IMPROVE- MENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS AND LAND CARRIAGES, IN RAISING AND DRAWING OFF WATER FOR DRIVING MACHINERY, WHICH MEANS OF RAISING AND DRAWING OFF WATER ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BEADON, of Battersea, in the County of Surrey, Commander in the Royal
Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal
of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-ninth day of July,
in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Beadon, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said George Beadon, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Beadon, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS AND LAND CARRIAGES, IN RAISING AND DRAWING
OFF WATER FOR DRIVING MACHINERY, WHICH MEANS OF RAISING AND DRAWING OFF
WATER ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said George Beadon, shall cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Beadon, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and set forth
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say):-
My said Invention consists of nine several improvements, which are as
follows:-
The first of my improvements has relation to that class of propellers
commonly known by the term of "submarine propellers," which have their
shafts placed in the line of the vessel's progress, and revolve at right angles
thereto. Hitherto the blades or propelling surfaces have been attached either
directly and bodily to the shafts, or to the ends of straight arms radiating from
the shafts, and this, whether the blades were curved or plain; for though it is
well known that the most effective portions of such propelling blades or surfaces
must of necessity be those at their extremities, and it has been therefore found
expedient to reduce as much as possible, consistently with strength of construc-
tion, the amount of resisting surface at and near to the shafts, and though it
has been farther ascertained that curved blades are preferable to flat, because of
their acting tangentially only against the water, yet it has been overlooked that
for the same reasons the arms which carry the blades should also be made so
as to oppose as little direct resistance to the water as possible. Now, my
improvements in this class of propellers consists in making the blade arms of a
curved or scroll-like form, instead of straight, as heretofore. I prefer that the
curve given to the arm should be that of a volute, encreasing gradually in
distance from the centre of the shaft, as shewn in Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the
Drawings hereunto annexed; the former of which represents a side elevation
of a propeller with arms of this description; and Figure 2, a vertical section.
A is the shaft; B, boss, to which the arms are attached; C, C, the curved
arms; D, D, the propelling blades; but the form of the curve may be variously
modified, without materially, if at all, encreasing the resistance offered by the
arm. Instead also of each blade being carried or supported by one curved arm
only attached to it at the middle, it may be carried or supported by two
curved arms attached to it, one at each end, as represented in Figures 3 and 4;
and further, the convolutions of the arm may be either all in one and the
same plane at right angles to the shaft, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, or
in different planes, as shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7.
My second improvement consists in the employment of a submarine pro-
pelling blade or blades of the spheroidally curved form represented in Figure 8.
A is the shaft; B, two hollow bosses through which the shaft A is passed;
C is the spheroidally curved propeller, which is welded by the two ends to the
bosses B, B. A double propeller on this principle, or propeller of two turns, is

page_text: shewn in Figures 9 and 10. In this case the blades are represented as welded
to one long boss, which may in the first instance be solid, and then bored out
for the reception of the shaft.
My third improvement consists in the employment of what I call a "sub-
marine drum propeller," because of all or greater part of the non-effective
portions of it being enclosed in a water-tight drum or cylinder, and so prevented
from affecting detrimentally the action of the propeller. Figure 11 is a
longitudinal elevation of this propeller; Figure 12, a longitudinal section of it;
Figure 18, a cross section on the line a, b, of Figure 12; and Figure 13*, an
aft end view. A, A, is the shaft; D, the drum, which consists of a number of
separate compartments, strengthened internally by radiating arms, as shewn in
Figures 12 and 13; C is a flat blade wound spirally round the drum, with its
edges at right angles to it; E, E, are two semi-annular pieces, inclined
inwards towards one another, which are affixed to the outer end of the drum,
and operate as auxiliary propelling blades. When this description of propeller
is applied at the stern I prefer that it should be used in duplicate, that is, that
there should be one such propeller fixed at each side of the keel, as shewn in
Figures 14, 15, and 16; Figure 14 being a bottom plan of a vessel fitted on
this system; Figure 15, a longitudinal elevation; and Figure 16, a cross
section. The propellers P1, P2, are placed in open recesses made for them in the
vessel's sides, and these recesses are parted off from the interior of the vessel
by strong abutments G', G². The shaft of each propeller is supported at its
hinder end in bearings in the run of the vessel, and passing forward through
the corresponding abutments (G' or G2, as the case may be,) terminates in the
crank by which it is worked from the engine. Instead of the two propellers
being placed as just described, in the stern of the vessel, they may be placed
one at each side, as represented in the longitudinal elevation, Figure 17.
A, A, is the deck line of the vessel; W, the water line. The recess for the
reception of each propeller commences aft precisely at the point c', which is
behind the greatest breadth of beam, and is reduced gradually in depth aft of
the point c², till it is lost in the run of the vessel. At top it may be overhung
by the side timbers, more or less, according to the fancy of the builder.
The fourth branch of my Invention consists of an improved mode of shifting
submarine propellers, or of attaching them to, and detaching them from, their
shafts. The details of this mode are shewn in Figures 23 and 24. A is the
propeller shaft, which is made in three pieces a¹, a², a³; a¹ being that to which
the propeller is attached; a², a piece into which a¹ fits;
serves as a prolongation of a².
of the propeller shaft, so as to
and a³, a piece which
C, C, are collars, attached loosely to the part a¹
allow the shaft to revolve freely within them;

page_text: B, B, are two horns or hollow cylindrical shafts, which are passed down through
the quarters of the vessel, and through stuffing boxes 3, 8, and terminate on the
outside immediately over the collars C, C; F, F, are chains, which are
attached by eyebolts to the collars, and carried upwards through the cylinders
B, B, to the windlasses O, O. The cylinders B, B, are screw-threaded on the
outsides, and carry at top two screw nuts N, N, by the application of a spanner
L, to which they can be protruded or drawn in at pleasure. F³ is a third chain,
which is attached to the after end of the propeller shaft, and carried over a
pulley G, mounted on the stern davit, to some convenient point of fixture on
deck. The piece a³ passes through an orifice H in the bottom of the vessel,
protected by a stuffing box S. The piece a³ is attached at one end to a³ by a
coupling t, and at the other by a similar coupling &, to the inner end of the
crank shaft. When it is desired to detach or unship the propeller, the piece a³
is disconnected from a2 and the crank shaft undoing the couplings t¹ and
ts, and the piece a³ is then rigged in; the chains F, F, are then eased down
and the chain Fs hauled in. When the propeller is raised to the height of
the stern pulley G, the chains F1, F2, are released from the collars C, C, and
the propeller lashed to any convenient part. All the three chains are then
hauled taut in a fore-and-aft direction, as shewn in Figure 25, in which
position they can offer but little, if any, obstruction to the vessel's progress.
To attach or ship the propeller, the horns or shafts B, B, are rigged out by
turning the nuts N, N, and the chains F1, F2, again hooked on to the collars
C, C; the chain F is then eased off, and the chains F, F, hove in by the
windlasses O. O. The piece a² is next rigged out till it clutches the end of the
piece a¹, which carries the propeller, and finally the piece a³ is dropped in and
reconnected to the piece a³ at one end, and to the crank shaft at the other,
when the whole apparatus is once more in gear and fit for action.
A fifth part of my Invention consists in an improved mode of propelling
vessels on canals and navigable rivers by means of shifting warps, worked by
steam power, as shewn in Figure 26. A, A, represents the course of the
river or canal; C³, C, are two of a series of posts fixed at regular distances
along the banks for attaching warps to; D is a traction barge, which carries a
small steam engine I, which gives motion through the medium of a cross
head crank shaft and connecting rods to the two warp reels R¹, R², mounted on
a shaft in the fore part of the barge; O is a clutch wheel, interposed between
the reels R1, R2, and attached loosely to the same shaft, by which these reels are
alternately put in and out of gear; N, a hand lever, by which the wheel O.is
worked; T¹ is a warp, which is fastened by one end to the reel R'; and T2, a
second warp, which is attached in like manner to the reel R. To the free end

page_text: of each of these warps there is a togle attached, by which it may be readily made
fast to the posts C³, C². The mode of operation is as follows:-Supposing the
warp T to be ready to be wound upon the reel R', while the other warp is
ready to be unwound from R2, and that the free ends of both have been attached
beforehand to the side posts C¹ and C, the latter being immediately behind the
barge and the other a considerable way ahead, then, if the reel R¹ be placed in
gear by means of the clutch wheel O, and the steam engine be set to work,
the reel R' will revolve and wind upon it the warp T', which has necessarily
the effect of dragging the barge forward towards C', while at the same time the
reel R', not being in gear, turns freely and lets loose the warp T².
As soon
as the warp T has been wound up, the warp T is thrown loose from the
reel R and attached to the post C, and a third warp T', made previously
fast to the post C³, is attached to the reel R³ (in the place of the warp T²).
The reel R is then put in gear while the reel T¹ is put out of gear, which
has the like effect on the warp T, and in drawing the barge forward, as was
produced with the warp T¹; and so the operation may be continued for any
distance, one warp being taken up as fast as another is laid down.
My sixth improvement has relation to all modes of propulsion, whether on
water or land, in which the moving force has to be transmitted by means of
smooth bands or straps, and has for its object to secure a better adhesion of
these bands or straps to the wheels or drums over which they are carried. A
side elevation of the arrangement I propose to adopt for this purpose is given
in Figure 28. A is what I call an atmospheric wheel; and F1, F2, two small
E is the band, which
tension wheels or pulleys, placed one at each side of A.
is passed under F', then over A, and thence under F2. The construction of
the wheel A is shewn separately in Figures 29, Figure 29, which is an end
elevation of it. The periphery and spokes of the wheel are hollow, that is to
say, there is a hollow space all round the wheel immediately beneath the
outer tyre, which space is divided into as many separate compartments as there
are spokes, by partitions p, p, inserted in the middle of the distance between
every two spokes, so that each spoke has a compartment of its own, with
is per-
which it communicates independently of the others. The outer tyre
forated with numerous holes, as shewn in Figure 29. On the wheel shaft there
is fixed at one side a hollow circular case C, which communicates by short
pipes c, c, c, with the hollow spokes. D is a hollow D slide, which half
encircles and opens into the case C; and X is an exhausting or suction pipe,
communicating with D and C, which is worked by any suitable power. At
the points d, d; the D slide is closely packed, so that, till the spokes in the
course of each revolution of the wheel rise successively above these parts, they

page_text: are shut off from any communication with the exhausting pipe X; while all
the while they are passing through the upper half of each revolution, the air
being more or less exhausted from them, and from their respective divisions of
the hollow space in the periphery by the action of the suction pipe X, a pre-
ponderance of atmospheric pressure on the outside is produced, which causes
a strong adhesion of the band or strap to the periphery of the wheel.
My sixth improvement has special relation to land carriages, and consists in
combining the direct action of the rotary wheel with the oblique action of the
screw, in the manner shewn in Figures 31 and 32; Figure 31 being a front
elevation of a common road steam carriage constructed on this principle; and
Figure 32, a part plan of it with the upper part removed. A, A, is the frame
of the carriage. C is a platform running across the middle of the frame, on
which is raised the steam engine D; F, F, are two spiral frames with sup-
porting spokes or stays H, H; the axes or shafts of which frames are cranked
at their centres, and there connected by vertical rods with the cross head of
the engine. G, G, are a number of small wheels or rollers, which are fixed in
open spaces made for the purpose, and at equal distances in the periphery of
the spirals F, F, but set obliquely to the axes of these spirals. J is a guiding
wheel, similar to the directing wheel of the ordinary Bath wheel chair. K, K,
are chains for attaching the carriage to any other carriages which it may be
employed to draw. Instead of the open spiral frames close drums may be
made use of, having the small wheels G, G, fixed in them at such angles that
a line drawn continuously through them would describe the course of a spiral
thread wound round the drum.
The seventh branch of my Invention consists of an improved rowlock for
rowing boats. According to the existing practice, the play that it is found
necessary to allow between the rowlocks or thole pins gives the oar during
the operation of rowing a strong tendency to slip backwards and forwards on
the gunwale from one pin to the other; and this is attended with a good deal
of noise, much chafing of the oar and gunwale, and a real loss of propulsive
effect. To obviate these evils I employ a rowlock of the description repre-
sented in the front and side elevations (partly in section) Figures 33 and
34. A, A, is an upright metal crutch, which is made fast to the gunwale
by means of screws passed through plates a, a, slipped over the shaft, and so
as to allow that stern to turn freely in its bearings. B is a U shaped piece,
which is gimballed to the two sides of the crutch, and moves freely between
them; C is a broad ring, which is slipped over the loom of the oar, and has a
deep groove on its outer face, by means of which, when it is dropped into the
hollow of the gimballed U piece B, it fits upon it exactly, and is thereby held

page_text: fast. As the crutch can turn round on its shaft to any angle, and the gim-
balled U piece B allows also of any required up or down movement, the oar
can thus be moved in any direction without either noise or chafing, or the
least loss of power. Instead of the crutch and gimballed U piece being fixed
to the gunwale, as represented in the Drawings, the entire apparatus may be
attached to the oar and fitted to its place when required by inserting the stem
of the crutch loosely in the hole made for its reception in the gunwale, but in
this case the gimballed piece B should be entirely circular, instead of being of
the U shape before described.
The eighth branch of my Invention consists of an improved mode of raising
and drawing off water for driving machinery, that is to say, for the use or
service of machinery such as is employed in propelling vessels. For example:
suppose it is required to raise water to keep cool the bearings of the propelling
shaft of a submarine propeller, I adopt the method represented in Figure 35.
A is a steam pipe leading from the boiler of the engine to a cylinder B', which
is opened at its lower end; B² is a second cylinder, which slides on B', and is
made to fit closely to it by packing at d; E is a pipe for the admission of
water into a third cylinder B³; and i, an uplifting valve, by which it is opened
and shut; F is another pipe, which leads upwards from the top of the cylinder
B³ to a reservoir of water G, situated immediately over the propelling shaft P;
and K, a valve, by which the communication between B³ and F is controuled;
L is an eduction pipe; M and N are slide valves, attached to the steam
cylinder B¹, the spindles of which pass at top through eye studs 0, 0, pro-
jecting from the lower end of the water cylinder B³. The mode of operation is
as follows: The cock H being opened, the cylinder B' becomes immediately
filled with steam, which, pressing against the top of B, forces the cylinder
up into the other cylinder B³, (supposed to be previously filled with water,) and
drives the contents of it up through the pipe F into the reservoir G. When
by the ascent of the cylinder A the spindles of the slide valves M and N are
raised so high that the stops t, t, come into contact with the buttons o¹, o¹,
the valve M becomes closed and the valve N opened, the former shutting off
any further supply of steam, and the other opening a passage from the waste
steam into the condenser. The cylinder B' then falls back into its original
position, and B' is again charged and worked as before, and as often as may
be requisite. From the bottom of the reservoir G a pipe Z leads through a
stuffing box to the propeller shaft, being fitted with a stop-cock S, which is
turned by a spring lever S¹. R is a cam fitted upon the propeller shaft, which
at every revolution of the shaft comes into contact with the lever S', and
hereby opens the stop cock S, so as to allow a portion of water to flow in
t

page_text: upon the shaft bearings. The tube Z may be raised or lowered at pleasure,
so as to allow of a more or less eccentric cam being employed, and more or
less water being admitted. The same arrangement may, it is obvious, be
adopted for supplying the boiler with water.
The ninth and last branch of my Invention consists in applying the system
of raising and drawing off water last herein-before described to other useful
purposes. Of these purposes I shall give two exemplifications. The first.
consists in applying it to the emptying of butts and other vessels containing
liquids, in which there is usually a considerable portion of sediment precipitated,
so that the clear portion of the liquid may be drawn off to the last without at
all disturbing the sediment at bottom. Figure 37 is an external elevation, and
Figure 38 a sectional elevation, of a tap on this principle in its simplest form.
A is the tap; its upper end B is made parallel throughout its whole length; and
this portion of the tap is not inserted immediately into the wood of the vessel
V, containing the liquid, but is passed through a stuffing box composed of the
two pieces C and D, the former of which is either screwed or driven into the
wooden vessel, while the latter serves to tighten the packing E around the tap B,
and to prevent leakage at that part. The lower end of the tap A is similar to
the common tap. When first this tap is introduced into the cask, the part B
is pushed up as far as it will go into the liquor; but as the cask gets emptied
the tap is drawn downward, the stuffing box being slackened a little for this
purpose. By thus successively drawing down the tap, the purer portion of the
fluid may be entirely drawn off without disturbing the thicker portion, which
has subsided to the bottom of the cask. Figure 39 is a tap, similar to that
last described in every respect, excepting that the upper portion of the stem of
the tap is screwed on the outside, and that the lower portion D of the stuffing
box has also a screw cut on its inside, by which arrangement the tap cannot be
pushed or drawn through the stuffing box, but must be turned round to screw
it in or in drawing it down. Figure 40 is an external elevation, and Figure 41
a sectional elevation, of a tap, similar in all respects to that first described, in so
far as respects the drawing off the purest portion of fluids without disturbance
to the sediment, but differing in the means of opening and shutting. F is a
mushroom valve, in the stem G of which there is cut on the outside a spiral
groove a, a. To the screw piece H there is affixed a small pin b, which takes
into the grove a; by which arrangement, when the spindle of the valve is
turned round, the valve is either raised up from, or drawn down upon, the cork
or leather washer c. When it is turned in a direction so as to be raised up, the
liquor escapes through the spindle or stem G; when turned in the opposite
direction, the flow of liquor is shut off. The red lines in Figure 41 shew

page_text: another method whereby the mushroom valve F is raised or lowered. In this
case the spiral screw a, a, and pin b, are dispensed with. I is a stud affixed
to the screw piece H, to which the cleft lever handle K is attached by a pin
joint; d, d, are pins fixed to the valve spindle G, one on the upper side of the
lever handle H, and the other on the lower side. By this arrangement the valve
itself is raised up or drawn down, according as the handle H is either raised up
or down. Figure 42 is a view of the lever handle K, in plan. Figure 43 is
an apparatus which is suitable to be used in connection with these taps, or may
be used separately. L is a pipe leading from a cask-or vessel containing liquid
to M, a box, wherein is contained the filtering medium N; O is the suction
pipe of a pump, by which the filtered fluid is to be pumped up; or it may be
drawn off by means of a tap inserted in the box immediately above the
filtering medium N.
The second exemplification of the application of the ninth and last of my
said improvements to other than locomotive purposes consists in applying it to
the projection of harpoons with whale lines, in the manner represented in
Figures 44. It being of importance that the harpoon should be kept in one
given direction after the attached line has received the first impetus, I attach
for this purpose to the gun ordinarily employed in whaling expeditions a sliding
cylinder of the kind before described. E, an upright, which carries at top a
gimble rest D, for the gun (B); A is a sliding cylinder, which fits on to the
gun B, and terminates at its outer extremity in a harpoon H, so as at that end
to be perfectly closed. The whale line is coiled round a conical reel C, and
secured by a grummet G to two studs s, s, attached to the inner end of the
sliding cylinder A. When the gun B is discharged, the sliding cylinder is
projected forward from off the gun, and carries the whale line with it, yet not
so suddenly but that the line has time to be running out freely before any
check can be given to the course of the harpoon.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
First, the employment of curved arms for carrying the blades of submarine
propellers, whether such blades are plain or curved, as before described.
Second, the employment in propelling vessels of a spheroidal propeller of
either of the varieties before described.
Third, the employment of a drum propeller, as before described.
Fourth, the mode of propelling boats and barges on rivers and canals by
warping, as before described.
Fifth, the employment of an atmospheric wheel for encreasing the adhesion

page_text: of bands and straps when employed as transmitters of power for locomotive
purposes, whether on water or on land, as before described.
Sixth, the peculiar combination of direct and oblique forces embodied in the
common road steam carriage, before described.
Seventh, the improved rowlock, before described.
Eighth, the mode or system of raising and drawing off water for the use or
service of such driving machinery as is employed in propelling vessels, as before
described.
And, ninth, the application of the last-mentioned mode or system to other
useful purposes, as before exemplified and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Beadon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
GEORGE (L.S.) BEADON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-ninth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid George Beadon, Esquire, came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and everything 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 Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six