IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING POWER UPON SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an invention of IMPROVED MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING POWER UPON SHIPS OR VESSELS A commu-
nication from abroad by Kittel Anunsen of Winchester in the county of
Winnebago and State of Wisconsin. United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1882.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING POWER UPON
SHIPS OR VESSELS [A communication from abroad by Kittel Anunsen of
Winchester in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, United States of
America.]
The object of this Invention is to provide means whereby power for operating
the pump for removing the bilge water from the hold of the vessel or for other
purposes, may be derived from the forward movement of the vessel; and to this
end, the Invention consists principally of a water wheel and suitable power-
transmitting connections, the wheel being adapted to be lowered into the water at
the side or end of the vessel and held so as to be turned by the water as the vessel
moves along. The wheel is to be raised and lowered upon or with the main shaft,
and the blades of the wheel are adapted to be adjusted to suit the wheel to tho
rapidity of movement of the vessel. The Invention further consists of the shaft
frame adapted to be secured to the side of the vessel, of the means for locking the
wheel in position for action and of the construction, arrangement and combination
of parts, as hereinafter described.
The operative parts of the apparatus are secured to the vessel by any suitable
means attached to a bar which is faced with a plate which projects past its sides
and provided near its upper end with a fixed bracket. Below this bracket upon
the plate is a sliding bracket, and in these brackets is journalled a vertical shaft
which receives rotary motion through bevelled gear from a horizontal shaft on

page_text: which the water wheel is mounted. The water wheel is composed of the shaft
furnished with radial arms near its forward end, a pointed or conical hub which is
provided with the radial arms and placed upon the shaft, and blades of sheet metal
secured to the said arms. The shaft is journalled in vertical cross pieces secured
to horizontal arms which latter are formed with perforated leads through which
the vertical shaft passes, and these horizontal arms and consequently the water
wheel are held in proper position relative to the vertical shaft by means of collars
so that the cog wheels on the shafts properly mesh with each other. The conical,
hub of. the water wheel is secured by set screws to the shaft whereby the hub may
be loosened and turned so that the pitch of the blades may be varied or adjusted to
suit the wheel to the speed of the vessel, or so that a greater or less power may be
derived from the wheel as desired.
The rotary motion which the vertical shaft derives from the water wheel is
transmitted to a horizontal crank shaft to which the plunger rod of the pump (if a
reciprocating pump is used) is attached by means of bevelled cog wheels secured
upon the shafts. The crank shaft is journalled at one end in a bracket secured upon
the bar upon the opposite side to that upon which the bracket of the vertical shaft
is secured, and at the other in a post or other support. The crank shaft therefore is
permanent in its position relative to the bar, but the vertical shaft may be raised to
lift the water wheel out of the water to throw it out of action and lowered to
submerge the wheel when its action is needed. When the shaft is lowered its
proper position relative to the cog wheel on the crank shaft is determined by a
collar fixed upon the shaft above its upper bracket and the shaft is caused when
raised or lowered to move parallel with the bar by means of the sliding bracket
which is held between collars secured upon the shaft and slides upon the plate of
the bar. This plate is formed with the shoulders upon which the sliding bracket
rests when at its lowest position.
The means by which the water wheel is raised and lowered consists of a crank
shaft journalled in extensions of one of the brackets, a drum secured upon said
shaft and a rope or chain which is attached to the drum and to a cramp plate or
collar placed loosely upon the vertical shaft of the apparatus. The crank shaft is
provided with a ratchet wheel and immediately above the ratchet wheel a pawl is
pivoted to the bracket. When the shaft is turned the rope or chain will be wound
upon the drum and the clamp collar will clutch the shaft, and by this means upon
continuing the rotation the water wheel will be raised from the water and by
means of the pawl and ratchet may be held at any desired point. Upon disengaging
the pawl from the ratchet the wheel may be at once lowered into the water. When
the water wheel is lowered into the water the shaft and the wheel are held against
any upward movement by the action of the waves or otherwise, by means of a pin
which passes through the bar and plate and projects over the upper edge of the
sliding bracket. This pin is adapted to be moved in its socket for locking and
unlocking the said sliding bracket by means of a rod which is held in projections
secured to the bar and is cranked at its lower end and inserted in the eye of the
bolt and also bent at its upper end to form a handle which reaches over the top of
the bar and is adapted to rest in notches made in the upper end of the plate for
holding the bolt out or in as desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd September 1882.
36
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent,
IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING POWER UPON
SHIPS OR VESSELS A communication from abroad by Kittel Anunsen, of
Winchester, in the County of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, United States of
America
: .
The object of this Invention is to provide means whereby power for operating
the pump for removing the bilge-water from the hold of the vessel, or for other
purposes, may be derived from the forward movement of the vessel; and to this
end the Invention consists, principally, of a water wheel and suitable power
transmitting connections, the wheel being adapted to be lowered into the water at
the side or end of the vessel and held so as to be turned by the water as the vessel
moves along. The wheel is to be raised and lowered upon or with the main shaft,
and the blades of the wheel are adapted to be adjusted to suit the wheel to the
rapidity of movement of the vessel, which also constitute principal features of the
Invention. The Invention further consists of the shaft frame adapted to be
secured to the side of the vessel, of the means for locking the wheel in position for
action, and of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, all as
hereinafter fully described.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, is a side elevation of the apparatus of
this Invention. Figure 2, is a front elevation. Figure 3, is a plan view thereof,
and Figure 4, is a sectional plan view taken on the line X X of Figure 1.
The operative parts of the apparatus are secured to the vessel by any suitable
means attached to the bar A. This bar is faced with the plate a which projects
past its sides as shown in Figure 4, and is provided near its upper end with the
fixed bracket B¹. Below this bracket upon the plate a, is placed the sliding
bracket D¹. In these brackets is journaled the main vertical shaft B which
receives rotary motion from the horizontal shaft D of the water wheel C, the
motion being imparted through the bevelled pinion e secured upon the inner end
of the shaft D, and the bevelled cog wheel e secured upon the shaft B.
The water wheel C is composed of the said shaft D which is provided with the
radial arms f near the forward end, the pointed or conical hub g, which is provided
with the radial arms h placed upon the shaft, and the blades j, of sheet metal,
secured to the said arms f and h. The shaft D of the water wheel is journalled in
the vertical cross pieces J J, secured to the horizontal arms K. K, which latter are
formed with perforated heads kk, through which the shaft B passes, and these
horizontal arms and consequently the water wheel C, are held in proper position
relative to the shaft B (so that the cog-wheels cand e mesh with each other) by
means of the collars 7 secured upon the shaft B as clearly shown in Figure 1.
The conical hub g of the water-wheel is secured to the shaft D by the set
screws nn and by means of these set screws the hub may be loosened and turned
upon the shaft D so that the pitch of the blades j of the wheel may be varied or
adjusted to suit the wheel to the speed of the vessel, or so that a greater or less
power may be derived from the wheel as desired.
The rotary motion which the shaft B derives from the water wheel is transmitted
to the horizontal crank shaft L to which the plunger rod of the pump (if a recipro
cating pump is used) is attached, by means of the bevelled cog-wheel M secured
upon the upper end of the shaft B and the bevelled cog wheel N secured upon the

page_text: end of the said shaft L which shaft is journalled at one end in the bracket B"
secured upon the bar A upon the opposite side of the bar to that upon which the
bracket B' is secured, as shown in Figure 3. This shaft L therefore is permanent
in its position relative to the bar A; but the shaft B, may be raised to lift the
water wheel out of the water to throw it out of action and lowered to submerge
the wheel when its action. is needed. When the shaft B is lowered its proper
position relative to the cog-wheel n is determined by the collar L' fixed upon the
shaft above the bracket B', and the shaft is caused, when raised or lowered, to
move parallel with the bar A by means of the sliding bracket D' which is held
between the collars E.E'secured upon the shaft and slides upon the plate a. The
plate a is formed with the shoulders tt, upon which the sliding bracket D¹ rests
when at its lowest position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The means by which the shaft B and water wheel are raised and lowered consists
of the crank shaft, F, journalled in the extensions bb (Figure 3) of the bracket B",
drum G secured upon the shaft and the rope or chain I which is attached to the
drum and to the cramp-plate or collar I placed loosely upon the shaft B, as shown
in Figures 1 and 2. The crank-shaft F is provided with the ratchet wheel H, and
immediately above the ratchet wheel is pivoted to the bracket B the pawl N¹, by
which the shaft B and water wheel may be held in any desired position
When the shaft F is turned by hand power applied to its crank the rope or
chain I will be wound upon the drum and the clamp-collar will clutch the shaft in
the well known manner and by this means upon continuing the rotation of the
shaft F, the shaft B and the waterwheel will be raised from the water and by
ineans of the pawl and ratchet may be held at any desired point of elevation.
Upon disengaging the pawl from the ratchet the shaft and wheel may be lowered
again for submerging the wheel in the water which wheel will be caused to be
forcibly and rapidly revolved by its travel through the water as will be clearly
understood.
When the water 'wheel is lowered into the water for action the shaft B and the
wheel are held against any upward movement by the action of the waves or
raising and falling of the vessel, by means of the pin P which passes through the
bar A and plate a and projects over the upper edge of the sliding bracket D¹ as
clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4.
This pin is adapted to be moved in its socket for locking and unlocking the said
sliding bracket by means of the rod O which is held in the projections 6 8, secured
to the bar A and is bent at its lower end to form the crank q¹ which is inserted in
the eye of the bolt, and is also bent at its upper end to form the handle which
reaches over the top of the bar A and is adapted to rest in the notches t t made in
the upper end of the plate a for holding the bolt out or in as desired.
It will be understood that the inner end of the shaft L will be journalled in a
post or other suitable support fixed to some part of the vessel near the pump.
The Invention is more especially intended for sailing vessels which have no
steam power and it is more especially intended as above stated for operating a
pump; but I do not confine inyself to any particular use or application of the
Invention as it can be applied to any vessel and used for any purpose.
By this means any work upon the ship which is now ordinarily done by hand
can be done by positive mechanical power.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing the
samé I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is
1st The combination with the water wheel shaft D, gear c e and shaft B
provided with collars E L', of the bar A having plate a, the bracket bearing B¹
fixed to said bar and the sliding bracket D' as and for the purpose specified.
2nd The combination with the shaft B connected by bevel gear with the water
wheel shaft and having collars E, the brackets B¹ D¹ and the bar A having plate a
of the detachable pin P projecting through the bar and plate and over the
bracket D' for the purpose specified.

page_text: 3rd The combination with the water wheel shaft and shaft B having collars
of the vertical cross pieces J J, the horizontal arms K K, having perforated
heads kk and the cog wheels c e as and for the purpose specified.
4th The combination with an eye bolt or pin P movable in its socket, of the
rod O having crank q', the bar A having projections 8 s, and the plate a having
notches t, as and for the purpose specified.
.
5th The combination with the shaft B and water wheel C, of the shaft F
drum G, rope I and cramp-collar I', substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
6th The bar A faced with the plate a and provided with the bracket B', in
combination with the sliding bracket D', shaft B, wheel C, and means for raising
and lowering the shaft and wheel substantially as described.
7th The water wheel formed of the shaft D, having the fixed arms f, collar
having the arms h, and of the blades j, the collar being adapted to be turned upon
the shaft, as and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this nineteenth day of September in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.