A HYDRO-MECHANIC APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WILLCOCKS SLEIGH, formerly of Saint James' Square, but now of Stamford
Brook House, Chiswick, in the County of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine and
Surgeon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of June, in the eighth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Willcocks Sleigh, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Willcocks Sleigh, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Willcocks Sleigh, 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 the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A HYDRO-MECHANIC APPARATUS FOR
PRODUCING MOTIVE POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said William Willcocks Sleigh, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within four 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.

page_text: the centre by the joint e at an obtuse angle; from this joint e descend two rods
f.f, which are firmly fixed to the piston h, h. This piston or moveable bottom
h, h, has an opening and a stuffing box in its centre i, i, for the passage of the
pipe N, N. r, r, r, r, r, r, are the various stuffing boxes for the pistons b, b,
and h, h. S is a rod for communicating the power gained to machinery.
T is an air cock for the admission of air during the filling and emptying of the
pipes and chamber. All these pistons are to be constructed so as to be
capable of moving water-tight and with as little friction as possible in their
respective cylinders by means of stuffing boxes similar to those used in the
hydraulic press. Figure 2 is a vertical section on the dotted line X, Y, of
Figure 1; a, a, a, a, the chamber at the top of the pipe N, N; c, c, the
extremities or ends of the bars belonging to the pistons b, b; d, d, the opening
or communication between the horizontal and perpendicular cylinders which
constitute the chamber a, a, a, a; e, e, the joint at which the bars or rods c, c,
and f, f, are united; r, r, r, r, the stuffing boxes.
Having now described in detail the various parts of my apparatus, I will
proceed to describe the modus operandi and the effect to be produced thereby.
The Drawing represents the apparatus on the upstroke, the reverse of what it
must be when going to commence operation. Water or any other suitable
liquid must be introduced into the pipes E, F, G, through the small funnel K,
and through the supply cock J, until these pipes, together with the pipe N, N,
and the chamber a, a, a, a, are all completely full, the air cock T being open
during the flow of water. When all are full, the supply cock J and the air
cock T must be closed and the piston I, I, pushed down into the pipe E; this
will cause the water in the chamber a, a, a, a, to press upon every portion of
its interior surface with a power greater than that given to the piston I, I,
proportionate to the difference between the area of the piston I, I, and the area
of the chamber. Now, the moveable bottom or piston h, h, being supported
by the lateral pressure on the pistons b, b, the upper part or roof of the chamber
a, a, a, a, is freed from a great part of the counteracting effect of the downward
pressure on the moveable bottom h, h, and, therefore, the upward pressure
necessarily carries the chamber and all fixed to it upwards with a proportioned
effective power, the said chamber of course descending on the upstroke of the
piston I, I. A power being thus obtained in the chamber a, a, a, a, greater
than that given to the piston I, I, it is evident that if the rod S be connected
by any ordinary means to a crank shaft or other suitable machinery, and the
piston rod of the piston I, I, be moved by a suitable power, an increased
production of motive power must be the result, which may be applied by any
of the ordinary well-known means to machinery.

page_text: Now whereas I claim as my Invention a hydro-mechanic apparatus such as
herein-before described, which imparts a power of upward motion to the
chamber a, a, a, a, greater than the power applied to the prime mover or
piston I, I, without depending upon any escape of water from the said chamber
for such effect; and such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, entirely new, and never before used within the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specifica-
tion of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth
comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in
the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore I
hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Willcocks Sleigh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, One thousand eight
Lundead and fut five