IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE ACTION OF THE WIND
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Calvert, of Residentiary Houses, Saint
Paul's, in the City of London, Clerk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE ACTION OF THE WIND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Calvert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th October 1857.
I, WILLIAM CALVERT, of Residentiary Houses, St. Paul's, in the City of
London, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE ACTION OF THE WIND,"
to be as follows:―
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement of apparatus for
utilizing the force of the wind by converting it into a propelling power, whether
for marine or land purposes.
In applying the Invention to the propelling of ships, I mount on the upper
deck a circular platform, to which is secured a hollow chain barrel. Through
the centre of this platform and barrel passes a vertical shaft, which forms the
mast of the ship. This shaft passes down through the lower decks and rests
in a foot step, its vertical position being secured by means of suitable fixed
bearings, Attached to the shaft or mast is a framing formed of one, two, or
more pairs of radial spars, braced together and connected at their inner ends
to a ring which surrounds the chain barrel, and is fitted with antifriction rollers.
These rollers bear upon the turntable, which is intended to form a way over
the face of which the framing rotates; the spars at their outer ends each carry
by means of a swivel centre a yard, attached to which is a chain wheel, the

page_text: circumferential measurement of which is double that of the chain barrel, and
passing from each wheel to the barrel is an endless chain guided by sheaves
in any convenient manner. From the middle of each yard passes a tension
rod or cord, connected by a swivel joint to the top of the mast. The tension
cords or rods and the yards are intended to carry canvas sails, which taper
towards the point of suspension, and by means of the endless chain receive an
independent rotary motion while the framing rotates upon its axis: By this
means they are kept in the most favorable position to receive the force of the
wind. To the lower end of the central shaft a bevil-toothed wheel is keyed,
which gears into a bevil pinion on the propeller shaft, and thus as rotary
motion is giving to the framing by the action of the wind upon the spread
canvas, a driving power will be communicated to the propeller. To facilitate
the setting of the sails to the wind, the circular platform before mentioned
is made moveable like a turntable, which may be operated by a spur pinion,
which gears into a ring of teeth formed on the platform, or by any other
convenient and suitable mechanical contrivance. The rotation of this table or
platform will, through the chain barrel, chains, and chain wheels, give an axial
motion to the sails, and adjust them to the proper angles for the wind, so that
the planes of each sail shall be at right angles to that of its opposite sail.
The framing will then rotate by reason of the pressure of the wind upon the
sails, and through the central shaft an efficient driving power will be imparted
to the propeller.
.
By the rotation of the turntable and chain barrel the sails may be adjusted
so as to counteract each other, and thereby throw the apparatus out of action
for the purpose of reefing the sails. Or the relative position of the sails
may be inverted so as to reverse the direction of the rotary motion of the
apparatus.
From the above explanation, the application of the Invention to the driving
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Calvert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CALVERT, of Residentiary Houses, Saint Paul's, in the City of London, Clerk,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
· Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Calvert, Her special license that I, the said William Calvert, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Calvert, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE ACTION OF THE WIND," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Calvert, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Calvert, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement of apparatus for utilizing
the force of the wind upon rotating sails, and converting that force into a
motive power applicable to the driving of machinery, whether on land or
water.
In the accompanying Drawing my improved apparatus is shewn in elevation
and in connection with a horizontal driving shaft at Fig. 1, which shaft may
be extended and applied either to giving rotary motion to a screw propeller,
or to any other mechanical device to which such rotary motion may be,
advantageously applied. A is a central-shaft, mounted in suitable bearings
a, b, and intended to revolve freely therein. The bearing a is a footstep,
secured to a timber or other strong foundation capable of supporting the whole
weight of the apparatus. The bearing b is a tube, standing up from a plate
or broad flange, which is cast therewith, and is carried by timbers or other
suitable supports. Upon this bearing is mounted a chain barrel B, which
constitutes a central support for a framing C, formed of one, or it may be two
or more pairs of radial spars braced together and connected at their inner ends
to a ring c, which surrounds the chain barrel. This framing C is attached
securely to the central shaft A, and for the purpose of ensuring great stiffness.

page_text: bracings d, d, may be used to connect the spars directly with the central shaft.
In the Drawing I have shewn the framing C as constructed to carry two pairs
of spars, but to prevent confusion one pair is only shewn with the parts
pertaining thereto, and the framing C is shewn in section to expose the chain.
barrel to view. In Fig. 2 this barrel, together with the bearing 6 and
framing C, is shewn in section; the radial spars at their outer ends each carry
by means of a swivel centre e a yard D, to which a chain wheelf is attached.
The circumferential measurement of these wheels f I make double that of the:
chain barrel, and I pass from each wheel to the barrel an endless chain
guided by sheaves in any convenient manner. The yards D are intended to
carry canvas sails E, which taper upwards towards their points of suspension;
is a collar attached to the top of the central shaft, and provided with sheaves
to receive the cords for supporting the sails; these sails, by means of the
endless chains which pass from their respective wheels f, to the central chain
pulley, receive an independent rotary motion, while the framing C rotates 'upon
its axis, and they are thus kept in the most favorable position for catching
or feathering the wind (as desired) during their entire revolution around the
central shaft.
To the lower end of the shaft a toothed wheel F is keyed, which gears.
into a pinion h, mounted on a vertical shaft i, which turns in suitable fixed.
'bearings. On this shaft i a pair of bevil wheels k, k*, is loosely mounted, and
playing between them is a clutch box, by which either of the wheels may be
locked to the shaft i. In gear with both these wheels is a bevil wheel 7, made
fast to a shaft m, which is the driving shaft, to which I desire to impart
rotary motion. By this arrangement it will be understood that the direction:
of motion of this shaft is brought within the command of the attendant, who,
by raising or lowering the hand lever n, which works the clutch box, can
reverse the direction of rotation of the shaft at pleasure. To facilitate the
setting of the sails to the wind, a ring of rack teeth o is formed on the
periphery of the chain barrel, and into these teeth gears a worm p, which is
mounted on a shaft q, having its bearings on the plate b. By turning the
shaft through the intervention of the gearing r, r, any required amount
of rotation may be imparted to the chain barrel, which by means of the chains
that pass round chain wheels on the yards give an axial motion to the sails,
and adjust them to the proper angles for the wind, the plane of each sail being
brought to a right angle with that of its opposite sail. The framing will then
rotate by reason of the pressure of the wind upon the sails, and through the
central shaft an efficient driving power will be imparted to the shaft m.
By rotating the chain' barrel the sails may be relatively adjusted so as to

page_text: counteract each other, and thereby throw the apparatus out of action. This I
propose to avail myself of for the purpose of facilitating the reefing of the
sails; or the relative position of the sails may be inverted so as to reverse the
direction of the rotary motion of the apparatus.
The act of reefing the sails may be effected in any well-known manner, but
as I do not contemplate working my machinery in general otherwise than
with the sails fully spread, I have not thought it necessary to shew the means
for taking in a portion of the canvas, but the plan of doing this will readily
suggest itself to any one practically acquainted with the rigging up of sails.
To permit of the facile reefing of the sails, I may find it convenient to connect
them to the yards D by means of sliding rings, and to hold them taut by
means of ropes working in, pulleys, or sheaves attached to the ends of the
yards. The sheets may also be threaded through with cords s, s, by drawing
which taut (the tension ropes being first slackened) the sails may be contracted
in the direction of their length, and made ready for lashing round into a firm
reef. By tapering the sails and mounting them on yards which stand at an
angle to a horizontal line, I am enabled to throw the strain of the sails directly
on the central mast, and prevent them from acting with that leverage that is
to be found in previously patented plans for working rotating sails. It will
also be understood that this form of sail affords superior facilities to square
sails in securing them in position, all cumbrous head framing being dispensed
with.
Having now set forth the nature, of my Invention of "Improvements in
Obtaining Motive Power by the Action of the Wind," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim the general arrangement of
machinery as above described, for converting the pressure of the wind upon
rotating sails into a rotary motion applicable to a variety of uses. And
particularly I claim imparting to the rotating sails an independent axial motion
for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Calvert, have, hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM CALVERT. (L.S.)