AN IMPROVED MACHINE TO BE WORKED WITH STEAM OR ANY OTHER POWER
Year: 1816

page_text: STENSON, of Coleford, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of April, in
the fifty-sixth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said William
Stenson, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that I, the said William Stenson, my exors, aduiors,
and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE TO BE WORKED
WITH STEAM OR ANY OTHER POWER;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso that if I, the said William Stenson, shall not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, <leter-
mine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had,
may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Stenson, do hereby declare that my said Invention is fully described
and ascertained by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and in the following
description (that is to say) :-

page_text: The object of my Invention is the simplicity and reduction of the size of
the engine that it may be useful and applicable in situations where little
space can only be afforded. The means by which I obtain this object are, by
having a double cylinder connected in one casting, and a piston within the
same, with an axis or shaft through the same, with stationary and moveable
stoppers on the piston which causes a rotatory or reciprocal motion, as may be
more clearly understood by referring to the Drawing in Figure 1. A, A, is a
double cylinder bored; B is the piston fast upon the axis or shaft E, E; C, C,
the two ends or lids to the cylinder, with two stuffing boxes at D, D; F, F,
the inside of the piston turned accurately where the moveable and stationary
stoppers fit into; G is a hollow space that goes four fifths round the inner
cylinder; H, a hollow space that goes four fifths of the other end of the
cylinder; I, a pipe leading to the boiler to supply the space G with the steam;
K, K, a solid partition, all round the two cylinders; L, the one fifth of the
other space round the cylinder; M, one fifth at the other end; N, a pipe to
discharge the condensed steam and.water; O, an injection pipe to receive cold
water to condense the whole steam in M, the one fifth. 1, 1, 1, 1, space for
packing the ends of the piston with hemp or other materials; 2, 2, 2, 2, tivo
cast or wrought iron rings all, round the piston that go against the packing;
3, 3, 3, 3, four or more screw bolts or pins to screw up the rings occasionally
to tighten the packing. In this mode of packing the piston goes round, and
the packing is stationary with the cylinder.
Figure 2 is the elevation of the engine for the rotorary motion. A, A,
(Figure 2) the cylinder, as at Figure 1; B, the piston, as Figure 1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
stationary stoppers fast upon the piston; I, II, III, IV, V, moveable stoppers
that draw up and shut down as the stationary stoppers go past them. F, the
axis or shaft, as in Figure 1, which the piston hangs on; I, the pipe leading
to the boiler to supply the space G with steam, as Figure 1; N, a pipe to dis-
charge the condensed steam and water; O, an injection pipe to receive cold
water to condense the whole steam in, M is the one fifth. a, a, a, a, a, five
spaces for packing with hemp round the moveable stoppers; b, b, b, b, b, five
stuffing box glands to screw down the packings, and which is a guard for the
moveable stoppers to draw into; c, c, c, c, c, five wrought-iron rods to lift the
noveable stoppers up and shut them down with; d, d, two partitions coming
flush to each end of the cylinder to divide the condensing space from the
steam space. a, a, a, a, four perforations from the space G (Figure 1), to
admit the steam in the piston against the stoppers; b, b, b, b, four perforations
for the discharge of the steam in the space M, Figure 1, where it is condensed
and discharged at N. (c), a perforation into the piston, to admit the water' in
the piston; d, a perforation to discharge the water in the space L (Figure 1).

page_text: P, Figure 1, a wheel fast on the axis or shaft, and six tappets, as R, to strike
the crank rod Q, Q, to open the moveable stoppers I, II, III, &c, as at Q
in Figure 2.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the cylinder and stoppers for the reciprocal
motion. A, the cylinder, as in Figure 2d; B, the piston, as in Figure 2d,
with the ends, packing, &c., as in Figure 1st; E, the axis or shaft for the
piston to hang on, as in the Figure 1 and 2; F, the stationary stopper upon
the piston, though it moves backward and forward with the piston; G, G, a
stationary stopper, with the cylinder fixed firm; H, a cast or wrought iron lid
to screw up the stopper and packing; d, a perforation in the piston stopper F,
to be packed with hemp to keep the piston steam tight with the cylinder; b, a
hollow space in the stationary cylinder stopper G, G, to be packed with hemp
from the outside, as at H, to keep the piston steam tight at the ends and sides,
as at F, F, Figure 1; I, I, two steam passages to receive steam from the boiler,
and to discharge back again the steam after it has performed its office, either
with stop cock or cocks, valves, slides, or any other apparatus most convenient
for that purpose.
After having explained every different part of my steam engine I shall
now proceed to the mode of operation in the rotatory manner. E, E, as in
Figure 1st, is the main shaft or axis resting upon two plumber blocks with
brasses, which is connected through the piston B. F, F, shews the space of
the stoppers pressed on by steam to give to motion the piston, and likewise to the
shaft afore mentioned to work any machine or machinery. Figure 2, represented
in action, with the steam entering in betwixt the moveable and stationary stop-
pers, as at a, through the perforation betwixt the moveable stopper V, and the
stationary stopper 1, at the same time the steam is discharging betwixt stationary
stopper 1 and stationary stopper 2, as at perforation B, into the open space II
in Figure 1. Moveable stopper 1 is drawn up while stationary stopper 2 is
going past it; when past, the moveable stopper immediately shuts to the body
of the piston, as before, and so on, at the period of every moveable stopper.
Having shewn the acting parts of the steam in the rotatory manner, I shall
now explain the acting part of the reciprocal method. In the position now
acting the steam is supposed to be rushing in at I, betwixt G the cylinder and
F the piston stopper, which, at the same time the steam before applied is
discharging at the contrary perforation or pipe I; when the piston F, by the
force of the steam, arrives at the lower perforation I, the steam is cut off from
the upper perforation I, and immediately admitted at the lower one, so that a
regular reciprocal motion is thus given to the engine.
After shewing the acting powers of the steam to the different apparatus, I now
claim my qualifications, and declare that my Invention consists in the method

page_text: of the cylinders and stoppers with the piston, as presented above, and also
in the method of condensing the steam in one fifth of the open space of the
cylinder in the rotatory motion; also, that the stationary stoppers act as
plungers, every one in its course, to draw out the hot water out of the con-
densing part, and discharge the same in the atmosphere; and I also affirm,
that I work either with high or low pressure of steam; and I also declare,
that the mode or method of the cylinder and stoppers in Figure 3 is my own
Invention, and that it consists in the method of the stoppers and the piston,
together with the cylinder. I also declare that I make use of this engine to
condense the steam in a common condenser or any other ways, or to work it
with high pressure.
I do also declare that my same Invention answers the
purpose, and is the first of the kind invented to perform a blast or bellows for
blowing atmospheric air into furnaces, or for any other purpose, and shall now
shew the acting parts. Now, supposing the perforation I to be open to the
atmospheric air betwixt the stoppers G and F, and the open space of the cylin-
der B, full of common atmospheric air, the shaft or axis E being fast to the
reciprocal shaft on the steam engine part by a coupling box, the piston is
set in motion by the steam engine part, and the lower perforation I being open
into a blast cylinder, the piston being in motion drives out the whole body of
the common atmospheric air into the blast cylinder, from which cylinder pipes
are laid to the furnace, smiths' shop, or wherever it may be wanted, at
the same time the inside valve shuts, and the piston immediately returns
and drives out the column of air again received from the upper perfor-
ation I, so that a blast is kept up regular and uniform. I also declare that
my machine is applicable to a water wheel to stand horizontal, as in Figure 3,
and the mode of action is to have the weight of water, as at I, I, and it acts
as follows: From the reservoir or mill-pond being open to the perforation I,
as above, and a valve cock or slide admitting the water betwixt the two
stoppers G and F, at the same time the column of water in the piston B is
discharging through a cock, valve, slide, or any other apparatus at the lower
perforation I, and the piston stopper F arrives to the lower perforation I, the
cock, valve, or slide is immediately shut, and an admission cock, valve, or
slide opened from the reservoir or mill-pond that admits the force of water
against the piston stopper, whilst the upper cock I is discharging the column of
water received in the piston, and is running off at the lower level.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixteen.
WILLIAM (L.S.) STENSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of October, in the
year of our Lord 1816, the aforesaid William Stenson came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixteen.