IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLI- CATION OF MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Webster, of Collingham, in the County of
York, Corn Miller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLI-
CATION OF MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 15th June 1855, and dated the 17th January 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Webster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th January 1855.
I, JAMES WEBSTER, of Collingham, in the County of York, Corn Miller,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
APPLICATION OF MOTIVE POWER" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a new mode of applying motive power, whether
obtained from steam, water, or any other similar source. I propose to employ
a hollow shaft, upon which is mounted an ordinary driving wheel, and from
the hollow shaft hollow elbow pipes branch off, which are supplied through the
centre shaft with the steam, water, or other source of power. I employ elbow
pipes for the purpose of obtaining good leverage. The elbow pipes end with
mouth-pieces, to fit to apertures or boxes made upon or fitted to another
wheel, which acts as a traversing lever, and which is fixed to and impels the
driving wheel first mentioned. The pressure of the steam, water, or other
source of power upon the boxes or apertures causes these wheels or traversing
levers to revolve, and their surface having cogs fixed upon them, which work
within the teeth of a stationary circular wheel, the teeth of which are turned
inwards, drives the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James. Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WEBSTER, of Collingham, in the County of York, Corn Miller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Webster, Her special license that I, the said James
Webster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Webster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands; and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Webster, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was 'to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office, within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Webster, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Improvements in the Application of Motive Power"
relates to a novel method of applying steam or other clastic fluid or gas for
the purpose of driving machinery.
For this purpose I employ a hollow shaft, upon which is mounted an ordinary
driving wheel, and from this hollow shaft elbow pipes branch off and are
supplied through the centre shaft with the steam, or other elastic fluid or gas,
which I denominate the source of power. The ends or mouths of the elbow
pipes fit closely to and work against apertures or boxes, which are made upon
or fixed to wheels which rotate upon axes fixed to the fly wheel, which fly
wheel is fixed to the shaft which turns the driving wheel before mentioned.

page_text: The pressure or impact of the steam or other soure of power upon the boxes
or apertures causes the wheels upon which they are fixed to revolve, and 'tlie
under surface of these wheels; having cog teeth fixed upon them, which gear
into the teeth of a stationary wheel with its teeth turned inwards, a regular
rotary motion is imparted to the central shaft.
7
י
In order, however, that my Invention and the mode of carrying out the same
may be clearly understood, I have shewn in the accompanying Drawing two
views of the arrangement of machinery whereby the "motive power is applied
to a driving shaft...
21.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view, of the
necessary machinery, constructed according to my Invention, as applied to a
stationary engine. A, A, is the foundation upon which the machine, mainly
rests; B, B, is a stationary cog wheel, having teeth on the inside of the rim,
and is firmly fixed to the foundation; C, C#, is the central shaft, which is made
in two parts, the upper part C being hollow down to the elbow pipes, here-
after mentioned, and solid from that point. to the bearing or cup in which
it rests. This hollow. shaft performs the office of the steam. pipe, to. convey
the steam or other elastic fluid for working the machine; and D (Fig. 1) is the
stuffing box in which it works. A strong brace or bracket can be fixed to
this hollow shaft near the stuffing box to keep it firm in its upright, position.
E, E, are elbow pipes branching from the hollow shaft C; the ends of these
elbow pipes terminate at and fit close to the broad surface of the wheels H, H,
which are mounted on studs or pins affixed to the arms of the fly wheel.
These wheels are provided on their peripheries or circumference with apertures
or boxes, against which the steam acts. The greater the length of these elbow
pipes and the proportional increase of the size of the wheel containing the
apertures or boxes, the greater will be the amount of power obtained there-
from. G, G, are the apertures, boxes, or vanes of the wheels H, H, and
against which the steam presses. These apertures are cut internally into the
surfaces of the wheels H, H, and upon the under sides of these wheels cog
wheels I, I, are fixed, which respectively gear into the stationary cog wheel B,
with internal teeth. The cog wheels I, I, being fixed to and forming part of
the wheels H, H, form, in fact, single wheels, as the wheels H and their
respective cog wheels may be cast in one, or the cog wheels may be fixed
to them. Both of the wheels H, H, and I, I, revolve loosely upon the studs
J, J, which are fixed to one of the spokes of the fly wheel K, and maintain
their positions by resting upon collars at the lower ends of the axles, and held
by bushes or pins at the upper ends.
When the steam is admitted through the central shaft C*, and presses

page_text: against the apertures G of the wheels H, H, the wheels are thereby turned,
and by. the cogs I gearing beneath into the wheel B, a motion is obtained
round the machine. The axles of the wheels H, H, and I, I, being, as before
shewn, fixed to the fly wheel K, and this wheel being fixed to the lower or
solid part of the central shaft C, a circular motion is thus given to the shaft,
and a driving wheel L, being mounted upon this shaft, a first moving power is
obtained for any driving purposes.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Application
of Motive Power," and the means of carrying the same into effect, I claim
the method herein shewn, or any mere modification thereof, of employing the
elastic power or force of steam or gases so as to communicate or impart rotary
motion to any driving shaft.
I claim, particularly, causing the steam or other elastic fluid to act against
vanes, boxes, or other similar contrivances attached to or forming part of
wheels, mounted and acting in the manner shewn at H, H, in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Webster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JAMES WEBSTER.
(L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said James Webster,
in the presence of
J. B. WILKINSON,
Clerk to Messrs. J. & H. Richardson & Gaunt,
Solicitors, Leeds.