IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES CON- NECTED WITH THE FITTING AND APPLICATION TO STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS OF SCREW PROPELLERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Morris of Moorgate Street in the City of London
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES CON-
NECTED WITH THE FITTING AND APPLICATION TO STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS
OF SCREW PROPELLERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Morris at the Office
"
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th January 1883.
ALFRED MORRIS of Moorgate Street in the City of London 'IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH THE FITTING AND APPLICATION TO
STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS OF SCREW PROPELLERS 33
I am aware that many attempts have heretofore been made to increase the
efficiency of the screw propeller by for example encasing it in a tube and by
placing it in various positions sometimes at the bow side and stern of the ship or
vessel but in those cases of which I am aware peculiar modifications of the lines of
the ship whether of the after midships or bows have been necessary in order to
render the adoption of the alleged improvements available and consequently it has
been found next to impossible to apply the improvements to ships or vessels
except they are specially constructed for the purpose; whereas my invention or
improvements can be applied to existing ships or vessels at comparatively small
cost without interfering with the normal and recognised conditions and without
any alteration of the existing machinery and boilers nor does it alter the present
relations of engine and boiler space to cargo space while affording efficient protection
to the screw and improving the steering qualities with less strain on the rudder
gear and consequently with less expenditure of steering power.
According to my invention I provide tubes or tunnels at or near the stern of the
ship or vessel and as low down in the deadwood as possible or practicable in
accordance with the run of the vessel and so as not to interfere with the loading
capacity; the forward end of this tube or tunnel branches and is open to the

page_text: water on each side of the deadwood and in such manner that the water has free
entrance into the aforesaid tubes or tunnel branches the commencement of the
tubes should be about that point where the propeller shaft leaves the stuffing box
bearings. The tube or tunnel should extend to the stern post and in the same
between the stuffing box bearing and the stern post I place the propeller which
should be able to revolve freely with little clearance within the tube; the water
entering by the two forward apertures meets before reaching the propeller in the
central tube and passes out bebind same to and against the rudder and by this
arrangement of tube I am able with great advantage to apply in combination with
it a double or balanced rudder one portion being on each side of the rudder post.
The water issuing from the tube acts directly on the balanced rudder as it comes
out of same and thereby largely increases the efficiency of the steering gear. The
tunnel branches are made of varying section.
In going astern the in-draught into the propeller tube by its direct action on the
balanced rudder also renders the vessel more manageable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Morris in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July
1883.
ALFRED MORRIS of Moorgate Street in the City of London
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH THE FITTING AND APPLICATION TO
STEAM SHIPS OR VESSELS OF SCREW PROPELLERS "
I am aware that many attempts have heretofore been made to increase the
efficiency of the screw propellera by for example encasing them in tubes and by
placing them in various positions sometimes at the bow side and stern of the
ship or vessel but in those cases of which I am aware peculiar modifications of the
lines of the ship whether of the after midships or bows have been necessary in
order to render the adoption of the alleged improvements available and consequently
it has been found next to impossible to apply the improvements to ships or vessels
except they are specially constructed for the purpose whereas my Invention or
improvements can be applied to existing ships or vessels at comparatively small
cost without interfering with the normal and recognised conditions and without
any alteration of the existing machinery and boilers nor does it alter the present
relations of engine and boiler space to cargo space while affording efficient
protection to the screw and improving the steering qualities with less strain on the
rudder gear and consequently with less expenditure of steering power.
According to my Invention I provide tubes or tunnels at or near the stern of the
ship or vessel; that is for each such ship to which my Invention is applied,
provide a tube or tunnel in which the propeller revolves on its shaft in the
usual way and the tube or tunnel I place as low down in the dead wood as possible
or practicable in accordance with the run of the vessel and so that the branches or
continuations thereof may not interfere with the loading capacity; the forward end
of this tube or tunnel branches on each side of the deadwood and is open to the
water on each side thereof and in such manner that the water has free entrance
into the aforesaid tubes or tunnel branches; the commencement of the branch
tubes should be about that point where the propeller shaft leaves the stuffing box
The tube or tunnel proper should extend to the stern post and in the same between
the stuffing box bearings and the stern post I place the propeller which should be
able to revolve freely with little clearance within the tube.
In order that my Invention may be more fully understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein similar
letters of reference refer to like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a steamship fitted with my improve-
ments as will be necessary to illustrate the manner in which I prefer to carry my
Invention into effect. Figure 2 is a similar side clevation partly in section
Figure 3 is a stern end view of the same and Figure 4 is a horizontal section
taken through the line y of Figure 3.
a is the tube proper which may vary in length according to circumstances in
some cases it may be reduced so to form what I may term a shield for the propeller
in other cases it may be a longer and more determined tube but the length of it
must be regulated by the class of ship or launch to which it is to be applied in all
cases however there must be when carrying out my invention a tube or shield a;
b and c are the branch tubes leading from the tube proper a on the port and
starboard sides of the keel as shown in the drawing and best seen at Figure 4.
The length of these branch tubes b and c may also vary and the ends or water
entrance may be curved or not as desired. In the drawing I have shown the ends

page_text: curved because from the experiments which I have made I have found this curved
form to answer well they may however be straight or of other convenient form
without departing from my Invention; these tubes b and c when leaving the tube
proper a follow the run of the vessel as shown in the drawings and this is an
important feature in my Invention because by this means I do not alter the
existing lines of any ship or launch to which my Invention is capable of being
applied; is the balanced rudder at the stern of the tube a. The arrows indicate
the direction the water takes when the vessel is going ahead as it enters the
tubes b and c and issues at the stern by the tube a.
The water entering by the two forward apertures b and c meets before reaching
the propeller in the central tube a and passes out behind same to and against the
rudder d and by this arrangement I am able with great advantage to apply in
combination with it a double or balanced rudder d. The water issuing from the
tubes b, c and a acts directly on the balanced rudder d as it comes out of same
and thereby largely increases the efficiency of the steering gear. The tunnel
branches b and c are made of varying section
In going astern the in-draught into the propeller tube a by its direct action on
the balance rudder & also renders the vessel moro manageable than when the
rudder is fitted in the ordinary manner.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that I lay no claim per se to the use of tubes for
the conveyance or passage of the water to the propeller but I claim.
In apparatus or appliances connected with the fitting and application to steam
ships or vessels of screw propellers, the employment of a central tube or shield in
which the propeller revolves from which central tube two other tubes branch one
on each side of the vessels lines and in such manner that the ordinary contour or
lines of the vessel need not be changed from those normal and recognised
conditions usually adopted all substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described and particularly illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings
In witness whereof I the said Alfred Morris have hereunto set my hand and
seal this fourteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three
ATTORD YODDIS