IMPROVEMENTS IN PRO- PELLING VESSELS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Conolly, of Hanover Square, London,
Esquire, M.P., and William Cotter, of Beeston, Nottingham-
shire, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRO-
PELLING VESSELS."
Sealed the 6th June 1853, and dated the 6th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Conolly
and William Cotter at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 6th December 1852.
We, THOMAS CONOLLY, of Hanover Square, London, Esquire, M.P.,
and WILLIAM COTTER, of Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROPELLING VESSELS" to be as follows: -
In lieu of the ordinary paddle wheel or screw, we propose to use
propellers of a semi-elliptical or other convenient shape, fitted at
right angles to the vessel's side, and entirely below the water. Fig. 1,
of the accompanying Drawing, represents a portion of a ship's side,
with the propeller fitted thereto; Fig. 2, is a plan of the same; and
Fig. 3, a transverse section. A, A, are the propellers hung to an
upright B, like the rudder of a ship, and sliding freely to and fro on

page_text: the guides C, C; D, D, are cylinders connected with a pair of
engines inside the vessel. The piston rods E, E, are made of
sufficient length to extend beyond the propellers, and to each piston
rod the upright B, is secured, but in such manner that the pro-
peller, when required, may be made to traverse on the rods E, E, a
distance equal to the width of the propeller. In Fig. 1, the pro-
peller is represented at its greatest distance from the cylinder, and
lying nearly parallel with the ship's side. Upon admitting steam, the
piston will draw the propeller with it, towards the stern of the
vessel, and thus force it (the vessel) through the water.
Upon the
return stroke of the piston, the propeller turns upon its hinges and
lies nearly close to the side, so as to offer little resistance to its
forward motion. A spring F, is fixed on each side of the propeller
to prevent its lying close to the ship's side, and ensure its swinging
outward the moment the piston commences its return. Brackets
G, G, are fitted to the piston rods; these are to prevent the pro-
pellers going beyond a right angle with the ship's side. The brackets
G, will be in use when the engines are propelling the vessels ahead,
but when necessary to reverse the action of the propellers, the
brackets G, will be required. To back the ship astern, the position
of the propellers must be reversed, so that the outward stroke of
the piston throws the propeller open, forcing the ship backward.
To effect this, a shaft H, is carried up on deck, or communicating
with the engine room; the lower part of the shaft is fitted with a
wedge-shaped piece of metal, so as to catch in a stud at the back of
the upright B, and release the propeller, allowing it to slide along
the rod E, as far as the bracket G¹, where it becomes fast; this
position is shewn in dotted lines Fig. 2. The mode of reversing the
action of the propellers may be greatly varied in its mechanical
arrangements. The cylinders may be covered with wood or other
non-conducting material. I reserve the right to modify the mecha-
nical arrangement of this mode of propelling, as this may be done in
several respects.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Thomas Conolly and William Cotter
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc,
THOMAS CONOLLY, of Hanover Square, London, Esquire, Member of
Parliament, and WILLIAM COTTER, of Beeston, Nottingham, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Conolly and
William Cotter, Her special licence that we, the said Thomas Conolly
and William Cotter, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said Thomas Conolly and William Cotter,
our 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
night 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 PROPELLING VESSELS,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Conolly and
William Cotter, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
scals, 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 we, the said Thomas Conolly and William
Cotter, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say):
The principle of our Invention consists in propelling vessels by
means of submerged propellers having a reciprocating action

page_text: actuated by a piston rod from a steam cylinder without the inter-
vention of a crank, and exerting their greatest power when at right
angles with the sides of the vessel. In the annexed Drawings
these propellers are clearly shewn; but we do not confine ourselves
to the use of propellers exactly of this form, as they may be of a
rectangular or other figure, and their size must necessarily vary
according to the amount of propelling power required.
Figure 1, on the accompanying Drawing, represents the sheer plan
of a vessel, shewing the application of our propeller thereto; Figure
2, is a transverse section, and Figure 3, a plan of the same. A, is a
steam cylinder of an ordinary engine, from ten to twenty feet in
length according to the size of the vessel; this cylinder is to be placed
close to, or partially built in, the ship's side, and covered with timber
so as to prevent condensation, but it must be easily accessible from
the inside of the vessel, and is to be connected with the other parts of
the engine in any suitable manner, or with such modification as it's
position may require. B, is the propeller shaft, one portion of which
forms the piston rod of the cylinder A. C, C, are strong guide
rods, to which the shaft D, is firmly secured, but so as to traverse
freely to and fro on the guide rods. E, is the propeller fastened by
means of hinges to the shaft D, and turning freely on its axis.
Attached to the propeller shaft B, are two brackets or stops F, F,
placed a sufficient distance apart to allow the propeller E, to turn
without obstruction. The propeller being unconnected with the
propelling shaft B, the brackets F, F, draw and force it through the
water, and in order to lessen the force of the blow when the pro-
peller strikes against the stop or bracket F, or the propelling shaft
a spring G, is placed upon each side of the propeller. This spring
also prevents the propeller lying close to the ship's side, but is so
placed that the propeller shall form an angle of ten degrees or
thereabouts with the side of the vessel. The piston being at the
end of the stroke, and the propeller in the position shewn at Figure
1, when steam is admitted to the opposite side of the piston, it will
draw the propeller to the after part of the ship, and the resistance
offered by the water will instantly throw the propeller outward at
B,

page_text: right angles to the vessel's side; the angular position of the propeller
caused by the spring G, effectually preventing its traversing parallel
to the side. It will of course be understood, that the arrangement
here described is to be fitted to each side of the ship, and it is
desirable that the propellers should be placed as deep in the water
as possible, that is to say as near the keel as may be consistent with
safety; but to avoid injuring the propellers, should the vessel
touch the ground, it would be advantageous in many cases to have
the vessel fitted with two keels, so that the vessel might remain
upright when aground. Upon reference to the Drawings it will be
seen that when the vessel is being propelled through the water, and'
the propeller offering the greatest resistance, the piston rod is being
drawn towards the cylinder, which arrangement prevents any
tendency to bend or deviate from a straight line, when upon the
return stroke being made, the propeller turns upon its hinges or
collapses, and lies nearly close to the vessel's side, offering a very
trifling resistance to the motion of the piston rod or to the vessel's
impetus. In order. to reverse the action of the propeller when
requisite, so as to impel the ship stern foremost, we use the arrange-
ment shewn in the plan Figure and in section drawn to a larger
scale at Figure 4. The brackets or stops F, F, are fixed to the
propelling shaft B, by means of a stud H, so as to travel with it;
this stud fits into one of two notches H¹, H", cut in the bar B. In
the side of the vessel is a small recess I, in which is fitted the
wedge-shaped piece of metal K, turning upon a joint L, by means
of two levers hinged to the back of the wedge K, and terminating
inside the ship within convenient reach of the engineer or officer
in charge. Either point of the wedge may be projected outwards so
as to catch in the knob M, on the back of the stud H; this releases
the piece carrying the stops F, F, and they immediately travel
along the shaft B, as far as the notch H", into which the stud H,
falls. The stop or bracket F, at the back of the propeller, being
removed by the force of the water acting on the propeller as it is
forced onward, and the other stop, which is now fast on the opposite
side, causes the propellers to work in a contrary direction, propelling

page_text: the ship astern; so also when it is required to turn the vessel round,
either propeller may be worked to assist in the action of the rudder,
as in the case of steam ships propelled by paddle wheels. The
knob M, of the stud H, when lifted by the wedge K, travels a
short distance along the incline of the wedge and through a groove
cut in the under part of it, and is then free to slide along the shaft
B, to the notch H". A spring N, is secured to the back of the stop
shaft to keep it in close contact with the propeller shaft.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, we wish it to
be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details
of our Invention, nor to the particular shape of the propellers, as the
same may be varied without departing from the principle of the
improvements. But we claim the mode of propelling ships and
other vessels substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cotter, for myself and
the said Thomas Conolly, have hereunto set my hand and]
seal, this Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.