IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED BY SELF CONTAINED POWER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Elsie Mouland, of Roby, in the County of Lancaster,
for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED
BY SELF CONTAINED POWER."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Elsie Mouland at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1882.
JOHN ELSIE MOULAND of Roby in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED BY SELF CONTAINED POWER."
The vessel
This invention consists essentially in carrying up the skin of the vessel so as to
cover the same with a cylindrical, oval, elliptical or other dome or cover.
There.
are no outside works except a smoke stack wheel house and wind sail.
is lighted from above by means of bulls eyes or other suitable means of lighting.
For some special trades I greatly vary this design by flattening the top and also
forming the hull with sloping sides so as instead of an oval shape, to present a
triangular one with rounded angles. To enable the vessel to answer its helin
easier the keel is not made straight from bow to stern but that from about one
third of the distance from the bow to the stern the bottom line of the keel
gradually rises toward the bow. This enables the vessel more easily to surmount
the crest of the wave and having passed the crest to fall with less dip and rise out
of the water, and shake herself more easily from the water in other words, improves
her buoyancy at the head or bow. Furthermore the rudder is made double, each
part being turned by independent gearing or apparatus capable of being used on
ordinary occasions in conjuuction so that the two halves shall be to all intents and
purposes a single rudder-but capable if desired of being placed one hard a port
and the other hard a starboard so as to form a marine drag. The roof has a slight
circular or curved contour fore and aft, being highest amid ships.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Elsie Mouland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1882.
JOHN ELSIE MOULAND of Roby in the County of Lancaster
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED BY SELF CONTAINED POWER."
This invention consists essentially in carrying up the skin of the vessel so as to
cover the same with a cylindrical oval elliptical or other dome or cover. There
are no outside works except a smoke stack, wheel house and wind sail. The vessel
is lighted from above by means of bull's eyes or other suitable means of lighting;
and that others skilled in the art may better understand the nature and use of my
improvement, I will illustrate the same by the accompanying drawings in which :-
Fig 1, is a side elevation of the improved Steamship. Fig: 2, is an end view of
one half of the bow. Fig: 3 is an end view of one half of the stern. Fig: 4, is a
vertical section of the Steam Ship in line xx. Fig: 5, is a transverse section
showing an extreme form of my invention useful in some cases especially for the
Pacific trade but as a rule I prefer the oval form. Similar letters of reference
indicate like parts.
:
The letter A represents the Steam Ship, B the wheel house, C the wind sail,
D the upper deck, the middle deck, F the lower deck, G the hold, K the keel,
a the wheel, b b et cetera bull's eyes for lighting the inside. c. d, et cetera ventilating
pipes.
It will be observed by examining the drawings Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4. that the general
form or shape of the Steam Ship is oval transversely (see especially Fig: 4) that
the bow is full, and the stern run fine, so that there is little obstruction to the
smooth and easy passage of the crest of the wave over and along the body of the
ship and beyond the rudder; that the shape in fact of a cross section of the ship is
nearly like that of an egg standing on its small end from the stern of the ship to
its run.
It will also be observed that the bottom of the keel is not straight from bow to
stern, but that from about one third of the distance from the bow to the stern the
bottom line of the keel gradually rises toward the bow. This enables the vessel
more easily to surmount the crest of the wave and having passed the crest to fall
with less dip and rise out of the water and shake herself more easily from the
water, in other words improves her buoyancy at the head or bow.
Having now described my Invention and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect I claim for protection under Letters Patent
1st A steamship of oval or of whip top section as shown or of a form intervening
between these in which the sides are curved over and form the upper part or roof
of the ship covering the entire vessel except the smoke stack wheelhouse, and
ventilator or ventilators substantially as shown.
2nd A steamship such as described in claim 1-having the bow portion of the
keel sloping upwards and forwards about one third of the length of keel
substantially as shown.
In witness whereof I the said John Elsie Mouland have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty fourth day of August in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
JOHN ELSIE MOULAND. (LS.).