as to
displace fourteen tons of water each at three feet six inches draught
when laden with the above weight. The weight of each wheel, with
its appendages, would be about four tons; consequently, each wheel
would be capable of sustaining a burthen of ten tons, in addition to its
own weight. When the vessel, framework, and wheels are arranged,
and the whole put into working order, it will resemble a carriage on
large buoyant wheels, and will have a like motion on the water. The
pressure upon the outside framework will transmitted to the centre
of the vessel by means of tension rods passing from the edge of the
outsides of the framework under the keel, which will prevent the vessel
sustaining any injury from the force of the waves. It must, therefore,
be obvious that if wheels be constructed to run on the water as on the
land there will be obtained the advantage of a continuous lever, while
the mechanical construction is such as to combine perfect safety with
increased velocity; inasmuch as the smallest vessel would be of suflicient
width to require a perpendicular sca thirty-six feet high to turn it over,
while its buoyancy would make it incapable of sinking even if the hull

page_text: filled with water. It must be understood, however, that these vessels
are not designed to carry carry, but only as a special transit for
mails and passengers. But in order that these our said improvenients
may be more easily understood and readily carried into effect, we pro-
ceed to describe the accompanying drawings, reference being had to the
letters and figures thereon marked, that is to say: Fig. 1, Sheet 1;
represents a side elevation of our improved buoyant vessel'; Fig. 2, a
transverse vertical section; and Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, showing
the position and arrangement of the machinery for giving, motion to the
wheels or propelling drums. In each figure the same letters of reference
denote similar corresponding parts, videlicet: A, A, body or hull of the
vessel or marine carriage; B, B, buoyant wheels, or propelling drums;
C, C, shaft upon which the said buoyant wheels or propelling drums re-
volve; D, D, transverse frames passing through the body of the vessel;
E, E, hollow iron framework carrying the line of shafts, and supporting
the body of the vessel thereon; F, F, bulwark surrounding the said
body; F, F, case or covering, enclosing the wheels or propelling drums;
G, G, tension rods or stays, for bracing and giving strenghth to the
framing and keel of the vessel; H, H, deck or flooring.; I, I, steam
cylinders or engines, for giving motion to the wheels or propelling drums;
J, J, piston rods; K, K, crank pin, affixed to the tubed wheel L,.L;
M, M, cog wheel, keyed upon the drawin shaft or axis of the wheels,
taking in gear with the lower tooth wheel, from which it receives
motion, as in manner shewn. It may be necessary to observe that the
iron or other metal employed in the construction of the wheels should
be corrogated to ensure the proper degree of strength, durability, and
lightness, and also divided into compartments aforesaid, which will be
furnished with air in the manner above described.
Our improvements relate, secondly, to a-mode of propelling certain
floating vessels, and consists of a certain construction of screw shafting
for vessels propelled by the screw; and a method of forming the keels
of such vessels, for securing the screw shafting, which may be adapted
to the vessels of ordinary construction, and also to our improved floating
vessels as an auxiliary propeller in case of accident happening to the
drums or wheels; that is to say, our said improvements consist in

page_text: attaching to the said vessels a deep and narrow keel; in shaping the
stern and stern post in such a manner as the boss or centre of the
screw may be less subject than at present to the water striking against
it, and in substituting anti-friction rollers for the ordinary bearing
blocks of screw shafting. The advantage of employing the extra
depth of keel, extending downwards from the bottom of the lielm or
vessel; is derived from the increased radius which may be given to the
scrow blades or vanes, and the greater amount of speed obtained by
the consequent increased displacement of water during the rotatory
action of the blades. The accompanying drawings represents at Fig. 1,
Sheet 2, an end view of the screw shaft and anti-friction rollers, fitted
with suitable bearing or axis on which they revolve, (the said screw
shaft being free to rotate on the peripheries of the said friction rollers
without producing the great amount of friction and heat consequent on
the ordinary construction of the screw. Fig. 2, is a side elevation;
and Fig. 3, a top or plan view of the same; Fig. 4, is a view of the
stern post and shield, separately, shewn: A, A, are standard bearings
supporting the anti-friction rollers; B, B, anti-friction rollers; C, C, screw
shaft; D, D, bed-frame carrying the screw shaft placed longitudinally
with the vessel; E, E, axles on which the anti-friction rollers revolve;
F; F, nuts and bolts for keeping peripheries of the friction rollers
in contact with the screw.shaft; G, G, collars, firmly keyed or otherwise
fixed upon the screw shafting, against which the larger anti-friction
wheels, or rollers H, H, revolve, subject to the pressure communicated
longitudinally from the action of the screw 'in the water'; I, I, axle
bearings, upon which the longitudinal anti-friction axles and rollers
rotate; J, J, bracket bearings; in which the said axles work; K, K, cog
wheels, by which the power is applied to put the screw shaft in motion;
EL, the screw propeller; L'; a boss on which the screw blades are
cast and fixed, the peculiarity of which lies in its being of suflicient
diameter: to admit of the roots of the blades being placed at an angle
not exceeding forty-five degrcos, while, at the same tinie, the longitu-
dinal: traverse of the root of the blade, when. in motion, may exceed
the traverse of the vessel, and also loof sufficient weight to bring
the centre of percussion or percuticnt, and the centre of oscillation,
within the periphery of the said boss.

page_text: Having now fully described the nature of our said improvements, and
the manner in which they are to be performed, we would have it clearly
understood that we do not by any means confine ourselves, to the
precise details herein-before mentioned, nor do we claim the application
of hollow cylinders, drums, or buoyant paddle wheels for giving motion to
or steadying the hulls of vessels, such having before been before proposed
in former Patents. But that which we do claim as new,. and. of our
said Invention; is, firstly, the construction of buoyant marine carriages,
in which are described an arrangement of light air-tight cylinders or air
chambers is employed for supporting and giving motion to the body of
the carriage or vessel; secondly, the mode or modes of constructing and
arranging the said drums without air-tight compartments.
In witness whereof, the said Baldwin Fulford, Weatherdon and
Charles Dealtry have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Fifth day of September, A.D. 1853.
BALDWIN FULFORD WEATHERDON. (L.S.)
CHARLES DEALTRÝ. (L.S.)