IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS AND IN MACHINERY FOR OPERATING AND ADJUSTING THE SAME:
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the International Patent
Office, Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS AND IN MACHINERY FOR
OPERATING AND ADJUSTING THE SAME: .”—A communication from abroad
by Nathaniel Topliff Edson and Charles H. Silliman, both of New
Orleans Louisiana United States of America.
ealed the 7th September 1875, and dated the 5th May 1875.
i
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of. Patents,, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 5th May 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PADDLE WHEELS AND IN MACHINERY FOR OPERATING AND ADJUSTING THE SAME,"
and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and

page_text: have made solemn Declaration that it has been communicated to me
from abroad by Nathaniel Topliff Edson and Charles H. Silliman, both
of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this
Specification:—
Figure 1 represents a side view of the said Invention, complete, as
when applied to a stern or recessed vessel, such as are commonly
employed for navigating canals; Figure 2. is a top view or plan of the 2
same.
+
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a support or bearing for an auxiliary
wheel which operates the paddles.
Figure 4 shows a modification of Figure 3, only used where there is no
outer bearing for the main shaft.
•
Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the arrangement of a valve
and the mode of holding it up to the cylinder of the said engine.
Figures 6 and 7 show the construction of the paddles and paddle
shafts.
2
By the application of this Invention a vessel will run faster with 3
much less power and with greater economy than if provided with the
wheels and machinery at present in use. These results are attained by
the peculiar construction of the paddles and the manner in which they

page_text: are applied to the wheel, so that they enter and are raised from the
water without raising or disturbing the same.
A, A¹, are wheels, the arms C of which are provided near their outer
ends with orifices for the reception of the journals of the paddle shafts;
D is a wheel in the rim of which operate the paddle cranks E, E'; G is
a journal box on which revolves the wheel D.
In Figure 4, F is a pillow block, in the orifices 1 and 2 of which the
rounded ends of the journal box G¹ are held; K, K', are india-rubber or
spiral springs placed on the rounded ends of the box to hold it midway
between the two parts of the pillow block F. The said pillow block is
secured to the guard or timber of the vessel in such a manner that the
centre of the journal box G¹ will be level with the centre of the main
shaft H, and as far in advance or rear of said shaft as is the length of the
paddle cranks E, E¹. The aforesaid cranks E, E¹, are connected to the
wheel D by pins I and I', which pass through orifices forward in
the wheel D. The pins I' are provided with orifices in which the ends
of the cranks E¹ operate.
When the wheels A are revolved forward, the cranks with the fixed
pin I will revolve the wheel D. As cach crank passes its centre (the
level of the main shaft), its power to act on the wheel D is diminished,
for this reason a second crank with fixed pin is added, as near
quartering with the first as the number of paddles in the wheel will
admit. If however only one of the cranks with fixed pins is used a pin
should be driven through a portion or through all of the cranks E³ near
their ends to prevent their slipping out of the crank pins I', by which
means they also aid in revolving the wheel D. If more than one of the
cranks with fixed pins should be used, their length should be exactly
the same, and the distance from centre of wheel to centre of each of the
shafts a and pins I should be precisely the same. If all of the cranks
are formed with fixed pins, the paddles should be of an odd number, so
that no two cranks will pass their centres at the same time.
The arrangement of the journal box G', Figure 4, with its pillow block
and springs, is intended to relieve the cranks with fixed pins of the
strain consequent upon a spring of the wheel on their passing their
centres. The movement of the box being only horizontal the position
of the paddles in the water will not be changed, but will at all times be
vertical.

page_text: The arrangement of bearings shown in section in Figure 3, is intended
to be used as a bearing for wheels operated at stern or in rccesses of
vessels; as will be perceived this bearing is secured to the inner side of
the wheel timber a, by means of the bolts y, z, which pass through
longitudinal slots 3, 4, constructed in the outer end of the said bearing,
in order that it may accommodate itself to any imperfections in the
mechanism of the wheel or of any spring of the same, whilst the cranks
are passing their centres. This bearing is made sufficiently large in
diameter to permit the paddle wheel shaft H to pass through the slot 6
with which it is provided. The projection G is turned true to allow the
wheel D to revolve freely around the same; 5 is a circular plate fastened
by screw bolts to the face of the said projection to hold the wheel D upon
the same.
.
The peculiar construction of the paddle B shown in Figures 6 and 7,
comprises a shaft a, one end of which is provided with a crank E; to the
said shaft and at right angles to its crank are rigidly secured the
metallic paddle ends b, b', to which the paddles are held by bolts c, c;
the flanges d, d¹, serve to increase the resistance to the paddles whilst
passing through the water.
The improvements in the propelling machinery comprise the con-
struction and arrangement of the slide valve L, which is designed to
work over friction rollers attached to the cylinder; it is held in position
between the cylinder and steam chest by a metal yoke e whose ends are
secured to the cylinder by pins, as shown at f. One end of the said
cylinder is secured by its journal box to the shaft h, the latter also
serving as a pivot and support for the forehead end of the wheel timbers,
thereby permitting the rear ends of said timbers to be raised or lowered,
in order that the wheel may be immersed in the water to a depth suited
to the draft of the vessel, in which position it can be securely held by
the bolts Motion is transmitted from the engine to the wheel through
the piston rod 7, which is connected directly with the crank m of the
paddle shaft.
The slide valve L is operated by means of a link motion,
consisting of a link n and rods o and p; the rear ends of said rods are
connected to the cranks q and arranged outside of the main crank as
shown.
The engine may be made to travel in either direction at the will of the

page_text: The balance valve is obtained by admitting the steam through pipe 8,
Figure 5, to the steam chest M, in the front or outside of which is
constructed an opening N whose area is about one-fourth larger than the
receiving ports; over the said front and entirely covering the opening N,
is placed a sheet of india-rubber O which is secured by the cover Ras
shown. This cover is provided with an opening of the same size as N,
and directly over it is placed the cap P which is held in the proper
position by the set screw S of the yoke e. The inner side of the steam
chest at a point directly opposite the opening N, is likewise provided
with an opening V, the latter somewhat smaller than N, and in the side
of valve nearest the steam chest is a third opening T; this is about equal
in area to the two receiving ports of the cylinder. As the steam is
supplied to the engine through the pipe 8, the tendency of the same will
be to press outward the sheet O and cap P, and thereby hold the valve
and steam chest up to the cylinder. The opening T and V allow
communication between the steam chest and valve, the latter opening
being made as long as practicable without the throw of the valve closing
any part of it, to furnish an equal pressure upon the valve when in its
different positions.
It will be observed that the steam chest is provided with a socket a²
for the reception of the extreme end of the shaft h, thus affording means
by which the steam chest may vibrate conjointly with the cylinder.
By the use of this improved propelling machinery and wheel, not only
will the speed of vessels be greatly increased, but the same can be
accomplished at a reduced cost and with diminished danger in a heavy
sca.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
0
Witness,
JA. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)