AN IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE NAVIGATION OF VESSELS AND PROPELLING OF CARRIAGES
Year: 1830

page_text: RUTHVEN'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RUTIVEN, of the City of Edinburgh, Engineer and Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of August, in the first year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Ruthven, my exors, adññors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Ruthven, my exors, aditiors, and
assigns, and overy of us, by ourselves or by our deputy or deputies, servants
or agents, or such others as I, my executors, admors, and assigns, should
at any timo agree with, and no other, from time to time and at all times
hereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR THE NAVIGATION OF VESSELS AND PROPELLING OF CARRIAGES;" in which said
Letters there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Ruthven, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascer-
tain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Ruthven, do hereby declare that my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be effected, are particularly described and ascertained as
follows (that is to say):
First, instead of that portion of the paddle wheel for propelling vessels which
is usually termed the float boards," being made of a flat form placed perpen-
dicularly or otherwise to the circumference of the wheel, I make these float
boards of a curvilinear surface in whole or in part, and so placed on the outer
rim or margin of the paddle wheel that a convex side, of the curved surface
may strike the water first; they may be of any proper material, hollow or
solid, with or without backs or ends, of any required dimensions, and fixed to
the wheel in the way most approved of or convenient. The form I have found
to answer best is the section of a cylinder, and is represented by Figure 1,
(see accompanying Drawing). a, a, a, the arms of the paddle wheel, and b, b, b
the improved floats, being the section of a cylinder attached to the wheel, so as
to enter the water by the convex surface of the curved or circular side. They
are fixed on the arms by screwed bolts or semi-hoops, or otherwise, according to
the form of the paddle wheel; they may also be constructed in the form of a
barrell and made air-tight.
Fig. 1, c, d, e, represents three floats of different constructions; is one
which may be made of plate iron or copper. Those constructed as a
barrell are well adapted for ferry boats, as the buoyancy of the floats would
lessen the danger of upsetting, and make the boat more safe. The advantage
of the curved float arises from its entering the water at a more advantageous
angle than the flat float boards hitherto used; and the coming out of the water,
less power is lost by raising the water than in the case of the flat float.
Second, in that part of my machinery which propells or conveys motion to
the paddle wheels with the curved floats, either by manual labour or otherwise,
I use two equal sized toothed wheels, to which a third of a smaller size may
be added to increase the velocity if required. One of these wheels I fix on the
shafts of the paddle wheels; from the axis of each of the two toothed wheels
I raise an upright iron rod on both sides of the wheels, and when these are in
an upright position, I connect them with an iron rod and bolt them together,
so as to form a moveable joint over each of the two toothed wheels. 1 attach a
pull or catch, jointed betwixt the two upright rods on each side of the wheels,
so that the pulls may fall on the periphery of the wheels, but in contrary
directions; that is to say, either from or towards each other, so as to convey a
continuous motion to the paddle wheels. This will be better understood by
referring to Fig. 2, where the wheels are represented, the pinion being on

page_text: the paddle wheel shaft; a, a, are two equal sized toothed wheels, and ba
pinion of the same pitch; c, c, two upright rods, through which the axle of the
wheel passes; ff, the pall or catch; d, a connecting rod, with a bolt through the
head of the upright rods forming a joint; this horizontal rod may be extended
to any required length, and cross arms attached to it e, e, by which a number
of men may be employed, and by the alternate motion of pulling and pushing
a continuous rotatory action is produced on the paddle wheels. The same
arrangement of power also applies for propelling carriages on land, by substi-
tuting carriage wheels in place of paddle wheels with the curved floats.
Third, an improvement in working ships' pumps. This consists in making
a wheel with projecting edges at opposite sides, having four curved arms to
which the pump rod is attached by two iron bolts or friction rollers; the wheel
is suspended by its axis, so as its periphery may be over the centre of the pump
barrel, or so that the pump rod may bear on the periphery of the wheels,
while the bolts or friction rollers are made to move in the curved arms when
the wheel is moving through part of a circle. If a pump under the curved
arms on each edge of the wheel, with the pump rod of each working in the
curved arms, a double action or one pump will always be working alternately,
and thus a constant discharge will be produced. To effect this by manual
labour, two horizontal rods are jointed to the upright part or periphery of the
wheel, extending in opposite directions, and having cross arms attached to
them. Any number of men may be employed, and act by pulling and pushing
the horizontal rods alternately as in Fig. 3; viz., A, the circular wheel;
B, B, the curved arms; C, C, the piston rods; D, D, the bolts or friction
rollers; E, E, the horizontal rods; F, F, cross arms.
A similar arrangement
may be adapted for one or more pumps, as represented by Fig. 4; the letters
of reference being the same in both. A, the wheel with the curve or section of
a circle for the pump rods; B, B, the curved arms; C, C, the piston rods;
D, D, the bolts or friction rollers; E, E, the horizontal rods which may be
made to connect two or more pumps, and all worked at the same time by the
cross arms F, F. The result of this arrangement or construction is a perfect
action of the pump rods in the barrels, producing a much greater discharge
than by the common method of working pumps, and also preserving the
barrel and valves from being destroyed or rendered imperfect, as in those
worked otherwise. The same principle of power is applicable to force pumps,
by which a ship's pump may be converted into a fire-extinguishing engine.
This improvement may be added to all pumps at present in use.
In the foregoing description all I claim as new is, the making convex the
surface of the float boards as above described. The combination of the cog