CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Zahn, of 13, Norfolk Street, Strand,
London, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS."
-A communication.
Sealed the 17th August 1855, and dated the 23rd February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Zahn
at the Ollice of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1855.
I, WILLIAM HENRY ZAHN, of 13, Norfolk Street, Strand, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WIND-
to be as follows, and consists in having the wings or sails attached to
movable or rotating spindles, having levers connected to them, being also
connected to a head which rotates with the wings or sails and upon the same
shaft; the head having a lever connected with it, and operated by a governor,
which slides the head upon the shaft and causes the levers to turn the wings
or sails, so as to present a proper resisting surface to the wind, and thereby
produce a uniform velocity of the wings or sails, which are made to have a
greater or less obliquity, according to the velocity of the wind.
A horizontal shaft works in bearings upon a cap, which works loosely upon
a circular plate attached to a framework. The shaft projects beyond the edge
of the cap, and has a wheel attached. The wings or sails are attached to

page_text: spindles passing radially through the rim of the wheel and into its hub. The
spindles are loose in the wheel and turn upon their axes, having collars to
retain them in the hub or rim. Upon the shaft is a head, fitted loosely and
having projections at its front end, to which projections small levers are
attached by pivots, the outer ends of these levers being secured to the ends of
other levers which are secured permanently to the spindles. The inner end of
the head has a groove, in which fits a forked lever, bent, and secured by a
pivot to the end of another lever, having a weight at its outer end. From
the outer end of the bent lever a rod passes down by the side of another
vertical rod, the upper end of which is connected to a crank on the inner end
of the shaft by a connecting rod. The lower end of the rod in connection
with the arm of the bent lever is attached to a sliding head or boss on the
vertical rod. This boss has a recess, in which fits a fork at one end of a
lever; the opposite end of said lever is attached by a pivot to a piston rod,
the piston of which works within a cylinder. A reservoir containing water
has a pipe projecting over its top, the opposite end of the pipe being in com-
munication with another pipe, which also communicates with the cylinder,
the reservoir, and with a pump at their bottoms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Zahn in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY ZAHN, of 18, Norfolk Street, Strand, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Henry Zahn, Her special licence that I, the said William Henry
Zalın, ny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Henry Zalın, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINDMILLS," (a communication,) upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that I, the said William Henry Zahn, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
5 next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Zahn, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
The nature of my Invention consists in having the wings or sails attached
to movable or rotating spindles, having levers connected to them, being also
connected to a head which rotates with the wings or sails and upon the same
shaft; the head having a lever connected to it, which is operated by a governor,
which slides the head upon the shaft, and causes the levers to turn the wings
or sails, so as to present a proper resisting surface to the wind, and thereby
produce a uniform velocity of the wings or sails, which are made to have a
greater or less obliquity, according to the velocity of the wind.
To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my
Invention I will proceed to describe it :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved windmill; Fig. 2 is a face view
of the wings or sails. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the two Figures.
A represents a horizontal shaft, which works in suitable bearings (a) (a)
upon a cap B, said cap B working loosely upon a circular plate C, attached
permanently to a proper support or framework D; see Fig. 1. The shaft A
projects some distance beyond the edge of the cap B, as shown in Fig. 1, and
has a wheel E attached permanently to it. F represents the wings or sails,
which are secured to spindles (6), said spindles passing radially through the
rim of the wheel E and into its hub, the spindles being prevented from
withdrawing by collars (c), which bear against the inner edge of the rim
and bearings (d), see Fig. 2, which are secured by screws over the spindles,
the spindles being loose in the wheel E, and allowed to turn upon their axes.
Four wings or sails are represented, but any proper number may be used.
G is a head fitted loosely upon the shaft A, and having projections (e) at its
front end, to which projections small levers (f) are attached by pivots (9), the
outer ends of the small levers (f) being secured to the ends of levers (h)
by pivots i. The levers (h) are secured permanently to the spindles (6), as
shown in Fig. 2. The inner end of the head has a groove (j) turned in it,
in which groove a forked lever H fits; see Fig. 1. The lever H is bent,

page_text: and is secured by a pivot (k) to the end of a lever H¹, having its fulcrum
at (), and a ball or weight on its outer end; and to the outer end of the
lever a wire or rod I is attached, said wire or rod passing down by the
side of a vertical rod J, the upper end of which is connected to a crank K on
the inner end of the shaft A by a connecting rod L. The lower end of the
wire or rod I is attached to a sliding head or boss M on the rod J. The
sliding head or boss M on the rod J has a recess (n) in it, in which a fork at
one end of a lever O fits, said lever O having its fulcrum at (p). The
opposite end of the lever O is attached by a pivot to a piston rod P, the
piston of which works within a cylinder Q; see Fig. 2. R is a reservoir
containing water, and S is a pipe which projects over the top of said reservoir,
the opposite end of the pipe being connected to a pipe T, which communi-
cates with the cylinder Q, reservoir R, and a pump T, at their bottoms;
see Fig. 2. The rod J, it will be seen, is the piston rod of the pump T".
Ụ is a cock in the pipe S; V is a horizontal wing attached to the cap B,
for the purpose of keeping the wings or sails F facing the wind; W is a
weight attached to the lever O.
Operation. The reservoir R is filled with water, and the wings or sails F,
wheel E, and head G rotate with the shaft A, and the crank K at the inner
end of the shaft A works the piston rod J of the pump T', and the water in
the reservoir R is drawn through the pipe T and forced again into the reser-
voir R through the pipe S. In case the shaft A revolves too rapidly, the
cock U is somewhat turned, so as to check the free passage of water through
pipe S, and the water will then be forced against the under side of the piston
in the cylinder Q and will raise it, and the head or boss M will consequently
be moved down upon the rod J, and the wire or rod I will draw downward
the horizontal arm of the lever H, while the vertical arm will force outward
the head G on the shaft A, and the levers (f) (h) will turn the spindles (6),
and the wings or sails F move obliquely to the wind, and the motion of the
mill will be decreased in a corresponding degree.
When it is desired to increase the motion of the mill, the cock U is opened,
and the water, having a free passage through the pipe S, the head or boss M
is raised upon the rod J, and the head G on the shaft A brought back to
its original position by the weighted lever H¹, the wings or sails presenting a
greater surface to the wind. The weight W causes the lever O to resume
its original position or depresses the piston in the cylinder Q, when the
water has a free passage through pipe S.
The windmill, as above described, is arranged for operating a pump, and the
arrangement of the reservoir R and cylinder Q with the pipe connections

page_text: T
merely act as a governor, it being understood that in practise the pump
draws the water from a well instead of the reservoir herein shown. The
above arrangement would be the most economical where pumping alone is
required; but in other cases, as grinding grain, churning, thrashing, &c. &c.,
governor would be operated by the rod J, which would then be con-
nected to the shaft A. by level gearing, and have a rotary motion.
a ball
I do not confine myself to any form or kind of governor. The above mill 's
more particularly designed for farmers' use, and in other cases when a moderato
power is required. They are not expensive to manufacture, and may be
moved with little difficulty from place to place in order to perform different
sorts of work required to be done.
Having fully described the nature and application of this Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not claim attaching the wings or sails to spindles (6) which turn on their
axes irrespective of the arrangement for turning said spindles in order to
give them the desired obliquity, and thereby presenting a greater or less
surface to the wind; but what I claim is, attaching the spindles (6) of the
wings or sails F to a sliding head G by means of the levers (f), (h), or
their equivalents, and operating said head G by means of the lever H, or its
equivalent, and a governor of any proper construction, for the purpose of
giving the desired obliquity to the wings or sails, and thereby ensuring an
equal motion and power during a variable velocity of the wind.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Zahn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
JOHN AVERY,
32, Essex St., Strand.
WILLIAM HENRY ZAIN. (L.S.)