IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PROPELLING SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Long Wrey, of the United Service
Institution, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF PROPELLING SHIPS AND
VESSELS."
Sealed the 2nd August 1870, and dated the 9th June 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Long Wrey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 9th June 1870, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LONG WREY, of the United Service Institution, Westminster, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MEANS OF PROPELLING SHIPS AND VESSELS," and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Decla-
ration that I am the true and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Long Wrey, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
The means for propelling ships and vessels above referred to consist of
a tube or tubes, which I term hydrostatic pressure power tubes, fitted
inside a ship or vessel, and it or they should be so fitted as to be below
the light draught water line, each tube to be made to open to the water
either at the stern or at any point in the sides or the bottom of the
ship which may be deemed convenient, though I prefer the opening or
openings to be made at or near the stern; thus, this tube will be always
full of water and will furnish a resisting medium to the thrust of the
propeller, which propeller may be a piston working in a cylinder fitted
tightly, though any kind of propeller, such as a plunger pole, working
through a stuffing box, a screw, or other kind of propeller that can be
made to work in the tube or tubes may be adopted if desired.
Having thus far particularly described and ascertained the nature of
the said Invention, I now proceed to particularly describe and ascertain
in what manner the same is to be performed or put in operation, which
I shall do by referring to the Drawings accompanying these Presents
by the words, figures, and letters placed thereon and herein referred to,
that is to say,-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1, horizontal plan view showing the tubes carried into the interior
of the vessel; Figs. 2 and 3 cross sections, Fig. 2 showing the tube of
circular section and Fig. 3 of rectangular section; Fig. 4, longitudinal
section of after part of the vessel, showing plan of introducing pressure
tube or tubes, pipe or pipes, into the interior of the vessel.
In the said Figures A, B, denote the hydrostatic pressure power
tubes; C, water-tight bulkhead through which the propeller acts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or
put in practice, I hereby declare that I claim as my Invention the
use of a tube of any length or diameter, whether the same by round,
square, or any other form that may be desired, which tube being
carried into the interior of the ship and so placed as at all times to bo
below the "light draught water line," and thus always full of water

page_text: furnishes a resisting medium to the thrust of the propeller used, which
may, as before stated, being either a piston working in a cylinder fitting
tightly, or a plunger pole working through a stuffing box, or any other
mode of propelling vessels at present known or that may be applicable;
but I do not claim as my Invention any propeller whatever, but confine
myself to the tube as above described which furnishes a resisting medium
to the action of the propeller, whereby forward motion is given to the
ship with increased force; I do not however confine myself to the use of
one tube or any other number of tubes, or to the position of the same in
the ship, neither do I confine myself to placing the orifice of the tube or
tubes immediately under the stern of the ship, all which may be regulated
by the circumstances of the case.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Long Wrey, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
W. LONG WREY. (L.S.)
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary to the
0 Inventors' Patent Right Association Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross.