CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER MEANS, AND ALSO IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES, VESSELS, OR OTHER VEHICLES TO BE WORKED OR PROPELLED BY THE SAID IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER, AND FOR THE MACHINERY TO BE CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CORNELIUS
BONELL, of Kempsey, in the County of Worcester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twelfth day of October, in the thirteenth year of Her said
Majesty's reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Cornelius Bonell, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Cornelius Bonell,
my exors, admors, or assigns, or such others as I, the said Cornelius Bonell,
my exors, adiiors, or 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
that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
and the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and all Her
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY STEAM OR OTHER MEANS, AND ALSO
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CARRIAGES, VESSELS, OR OTHER VEHICLES TO BE WORKED OR
PROPELLED BY THE SAID IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATORY ENGINES OR OTHER MOTIVE
POWER, AND FOR THE MACHINERY TO BE CONNECTED THEREWITH;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said Cornelius Bonell,
shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inventions, and
in what manner the same are to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being had thereto,
will more fully appear.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Cornelius Bonell, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inventions, and in
what manner the same are to be performed and carried into practical effect, to
be as the same are described and set forth in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the illustrative Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon respectively, that is to say:-
My Invention of certain improvements in rotary engines, and in the con-
struction of carriages, vessels, and other vehicles, and for the machinery to be
connected therewith, consist in a new and peculiar mechanical combination
and arrangement of parts hereafter fully described, and in the application of
the principle of construction hereafter explained, to the formation of such said
parts, in the manner herein-after set forth and represented by the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the engine at right angles to the revolving
shaft S. A, A, A, the steam case, being either an ellipse or a circle. B, B, B,
is a circular cylinder placed eccentrically on the steam case,' being greater than
half its diameter, and keyed to the hollow revolving shaft S, the circum-
ferences of the steam case and the revolving cylinder touch at the point P.
p, p, are two rectangular pistons sliding into and out of the recesses or chambers
in the cylinder B, B, B. Two circular pistons, c, c, which for distinction I
shall call plungers, are attached to the rectangular pistons at-c, c. The pistons
p, p, are acted upon by steam or other elastic vapour or fluid passing through
the hollow shaft S, which causes the ends of the rectangular pistons to come
in contact with the interior surface of the steam case when steam is turned on,
as herein-after mentioned.
Figure 2 shews the engine with the shaft passing through stuffing boxes,
where P is a small pipe passing into the hollow part of the shaft, and connected
by a stuffing box for the purpose of introducing steam or other agent to expand
the pistons.
Figure 3 is a section through the engine and driving shaft lengthways, and
shewing one of the pistons expanded, and the other in the recess or chamber,
and in the same relative position as shown at Figure 1.
Figure 4 represents a horizontal section through a boat or vehicle, in which
W represents a well, or trough or opening (the sides of which are raised high
enough, when used on water, to prevent the same flowing. over them into the

page_text: boat). In this well or opening one or more pairs of driving wheels are mounted
in suitable bearings one above another, and which, when set in motion by the
said rotary engine or other motive power, draw in a flexible rail or bar made
of metal or of any suitable material laid down in the canal, river, or water, or
on the rail or other road on which the boat or vehicle is used, which rail is
made fast at the extreme ends, and may be of any form, as round, flat, square,
or otherwise.
Figure 5. represents a vertical section through the trough or well in a boat,
or an opening if a carriage or other vehicle, where D, D, are the driving wheels,
c, c, toothed wheels working into one another, each made fast to its respective
driving wheel. The lower wheel D₁ revolves loosely on the shaft S¹, and the
upper wheel D is keyed fast on to its shaft S, and revolves with it. The lower.
shaft S¹ can be drawn back through the side of the trough or opening in' a
stuffing box (or it can be fixed under the bottom of the boat or vehicle if.
required), so as to leave space, or take up, or, let down the flexible rail
or warp.
:
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the trough or well or opening,
where the flexible rail or warp W is shown introduced between the driving
wheels.
Figure 7 shows a pair of grooved driving wheels, to be used when a round
flexible rail' or warp is preferred.
I now proceed to describe the manner of using the said rotary engine. First,
when the same is used as a steam or motive engine, the steam or other gas or
fluid is introduced into the hollow shaft, which by acting on the plungers causes
the rectangular pistons to come in contact with the steam case A, A; A. Steam
or other gas or fluid being then introduced by the port D, Figure 1, it acts on
the pistons p, p, and causes them to impart rotatory motion to the shaft S; the
engine is reversed by shifting the position of the slide valve. Second, when.
the engine is used to propel or exhaust air, gas, or fluids, power is applied to.
the revolving shaft, and the air, gas, or fluid is allowed to enter at one of the
ports, and to exhaust at the other, or by some other convenient arrangement
of parts.
And with regard to the manner of using my improvements in the construc-
tion of carriages, vessels, and other vehicles, and the machinery in connection
therewith, I cause one or more flexible rails, chains, ropes, or warps to be laid
down and made fast" at each end. The vessel or vehicle (and in the case of
carriages the vehicles must be mounted on wheels) is then brought over the
said flexible rail or warp, the sliding shaft is drawn back, the rail or warp is
drawn up over the said shaft, which is then pushed back into its place, and the

page_text: rail or warp is introduced between the driving wheels, which are brought in
contact and kept down by spiral or other springs over the shafts at their
bearings; motive power is then applied to the same, and the boat or vehicle
moves forward, whether on a rail or other road, or on water.
Having now described the nature of my said improvements, and in. what
manner the same are to be performed and carried into practical effect, I wish
it to be particularly understood, that with reference to my improvements, in
rotary engines, I do not claim the exclusive use of any of the separate parts
above mentioned and referred to, except in so far as the same may be employed
in combination, and for the purposes of my said improvements. And I dis-
tinctly disclaim as of my invention the use of sliding pistons when working or
revolving within a circle or cylinder of circular or elliptic form, as also the
causing of one circular shaft or cylinder to revolve within another. And with
reference to my improvements in the construction of carriages, vessels, or other
vehicles to be worked or propelled by the said rotary engines or other motive
power, and for the machinery to be connected therewith, I wish it to be par-
ticularly understood that I do not claim the exclusive use of a flexible rail,
rope, band, or other warp for propelling, unless used as herein-before described
and herein-after claimed. And I distinctly disclaim the exclusive use of the
same as of my Invention when the said rail or warp passes round a barrel or
wheel, or when passing over one pulley or wheel and under others, which may
cause the said flexible rail, rope, band, or other warp to be considerably
deflected or bent, thereby causing it to form a species of break or friction strap
on the said pulley or wheel, or when the said flexible rail may pass over the
vessel in combination with the use of the means and appliances herein lastly
mentioned; and I disclaim the exclusive right to construct vessels or vehicles
with wells or troughs, except for the purposes of propelling or working as
herein-before described. But with reference to my Invention for improvements
in rotary engines, I do claim as of my invention the modes of arrangement and
mechanical combinations of parts above mentioned and referred to, together
with the application of the principle upon which such said combinations and
arrangements are based, and whereby the ends of the rectangular pistons, by
means of the before-mentioned plungers, are kept in close contact with the case
in which they work, and the means by which the said pistons are made to
revolve in a circular or an elliptical or other Figure, and thereby impart rotary
motion direct to, or receive the same from the driving shaft, as constituting my
improvements in rotary engines, as herein-before particularly described and
represented by the Drawings hereunto annexed, whether the said engines be
used as a motive power by means of steam, gas, or any fluid, or by expansive

page_text: or explosive materials, or whether motive power be applied to the same to
propel or exhaust fluids or gases. And with reference to my improvements in
the construction of carriages, vessels, or other vehicles to be worked or pro-
pelled by the said improvements in rotary engines or other motive power, and
for the machinery to be connected therewith, I do claim as of my invention the
modes of arrangement and mechanical parts, combinations, and appliances
above mentioned, described, and represented by the Drawing hereto annexed,
together with the application of the principle upon which such said combina-
tions and arrangements are based, and whereby the said vessels so constructed
and used as aforesaid are propelled, worked, and used. And I particularly
claim the manner in which one or more pairs of driving wheels are made to
act on a flexible rail, whether the same passes between them into and out of
the said vehicles by an opening in the bottom thereof, or otherwise, and cause
the said vehicles to move in the direction of the said flexible rail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Cornelius Bonell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April in the year of our Lord One
thousand sight hundred and fifte