IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTING OR APPLYING PROPELLERS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FITTING
OR APPLYING PROPELLERS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."-A communication
from abroad by Jean Pierre Victor. Le Rouge, of 33, Boulevart Saint
Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 27th May 1863, and dated the 13th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
December 1862.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FITTING OR APPLYING PROPELLERS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," communicated
to me from abroad by Jean Pierre Victor Le Rouge, of 33, Boulevart Saint
Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to fit or apply propellers to ships and other
vessels in such manner that the position of the propeller, with respect to the
ship or vessel, may be varied so that it (the propeller) may be turned or
moved like a rudder, or so moved that its axial line may be brought into and
out of positions, lines, or directions, at various angles to the line or direction
of the keel or fore and aft line of the vessel, or to the line or direction of the
main driving shaft, or to lines or directions parallel thereto, and so also

page_text: that the propeller may be bodily raised and lowered (its centre or the line of
its axis may thus be brought into and out of various horizontal planes).
By these arrangements vessels may be brought round in a small circle, and
perform other evolutions with increased ease and safety.
According to this Invention the propeller instead of being on one continuous
shaft serving also as the main driving shaft, is mounted on an axis which is
distinct from the main driving shaft, but is driven by it through intermediate
gearing. At the stern of the vessel are two frames one fixed and the other
moveable. The moveable frame is capable of turning on or about a vertical
axis or pivot so as to work like a rudder, when actuated by a toothed wheel
or pinion gearing into a toothed segment on the frame. Through this frame
passes an upright axis or shaft round which is a ring or collar, on which is a
socket or bearing in or on which works the end of the propeller axis (or axis
which carries the propeller). On the upright shaft is a toothed wheel in gear
with a wheel on the propeller shaft, and likewise with a wheel on the driving
shaft, by which means motion is transmitted from the latter shaft to the former,
and the propeller caused to revolve; by working the toothed segment in the
required direction the moveable frame will be turned to the required angle
without interfering with the rotation of the propeller. The gearing may be
protected from extraneous bodies by fitting at or round the outer end of the
main driving shaft a conical guard or shield having its surface constructed
with spiral curves or convexities. To raise and lower the propeller an arrange-
ment is adopted in which another frame is employed capable of sliding up and
down in guideways at the stern, this frame carries the upright axis or shaft
and is slotted through so that it may move over the main or driving shaft, and
it is also slotted at top so that it may move over the pinion which drives the
turning frame before referred to. Motion is transmitted from the driving
shaft to the propeller shaft by a wheel on the driving shaft gearing with a
wheel on the upright shaft, which latter wheel allows the shaft to be raised
or lowered through it, but moves the shaft round with it when actuated by the
driving wheel. On the lower part of the upright shaft is another wheel in
gear with a wheel on the propeller shaft, whereby motion is transmitted to
the propeller from the driving shaft. By these means the propeller may
or less submerged without its rotary motion being interfered
be more
with.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL.
HENRY, of 84, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Henry,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Michael Henry, 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 term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Is'ands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FITTING OR APPLYING PROPELLERS TO SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," com-
municated to me from abroad by Jean Pierre Victor Le Rouge, of 33, Boulevard
Saint Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Michael Henry, 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
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 Michael Henry, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, as communicated to me, referênce being had to
the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is to fit or apply propellers to ships and other
vessels in such manner that the position of the propeller or direction of its
axis with respect to the ship or vessel may be varied, so that the propeller
may be turned or worked like a rudder, or its axis placed at various angles
to the direction of the fore and aft line of the vessel. Another object of the
Invention is to fit propellers in such manner that they may be raised and

page_text: lowered bodily, and thereby more or less submerged. By the arrangements
herein described, a vessel may be brought round in a small circle, and per-
form other evolutions with ease and safety.
According to this Invention the propeller instead of being, as is usual, on
one continuous shaft, serving also as the main driving shaft, is mounted on an
axis, which is distinct from the main driving shaft, but is driven by it through
intermediate gearing. At the stern of the vessel are two frames, one fixed
and the other moveable; the moveable frame is capable of turning on or
about an upright or vertical axis, so as to work like a rudder, and it is
actuated for that purpose by a toothed wheel or pinion gearing into a toothed
segment on the frame. The upright axis or shaft passes through this frame,
and has round it a ring, boss, or collar, in which is a socket or bearing in which
the end of the propeller axis works. On the upright shaft is a toothed wheel
in gear with a wheel on the propeller shaft, and likewise with a wheel on the
driving shaft, by which means motion is transmitted from the latter shaft to
the former, and the propeller is thereby caused to revolve. By working the
toothed segment the moveable frame will be turned to the required angle, and
will stand at such angle without interfering with the rotation of the propeller.
The gearing may be protected from extraneous bodies by fitting round the
outer end of the driving shaft a conical guard or shield having its surface fluted
or corrugated with spiral curves or convexities. The propeller may be raised
and lowered by an arrangement in which another frame is employed capable
of sliding up and down in guide ways at the stern. This frame carries the
upright axis, and is slotted through, so that it may move over the driving
shaft, and it is also slotted at top, so that it may move over the pinion which
drives the turning frame before referred to. Motion is transmitted from the
driving shaft to the propeller axis by a wheel on the driving shaft gearing into
a wheel on the upright shaft, which latter wheel allows such shaft to be raised
and lowered through it, but moves the shaft round with it when actuated by
the driving wheel. On the lower part of the upright shaft is another wheel
in gear with a wheel on the propeller shaft whereby motion is transmitted to
the propeller from the driving shaft, By these means the propeller may be
more or less submerged without its rotary motion being interfered with.
Having thus set forth the nature of the Invention, I proceed with reference
to the Drawings to explain more particularly how the same may be carried
into effect.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2, plan, shewing the improved
arrangements for fitting or applying propellers.
a, b, b', is a frame fixed to and projecting from the vessel's stern S; e is an

page_text: upright axis stepped in the frame piece b, and passing through a collar in the
frame piece a; E is a frame turning like a rudder on the axis e when actuated
as herein-after described. On the upper end of the frame E is a toothed
segment d in gear with a toothed pinion c on a shaft c. f is a boss on the
axis e, having on one side a bearing or socket, which receives one end of an
axis g, carrying the screw or propeller. This axis 9 passes through the
frame E; A is the propeller, which may be of any desired form or arrange-
ment of vanes or blades; H is the driving shaft worked by a steam engine or
other motor, as usual; k is a toothed pinion keyed to the axis 9, and in gear
with a toothed wheel i on the axis e; this wheel i is also in gear with a
toothed wheel h on the shaft H, which thus communicates rotary motion to
the propeller. The propeller may be moved like a rudder, that is to say, its
axis g may be turned at an angle to the direction of the vessel's fore and aft
line by turning the shaft c', whereupon the pinion c will work the segment d..
and thereby move the frame E, and with it the axis g and propeller A in the
desired direction and to the desired angle, in which position the rotation of the
propeller by the gearing h, i, k, will not be interfered with; M is a conical
shield fixed on the axis H, and having its outer surface corrugated with spiral
flutings; its object is to throw off extraneous bodies, and so protect the
wheelwork.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modification, shewing arrangements by
which propellers may be raised and lowered (or more or less submerged). In
this modification the upright shaft e, on which the frame E turns, is supported
in a frame B, which may be slidden up and down in guide grooves in the
stern S by any ordinary contrivance. The frame E and arrangements d, f, k,
9, and c, in this Figure are similar to those marked with like letters in
Figures 1 and 2. H is the driving or steam engine shaft; p is a long pinion
on the shaft c', acting like the pinion c, Figure 1, that is to say, it is in gear
with the segment d, and works the frame E; this pinion p passes through a
slot in the frame B, so that the frame B may be slidden over the pinion; the
frame B is also slotted for the shaft II to pass through, the slot being of
sufficient length to allow the frame when slidden up or down to travel over the
shaft II. On the axis e is a toothed wheel m in gear with a toothed wheel
keyed on the shaft H. The wheel m is so fitted on the axis e, that when the
axis e rises or descends with the frame B it (the axis) travels through this
wheel, and when the wheel rotates it turns the axis with it. n is a toothed
wheel keyed on the axis e, and in gear with the pinion k; the shaft H
transmits rotary motion to the propeller through the arrangements l, m, e, n,
and k. The propeller is raised or lowered by sliding the frame B up or down

page_text: in its guide grooves; the shaft e and boss f, and the axis g which carries the
propeller, move with the frame B, but their change of position will not affect
the action of the gearing l, m, n, k, d, and p, and therefore will not interfere
with the rotation of the propeller, or with the turning of the frame E.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that what I claim as the improved
mode of fitting or applying propellers to ships and other vessels is, arranging
and combining apparatus for that purpose in manner herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
S. E. A. NEWSOME,
84, Fleet Street, London.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)