CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE USED IN NAVIGATION, CHIEFLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROPELLING OF SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING BODIES, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HARSLEBEN, of New Ormond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, and ninth year of His reign, did
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Harsleben, His especial licence that
I, the said Charles Harsleben, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Charles Harsleben, my executors, adññors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO
BE USED IN NAVIGATION, CHIEFLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROPELLING OF SHIPS AND OTHER
FLOATING BODIES, AND WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Charles Harsleben, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Charles
Harsleben, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist,―
First, in a framework or wheel for holding my patent paddles, for which I
obtained His Majesty's Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, and of which I duly
inrolled a Specification in the High Court of Chancery on the Twentieth day
of June, One thousand cight hundred and twenty-seven, the object of my said
wheel or framework being to allow of my using any number of patent paddles,
which have heretofore been restricted to four, and also to admit of each patent
paddle having a separate axis, and two bearings for each axis, and also to
admit of its being placed in situations to which they were not before
applicable.
Secondly, in the introduction of springs to act upon the wipers herein-after
described.
Thirdly, in an improved paddle box or casing.
Fourthly, in a new arrangement of cranks and treadles for applying the power
of men to the moving or turning of the said wheel, whereby it is intended that
the greatest possible advantage from human power should be obtained.
And, fifthly, in a new application of a rudder to the bow or fore part, and of
wings to the keel of a ship or vessel, for the purpose of preventing or at any
rate of diminishing its lee way.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Charles
Harsleben, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing annexcd, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to
say):
—
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents one of my said wheels of eight arms or paddles as it
appears when in a finished state, and as applied to the side of a vessel; and
Figure 2 is a view on a larger scale of the central part of the said wheel as

page_text: cast iron, having a rim or ring B, B, B, rising on one side to a sufficient height to
give strength and solidity to the said circular plate, and also to take the brasses
C, C, C, through which the paddle arms or axis D, D, D, D, are permitted
to turn. The central block of metal E may be cast in one picce with the disc
or plate, but will be better detached, and afterwards fixed to it by screw bolts, as
shown in the section Figure 3, because when detached the brass sockets or
steps a, a, a, a, for receiving the inner ends of the paddle arms or axis, can
be more accurately bored and fixed. The disc or plate A, A, A, A, with its
centre block E, from the central part of the paddle wheel, which must be firmly.
keyed or otherwise fixed upon the main shaft F, F, which derives its rotory
motion from any power applied within the vessel, and this shaft also passes
freely through the centre of the metal wiper carriage G, which is firmly and
immoveably fixed to the side of the vessel for the purpose of operating upon
the wipers or projections b, b, of the paddle axis, in order to produce the turning
or feathering of the paddles. To effect this the outer face of the wiper carriage
prevents two annular surfaces, as seen at c and d in Figure 4 (which is a
front view of it), and a part of one of them is cut away at e, e, to a greater or
less extent, according to the period at which it may be desirable to make the
paddles turn or feather. This wiper carriage, and the wipers or projections
on the axes of the paddles, are the same in principle as were described in my
former Patent herein-before alluded to; but for the purposes of my present
Invention I make the said wipers or projections double, or combined together,
instead of placing one upon one side and the other upon the other side of the
main shaft, as I formerly did. And the aforesaid wheel frame or paddle carriage
constitutes my said first improvement.
I likewise may employ springs to prevent the blow and concussion which
would otherwise take place between the wipers on the axes of the paddles
and the ends of the wiper carriage upon which they strike and by which they
are turned round; and I find the best application of such springs is to use
those of the spiral kind, of considerable strength, and to introduce them
into round holes very nearly fitting them, and drilled in the ends of the
wiper carriage which first comes into contact with the wipers. The spring
being introduced into the hole, a cylinder of hard steel, just fitting the hole,
is placed upon it, and there fixed by a pin driven through a chased mortice
hole in the said cylinder in such manner that the said cylinder can fall wholly
into the said hole when pressed upon, but without such pressure will project
about half an inch, or rather more, out of the said hole. And the said springs
constitute my said second improvement.
And also, whenever my said wheel is so fixed as to require cases to protect

page_text: them, as in ordinary steamboats, I form such cases of light iron work covered
over with slight iron bars or with strong wirework, because such open work cases
do not offer the same resistance to the wind and water as close boarded cases
do, and moreover they have the effect of much more effectually breaking the
force of the waves when they drive against them. I moreover fix bars or rods
with points upon them to the insides of such cases, causing the said points to
come as nearly as possible to the paddles and paddle axes without touching
them, for the purpose of clearing off any weeds that may attach to the paddles,
and likewise to protect them from striking against any timber, ice, or other
floating substances, by which the paddles of steam boats are frequently broken
or injured. And the said paddle box or case constitutes my said third
improvement.
And whereas my said fourth improvement, namely, the obtention of the
greatest power or force from men in turning my aforesaid improved paddlo
wheels, and which is also applicable to other purposes, I effect by a particular
form of compound cranks to be operated upon and turned by the hands and
weight of the body at the same time, by means of applying the feet to treadles
properly placed and connected to the said cranks. Figures 5 and 6 of the
annexed Drawing are views of such cranks Q, Q, being the bearings or pivots
upon which they turn in proper bearings made to support them; Figure 5 is
a crank to be worked by the simultaneous motion of both the hands of a man
moving in the same direction; and Figure 6 is a crank likewise for both the
hands, but by which greater power is gained, because now the hands move in
opposite directions and oppose each other's force. In Figure 5 both the hands
aro to be applied to the straight bar. H, H, and I, J, are two treadles like
those of a foot-turning lathe, each treaddle being separate, and hinged to the
floor or to proper framing, either before or behind the person working, according
to the power required from the machine; each treaddle is connected by a con-
necting rod or strap 7, 1, as in a lathe, to the two smaller cranks above them,
marked K and L, which form part of the large crank, and are bent in the
same plane as that larger crank. The person working the machine stands upon
the two treaddles, his left foot being upon the treaddle I, and his right foot on that
marked J, consequently his whole weight is transferred to them; whenever, how-
ever, he transfers the weight of his body on to one leg only, one short crank only
will be pressed down, and the other will be at liberty to rise. Thus, for example,
if he transfers the whole weight of his body on to the right leg, and consequently
on to the treaddle J, the short crank L will be depressed, and the other short
crank K will rise. In the meantime the power of his two hands is to be
applied to the bar H, H, to urge its descent until it reaches its lowest point, at

page_text: which time the short crank K will be in its most elevated position, and after
passing the top center line will begin to descend, at which moment the
pressure of the right foot upon the treaddle J must be released, and the whole
weight of the body thrown upon the left foot and treaddle I, while the two
hands are employed in raising the bar H, H, from its now lowest position,
and so on until the said bar arrives at the highest position in its rotation, when
the weight of the body must be again thrown on to the treaddle J, and
so on alternately. It will thus appear that the weight of the body and
strength of the hands and arms are constantly made to assist each other,
and thus that a much greater quantity of human mechanical power is derived
from this mode of working than can be obtained from the applications of
weight or strength as usually resorted to. The crank shown in Figure 6 is
the same in principle as Figure 5, but is to be preferred for more powerful
action, being stronger, because it has a central bearing at Q, Q, in addition its
two end ones, and instead of the two hands moving constantly in the same
direction, the left and right hand cranks are diametrically opposite to each
other, consequently when one hand is down the other will be up, and while
one is pushed forwards the other must be drawn inwards, and vice versa,
consequently, whenever one arm is pushing the other will be pulling in an
exactly opposite direction, from which circumstance a much greater degree of
strength and exertion can be used than in other positions of the body. The
short or foot cranks in this Figure are each of them opposed to the longer or
hand cranks, and are to be connected to treaddles, as before described, and
to be used in the same way. So far I have only spoken of the application of
human force to my said improved compound crank in the standing position of
the body; but it is equally applicable to a sitting position, like that of rowing
a boat, or shown at Figure 7, which shews one of the means by which this
action may be brought about. a, b, c, d, being a crank like that shown at
Figure 5, c and f, the treadles, now fixed in a vertical instead of an hori-
zontal position, and g, g, the connecting rods, when the large crank is in its
upper position, and is to be drawn inwards or towards the body of the man at
work, his right foot g must be forcibly thrust against the treadle e, to operato
upon the small crank b, to cause it to assist the power of the hands, during
which time his left foot / must be withdrawn, or be made to press very gently
against the treadle f; but when the crank c is in its lowest position, then the
right foot g must be withdrawn, and the left foot be pressed against the
treadle f, in order that the short crank d may be made to assist the power of
the hands, and so on; so that it will be seen that this mode of working is not
confined to the erect position of the body, but may be made to suit any of its

page_text: other positions by merely altering the disposition of the treaddles, cranks,
and connecting rods, without at all varying the principles of this part of my
Invention.
pre-
The fifth and last of my aforesaid improvements applies to the
venting of ships and vessels of all kinds making so much lee way as they
usually do, and this I bring about and effect means of a certain apparatus
partly in the nature of a rudder, applied to the head instead of the stern of the
vessel, and worked differently, as herein-after described, and partly consisting
of certain additions to the keels of vessels, which may be used together or
separately, according to the discretion of the parties building or using the
vessels. My new head rudder is to be fixed to the head of the vessel in the same
manner as the common rudder is fixed to the stern, or in any other substantial
and convenient way, and is not intended to supersede the use of the common
rudder, but is used in addition to it. The two rudders may be of equal or
different sizes, according to circumstances, but the larger they are both made
the greater will be their power and influence on the ship's way. The common
rudder is not at all effected by my said Invention, but is worked and acts as
usual, and the principal and indeed only difference between my new head
rudder and the common rudder, as applied to the sterns of vessels, is, that
the common stern rudder requires to be very frequently moved by the helms-
man, while my head rudder is much more stationary, and seldom requires to
be shifted in its position, except when the vessel moves upon a new tack, or
has any alteration made in the position of her sails. At all other times it
should remain steadily and quietly fixed. Figure 8 is a representation of the
plan of a vessel fitted with my said head rudder. A is a tiller placed over the
said rudder instead of behind it, and moved by the side tackles B & C, which
lead in board, and kept more steady by the tackle D, which leads from the
bowsprit. I do not deem it necessary to give any directions in this place as to
the means of using or setting the said head rudder, in respect to the common
rudder, for producing any particular course or direction of motion in the vessel,
because this will be self-evident to any one accustomed to the steering of
vessels; but it will be necesasry to observe, that to prevent a vessel making
lee way, if my head rudder stands to the wind side of the vessel, the stern or
common rudder must be in an opposito direction, as shown in the Figure.
And whereas with a view to produce a still greater resistance to the wind
I also use and apply certain contrivances to each side of the keel of a vessel,
which I call keels of resistance or wings, and are shown at Figure 9; these
wings may be made of solid wood, cork, or such like light materials, but I
prefer making them hollow, and of cast iron or other metal plates, in such

page_text: way that the water may flow through them, in which case I denominate them
keel tubes. Figure 9 shows a vessel in an inclined position, and i, j, k, l, is a
section of my aforesaid keels of resistance or wings, which I fix and apply to
both the sides of the ordinary keel of the vessel in such form and manner that
when the said vessel lies gunnel to or in her greatest state of inclination before
the wind, the side i of the keel of resistance may stand just perpendicular to
the horizon, and consequently in the most favorable position for resisting the
passage of the opposing water under the vessel, which is of course taking the
direction shown by the arrow, and if it were not for the wing would pass away
without any material interruption. Under the vessel a resisting keel is placed
on each side, because when the vessel keels in an opposite direction the face k
I make my
of the other resisting keel would be opposed to the water.
resisting keels or wings of thin cast iron plates, or plates of other metal, leaving
the inside of them hollow in the nature of a tube, which being open at both its
ends the water will pass through the said tubes with very little additional
resistance to the vessel, particularly if such keel tubes are made of wrought
iron or copper plates, in which case they need not exceed a quarter of an
inch in thickness for the largest vessels, and by being well painted or varnished
will be of considerable duration, even if made of wrought iron, because they
will very seldom be exposed to the air.
Now whereas I claim as my. Invention,-
First, the framework or wheel, as herein-before described, for holding my
patent paddles;
Secondly, the introduction of springs to act upon the wipers, as herein-
before described;
Thirdly, a paddle box made of open work wire net or cross bars, with pro-
jecting pieces or points to clear the paddles, as herein-before described;
Fourthly, the arrangement of cranks and treadles, herein-before described ;
and,
Fifthly and lastly, the head rudder and keel wings, herein-before described.
And such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in any of His said
Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my
Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification
doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the
proviso in said the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;