PROPELLING SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1886

page_text: ROBERT HUGHES, Engineman, No 58 Queen Street, Bilston, Staffordshire,
WILLIAM GRIFFIN, Licenced Victualler No 40 Oxford Street Bilston, Stafford-
shire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention for PROPELLING SHIPS AND
VESSELS to be as follows:-
A number of paddles are suspended a little above their centre, to cause them to
hang vertically upon a bar whilst in action, the bar is fastened horizontally at each
end either on or under two endless chains or bands placed parallel with each other
and running around two pulleys one at each end of a ship, these pulleys are of
the same diameter and may be called double pulleys as each one is open from
its surface to the shaft running through it centre, the outer edges carry the chains
or bands, and are the same width as the bottom part of the paddles.
The stem pulley allows the paddles to pass over it flat (seperately) untill the
top of the paddles have passed a little below the centre, when the top of each
paddle above its suspension point being considerably narrower than the bottom,
drops into the opening in the pulley as it has just assumed a vertical position, and
by means of stop bars attached to the under side of the chain or the back of
the paddles they maintain that position whilst being drawn through the water
underneath the bottom of the ship untill they reach the stern pulley, then the
opening in the pulley not being wide enough to allow the top of the paddle to
enter, they come in contact with the edges mentioned which causes the paddles to
close up around the pulley assuming for a moment a vertical position on leaving
the water and then on reaching the top they become horizontal by lying flat upon
the chains or bands, and traverse the length of the ship out of the water to the
stern, there to re-enter the water when they have assumed their vertical position,
the paddles are equally distributed along the endless chains or bands and thus
keep up a continuous action. Provision will be made for the safe transit of the
paddles in travelling forward as the chains or bands will run upon rollers placed
on a level with the tops of the pulleys. The motive power will be steam.
Did IL:
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1
1000

page_text: An Improved Propelling Apparatus for Ships or Vessels.
We ROBERT HUGHES, Engineer, of No 58 Queen Street, Bilston in the County
of Stafford, and WILLIAM GRIFFIN, Licensed Victualler of No 40 Oxford Street
Bilston in the County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for AN IMPROVED PROPELLING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS OR VESSELS, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
Our invention has for its object, to so construct and arrange a number of
.Paddles for Ships or Vessels to propel them through the water, by causing the
paddles to enter the water feather-edge, and leave it feather-edge after traversing
almost the length of the Ship or Vessel. By this invention the slip and back
weight are almost entirely removed.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood, we shall now proceed
to more perticularly describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 represents a Paddle suspended a little above its centre on a shaft which
is attached to it. The shaft is secured in a chain at each end but allowed free
action at the points of suspension we do not as shewn in Fig. 1 bind ourselves to
maintain this shape of Paddle, it might be curved, or the bottom part from about
the centre could be the width of the chains over all, and composed of wood and
iron or any other suitable material. The paddles are allowed to move through an
angle of 90 degrees, and are prevented from moving any further by the stops B
shewn in Figure 2. Motion is communicated to the links by the drum C shewn
in Figure 3, the drum having teeth on its circumference, which gear with the
pins D in Figure 2, the drum C revolving in the direction shewn by the arrow.
The links are suspended at intervals on rollers E Figure 2, which run on a track
fixed in a chamber top and bottom of the vessel constructed for the purpose as
shewn in Figure 4 lettered F. F. The paddles at the bottom of the vessel
commence to turn on coming in contact with the smooth surface of the drum C
as shewn at G Figure 4 and follow the circumference of the drum as shewn at H
Figure 3, until they arrive on a level with the top links, when they fold over as
shewn, on arriving at the bow of the Vessel they fall due to gravity, perpendicularly,
the drum J Figure 3 having a recess on its rim which allows the paddles to move
freely, i e, without obstruction as shewn. The paddles can be placed longitudinally
under the bottom of the Vessel by a movable bar on the link (not shewn in the
drawings) in front of the bottom edge of each paddle as they lie horizontally,
previous to arriving at the drum J Figure 3, where a moveable leaver forces the
bars on the links over the bottom edge of each paddle and hold them in that
position untill released by the bars on the links coming in contact with the rims
of the drum C Figure 3.

page_text: Having now perticularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
First. For propelling Ships or Vessels, a propelling apparatus provided with
paddles arranged substantially as herein before described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Seccond. For propelling Ships or Vessels a propelling apparatus provided with
drums, bow and stern, wereby the feathering motion is obtained, arranged
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Third. For propelling Ships or Vessels, a propelling apparatus, provided with
chains constructed and arranged substantially as herin before described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. For propelling Ships or Vessels a propelling apparatus, provided with
a stop inside the chains in front of each paddle, arranged substantially as herin
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
ROBERT HUGHES.
WILLIAM GRIFFIN.