CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HALE, of Colchester, in the County of Essex, Mechanist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-seven, in the eighth year of His reign, give and
grant unto me, the said William Hale, His especial licence that I, the said
William Hale, my exors, adññors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said
William Hale, my exors, adññors, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all
His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso that I, the said William Hale, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hale, do hereby declare that my herein-before mentioned Invention
and improvements consist in a machine or mechanical engine applied to the
purpose of producing rapid motion of a certain quantity of water, which I take
in from the bottom, and expel with great force from the stern of the boat or
vessel I am desirous of propelling, either in one, two, or more streams, or from

page_text: the two sides of the vessel, in a direction pointing towards the stern, such
water being expelled below the water line of the said vessel, and consequently
below the surface of the water on which such vessel may be floating. And I
cause such machine or mechanical engine to be moved by the power of steam
or animal strength, or any of the usual and convenient sources of moving
power. I am, however, aware that the rapid expulsion of water from the
stern or sides of vessels has been before used in several different ways for the
propelling or moving of vessels in the water; and I do not, therefore, claim
this mode of employing water to move vessels as any part of my Invention,
except as herein-after stated. But I merely claim the machine or mechanical
Invention which I have made and applied to and for the purpose of causing the
necessary motion of the quantity of water that will produce the effect; and that
machine or mechanical engine is represented in the Drawing hereunto annexed,
in which A, A, represents a section of a hollow cylinder of metal, or it may
be formed of wooden staves hooped like a cask. It is quite open at his lower
end B, but has a tight cover C over its upper end to prevent the escape of
any water. A screw or worm, which is shewn as having two threads at D, E,
in the Drawing, is so constructed in wood or metal as to very nearly fit the
inside of the said cylinder, but so that it may turn freely round within it
without touching at the sides; and this screw or worm turns on a central axis
F, and a pin or point that works upon the cross bar B at the bottom of the
cylinder. The upper part of the central axis F works through a stuffing
box G, to prevent the escape of water; and the said screw may be rapidly
whirled round by a strap or band from the moving power, whatever it may be,
applied to the pulley or rigger H; or such motion may be communicated by
wheelwork. Now, if we suppose the bottom B of the said cylinder to be
immersed in water, and that a rapid rotary motion be given to the shaft F and
screw D, E, in one direction, the water will rise into the cavities of the said
screw, and will be raised to the upper part I of the cylinder, from whence it
may be conveyed down the pipe K, and it will be expelled into the water in
which the vessel partly shown at M, N, O, by the lower end L of the said pipe,
and it will then produce its propelling action.
In constructing and using my aforesaid Invention I find that when the
said revolving screw is twice as much in height as it is in diameter it answers
very well, and likewise that two threads in the screw are better than one; but
the number of threads may be increased, provided too much of the inside
of the cylinder is not occupied by the partitions between one screw and another.
For the purpose of propelling I likewise constantly sink the whole height of
the screw under the water line, so that no part of the power may be expended

page_text: in raising the water, but may all be employed in putting it into motion, and keep-
ing it in that state; the water to be so moved for propelling the vessel is received
in at the bottom of the vessel at the lower end B of the cylinder, which must
pass in a water-tight manner through the bottom of the vessel near to the keel
line M, M; and as the whole cylinder is water-tight this opening in the bottom
of the vessel will not at all affect its safety. The bottom of the cylinder may
be covered with a grating to exclude weeds and fishes, but ought to be as free
from impediments as possible. The small space between the outside of the screw
and the inside of the cylinder need not be packed, and will permit very little
water to pass if the machine is well and accurately made, so that no abstrac-
tion of power takes place from friction, except at the bearings on which it turns.
The principle of my Invention, it will therefore be seen from the above
description, is that of taking in water at the bottom of the vessel to be
propelled, instead of taking in that water as it has usually been done, and of
placing the machine by which that water is put into motion beneath the water
line of the said vessel, so that I have little or no height to lift that water; and
I thereby obviate the friction and loss of power always necessary when tight
packing is used. And the screw above described most effectively answers that
purpose; but at the same time it will be obvious that a piston, with valves for
the passage of the water upwards, would answer the same purpose. I there-
fore consider such application as included in my Invention, provided such
piston works under the water line, and without close packing or a valve at the
bottom of the cylinder in which it works.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Hale, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight.
WILLIAM (L.S.) HALE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1828, the aforesaid William Hale came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight.