IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLERS FOR CANAL BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN CONDENSERS FOR USE IN CON- NECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLERS
FOR CANAL BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN CONDENSERS FOR USE IN CON-
NECTION THEREWITH." -A communication from abroad by Benjamin
Talbot Babbitt, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th June 1873.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery.
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLERS
FOR CANAL BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN CONDENSERS FOR USE IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates in part to the propulsion of boats or vessels by
means of a centrifugal pump.

page_text: The leading object of this part of the Invention is to provide for
reversing the movement of the vessel, without reversing the pump.
To this end the wheel or rotating portion of the pump is mounted
in a case, which is divided laterally into two compartments, and
with these two channels communicate, one leading towards the bow.
and the other towards the stern of the vessel. By simply shifting
the wheel laterally from one compartment of its case to the other it
will pump in water from the stern of the vessel, and force it out at
the bow, or vice versa, and so propel the vessel in either direction.
This portion of the Invention also embraces an improvement which is
more especially designed for use on those vessels which are furnished
with pump propellers to be used as an auxiliary means of propulsion
when the wind is unfavourable for sailing. The waterways or conduits
through which the water passes to and from the pump are provided with
valves which are situate in the vertical plane of the division of the
pump case, whereby when the propeller is not in use the passage
through the said ways or conduits may be opened to allow water to pass
freely through them, which will facilitate the sailing of the vessel.
When these valves are closed communication with the pump will be
established, the water entering it, and being discharged therefrom to
assist in propelling the vessel.
Another part of the Invention relates to the application of condensers
in connection with the engines, which are employed to drive centrifugal
pump propellers or other propellers for boats or vessels of a similar
description, that is to say, propellers by which the water displaced by
the propulsion of the vessel is passed through a casing or waterway con-
nected with the vessel; and this part of the Invention consists in the
arrangement of the engine condenser in the waterway of the propeller,
whereby the entire body of water displaced in propulsion is brought into
immediate contact with the surface of the condenser, and a very perfect
operation obtained for the latter. The condenser consists of a com-
bination of a water box surrounding the propeller with steam chambers
having inlet and outlet pipes and transverse tapering pipes or tubes,
which form condensing surfaces for the water displaced by the propeller
to act upon.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my exccutors, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLERS FOR CANAL BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS,
AND IN CONDENSERS FOR USE IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," being a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Benjamin Talbot Babbitt, of the City and
State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or ad-
ministrators, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
.. T

page_text: The leading object of this part of the Invention is to provide for
reversing the movement of the vessel without reversing the pump. To
this end such part of the Invention mainly consists in the combination
of the wheel or rotating portion of the pump, a shell or case for the same
divided laterally into two compartments, and two channels communi-
cating with these compartments, and leading one towards the bow and
the other towards the stern of the vessel, whereby the wheel simply by
being shifted laterally from one compartment of its case to the other
may be made to pump in water from the stern of the vessel, and force it
out at the bow, or vice versa, and so propel the vessel in either direction.
This portion of the Invention also embraces an improvement, which is
more especially designed for use on those vessels which are furnished
with pump propellers to be used as an auxiliary means of propulsion.
when the wind is unfavorable for sailing. Such improvement consists.
in a novel arrangement of the waterways or conduits through which the:
water passes to and from the pump, and in valves combined therewith,.
whereby when the propeller is not in use the passage through the said
ways or conduits may be opened to allow water to pass freely through
them, which will facilitate the sailing of the vessel, and yet be obstructed
to establish communication with the pump when desirable to propel the
vessel by that means.
Another part of the Invention relates to the application of condensers
in connection with the engines which are employed to drive centrifugal
pump propellers or other propellers for boats and vessels of a similar.
description, that is to say, propellers by which the water displaced by.
the propulsion of the vessel is passed through a casing or waterway con-
nected with the vessel; and this part of the Invention consists in the
arrangement of the engine condenser in the waterway of the propeller,
whereby the entire body of water displaced in propulsion is brought into
immediate contact with the surface of the condcuser, and a very perfect
operation obtained for the latter.
Another feature of this part of the Invention consists in a peculiar
construction of the condenser itself, whereby it is especially adapted to
the situation above mentioned, the same comprising a combination of a
water box surrounding the propeller steam chambers with inlet pipes
and tapering pipes or tubes forming condensing surfaces for the water
displaced by the propeller to act upon.
.

page_text: Having thus specified the object or objects and nature of the Invention
its description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a vessel with a centri-
fugal pump propeller applied in illustration of that part of the Invention
which provides for reversing the movement of the vessel without
reversing the pump; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same;
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a vessel shewing also a
like application of centrifugal pump propeller with provision for
reversing the movement of the vessel without reversing the pump, but
by a certain arrangement of the waterways or passages through which
the water passes to and from the pump and valves combined therewith,
adapting the shifting of the propeller for the purpose of reversing the
movement of the vessel without reversing the pump to vessels employing
pump propellers as auxiliary means of propulsion when the wind is
unfavorable for sailing; Fig. 4 is a section taken at right angles to the
same.
Fig. 5 is a section of the propeller, vessel, and waterways, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2 taken transversely to the propeller wheel in illustration
of that portion of the Invention which relates to the arrangement of the
condenser of the engine which drives the propeller in the waterway of
the propeller, and in illustration of a certain peculiarity in construction
of the condenser.
Fig. 6 is a section taken at right angles to Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a
horizontal section of the parts illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.
Referring in the first instance to Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings
A is the wheel or rotary portion of a centrifugal pump. Its buckets
may be of any known or suitable form with a central opening to com-
municate with one compartment of its case, while the outer peripherical*
O openings communicate with the other. The case or shell of the pump is
semicircular at the top, and is parallel sided from the top downward.
It is divided laterally to form the two compartments B and C. A
channel D in the vessel leads from the compartment C to the stern of
the vessel, and another channel F leads from the compartment B to the
bow. The shaft of the wheel A is arranged fore and aft in the vessel,
and is supported in bearings E, E, in such manner that it may be
shifted longitudinally to change the wheel from one compartment of its.

page_text: shell or case to the other. The pulley on this shaft which receives the
driving belt is made so broad that when the wheel is shifted the belt
will not be thrown off. Instead of this the pulley on the driving shaft
may be made stationary if more desirable. The shaft of the wheel A
may be shifted endwise by a lever G, as represented, or by any other
suitable means.
When desired to propel the vessel forward the wheel of the pump is
shifted into the rear compartment C of its case. Water is then drawn
through the channel F from the bow of the boat into the central opening
of the wheel, and is forced out through its peripherical openings into
the channel leading to the stern of the vessel.
When desired to back the vessel the wheel is shifted into the forward
compartment B of its case. Water is then drawn in from the stern of
the vessel and forced out at the bow, and the vessel is thereby pro-
pelled rearward.
The construction and arrangement of parts just described, including
the channels or waterways D, F, within the vessel, will be found parti-
cularly applicable to canal boats and other boats or vessels especially
constructed for propulsion by the means described; but to apply this
part of the Invention to vessels of a larger size or to vessels already
built, particularly vessels, including ships of war, which, in addition to
their sails or when the wind is unfavorable, use a propeller simply as
an auxiliary means of propulsion; or even in some cases to apply the
Invention to boats on canals and other narrow waters it is preferred to
adopt the arrangement represented in Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawing.
In these Figures the waterways or conduits through which the water
passes to and from the pump are shewn differently arranged, and have.
valves combined with them, whereby when the propeller is not in use
the passage through the said ways or conduits may be opened to allow
water to pass freely through them, thereby facilitating the sailing of the
vessel, yet admitting of said passages being obstructed when desired to
establish communication with the pump for the purpose of propelling the
vessel by that means.
In the Figures 3 and 4 A¹ represents the hull of a vessel which
employs a pump propeller to assist in its propulsion, as before men-
tioned; and B, B¹, represent the waterways or conduits leading to or
from the propeller, and which are arranged one on each side of the keel

page_text: of the vessel on the outside of the hull; C, D¹, indicate the two com.
partments of the chest, shell, or case of the centrifugal pump employed
to propel the vessel. From one to the other of these compartments the
pump wheel may be shifted to propel the vessel forward or backward, as
above explained. The passages B' consist simply of pipes which extend
fore and aft along the bottom of the boat, and are furnished with.
branches a¹, a¹, and 6', 6', that connect them with the different compart-
ments of the pump, box, or shell. The pump wheel Fi must be of such
form that while it draws water into the compartment in which it is
working it will deliver it through the middle into the other compart-
ment, and it furthermore being arranged or (preferably so) on its shaft
by means of a sleeve that it may be readily shifted from one compart-
ment of the pump shell to the other. Its shaft is supported in
bearings E¹, E', and is furnished at the ends with cranks by which motion
is transmitted to it. L, L, are valves which are arranged one in each
of the water passages B¹ between their branches a¹, 6¹. They are
attached to rods s¹, which extend up through the pump shell, and are
furnished at the ends with handles, by which means the valves may be
turned to obstruct the passages B¹, and establish communication between
them and the pump, or may be shifted to present their edges towards
the ends of the waterways or passages, so as to allow a free passage of
water directly through them.
When the wind is favorable, and the vessel can be propelled by its
sails, the valves L', L', are opened to allow water to pass freely through
the passages B³, so as to facilitate the travel of the boat. But when the
boat or vessel is to be propelled by the pump the valves are closed to
establish communication between the conduits B' and the pump.
The remaining portion of the Invention is shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
as applied to the same arrangement of centrifugal pump propeller and
waterways, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, but is equally applicable to
the arrangement shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and so far as least at its.
leading feature is concerned, to other propellers that cause the water.
displaced by propulsion of the vessel to pass through a casing or water-
way connected with the vessel. This part of the Invention has for its
primary object the utilization of the water displaced in the propulsion of
the vessel by propellers of the description herein shewn and referred to
to the condensation of the spent steam of the engine used to drive the:
propeller for the purpose of economizing or increasing the power of the
.
:
+
:

page_text: engine by using a condensing in place of non-condensing engine. Such
part of the Invention accordingly consists, as herein-before cited,
primarily in the arrangement of the engine condenser in the waterway.
of the propeller, whereby the entire body of water displaced in pro-
pulsion is brought into immediate contact with the surface of the
condenser, and thus a very perfect operation is obtained for the latter.
* In Figures 5, 6, and 7 A² and B2 indicate two waterways, which extend
respectively to the bow and stern of the boat in which the propeller is
arranged; C, D, indicate two compartments of the box or case of the
centrifugal pump propeller with which box the aforesaid passages respec-
tively communicate; E³ is the wheel of a centrifugal pump which is
employed as a means of propulsion, and which is of a form and is con-
structed and arranged with reference to the compartments C², D², with
provision for sliding it longitudinally on its shaft to move it from one com- .
partment to the other for the purpose of reversing the propulsion of the
vessel without reversing the motion of the pump, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the first part of the Invention or
other Figures of the Drawing. By the rotation of the pump wheel
water is drawn in from one of the passages A³, B², and forced out of the
other, and according to the passage from which the water is expelled the
vessel will be moved forward or backward.
The condenser is represented as consisting of two chambers J2, J²,
arranged on the outer side of the compartments of the pump case, and
numerous taper pipes K² projecting from them into and across both com-
partments of the box, shell, or case C³, D². These condenser chambers J,
J2, are reversed in position, each extending along the reverse portion of
their respective compartments from the other, and are separate and
distinct one from the other, and each of said chambers is provided with an
independent inlet and outlet pipe or passage. The exhaust steam inlet
pipes LP, from the engine lead to the upper part of the chambers and
outlet pipes P³ for the water of condensation lead from the lower portion
of the chambers. The water. passing through the pump is brought into
immediate contact with the pipes of the condenser, and very effectually
condenses the steam contained in them. The water of condensation, as
fast as formed in the pipes on account of their inclined sides runs back
into the chambers, and is discharged through the outlet pipes P³. By
this means not only is great efficiency given to the condenser, but the
necessity of pumping water up to operate the condenser is obviated,

page_text: Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Propellers for Canal Boats and other Vessels, and in Condensers for
use in connection therewith," as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, 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,―
First. The combination of the wheel A arranged as described, its case
or shell divided to form two compartments B, C, and the channels D, F,
leading from said compartments, one towards the bow, and the other
towards the stern of the vessel, essentially as described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. The combination of the water passages or conduits B¹, B¹,
arranged as described, their branches a', 6', the propeller F, and its
casing C, D, and the valves L', L', substantially as described with
reference to Figures 3 and 4 for the purposes set forth.
Third. The arrangement of a condenser in the waterway of the pro-
peller, substantially as described, whereby the whole of the water
displaced in propulsion is brought into immediate contact with the con-
denser surface.
Fourth. The combination of the case or water box C², D³, surrounding
the propeller, the steam chambers J' with their inlet and outlet pipes,
and the taper pipes K², K², substantially as described with reference to
Figures 5, 6, and 7 for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.