IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."-A communication
from abroad by James Hyatt McGee and Thomas Argo Risher,
both of Kansas City, Missouri. United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 5th March 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton Build-
ings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN STEAM ENGINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been

page_text: Thomas Argo Risher, both of Kansas City, Missouri, United States
of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
a part of this Specification:-
The nature of this Invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a reciprocating rotary engine in which two or more pistons
work back and forth on a circle, as will be herein-after more fully set
forth.
In order to enable others skilled in the art to which the said Invention
appertains to make and use the same I will now proceed to describe its
construction and operation, referring to the annexed Drawing, in
which Figure 1 is a plan view of the engine; Figure 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section; and Figure 3, a horizontal section of the same;
Figure 4 is a section through one of the steam chests.
The cylinder of the engine is composed of two circular half
casings A, A, firmly bolted together through circumferential flanges
formed around them. In the casing or cylinder thus formed is made a
circular steam passage. B of any suitable form, leaving a circular
centre a in each half of the casing with a suitable space between the
two circular centres a, a. The casing or cylinder A is provided with
suitable flanges 6, 6, to attach it to a framework.
In the steam passage in one of the half casings are two steam inlet
ports d, d, nearly opposite each other and leading from separate steam
chests C, C. In each of these steam chests is an ordinary slide valve D
operated in the usual manner by an eccentric on the main shaft of the
engine, the two valves D, D, are so arranged that when steam is
admitted from one steam chest into the cylinder the other exhausts, and
vice versa; d¹³ is the exhaust port of the steam chest. G, G, represent
the two pistons working in the steam channel B and made of suitable
shape to fit snugly in the same, and should also be provided with
suitable packing to make them steam-tight. Each piston G is attached

page_text: to or formed with a circular disk E of the same size as the centres a, a,
of the cylinder or casing. Each disc has a shaft H formed in or
attached to its centre, and projecting to one side only. The two shafts
H, H, project in opposite directions through the centre of the casing,.
through stuffing boxes e, e, and have their bearings in suitable boxes on
the frame to which the casing is attached. One of the discs E has a
projection or journal fextending into a hole in the centre of the other
discs, as shown in Figure 3. In each of the centres a of the casing is a
circular recess for the insertion of packing to make steam-tight joints
between the discs E and the centres, as well as between the discs.
On the outer end of each shaft H is attached a crank h connected by
a pitman I with a crank m on the end of the main shaft J. The two
cranks h, h, as well as the two cranks m, m, are set in opposite
directions, as shown in Figure 3. Steam being admitted into the steam
passage B through one of the ports d it acts upon both the pistons G, G,
forcing them around in opposite directions nearly one half of a revolution,
and when the stroke is completed steam is cut off from that port and
admitted through the other port d, which throws the pistons back again
to their former positions, exhausting the steam previously let in, through
the exhaust d. By this construction of the engine there is no loss
of power of the steam, as is always the case where the steam has
to act against a stationary head or abutment, but the steam here acts
against two movable pistons turning on a common centre and exerting
a powerful leverage. There is practically no dead centres for the main
shaft, and hence a fly wheel may be entirely dispensed with.
Four pistons may be used instead of two by the addition of two
steam chests and valves with their ports, in which case the pistons only
make about one-fourth of a revolution at each stroke, and there will be
two cranks on each side of the casing, and two pitmans connecting them
with two cranks on each end of the main shaft J. The cranks are then
set quartering or at a distance of 90 degrees apart.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, what I claim as new
and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a reciprocating engine two or more pistons working in
opposite directions around a common centre, substantially as and for

page_text: 2nd. A casing provided with an annular steam passage without
abutments, when used in combination with two or more rotary
reciprocating heads or pistons, substantially as and for the purposes.
herein set forth.
3rd. The casing A, A, constructed as described with steam passage B, t
circular centre a, with packing recess i, the steam chests C, slide
valve D, and ports d, d¹, all constructed substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
* 4th. The pistons G, G, with disks E, E, operating in the casing A, A,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
5th. The combination of the casing A, A, with steam channel B,
steam chests C, with valves D and ports d, d², the pistons G, and
discs E, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have here- 1
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)