IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Atkin, of 15, Crawford Street, Bryanston
Square, Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
VESSELS."
Sealed the 16th March 1866, and dated the 22nd September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Atkin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
September 1865.
I, ROBERT ATKIN, of 15, Crawford Street, Bryanston Square, Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROPELLING VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the method of pro-
pelling. vessels, chiefly intended to be used as an auxiliary power to sailing
vessels. I propose to apply to the sides of the vessel (at that place where paddle
wheels are usually placed) screw propellers, which are set in bearings in
frames hinged or jointed to the sides of the vessel, and capable of being raised
or lowered from the bulwarks by means of lifting or suspending chains worked
by a windlass or other equivalent gear. The frames are also held by sup-
porting chains from the bulwarks, the lifting chains being hung from the davits.

page_text: The frames contain screws driven by endless chains, and whelped bosses on
the shafts; or the shafts may be actuated by toothed gearing or universal
joints, in either case worked by steam power, the chains or shafts passing
through the sides of the vessel. One or more screws may be placed on
each side of the vessel, and by reversing the engine on one side and going
ahead on the other the vessel may be turned round in a space little more
than her own length. By placing the propellers amidships and on each side
of the vessel the vibration is reduced very considerably, and an economy of
space will be effected. When the wind is fair the propellers may be raised
from the water and the steam power discontinued.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Atkin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ATKIN, of 15, Crawford Street, Bryanston Square, Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Robert Atkin, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Atkin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Atkin, 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 Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said Robert Atkin, 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 Robert Atkin, do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the method of propelling
vessels, chiefly intended to be used as an auxiliary power to sailing vessels. I
propose to apply to the sides of the vessels (at that part where paddle wheels
are usually placed) screw propellers, which are set in bearings in frames hinged
or jointed to the sides of the vessel, and capable of being raised or lowered
from the bulwarks by means of lifting or suspending chains worked by a
windlass or other equivalent gear. The frames are also held by supporting
chains from the bulwarks, the lifting chains being hung from the davits. The
frames contain screws or propellers driven by endless chains, and whelped
bosses on the shafts; or the shafts may be actuated by toothed gearing, in
either case worked by steam power, the chains or shafts passing through the
sides of the vessel. One or more screws may be placed on each side of the
vessel, and by reversing the engine on one side and going ahead on the other
the vessel may be turned round in a space little more than her own length.
By placing the propellers amidships and on each side of the vessel the
vibration incident to the use of the screw propeller is reduced very considerably,
and an economy of space will be effected. When the wind is fair the propellers
may be raised from the water and the use of the steam power be discontinued.
As I-propose to employ for the purpose of working the auxiliary screw pro-
pellers steam engines of but small size and little weight running at a suitably
high speed, so as to actuate the propellers as directly as possible, and without
the intervention of heavy, expensive, and complex gearing, I am by the arrange-
ment and disposition of parts of the machinery and gearing, herein described
and illustrated, enabled to contrive and utilize in the same engines several
functions besides that of engines for propulsion (as auxiliary engines) whilst
at sea when in a calm or with light or adverse winds, those of actuating steam
winches, steam cranes, steam derrick gear, or other forms of steam apparatus
for loading or unloading cargo, also for actuating fire engines or other water-
pumping apparatus, and performing other work in and about a ship.
In the accompanying Drawing I have merely shewn the general character
of the auxiliary propelling apparatus and the principal features thereof without
attempting to elaborate the plans or means for actuating or giving motion to
the propelling apparatus, or shewing the various modes of construction and
arrangements of parts which it might be requisite or necessary to adopt to
suit the particular requirements of each ship, or the existing arrangements of
ber bulkheads, or her internal construction or fittings, but in every case whilst
the power and disposition of the steam engines, boiler or boilers, and gearing

page_text: for actuating the propellers are to be primarily determined with reference to
the auxiliary propulsion of the ship. The further object which I seek to carry
out when putting my Invention into practical use is to so arrange and dispose
the motive power apparatus as to utilize it for other purposes, as berein-before
stated.
Figure 1 is a transverse section taken amidship shewing a mode of applying
the apparatus in accordance with my Invention, wherein the iron framing
containing a screw propeller is shewn as hinged to the ship's side, and
suspended from a davit by means of a suitable tackle, rotary motion being
given to the screw propeller by means of an endless chain passing over a
pitch wheel within board, and a corresponding wheel upon the axis or short
shaft of the screw. The screw is mounted between the jaws of the hinged
frame, and suitable collars and bosses are provided for receiving and resisting
the thrust of the screw. The frame is capable of being raised out of the
water by means of the davit tackle, so that when the ship is required to be
under canvas alone, the frame and screw being raised offer no impediment to
the ship's sailing; Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a transverse
section taken amidship, shewing another modification in the mode of mounting
and fitting screw propellers to auxiliary power ships; in this view the screw
and the hinged frame shewn in Figure 2 are raised so as to be out of use;
Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 8; Figure 5 is a view of the bow frame H.
In the several views A is the ship;. B, the screw propeller; C, the frame;
D, the chain wheel fitted upon the screw propeller; E, the endless chain;
F, the chain wheel fitted within the ship, by means of which motion is
transmitted to the screw propeller whilst in use. A boxing G is shewn, in
which the chain wheel connected with the motive power is fitted, and by
means of which boxing the openings left in the side of the ship for the
passage of the chain are enclosed. H is an "iron bow" for connecting the
chain or rope from the davit to the hinged frame; I is the suspending rope
or chain; and K, the davit. Motion may be given to the propeller fitted on
each side of the ship by means of separate and independent steam engines
moving at a suitably high speed, and operating the chain pulley contained
within the boxing or water-tight casing directly by means of a crank at each
end of the pulley shaft, each crank being set at a proper angle, and the
diameters of the two chain pulleys may be of different sizes to give the
requisite speed to the propeller. Instead of mounting two small vertical or
angularly placed steam engines one on each side of the boxing G, a pair of
small engines may be fitted to the ship's side, or under or on the deck, and
the double crank shaft thereof be coupled to the end of the chain pulley

page_text: shaft, projecting on one side through the boxing. When found to be more
convenient one pair of engines of larger size and power may be placed
between the port and starboard propellers, and the motion thereof be
communicated either by means of shafts and wheel gearing or by chains and
chain wheels. Instead of employing chain wheels and endless pitch or other
forms of chains for connecting the inboard gearing with the overhanging
screw propeller for the purpose of rotating it, wheel gearing and shafting may
be substituted. The hinged frames for containing the screw propellers instead
of being of the form and construction shewn in Figures 1 and 2, &c. of the
accompanying Drawing, and mounted or hung from the side of the vessel, as
therein shewn, may be so formed as to arch over from the ship's sides (instead
of projecting therefrom in a straight or nearly straight line), and so admit of
desired arrangement of staying or trussing without interfering by the
exposed surface thereof with the motion of the ship through the water whilst
under steam. By preference I propose to place the steam engines and boilers
as near as may be convenient to the propellers placed on each side of the
vessel amidship, as thereby the various mechanical contrivances for cargo
working, pumping, capstan and windlass working, and other purposes may be
more readily connected, set in motion, and worked, so that when the steam
engines are not required to be solely or entirely employed in propelling they
may be used for other purposes whilst at sea, and when the ship is in harbour
the engines may be employed for cargo moving and other purposes.
any
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Atkin, have hereunto set my
hand, this Twenty-first day of March One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six
Witness,
JOSEPH T. DANN,
19, Salisbury Str., W.C.
ROBERT ATKIN. (Ls.)