IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUSES FOR WORKING THE PROPELLERS OF VESSELS."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Ellis Allen, of Brompton Row, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR
APPARATUSES FOR WORKING THE PROPELLERS OF VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Ellis Allen at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th November 1858.
I, EDWARD ELLIS ALLEN, of Brompton Row, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY OR APPARATUSES FOR WORKING THE PROPELLERS OF VESSELS," to be
as follows:-
These improvements consist, firstly, in the arrangement of horizontal
engines for working screw propellers, and in which two cylinders are arranged
one within the other, the inner one being worked with high-pressure steam,
which expands into the outer one. Two or more piston rods are connected to
the annular piston, and are carried across the shaft and attached to a guide or
to a trunk or piston working in a barrel, which may constitute the air pump
barrel. The piston rod of the central cylinder is connected by a crosshead to
two of the piston rods of the outer cylinder. A connecting rod is attached to
the guide trunk or piston before spoken of, and motion thus given to the
crank. Instead of the piston rods of the annular cylinder passing the crank
shaft, they may terminate at the crosshead, and two or more separate rods may
pass the shaft, and be connected to the guide trunk or piston before named.

page_text: Another modification of these arrangements is made by having the high and
low pressure cylinders side by side, the centres being upon the same level or
otherwise, and the piston rods which are passed by the crank shaft being
connected with a guide trunk or piston, as before explained. In this case also
a crosshead may be used, & separate rods be made to pass the crank shaft.
The principal of all these arrangements is the same, namely, that of trans-
mitting the force of double cylinder engines to the crank shaft by passing rods
over and under the same, and connecting them to a guide trunk or piston,
which may form the air pump, and thence back to the crank by a con-
necting rod.
The improvements consist, secondly, in an addition to trunk engines of a
piston working within the trunk, the object of which is to save space, and
enable the trunk to be of small dimensions when used in engines which
expand the steam on the opposite side of the piston to that on which the
trunk is placed, and around which trunk the steam is first admitted to the
cylinder. In this arrangement the crank is stepped so as to allow of an
ordinary connecting rod being attached to it, and also the connecting rod
(lying in an opposite direction) of the piston working in the trunk. This
arrangement is applicable only where the trunk of the steam cylinder is
.connected with an opposite guide piston or trunk by rods, so that the force
from the main cylinder is not carried directly to the shaft, but through the
horizontal rods to the guide piston or trunk, & back from one of these to the
crank. The actual stroke or distance moved through by the piston in the
trunk would be double that of the trunk itself.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Ellis Allen in the Great. Seal Patent Office on the
9th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
ELLIS ALLEN, of Brompton Row, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Ellis Allen, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Ellis
Allen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: Edward Allen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING THE PROPELLERS OF VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Ellis Allen, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 tho said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Ellis Allen, 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, that is to say:-
These improvements consist in particular modes of arranging horizontal
double cylinder engines for working the screw propellers of vessels.
In the first arrangement two cylinders are employed, one within the other,
the inner one being supplied from the boiler with steam, which is afterwards
allowed to expand into the outer cylinder. Two (or more) piston rods aro
connected to the annular piston, and after passing one over and one under
the shaft are attached to a guide, or to a trunk or piston working in a barrel,
which barrel may constitute the air pump barrel. The piston rod of tho
centre cylinder is connected by a crosshead to the piston rods of the outer
cylinder, and a connecting rod is attached to the guide, trunk, or piston
before spoken of, and motion thus given to the crank. lustead of the piston
rods of the annular cylinder passing the crank shaft, they may terminate at
the crosshead, and two (or more) separate rods may pass the shaft, and be
connected with the guide, trunk, or piston before named.
bilge pumps are worked by prolonging the piston rods of the outer cylinder
or the separate rods last named.
The feed and
In the second arrangement the cylinders are arranged side by side, the
centres being upon the same or different levels, the piston rods from both
cylinders (one to each cylinder being sufficient) when the centres of the
cylinders are on different levels, are carried the one over and the other
under the shaft, and are then connected to a guide, trunk, or piston, as
before explained. In this case also a crosshead may in certain cases be used
for connecting the piston rods, and separate rods may be carried from the

page_text: crosshead past the crank shaft; the bilge and feed pumps may be worked as
described in the first arrangement. In this plan the sizes of the cylinders
are proportioned to the degree of expansion desired, so as to produce as
equable a strain as possible on the piston rods of the respective cylinders.
Roughly speaking, if 45 lbs. steam be used, and nine expansions required, the
steam would be cut off at in the smaller cylinder, and expanded into the
second cylinder, which would in this case have three times the capacity of
the smaller one, and so for any pressures or expansions.
In the third arrangement one cylinder is placed within the other, the inside
cylinder, however, being nothing more than an ordinary trunk working in the
outer cylinder, but fitted with a piston and connecting rod, the end of the
trunk being open to the atmosphere, and the space behind the trunk piston
open to the outer cylinder. The steam is first admitted to the annular
space round the trunk, and then passes to the space behind the trunk, as
also into the trunk itself, where it is expanded to any extent required, that
is, to as many times as the total capacity of the outer cylinder exceeds the
annular space round the trunk. Rods connect the trunk or inner cylinder
with a guide, trunk, or piston on the opposite side of the shaft, as before.
explained. One connecting rod is attached to this guide, trunk, or piston,
as in the former arrangements, and another connecting rod is attached to the
piston of the inner cylinder or steam trunk, the crank being stepped for the
purpose of receiving the two connecting rods. The stroke of the piston in.
the steam trunk is double that of the trunk itself, or that of the outer
cylinder. The feed and bilge pumps and air pump may be arranged as in
the former cases.
The accompanying Drawings show a convenient mode of carrying out the
several arrangements. Figs. 1, 2, and 3 show respectively cross section, fore
and aft section, and plan of the arrangement first described. Two pairs of
cylinders are here shown, the cranks being coupled at right angles in the
usual manner. The two pairs of cylinders are placed on opposite sides of
the shaft, but this arrangement is not necessary, as they may be placed on
the same side, thus allowing each pair of engines to work their respective air
pumps, and so provide for one engine being worked when the other is disabled.
A and B are the high and low pressure cylinders respectively, and C, D, E,
three piston rods, two of them being attached to the annular piston of the
outer cylinder; F is the crosshead, uniting all the piston rods, and G, H,
separate rods, in line with the piston rods of the annular piston. These
separate rods may be either nearer together or further assunder than the two
outer piston rods, it being immaterial as to what part of the crosshead they.

page_text: are united; I is the trunk of the air pump, and J, K, the feed and bilge.
pumps respectively. The rods G, H, are shown attached to the trunk of the
air pump, but they may be fixed to a guide or piston working in an open end.
cylinder, which may serve as an air pump. The condensers are shown at L,
having the bilge and feed pumps cast in them, as also the opening for the
air pump trunk I. The cylinders are shown worked by a single five-ported
valve, the spindle of which is opposite the centre of the shaft, but the valve-
may be differently arranged; the outer cylinder is also shown with a jacket,
which may be dispensed with, if desired. The steam passages to the inner.
cylinder are shown at the top and bottom of the large cylinder.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show respectively side elevation, fore and aft section,
and plan of the second arrangement; A and B are the high and low pressure
cylinders respectively, the centres of which are so disposed as to allow of the,
piston rods C, D, passing, the one over and the other under the crank shaft.
These rods are prolonged so as to join the air pump trunk E, as also to work
the feed and bilge pumps F, G, or these rods may be separate rods; all the
pumps are shown attached to the condenser H. The connecting rod I is
attached to the trunk of the air pump. The cylinders are shown worked by..
a single five-ported valve, but separate valves may be used.
In the arrangement shown the spindles of the valves are opposite the centre
of the shaft, thus avoiding the necessity of weigh shafts. The passages between
the two cylinders are contained in the box J, which is divided so as to allow
a passage from the top of the small to the bottom of the large cylinder, and,
vicê versa; it also allows of these passages being kept surrounded with stean,.
the condensed water being occasionally removed by a small tap or otherwise..
Instead of this arrangement ordinary pipes may be used, crossing each other
and felted over so as to prevent condensation. In this case also the Drawing
shows the two pairs of cylinders on opposite sides of the shaft, but they may
be on the same side as before explained.
Fig. 7 shows a cross section of the third arrangement, which will be readily
understood without additional Figures. A, B, is the outer cylinder, and C.
the inner one or steam trunk. The steam enters at A, and after (being cut
off at any desired portion of the stroke) expanding to a certain extent, is passed
into the lower part of the cylinder B, as also into the trunk C; the trunk C
is connected by two or more rods D with the air-pump trunk E, or to a guide
or piston working in an open barrel as in the other cases; one connecting
rod F unites the air-pump trunk with one part of the crank, and so commu-
nicates a part of the force, and another connecting rod G unites the other part
of the crank (of double the stroke of the first part) with the steam trunk, and

page_text: so communicates the remaining part of the force. Each crank is suitably
stepped to allow of the two rods being connected to it, both these rods being
either bent in opposite directions so as to admit of the steam and air-pump
trunks being placed exactly opposite to each other, or each end may be
attached to its respective trunk a little out of centre, or one of them may be
forked and the other worked in the centre. Instead of this arrangement both
rods may be straight, and the centres of the two opposite trunks so disposed as
to allow of the two rods working. These arrangements are mere matters of
detail, as also the mode of working the bilge and feed pumps, which, however,
may (in the case of four rods D being employed) be worked by two of them,
the remaining two be attached to the air-pump trunk, guide, or piston. The
valves for working the cylinder A, B, are those usually employed in such
cases.
In all these plans, when the connecting rods are attached to a guide
instead of to a trunk, as shown in the Drawings, the air-pump or pumps must
be worked by separate rods in the way commonly adopted.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the details herein described; but what I claim is,-
First, the arrangement of double cylinders, in what are known as "double
piston rod" marine engines, and described in Figs. 1 to 6.
Secondly, the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, in which the trunk of the
steam cylinder is made available as space for expansion by having a piston
working in it, when motion is communicated to the crank by a connecting
rod.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Ellis Allen, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
EDW. E. ALLEN. (L.S.)