IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED BY PADDLE WHEELS WITH A VIEW TO BETTER ARMING THE SAME
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN SCOTT
RUSSELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Scott Russell, my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Scott Russell, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Scott Russell,
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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS PROPELLED BY PADDLE WHEELS
WITH A VIEW TO BETTER ARMING THE SAME;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said John Scott Russell, shall cause a par-
ticular description of the nature of my said Invention; and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, to be enrolled in Her 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
John' Scott Russell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In constructing a ship or vessel propelled by paddle wheels it is usual for
the paddle boxes to project beyond the sides of the ship or vessel, and fore and
aft of each paddle box there is a platform, which in some cases projects
beyond the sides of the ship or vessel, and in other cases the sides of the ship
or vessel fore and aft the paddle wheel boxes are sponsoned out, in which
latter case the projection or platform on either side of a paddle box may be
considered as part of the deck, though projecting beyond the ordinary deck
of the vessel, and in the former case it is simply a projecting platform; and
sometimes the projections partake of both these constructions. On these
platforms it is usually the practise to build deck houses, which cover more or
less thereof, and the bulwark in proceeding from stem to stern follows the
contour or form of the side of the ship, and when it comes to such projection
or platform it bends out more or less suddenly, and then follows the contour or
form of the projection or platform. In other cases, however, the bulwark
follows a line which leaves the projection or platform on either side of the
paddle box or part thereof outside of the bulwark. Now the object of my
Invention is to take advantage of the space thus offered fore and aft each
paddle box, and to construct and arrange such platforms or projections of
ships or vessels propelled by paddle wheels, so that the guns on these parts
may be worked and pointed and fired more in a line with the keel of a vessel
than heretofore. And the best means of carrying out my Invention is to
cause the bulwarks to follow the line of the sides of the vessel in the ordinary
manner, and then to bend out and follow the line of the projections or plat-
forms when such is not already the case. And in those portions of the
bulwarks of the vessel where the same bend out to enclose such projections
or platforms I construct suitable ports; and according to the angle that such
bending out of the bulwarks make with the keel, so will be the nearness to
a parallelism obtained of the firing of the guns (in those parts of the vessel)
with the keel; and I believe that an angle of about 45° with the keel for such
bending out of the bulwarks and platforms or projections at either side of each
of the paddle boxes will in most cases offer a convenient angle, as such an
arrangement will admit of the guns in these parts of the vessel pointing fore and
aft, and fireing as nearly parallel. as may be with the keel; but other angles may
be resorted to or used according to the construction of a particular vessel; and,
if desired, such platforms or projections, it will be evident, may be constructed
so bluff at their ends as to admit of the fireing of the guns on either side of a
ship or vessel (so constructed) as to intersect their lines of fire at a point not

page_text: very distant beyond the bow or stern of the vessel. In carrying out my
Invention, if it be in altering a ship or vessel already built, then, if the deck
houses occupy the platforms or projections on either side of the paddle.boxes,
the deck houses, or so much of them as may be found necessary to obtain
room for the guns in those localities, will be removed, and in building new
ships or vessels such deck houses will be omitted when sufficient space cannot
be conveniently obtained in addition to deck houses; and in case such plat-
forms or projections of a ship or vessel already built have not sufficient
strength to carry guns, I strengthen the same by beams from side to side of
the ship or vessel similar to the paddle beams, and cause them to be supported'
in like manner to such paddle beams or otherwise. And when building new
ships or vessels, and applying my Invention thereto, I in like manner, obtain
strength to the platforms or projections, or I construct them by sponsoning out
the sides of the ships or vessels at such parts as heretofore, in all cases taking care
to obtain sufficient strength; and at the same time the surface of each platform
is to be even with the deck, so that the slides and carriages of the guns used
may readily be moved; and I construct such platforms or projections with
ports and fittings according to the description of guns to be used, as is well
understood in constructing other parts of ships or vessels for the use of like
guns. And I would state, that although I prefer that the bulwarks should
enclose the projections or platforms fore and aft the paddle boxes, and that
ports should be formed in those parts thereof where such projections or plat-
forms bend off, it is not absolutely necessary that such should be the case, as
the bulwarks, if desired, near these parts may be moveable, and be removed
when the guns which are worked on such platforms or projections are to be
brought into use; but in such cases the projections or platforms will be con-
structed with suitable fittings for the class of guns intended to be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
constructing of those parts of ships or vessels propelled by paddle wheels,
which consist of the projections or platforms fore and aft of the paddle wheel
boxes, in such manner that advantage may be taken of these spaces for placing
and working guns thereon, and so that they may be pointed and fired more in
a line with the keel of a ship or vessel than guns near the middle of such
ships or vessels have heretofore been.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scott Russell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
J. SCOTT (L.S.) RUSSELL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid John Scott Russell came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
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 Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-one. *