IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Towl, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Towl at the
Oflice of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd June 1861.
J, JOHN TOWL, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the use of a disc, with a set of curved blades on
each side of it, such disc being enclosed within a case, in which are formed
orifices at the centre, & also at the bottom, communicating with passages for
water, one half of such passages opening towards the bows of the vessel, and
leading to the centre of the case, and the other half opening towards the stern
thereof, and leading from the bottom of the case. By this arrangement in
propelling the vessel forwards, the water outside the vessel will be made to
enter the passages on each side thereof opening towards the bows, and pass to
the centre of tho case, so as to maintain a supply of water in the case for the
curved blades of the disc to act upon, such water being driven by their action
through the outlets at the bottom of the case, and thence through the passages

page_text: opening towards the stern of the vessel. In backing the vessel the water is
made to enter at the passages opening towards the stern, to pass into the case
at the bottom, and issue therefrom at the centre, and to be discharged through
the passages opening towards the bows of the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Towl in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TowL, of Plumstead, in the County of Kent, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Towl, Her special license that I, the said John Towl,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Towl, my executors, admors, 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, exer-
cise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel-Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROPELLING VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others)-that-I,-the-said
John Towl, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Towl, do hereby declare the
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 Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
My Invention of "Improvements in Propelling Vessels," consists in the.usc
of a disc, with a set of curved blades on each side of it, such disc being enclosed
within a case, in which are formed orifices at the centre, and also at the bottom,
communicating with passages for water, one half of such passages opening
towards the bows of the vessel, and leading to the centre of the case, and the

page_text: other half opening towards the stern thereof, and leading from the bottom of the
case. By this arrangement in propelling the vessel forwards the water outside
the vessel will be made to enter the passages on each side thereof opening
towards the bows, and pass to the centre of the case, so as to maintain a
supply of water in the case for the curved blades of the disc to act upon, such
water being driven by their action through the outlets at the bottom of the
case, and thence through the passages leading to the orifices opening towards
the stern of the vessel. In backing the vessel the water is made to enter at
the passages opening towards the stern, to pass into the caso at the bottom,
and issue therefrom at the centre, and to be discharged through the passages
leading to the orifices opening towards the bows of the vessel.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed, by
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 an edge view, of the disc, with curved
blades above referred to; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the case containing the
disc and the water passages; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is
a section of the same through the centro of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a section in the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the same; Fig. 8 is a
cross section of the hull of the vessel, with the propelling apparatus on a
smaller scale fitted therein; and Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the same.
In all these several Figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A, A, is the case, having a cover bolted down to the body thereof, as shewn;
B is the disc, with curved blades on each side of it, as shewn, such disc being
keyed upon the driving shaft C passing through the case and mounted in
stuffing boxes, as shewn. The case A, A, is of sufficient width to allow the
disc to turn freely therein, while at the circumference of the disc room is left
to allow the water to clear the blades; D, D, are the passages for water,
which communicate with the centre of the case containing the disc B through
the orifices D*, and also with a passage E underneath the floor F. Connected
to the base plate G are two cases containing two sets of passages H, H*,
which communicate through the orifices I and I* with the water around the
vessel, the one orifice serving for the admission of water, and the other for the
emission thereof. These passages H. and H* are separated by a partition K
reaching up to the floor F, which thus also separates the two chambers L
and L, whereof one is in communication with the orifice I, and the other

page_text: with the orifice 1*. By this means there is a passage for the water entering
at the orifice I to pass to the centre of the disc B, and for the water expelled
from the centre of the disc to pass out at the orifice I*, or vice versa, according
to the positions of the valves herein-after described. The openings from the
passages and *, leading into and out of the case A, are put in communication
with the orifices I and I", as required, by means of two sets of valves M and N,
one of which M in each set is horizontal, and is moved in the guide O over
the top of the partition K, and is of sufficient size to cover one of the openings
at the top of the chambers L and L*. The other valve N is vertical, and is
inoved in the guides O, O, at the top and bottom of the chambers L and L* at
right angles to the side of the partition K, and is of sufficient size to cover
one of the openings in these chambers. These valves are caused to move into
their required positions for opening and closing the respective openings at the
same time by means of pinions P, P, on the shaft of the wheels Q, Q, which
pinions work in racks on the valves, and cause them to be moved simulta-
neously in opposite directions, a pinion P working in the under side of the
rack on the valve M, and another pinion on the same shaft working on the
upper side of the rack on the valve N, as represented in Fig. 6.
The apparatus for working the valves M and N is represented at Figures 10
and 11. This apparatus is fixed on the upper deck, and is connected with the
wheels-Q, Q, by means of endless chains passed under these wheels and over
-the-wheels R, R, of the apparatus, both or either of which may be put in gear
to work both or either of the wheels QQ, and thereby-work-either both or one
of the sets of valves M and N. This is effected by means of clutch boxes
slidden on a shaft in the usual manner, as represented at Fig. 11, the motion
being communicated to the valves M and N by working the hand wheel S.
There are also valves or sluices T, T, for closing the orifices I and I* when
required. These valves work in guides U, U, and they are raised or lowered
as required by means of rods V, V, and they are held up as required by
means of brackets W, W.
The propelling apparatus above described is fixed in the hold of the vessel,
as represented in Figs. 8 and 9, being bolted to the framing of the vessel by
the base plate G, and the cases containing the passages Hand * pass through
the hull of the vessel on each side of the keel, and two of the orifices I, I, open
in the direction of the fore part of the vessel, and two, 1*, 1*, in the direction
of the stern.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The apparatus being below the
water line, and a cock for the escape of the air being open at the top of the
case A, there will be a constant pressure of water into the apparatus through

page_text: the orifices I and I. Now, by turning the disc B in the direction of the
arrows, that is to say, with the back of the curved blades leading, the water
that has entered the case containing the disc will be driven towards the cir-
cumference of the disc, and with the valves M and N arranged as above
described, the water thus driven from the circumference of the disc will pass
through the passages I and out of the orifices I; but by the removal of such
water a partial vacuum will be caused, and a fresh supply of water will enter
at the orifices I, and will rise in the passages H, enter the passage under the
floor F through the opening at L, and thence pass through the passages D
and into the centre of the disc B through the orifices D*, as shewn by the
arrows, and will be expelled by the revolution of the disc, this being a con-
tinuous action as long as the disc is turned. Thus, while the pressure is
lessened at the orifices I leading from the bows of the vessel, and increased at
the orifices I* leading to the stern, a reaction of the external water will bo
cnused, and the vessel will be propelled forwards.
In order to back the vessel the valves M and N must be worked so as to
open the communication between the orifices 1* and the centre of the disc B,
and close that between the centre of the disc and the orifices I, at the samo
tinic opening the communication between the circumference of the disc and the
orifices I, and closing that between the said circumference and the orifices I*.
This is effected by means of the apparatus shewn in Figures 10 and 11, by.
which the horizontal valves M are made to cover the openings at the top of
the chambers L and uncover the openings at the top of the chambers L,
while the vertical valves N are made to open the communication between the
chambers L and the passage under the floor F, and to cover the opening
leading from the chambers L into the same passage. The passages will
now be in communication with the passage E under the floor F, and the pas-
sages II with the case above the floor F. By this movement of the valves M
and N, it will be evident that the course of the water will be the reverse of that
above described (that is to say), it will enter from the stern part of the vessel
at the orifices I*, pass to the centre of the disc B, and being expelled at the
circumference thereof, will be driven through the passages and out at the
orifices I. By this means the reaction of the external water will be caused to
propel the vessel backwards.
In order to turn the vessel by means of the propelling apparatus, the sets of
valves M and N on one side of the keel must be acted on, so as to cause the
water to be admitted from the fore end of the vessel and expelled at the stern
end thereof on one side of the keel, and to be admitted at the stern and
expelled at the bows on the other side of the same.

page_text: And in order to stop the vessel without stopping the engines the valves M
and N in both sets of passages should be moved half way across the partition
K, and thus the force on both orifices I and I will be alike, and thero will be
no reaction from the external water to move the vessel.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I do hereby declare that what I claim as of my
Invention is the combination and arrangement of the parts of apparatus
adapted for propelling vessels by the action of a revolving disc with curved
blades on water admitted at one end of the vessel and expelled at the other
end, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Towl, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
L
WILLIAM SPENCE,
50, Chancery Lane,
Patent Agent.
JOHN TOWL. (L.S.)