IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SMART, of the Commercial Road, in the Parish of Saint Radcliff, in the County
of Bristol, Ship Owner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eighth day of June, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Smart, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Robert Smart, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Robert Smart, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Robert Smart, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and, by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Robert Smart, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
(that is to say):
Figure 1 represents a paddle wheel constructed according to my improve-
ments. Figure 2 shows one of the floats, together with the arms of the wheel
to which such float is affixed; and it is the peculiar shaping of such floats of
paddle wheels that constitutes my Invention. The floats are made by prefe-
rence of iron formed into a curved or elliptical edge from a to a, and rounded
ends from a to b, as is shown; or these ends from a to 6 may be left, as shewn
at Figure 3. And in order to obtain the most beneficial effects in the use
of such floats, I prefer that they should be slightly bent to the extent of a few
inches, as shown in the edge view, Figure 4, and so arranged in the wheels as
to offer a convex surface to the water in propelling the vessel forward. I
would remark that I am aware that floats of paddle wheels have before been
made of iron, and bent iron floats, which have each been only half the width of
the wheel, have been before used, but in such case they, in propelling the vessel
forward, offered their concave surfaces to the water. And I mention these
matters in order to state that I do not claim iron floats of paddle wheels, nor
bent iron floats generally; but what I claim is, the constructing iron and wood
floats of paddle wheels of the shape shown at Figure 2, also the shape of floats
for paddle wheels shewn at Figure 3, when such floats are constructed of iron.
And, secondly, I claim the constructing paddle wheels, with bent iron or wood
floats of the shape shown by the edge view, Figure 4, and of the width of the
wheel, when so arranged as to offer their convex surface to the water in pro-
pelling the vessel forward.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Smart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
DUCKWORTH
the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Robert Smart came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above

page_text: written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighth day of December in the year of our Lord One