IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING MACHINERY FOR CANAL BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th January 1869.-A communication from abroad by Frederick
R. Pike, of the Oity and State of New York, United States of
America.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING MACHINERY FOR CANAL BOATS
AND OTHER VESSELS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists, firstly, as relates to water
propulsion, in the peculiar combination of the dynamic lever with a pair
of piston propellers, whereby I am enabled to apply the power so as to
overcome the resistance of a vessel's immersed cross section without
overcoming the resistance of the water at the propellers, and by so
doing reduce the "slip" to a fraction of 1%, hence its great economy,
for the loss from "alip" in the present system of screw and paddles
averages 30%.

page_text: Secondly. As relates to land locomotion, in the adaptation and use
made of a series of two or more toothed wheels so arranged as to give
multiplied velocity and continuous pressure of any requisite amount, and
acting upon a pair of large driving wheels attached to any vehicle, and
put in motion by means of weights, or by being connected with any
steam engine for the purpose of economical locomotion. The dynamic
lever is provided with long and short arms extending from the axis
which swings in two bearings. The static lever has also long and short
arms attached to its axis; the crank or short arm of the static lever is
attached to and acts upon the crank or short arm of the dynamic lever.
A double piston is made use of in the cylinders of the propellers, and by
proper connecting links is attached to the long arm of the dynamic lever
and acts upon the piston through a piston rod. A link motion is
attached to the piston rod of the steam engine and acts on the long
arm of the static lever. The foregoing parts may be made of any
suitable substance, and may be arranged vertically, horizontally, or sct
at any angle. The piston propellers and cylinders may be made of
varying shape and dimensions, or elongated pistons of various shapes
may be constructed and arranged so as to act on the water by passing
through proper ports duly fitted with stuffing boxes so as to impinge
against the water at one end only, but the form already described will
be found the best. Instead of using a piston working in a cylinder I
sometimes use a propeller consisting of a pair of leaves or plates hinged
together so as to open when acting against the water, and to close when
drawn in the opposite direction. The static lever may be dispensed with
and the power applied directly to the crank of the dynamic lever, but
I prefer to employ the static lever, because by this means engines at
present in use of any ordinary length of stroke may be adapted to this
apparatus. The crank of the dynamic lever must never exceed in length
(or distance from the centre or axis) one-twelfth of the length (or distance
from the centre or axis) of the long arm; it will be found that the
shorter the crank and the longer the said arm the greater the economy
of power. Two or more of the propellers may be used, and may easily
be arranged to work simultaneously or alternately; four is a convenient
number to be used, two facing the stern ports for going ahead and two
facing the bow ports for backing. Ropes are attached to the links which
connect the propeller rods to the dynamic lever for the purpose of con-
necting and disconnecting the same. To find the area of propellers required
add 20% to area of immersed cross section, divide by the leverage used,

page_text: and by two, the result is the required area of piston. Power being applied
to the engine the static lever oscillates in the are of a circle and acts upon
the crank of the dynamic lever; this again acts on the piston propellers
which impinge against the water. The resistance of the small arca of
water at the propellers being, by means of the dynamic lover, made
virtually greater than that of the larger area of immersed cross section,
it is evident, from the known law that power applied to overcome two
unequal resistances of necessity overcomes the least, that the water
forming the resistance to the boat's motion will give way before the
water at the propellers, the former offering practically the smallest
resistance, consequently that the boat can be propelled by this means
without "slip." The propeller cylinders aro duly provided with stuffing
boxes, their pistons having the water on one side and a vacuum on the
other, so that little if any steam will be required to bring them back,
the pressure of water alone being generally sufficient for that purpose.
The series of toothed wheels may be made use of or not at will in
combination with this propelling apparatus to apply power directly at
the crank or to any other point of the static lever. The propelling
apparatus for land locomotion consists of a series of two or more toothed.
wheels so arranged as to multiply velocity and a continuous power, and
to act on a small toothed wheel attached to the axle of a pair of large
driving wheels fixed to the vehicle, power being applied by suspended
weights or by an ordinary steam engine; this arrangement will be
found specially adapted to street railway. carriages.
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