IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE METHOD OF PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
AYRE the younger, of the the Borough of Kingston-upon-Hull, Attorney at
Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Gracious Majesty, by Her Letters Patent under Her
Privy Seal, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October now last past, did give
and grant unto me, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial license,
full power,
sole privilege and authority, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, to make, use, exercise,
and vend a certain Invention of me, the said William Ayre, being "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE METHOD OF PROPELLING VESSELS," within that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, my
exors, adñors, or assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet,
and that I, my exors, adññors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time
coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for
and during the term of years therein mentioned, to hold the same unto me,
the said William Ayre, my exors, adñors, and assigns, for the term of four-
teen years from the date thereof; provided always, that I should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months from the date thereof.

page_text: NOW, I, the said William Ayre, do hereby publish and declare this to be
the nature and Specification of my said Invention, and that the following is the
description thereof:-
It consists in the adaptation of the principle, that a bar affixed to the
spokes of two wheels of equal diameter, having their centres in the same
horizontal plane, maintains a horizontal position during the whole circuit of
the wheels. My Invention consists in the substitution of paddles made on
this principle for the ordinary paddle wheels of steam vessels. The paddles
or floats are affixed to the bars above described, one or more of which bars
being connected with the ordinary shaft of the steam engine, forms a propeller
which always maintains a horizontal position, whether in entering, traversing,
or leaving the water, and is free from the many serious objections of the
paddle wheel. The annexed Drawings exhibit a propeller working altogether
below the level of the deck, and suitable in rivers and where space on the
deck is a desideratum; it is formed of four of these bars or benches (two in
width and two in length) tho' they may be applied either singly or in pairs,
or three or more together, and either one or two in width or two or more
in length.
Figure 1 represents the side view of a vessel with the apparatus affixed.
A, B, C, and D, represent cranks outside the vessel affixed to the shaft of the
engine. E and F are cranks affixed to a short shaft, and G, H, to another
similar shaft; these cranks are coupled together by the bars I, J, K, and L,
which bars are bent downwards for the sake of convenience, and have affixed
to them paddles or floats. M is the shaft of the engine; it passes through
the vessel, and is supported outside by an iron frame or hanger from the
vessel's deck beams between cach crank, on which hangers the carriages are
placed. N is the hanger. O and P are the short shafts; they are supported
in a similar way. The three shafts are also connected by coupling bars inside
the vessel.
Figure 2 represents the top view of the same apparatus. The letters used
in Figure 1 represent the same parts in Figure 2. It may be found con-
venient to sea-going vessels, which are liable to rough weather, when the
waves frequently rise above the level of the deck, and submerge the whole
apparatus, to substitute moving paddles or floats for those above described.
This is accomplished in my Invention by means of an eccentric wheel placed
upon the cranks. These moving paddles or floats are opened and closed by
the eccentric wheel, and may be constructed in several ways, one of which is,
by several pieces of metal about four inches wide, placed side by side at
suitable distances apart like a Venetian blind. They are placed perpendi-

page_text: cularly, and each turns upon its centre, so that, when turned edge to edge,
they form one compact resisting surface; when turned side by side or opened,
they offer only their edges to resist the medium or fluid through which they
are passed. By another adaptation of this Invention, the bars or benches
may be raised or lowered in the water, to suit the condition of the vessel as
loaded or light; this is effected by affixing the horizontal portion of the bars
to the other parts by screws, so as to raise or lower the former at pleasure.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ayre, have hereunto affixed
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-eight
J. W. PELDINGELL, his Clerk.
F. F. AYRE, his Clerk.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifth day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid William Ayre the younger came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-eight.