FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR PROPELLING VESSELS, AND FOR PREVENTING VESSELS FROM FOUNDERING, AND FOR FORCING WATER, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Parker at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
January 1869.
I, JAMES PARKER, of 6, Lilford Road, Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTIVE-POWER APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR
PROPELLING VESSELS, AND FOR PREVENTING VESSELS FROM FOUNDERING, AND FOR
FORCING WATER, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
Whereas Royal Letters Patent, dated the 22nd June 1806, No. 1666,
wero granted to me for improvements in motive-power apparatus ap-
plicable for propelling vessels, for raising water, and for other purposes,
which said Invention consisted, first, in the direct application without
the use of a piston of steam and air pressure upon the surface of water
contained in tanks or holders for the purpose of discharging, forcing, or
cjecting the water from such tanks or holders through a suitable outlet
or outlets, according to the object to be attained. The second part of the
said Invention consisted in the apparatus employed, and in the appli-
cation of the jets of water discharged from the said tanks or holders to
various purposes, as therein-after describcd.

page_text: My improvements upon the said Invention consist, first, in placing
upon the surface of the water contained in the tanks or holders a float
by which the steam and air is kept from coming into direct contact with
the water, thereby greatly diminishing the loss by condensation which
takes place when the steam and air is allowed to press directly upon the
surface of the water.
The second part of my further improvements upon the said Invention
consists in lining the tanks or holders with one or more substances of
small conducting power for the purpose of diminishing the loss by con-
densation which takes place when the steam and air is allowed to come
in direct contact with the metallic water tanks or holders. When wood
or cork or other porous material is used for the floats or for the lining of
the tanks or holders the pores thereof are to be filled up with varnish or
other suitable substance to prevent penetration or absorption of steam
or water by the float or lining of the water tanks or holders. In some
cases it may be desirable to have a thin air-tight metallic covering to the
lining of the tanks or holders to prevent the direct contact of the steam
and air and water with the lining of the tanks or holders, and also to have
a thin metallic covering to the float to prevent the direct action of the
steam and air and water upon the float.
The third part of my further improvements consists of an arrangement
of valves by which the water to be admitted to the tanks or holders may
be taken either from the outside or from the inside of the vessel, or partly
from either source, as may be desired. In vessels propelled by my water
jet system an amount of water equal to the whole tonnage of the ship or
vessel is admitted to and discharged from the tanks or holders in the
space of a few minutes, and in case of leakage or shipping water if the
water so entering the vessel be used to fill the tanks or holders it will be
discharged therefrom for the purpose of propulsion, and thus a leak
sufficient on any other system to cause the vessel to founder can be ;
effectually kept under, as the whole boiler power is utilized to pump out.
the water, and this with little or no loss of propelling power. When the
tanks or holders are not placed upon the bottom of the vessel and it be
desired to use the boiler power to force out water lying below the tanks
or holders I effect this by carrying suction pipes controlled by sluice or
other valves from the water tanks or holders to the bottom of the vessel,
and I draw the water up the suction pipes into the tanks or holders by
means of steam jets.

page_text: The last part of this Invention consists in the employment of steam
alone (without air) to force water from lined tanks or holders provided
with floats as before mentioned. This mode of forcing water by steam
alone is not so economical as by steam and air but is of utility for certain
purposes, amongst others that of extinguishing fires, by reason of tho
greater pressure which may be brought upon the float and surface of
water in the tanks or holders, whereby a jet of water can be thrown to a
greater height or distance than by steam and air.