A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING AN APPARATUS OR APPARATUSES FROM WHICH A MOTIVE PRINCIPLE OF POWER IS OBTAINED, LIKEWISE FOR ENCREASING SAID MOTIVE PRINCIPLE, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF LOCOMOTION, AND TO MACHINERY THAT IS STATIONARY, AND ALSO FOR RAISING SOLID AND FLUID BODIES AND VARIOUS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES, AND ALSO FOR CONSTRUCTING AND FORMING APPARATUS AND VEHICLES TO BE PROPELLED OR WORKED BY MEANS OF THE SAID POWER
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COOPER DOUGLAS, of Great Ormond Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty William the Fourth did, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, (Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of March, in
the fourth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John Cooper
Douglas, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Cooper Douglas,
my heirs, executors, administrators, 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 "A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING AN APPARATUS OR APPARATUSES FROM
WHICH A MOTIVE PRINCIPLE OF POWER IS OBTAINED, LIKEWISE FOR ENCREASING SAID
MOTIVE PRINCIPLE, APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF LOCOMOTION, AND TO
MACHINERY THAT IS STATIONARY, AND ALSO FOR RAISING SOLID AND FLUID BODIES
AND VARIOUS OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES, AND ALSO FOR CONSTRUCTING AND FORMING
APPARATUS AND VEHICLES TO BE PROPELLED OR WORKED BY MEANS OF THE SAID
POWER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that I,
the said John Cooper Douglas, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next

page_text: immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Cooper Douglas, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be known and performed, aro par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
First, my Invention consists of certain arrangements whereby I am able
to benefit by the law of nature that when an equal pressure of superincumbent
atmosphere is upon a body, that body will be at rest; but, on the contrary,
when the said pressure is unequal, the body will move until it arrives at an
equilibrium. It is well known that if a cask filled with any liquid, and being
firmly closed at all points, be tapped with a small hole at the lower portion, no
liquid will flow out unless a sinall aperture be also made somewhere above the
surface of the said liquid; and the flow of liquid will be stopped whenever the
upper small aperture is closed again; and, by alternately opening and shutting
the upper aperture, the liquid will also be alternately allowed to flow or not
allowed to flow through the lower aperture of the cask. This law I apply in
the following manner for the purpose of obtaining my motive power. The
same letters on the different Figures in the Drawings refer to the same parts
of the apparatus shown in different views.
At Figure 1 will be seen a horizontal section of my arrangement for
obtaining a motive power. Figure 2 is an elevation of the same, and
Figure 3 is a plan of the same. A and B are two pistons; C, C, are water
(or other liquid) chambers, all within a cylinder accurately bored out, which
cylinder is made double or trible or single, and the outer jacket is filled with
a liquid; D is a fixed division for making a complete separation between tho
two ends of the cylinder, and consequently between the two pistons A and B
also. By means of a lever, screw, or other suitable mechanical power I force
the pistons and piston rods outwards, so as to leave the chambers E, F, with-
out anything in them. They are each a vacuum. Sometimes I use an air
pump or air pumps to exhaust the chambers E and F.) At each extremity of
the cylinder is a small valvo (as shown on Figures 2 and 3) at G and G'.
When G' is opened at the one end, and G is shut at the other end, the
pressure of the atmosphere to fill the vacuum E being resisted by the strength
of the frame H, I, II, the whole cylinder and frame will be forced in the
direction of the arrow (<on Figure 1). The atmosphere, when
admitted by the valve, presses not only on the surface of the water, which

page_text: presses the piston, but also on the inner surface of the cylinder heads, which
counterbalances the external pressure. I, I, are small truck wheels by which
the frame H, H, is made to run in the parallel motion, more distinctly shown
at J, J, on the elevation Figure 2. So soon as this apparatus has arrived at
the end of the parallel motion or guide, the valve G is opened by means of a
tapit or other convenient motion, whilst by the same motion the valve G is
shut. Thus the apparatus is caused to run back again. By continuing to
open and shut alternately these valves G and G₁ the alternate rectilinear
motion is obtained, which may by any of the approved mechanical arrange-
ments be converted into some other motion or motions. The motion of the
cylinder and cylinder frame in the outer frame will resemble the movement of
a shuttle. K is the main shaft, where in this case I obtain a similar motion
by means of the two segments of wheels L and M and the double rack N.
Second, my Invention consists of a method of encreasing the said motive
I power, so that instead of a crank motion where the intensity of power varies
at every portion of the circle (either encreasing or diminishing),
use the
double rack N, whereby the two semicircles of teeth are made to revolve so
as to give and maintain a continuous uniform power round the circle.
According to the length of the radii of these segment wheels so is my in-
creased power. This arrangement I consider is applicable to various deno-
minations of locomotion, and also to machinery that is stationary.
Figure 4 exhibits part of a beam to which the motive power has been
applied in the manner above described, and how the same may be used for
pumping up liquids. It may also be used for raising any weights, whether
solid or fluid, and for propelling the same through the atmosphere.
Third, my Invention consists of a method of construction whereby I obviate
the necessity of paddle wheels for marine locomotion, whether such marine
locomotion is obtained by means of the motive power above described or by
means of steam or any other power.
Figure 5 is an elevation, and Figure 6 is a plan, of one half of my mode of
propelling. The power may be applied at any part of the crank shaft P, so as
to cause the cranks Q, Q', to revolve and move the parts connected therewith.
R is a working beam, to the extreme end of which the propellers S and S¹ are
attached. At the lower end of these propellers the paddle boards T and T' are
fixed. The propellers and their boards are forced forward above the surface
of the waters, and are then drawn backwards again through the water, by
which motion the boat or other floating body is hauled or moved forward. By
means of the cam U the lever 1 is moved; and its motion (it will be per-
ceived) is carried thro' the connecting rods 2, 2, to the levers 3, 3, and

page_text: from thence is communicated to the horizontal bar 4, along which the lifting
link 5 is made to slide in such manner that the propeller may be lifted by the
above compound lever motion. Q has an arrangement for lifting exactly
similar to Q, and I recommend four such propellers as S, T, to every steam-
boat. When it is necessary to reverse the action, and to cause the boat to 5
move backwards, the lever V is to be moved, and W will cause the smaller
truck upon the extreme end of the lever 1 to travel upon the cam X instead
of the cam U.
On Figure 7 and Figure 8 I exhibit a method of preventing vessels from
sinking or upsetting. Z, Z, are cylindrical or other shaped vessels filled with
air, or mado buoyant by any other means, which, being attached close under
that part of the decks which extends over that part of the gunwale which I
term the guard, prevent the boat from sinking altogether; but Y, Y, are
cylindrical or other shaped buoyant vessels suspended over each side of the
vessel, and as well as Z, Z, protected by iron gratings or bars. These as they
touch the water are made to press up the long arms of the levers a, a,
(Figure 8). These levers are rested on the fulcrums b, b, and the short arms"
of the levers press upon the frame c, c. By this means, when the boat heels to
one or other side, the long arm of the lever on that side is raised up, and the
short arm of the lever is depressed, by which means it also presses down the
opposite side of the boat, and thus she is kept on an even keel. The same
arrangement I also recommend for preventing the upsetting of carriages.
Figure 9 is one of my primo movers above described, which I attach to the
perch of any carriage, and which may have its valves regulated by manual or
other means, according as it is requisite to advance, stop, or move backwards.
It will be seen, by comparing this Figure 9 with Figures 1 and 2, that as the
carriage runs upon the road it does not require any parallel motion or guides to
run in (as at J, Figures 1 and 2). A boat may by the same apparatus (Fig. 9)
be impelled backward or forward without any kind of paddles, as Fig. 7.
I have on Figure 10 represented the section of a locomotive carriage, and
on Figure 11 the elevation of the same, with this prime mover attached; an
it will be seen that I recommend the back seats for passengers to be raise
higher than the front seats.
Figure 12 is a view of my arrangement of levers above described, (which
call a self-acting balance,) applicable to carriages.
Figure 13 is a method which I propose for throwing projectiles by mean
On th
of my motive power, whether for peaceful or warlike purposes.
Figure (13) it will be seen that d, d, is the frame of an accurately bore
cylinder f, which is open at the top; and this frame d, d, is attached to t

page_text: piston rod g of the motive cylinder h. The upper cylinder f in this case is
only used as an air chamber, with a piston k fitted well to it. The valve 1, 1,
being opened, the vacuum space at h will be closed instantly, and the piston k
will consequently be brought down suddenly, and the air in f will drive the
ball or other projectile at m before it.
I have now described my Invention with reference to the annexed
Drawings in such manner as to enable persons conversant with works of a
similar nature to practice the Invention. And I do hereby declare that I
claim as my Invention the construction of any apparatus or apparatuses
intended as a prime mover, provided such apparatus or apparatuses can bo
operated by the mere opening and shutting of any valve or valves, and thereby
effecting a change of equilibrium, as before described, whether the said
motive power be applied for the various purposes to which steam power or
horses or manual labour or any other power be now applied, and whether
it be for discharging and projecting missiles, or for impelling baloons, or
blowing or pumping air, or any other useful purposes.
for
Further I claim as my Invention the method above described for obtaining
my said new motive power an encreased power in proportion to the radii
of the segment wheels upon which the rack acts.
Further I claim as my-Invention the application of any moveable buoyant
body acting upon levers in such manner as to throw the pressure of a boat's
or vessel's tendency to upset to the other side, so as to bring her again on an
even keel..
Further I claim as my Invention the application of any moveable body
acting upon levers in such manner as to throw the pressure of a carriage's
tendency to upset to the other side, so as to keep the centre of gravity of the
carriage in the proper position.
Further I claim as my Invention the use of propellers worked by the
vibration of a beam or by any reciprocating or circular motion, provided such
propellers are used for hauling any vessel forward or backward, whether the
motive power be that above described or steam or any other power.
Further I declare that I do not limit my claim to those forms of con-
struction which, for more clear illustration, I have thought advisable to
describe above; but they may be made in other forms to accomplish the
same end, and that the various parts may be made of any suitable material.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Cooper Douglas, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-four.
JOHN COOPER (L.S.) DOUGLAS.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of September,
in the fifth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the
said John Cooper Douglas came before our said Lord the King in His
Chancery, and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every
thing therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the
Third.