IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES."-A communication from
abroad by Ebenezer Danford, of Geneva, State of Illinois, United States
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer; do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES,” to be as follows :--
This Invention of improvements in steam engines has for its object to
apply a motive power to the piston of an engine by means of the instantaneous
generation of steam from water injected into a generator which communicates
immediately by means of a valve opening with the cylinder in which the
piston works. The steam cylinder in which the piston works is mounted on
a bed plate which forms the upper part or roof of a furnace, to the upper
and lower sides of this plate two hemispheres are attached by means of bolts
and flanges, that part of the bed plate included between the hollows of the
hemispheres is removed so as to leave a space which with the hollows of each

page_text: hemisphere forms a chamber for the generation of steam. A pillar or standard
is erected upon the bed plate and supports a vibrating beam or T bob, to tho
ends of which are jointed the rods which are connected to the pistons of the
cylinders which are mounted upon the generators, and communicate therewith
through a slide valve which is worked by a crank or excentric. An arm
projects downwards from the vibrating beam, and attached to its lower end is
a connecting rod which passing by a yoke on each side of one of the cylinders
connects with the crank on the shaft of the fly wheel. The engine being
suitably located over a furnace, and the requisite heat having been attained,
which must be sufficient to flash a jet of water into steam instantaneously, a
motion of the pump is made by hand, and a portion of water is injected
through a pipe and rose sprinkler into the interior of the heated generator.
The steam expands under the piston and raises it and that end of the vibrating
beam, while the other end of the latter on descending empties the other
cylinder through the exhaust, the slide valve of this last-mentioned cylinder
being in such a position that its port connects the cylinder with the exhaust
opening. As the fly wheel rotates the motion of the crank operates the slide
valve under the cylinder just exhausted, and the edge of the valve is brought
to cover the opening to the cylinder, immediately after which the pump injects
a portion of water into the generator, which has a fraction of a second in
which to expand before the further withdrawal of the valve opens the
communication between the generator and cylinder and repeats the action.
The action of each generator and cylinder as well as of the valves and pump
are similar and alternate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th November 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM'
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as

page_text: I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 STEAM ENGINES," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The Invention is shewn in the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is
a plan view of the improved engine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;
Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section on the line x, x, Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line y, y, (Fig. 1) of one of the
generators with the cylinder and other parts adapted thereto; Figs. 5 and 6
represent sectional views of modifications of the arrangement.
This Invention of "Improvements in Steam Engines has for its object to
apply a motive power to the piston of an engine by means of the instantaneous
generation of steam from water injected into a generator which communicates
immediately by means of a valve opening with the cylinder in which the
piston works. The steam cylinder in which the piston works is in Figs. I
and 2 mounted on a bed plate A which forms the upper part or roof of a
furnace, to the upper and lower sides of this plate two hemispheres B; B',
are attached by means of bolts c and flanges b, b', that part of the bed plate
included between the hollows of the bemispheres is removed as seen in Fig. 3,
so as to leave a space which with the hollows of each hemisphere B, B',
forms a chamber for the generation of steam. A pillar or standard D is
erected upon the bed plate and supports the vibrating beam or T bob E, to
the ends of which are jointed the rods F, F, which are connected to the
pistons G of the cylinders C, which are mounted upon the generators and
communicate therewith through a slide valve which is worked by a crank or
excentric. An arm I projects downwards from the vibrating beam E, and

page_text: attached to its lower end is a connecting rod I which passes by a yoke on
each side of one of the cylinders; and is connected with the crank J on the
shaft of the fly wheel K. A prolongation of the shaft carries an outer crank L,
which is connected by the rod M, with the vibrating lever N, on whose shaft O
is an arm P, which by a rod Q works the slide valves R which govern the
apertures whereby the generators are connected with their respective cylinders.
On the shaft of the vibrating beam E is a plate V on which is a sliding box Vi
which is connected by a rod W with the vibrating beam X, which vibrates on
a pillar Y attached to the chest Y' on the bed plato A. At each end of the
beam X is a plunger rod Z with a piston attached which works in a pump a,
and as it descends (forces a portion of water through the pipe T, which is
connected with the rose sprinkler U in the interior of the generator; m is the
water supply pipe by which the pumps are fed. The engine being suitably
located over a furnace, and the requisite heat having been attained, which
must be sufficient to flash a jet of water into steam instantaneously, a motion
of the pump is made by hand and a portion of water is injected through the
pipe T and rose sprinkler U into the interior of the heated generator B.
The steam expands under the piston G and raises it and also that end of the
vibrating beam, while the other end of the latter on descending empties the
other cylinder through the exhaust h. The slide valve R of this last-mentioned
cylinder is in such a position that its port connects the cylinder with the
exhaust opening; as the fly wheel rotates the motion of the crank L com-
municated through the rod M and arm N to the shaft O, operates the slide
valve under the cylinder just exhausted, and the edge r of the valve is brought
to cover the opening to the cylinder; immediately after which the pump injects
a portion of water into the generator. The steam bas a fraction of a second
in which to expand before the further withdrawal of the valve opens the
communication between the generator and cylinder and repeats the action.
The action of each generator and cylinder, as well as of the valves and pump,
are similar and alternate. In Fig. 3 the cylinder to the left has just begun
to exhaust, and the opposite cylinder to receive steam, and the required
rapidity of the valve motion, as well as the means for actuating it, are capable
of variation to suit the exigencies of particular cases or duties. There are
many advantages in this method of generating steam and the construction
and adaptation is different from all other devices for the same purpose, and
more economically effective.
Fig. 5 represents another mode of adapting the generator to the cylinder;
Fig. 6 represents a mode of adapting two generators one to each end of the
cylinder.

page_text: While not limiting myself strictly to the spherical or ellipsoidal form of
generator, I believe that both, especially the former, are possessed of advantages
in respect of the ability to resist concussion, as well as in respect of capacity
relatively to the amount of material and the method of construction shown,
by which the upper and lower domes are made detached and removable, and
admit of their renewal in case of accident or wear.
Some of the principal advantages of the Invention are the freedom from
the weight and danger incident to boilers of every description from the
ordinary risks of their explosive contents, or from the effects of projectiles, and
by making no more steam at a time than is required for one stroke the
danger of casualty from this source is reduced to its minimum. In Figs. 1, 2,
and 3, t, t, represent safety valves on the upper hemispheres of the generators.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Steam Engines,
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured
to me by Letters Patent,-
First, attaching the hemispheres (or the upper and lower chamber) to the
upper and lower sides of the bed plate for the purpose described. .
Second, placing the generator immediately over the fire with the cylinder
in immediate connection therewith as shewn, the said generator being used
as a chamber in which a portion of water is flashed into steam for the purpose
described.
Third, the combination of the generators B, B1, the cylinder C and the
interposed slide valve which is actuated so as to open and close the passage S,
at the specified times for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)