IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE PROPELLERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Jones Aston, of 13, Pembroke Gardens,
Konsington, in the County of Middlesex, and of the Middle
Temple, Barrister-at-Law, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PADDLE PROPELLERS.”
Scaled the 25th April 1873, and dated the 18th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Jones Aston
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th February 1873.
I, JAMES JONES ASTON, of 13, Pembroke Gardens, Kensington, in the
5 County of Middlesex, and of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PADDLE PROPELLERS," to be as follows :—
My said Invention relates to propelling ships boats and other vessels
on the water by improved paddle propellers made of proper material
and properly applied.
Heretofore ordinary paddles whether made of wood or metal have
been constructed of very great breadth or width, sometimes for river

page_text: boats cach paddle is half as wide as the vessel itself, or even wider, and
in scagoing vessols the paddles are generally about one-third of the
width of the vessel, and they are always very much broader than they
are deep.
My improved paddles are very very narrow but deep; those used on a
model boat of five inches beam are only three-eighths of an inch broad,
or about one-thirteenth of the width of the boat, and they are eleven-
eighths of an inch deep. They should always be made of iron or steel,
or other suitable metal, never of wood.
I put in rings round the outer ends of my improved paddles, and
I have got the best results when they were immersed as nearly as
practicable even with the draught of the vessel. They must be made
of sufficient strength, and be strongly mounted and secured together on
an ordinary paddle shaft, and caused to revolve to propel vessels; and
they will I believe develope a greater speed than hitherto out of the
same power, besides the great advantage for the proposed channel
passage and other boats of very materially reducing the total outside
breadth across the paddle boxes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Jones Aston in the Great Seal Patent :
Office on the 16th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
JONES ASTON, of 13, Pembroke Gardens, Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex, and of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Jones Aston, Her special
licence that I, the said James Jones Aston, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Jones Aston,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the

page_text: 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PADDLE PROPELLERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Jones Aston, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Jones Aston, do hereby
declare my 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
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters, words, and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :-
The nature of my said Invention relates to propelling ships.
boats and other vessels on or through the water by improved paddle
propellers, made of proper material and properly applied, and the object
of my said Invention is to obtain a greater rate of speed than hereto-
fore out of similar power, besides greatly reducing the width of paddles,
and consequently greatly reducing the total outside breadth of seagoing.
paddle vessels, a very great advantage for the proposed channel and-
other seagoing boats.
Heretofore ordinary paddles, whether made of wood or of metal,
have been constructed of very great breadth or width, sometimes for
river boats each paddle is half as wide as the vessel itself, or even wider,
and in seagoing vessels the paddles are generally about one-third of the
width of the vessel, and they are always very much broader than they
are deep, and they have a much larger amount of paddle surface than
is necessary, thereby causing a wasteful expenditure of power.
My improved paddles are very narrow but deep, and they have a
much less amount of paddle surface than ordinary paddles, and are
specially designed to economise power.
The width of my improved paddles should be about the width of one-
sixteenth part of the broadest immersed part of the vessel, thus a vessel
of sixteen feet leam would require my improved paddles to be about onc
:

page_text: foot wide. The number of such improved paddles on cach side of the
vessel should be eight.
The immersed depth of my improved paddles should be regulated as
nearly as practicable by and be about equal to the immersion of the
vessel. When so immersed up to about the loaded water line of the 5
vessel their immersion will always be about right howover the
immersion of the vessel may vary.
Fig. 1, in the Sheet of Drawings accompanying this Specification,
shews the immersed midship section of a vessel with four of my
improved paddles.
.
Fig. 2 shews a side elevation of eight of my improved paddles,
combined into one paddle wheel for one side of the vessel.
1
My improved paddles should be made of proper material, and they
will always give the best results when made of iron or steel, or other
suitable metal, and they should never be made of wood; though I 1
do not claim the making of paddles of metal, as being in itself
novel.
My improved paddles should be properly applied or fitted to a
paddle shaft, and I have got the best results from them when they are
so applied or fitted without putting any rings round their outer ends, 2
see the said Fig. 2, though I do not claim the disuse of such rings, as
being in itself novel.
My improved paddles must be made of sufficient strength and should
be strongly mounted and secured together upon the paddle shaft by
rings or otherwise, and should be caused to revolve by suitable power 2
to propel vessels.
I have tested my improved paddle wheels, both on models and on
a steam launch, I immersed them about one-sixth of their diameter
and obtained excellent results.
My improved paddle wheels on the steam launch made no noise and 3
caused no vibration.
By having regard to the above statement the most satisfactory com-
bination or arrangement of my improved paddles into paddle wheels for
a vessel will be secured, but as it may be desirable to make variations
therefrom in some cases it will be convenient that I should state the 31

page_text: principle or system upon which I regulate the total. paddle surface,
which is combined or arranged in my improved paddle wheels for each
vessel. I look upon the action of the two paddle wheels as the action
of a number of levers acting upon the shaft for the propulsion of the
vossel, and I consider that such levers ought in one revolution of the
shaft to meet with a vertical resistance, which in the aggregate will
about equal the resistance to the vessel as she passes on her way, and
that this being accomplished the ordinary laws of leverage will cause
the shaft and the vessel to travel at very nearly if not quite the velocity
of the centre of the paddles, provided they are made of the proper
material and are not too numerous; the resistance to the vessel as sho
passes on her way is I believe well known to be substantially measured
by the resistance to the immersed midship section of the vessel, and
I therefore combine an amount of paddle surface in my improved
paddle wheels, which about equals in area and immersion (as they are
revolved) the total immersed midship section of the vessel to be
propelled by them; the said Fig. 1 shows the immersed midship
section divided into sixteen parts by the dotted lines, and in respect of
each of such parts I put ono paddle of about the same size and at about
the same immersion in my improved paddle wheels, eight in cach
' wheel.
r
.
I use eight paddles in each wheel because I have found that number
to give satisfactory and useful results, and I believe it to be about the
best number that can be used for most vessels.
Variations of my improved paddle wheels may be made as follows:-
Firstly. When my improved paddle wheels cannot be conveniently
immersed to the depth of the immersion of the vessel the paddles may
be modified by increasing their width so as to make their aggregate
vertical resistance in one revolution of the paddle shaft about equal to
what it would have been if made according to the above directions.
Secondly. Other forms and other numbers of paddles may be com-
bined or arranged into my improved paddle wheels upon the same
principle or system, and so that their aggregate vertical resistance in one
revolution of the paddle shaft should be about equal to what it would
have been if made according to the above directions.
My improved paddle wheels will make excellent propellers for canal

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect
I state that I claim as novel, the propulsion of ships's boats
and other vessels on or through the water by means of my improved
paddle wheels, made by a combination of my improved paddles, of
the proper material and properly applied, according to the principle or
system and as hercin-before described, and I declare that the Invention
I desire to have secured to me consists of the manufacture and use of
such improved paddle wheels for propelling ships, boats, and other
vessels on or through the water, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Jones Aston, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
JAMES JONES ASTON. (L.S.)
Witness,
ROBERT LOCKE,
Clerk to Mr. Aston,
4, Middle Temple Lane,
London.