IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert Newton Penrice, of Woolwich, in the
County of Kent, Capt" Royal Engineers, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS."
•
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert Newton Penrice
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on
the 22nd June 1855.
I, HERBERT NEWTON PENRICE, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Capt
Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object peculiar combinations of mechanism for
actuating propellers, so arranged that the propellers, when in the act of pro-
pelling, enter, descend into, and act against the water; then ascend out of the
water, and return to the starting points of action.
For this purpose propellers are fixed at or near the ends of bars, which at
their opposite ends are connected to cranks, either through the intervention of
connecting rods, or directly to the crank pins. Each of the propeller bars is
supported by a guide which moves on an axis; and in-order-to-sustain the rods,

page_text: the guides are arranged to give them support for as large a portion of their
length as conveniently may be. In order to govern the motion of the pro-
pellors, excentrics are used, which by intermediate rods' actuate the guides in
such manner as to cause the propeller to descend into and rise from the water,
and thus regulate the action of the propellers, the cranks to which their rods
are connected simply moving the propellers to and fro; or in place of excentrics
being so used, other arrangements of mechanism may be resorted to for
governing the action of the propellers,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Herbert Newton Penrice in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HERBERT
NEWTON PENRICE, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Captain- Royal
Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Herbert Newton Penrice, Her special licence that I, the said Herbert Newton
Penrice, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Herbert Newton Penrice, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the 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 MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Herbert Newton Penrice, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Herbert Newton Penrice, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object peculiar. combinations of mechanism for
actuating propellers, so arranged that the propellers, when in the act of pro-
pelling, enter, descend into, and act against the water; then ascend out of the
water, and return to the starting points of action.
For this purpose propellers are fixed at or near the ends of bars, which at
their opposite ends are connected to cranks, either through the intervention of
connecting rods, or directly to the crank pins. Each of the propeller bars is
supported by a guide which moves on an axis; and in order to sustain the
rods, the guides are arranged to give them support for as large a portion of
their length as conveniently may be. In order to govern the motion of the
propellers excentrics are used, which by intermediate rods actuate the guides
in such manner as to cause the propeller to descend into and rise from the
water, and thus regulate the action of the propellers, the cranks to which
their rods are connected simply moving the propellers to and fro; or in place
of excentrics being so used, other arrangements of mechanism may be resorted
to for governing the action of the propellers.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side view of propelling machinery, combined according to
my Invention; Figure 2 shows an end or stern view of the same. In the
arrangement shown, there are two propellers at the stern of a ship or vessel,
each propeller being similarly worked, but succeeding each other into and out
of action. a, a, are the propellers, fixed to the bars b, b, which slide in the
guides c, c, which are fixed to the two bars d, d, each of which moves on an
axis e. By this arrangement the bars b, b, are supported and guided for a
considerable portion of their length. The bars d are each actuated by an
excentric f, by the interposition of the rods g and h, as shown. The rocking
motion, however, of the bars d may be obtained by other means.
The bars b,
to the ends of which the propellers a are fixed, are each put in motion by
means of a connecting rod i, which is attached at one end by a pin joint to
the rod b, and at its other end to a crank pinj on a wheel k, the axis of which
receives rotatory motion from a steam engine or other power.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood, that I do not confine

page_text: myself to the details shown, nor do I claim any of the mechanical parts
separately; but what I claim is, the mode, herein described, of combining the
mechanism shown and explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert Newton Penrice, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN BENNET LAWES,
HERBERT NEWTON PENRICE. (Es).
Rothamsted, St. Albans.