In-- PROVED MEANS, Apparatus, and MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Henry Thompson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th May 1871.
I, WILLIAM HENRY THOMPSON, of Bow, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In--
PROVED MEANS, Apparatus, and MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE
POWER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the utilization of the downward
pressure or gravitating power of a weight or load for propelling carriages
or other wheeled vehicles or other heavy bodies upon common roads,
railways, tramways, suspended roads, or other ways. My improvements
are also applicable for propelling or aiding in the propulsion of vessels
or other floating bodies, and for actuating machinery.
For propelling carriages or other wheeled vehicles in accordance with
my improvements I suspend or hang the body of the carriage by means
of four or other suitable number of chains, ropes or belts, working over
or on guides or pulleys fixed or moveable, attached or connected to fixed
and moveable brackets or blocks, by links, staples, or other suitable
means constituting the framework in which wheels, pulleys, or sheaves

page_text: are secured by means of axles, shafts, or other mechanism and over which
pulleys is passed the bight or double of a chain, rope or belt (in a
similar manner to the common block and fall used for hoisting heavy
weights, known as hoisting or hauling tackle). The chain or cord is
led to and coiled one or more times as may be required around a drum
or drums, and is then passed on to and around a large wheel or drum
used for coiling. The large drum is worked by means of spur or other
suitable gear which is put in gear by a sprocket wheel, crank handle,
or lever, when it is required to raise the weight or load by hand power,
but when the momentum of the carriage will admit of it the weight or
load is raised, thereby ready to descend again when required. The
momentum of the carriage is caused to raise the weight or load by the
application of friction or other wheels or gear brought to bear upon the
flange or surface, or other part of the driving wheels, and working in
connection with the rising and falling gear so as to act as a powerful
break. Thus the apparatus having to sustain the weight the carriage
in place of being pulled up with a sudden jerk is simply retarded and
brought to rest without shock.
I utilize the downward pressure or gravitating power of a descending
weight or load combined with suitable apparatus according to my
improvements for working force or other pumps of sufficient number
and power to propel a carriage or carriages, or to actuate machinery, or
to raise other, weights or to force water or other fluids for storing up
power in accordance with my Invention.
•
Where it is required to increase or multiply the power I employ one
or more cylinders acting with pistons, plungers, or rams, with suitable
cocks, valves, slides, or other apparatus for forcing water or other fluids
by the direct pressure of the said pumps.
In working by means of a single cylinder according to my Invention
the piston rod is attached to pulley blocks and tackle, the chains or ropes
being connected to winding barrels or drums, so that at each stroke of
the piston these barrels or drums revolve alternately, thereby imparting
motion to the carriage by actuating spur or other suitable gear.
By the drawing in and out of the chains or tackle (the barrels.being
connected by an endless chain or belt), one barrel winds on the slack
that is being uncoiled by the other barrel that is in action, thus pro-
pelling the carriage or giving motion to machinery. By this arrange-
ment the piston works each barrel in its turn at each stroke, thereby

page_text: keeping the spur or other gear connected with the driving wheels in
continuous motion whilst the said piston is in action.
The apparatus above described may be actuated either by a descending
weight or by the momentum of a body in motion.
66
According to this part of my improvements the cylinders for forcing
fluids may be worked in pairs combined with blocks and tackle. The
chains or ropes employed are endless and make a turn or "bight"
around a barrel or drum instead of coiling the whole of the chain or
rope thereon.
The tackle of both pistons is connected by the said
bight" around the drum, and the water or other fluid in this case is
only admitted to work the piston on one stroke, cach in its turn pulling
up or traversing the other, and forcing the water when water is used
back into the reservoir to be used over again by the pumps. By this
action of the pistons in drawing the chain or rope from one to the other
over the drum they impart motion to the drum, which is connected to
the propelling gear so as to impart motion to the carriage or give motion
to machinery. Tanks are employed as rising and falling weights, for
transmitting motive power according to my improvements, water or
other fluids being pumped into and discharged therefrom alternately as
required.
In applying my improvements to propel or aid in the propulsion of
vessels or other floating bodies, I arrange platforms or receptacles within
the hull of the vessel for supporting or receiving the cargo or load, such,
platforms or receptacles being so arranged as to be capable of rising
and falling to a given extent by means of apparatus of the character
previously described, to which motion is communicated to raise tho
weighted platforms, tanks, or receptacles, either by hand labour, or by
the action of the currents produced by the passage of the vessel through
the water. The power obtained by the descent of the platforms or
receptacles is employed to actuate screw or other propellers.
I also utilize the force of the currents produced by the momentum or
speed of railway engines and carriages to actuate machinery and
apparatus for storing up power as previously described.