IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Hughes, of Leicester, in the County of
Leicester, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS
IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES.”
Sealed the 19th January 1875, and dated the 19th November 1874.
i
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th November 1874.
I, HENRY HUGHES, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:―
My Invention relates principally to those engines that are mounted
upon a horizontal boiler between the saddle plate of the fire-box and
the smoke box, but is equally applicable to other steam engines, and is
an improvement upon the Invention described in my application for
Letters Patent, No. 3787, 1874, wherein two cylinders placed opposite
to one another are mounted or connected separately to the ends of inter-

page_text: vening centre brackets or castings (one on each side of the common
axes of the cylinders).
Now my-Invention consists in casting each cylinder in one piece with
half of each centre bracket or casting, and bolting the halves together in
the middle between the two cylinders. Or, if preferable, both cylinders
may be cast with the intervening centre brackets or castings, the whole
forming one casting.
By this Invention greater rigidity combined with economy of material
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HUGHES, of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Mechanical Engineer,
send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four, in the 38th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Hughes, Her
special license that I, the said Henry Hughes, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Hughes, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with; and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE AND OTHER STEAM ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Hughes, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Hughes, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
My said Invention relates principally to engines which are mounted
upon a horizontal boiler between the saddle plate of the fire-box and
the smoke box, but is equally applicable to other steam engines; and it is
än improvement upon the Invention for which Letters Patent were
granted to me, dated the Third November One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four, No. 3787.
According to my said former Invention two cylinders were employed,
placed the one opposite to the other, and connected separately to the
ends of an intervening central casing, enclosing the crank and the con-
nections with the pistons.
:
Now my present Invention consists in casting each cylinder in one
piéce with half of the intervening casing, and bolting the halves.
together in the centre between the two cylinders, or in lieu thereof
casting both cylinders in one piece with the intervening casing, the whole
forming one casting.
And in order that my..said. Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in both the Figures..
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a horizontal section of the
cylinders and casing constructed according to the first modification;
Figure. 2 is a similar view illustrating the second modification.
-
A, B, are the cylinders; His the intervening casing, which in Figure 1
is represented as made in two halves w, w¹, the half w being cast in one
piece with the cylinder A, whereas the half to is cast in one piece
with the cylinder B. The halves wo, 10¹, are respectively cast with
flanges x, x¹, through which pass bolts y for securing the halves of
the casing H together, as shewn. In Figure 2 the casing H is repre-
sented as made in one piece with the cylinders A, B, the whole forming

page_text: one casting. In either case an aperture or apertures is or are formed in
the castings to be closed by a removeable cover or covers, as described in
the said former Specification.
By means of this Invention greater rigidity in the engine is obtained,
whilst a considerable saving in the cost of fitting the parts is effected.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, casting cach
cylinder in one piece with half of the intervening casing, and attaching
the halves of such casing together, or casting both cylinders in one
piece with the intervening casing, substantially as herein-before described,
and illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Hughes, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.