IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY POR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ilenry Hales, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex'
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY POR
PROPELLING VESSELS."
Sealed the 17th April 1855, and dated the 23rd October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Hales at the Office,
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd October
1854.
I, HENRY HALES, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS" to be as follows:-
First, the construction of an apparatus by means of which the propelling
screw and the paddle wheels of a vessel may be put in motion by the same
steam engine or other motive power, and be worked together or separately,
as may be found expedient, such steam engine or other motive power being
required to work at the speed found most effective when using paddle wheels
only; and this I propose to effect either by intermediate connecting rods,
shafts, and multiplying gear between the crank shaft of the engine which drives
the paddle wheels and the shaft of the screw propeller, which connecting
rods, shafts, and gearing may be put in motion by a bevel wheel, eccentric, or
crank upon the main shaft, or otherwise by bands, chains, or other connections,

page_text: put in motion by a drum, keyed upon the main crank shaft, and commu-
nicating by other shafts and drums with the shaft upon which the screw
propeller is fixed, the ordinary and well-known means being provided for
throwing the screw shaft out of gear, or disconnecting the paddle wheels.
And, secondly, in propelling vessels by the application of two screw propellers,
working upon the same shaft or otherwise, one of such screws being placed
in the ordinary position in the dead wood of the vessel, and the second upon
a false stern post, at such a distance abaft of the first as may be found
expedient.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent, filed
by the said Henry Hales in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, HENRY
HALES, of Brighton, in the County of Sussex, and of 5, Sherborne Lane, in
the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Hales, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Hales, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Hales, my
exccutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Hales,
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 next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Hales, do hereby declare the
nature of my 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:

page_text: This invention has for its object improvements in the machinery for pro-
pelling vessels, and consists,-
First, in a combination or combinations of machinery or apparatus by,
means of which the screw and the paddle wheels, where both these means of
propulsion are used in the same vessel, may be worked by one steam engine.
or other motive agent.
And, secondly, in the application of two screw propellers fixed upon one and
the same shaft, one of such screw propellers being made to work in the dead wood.
of the vessel in the ordinary manner, and the second fixed, as before said, upon,
the same shaft, and working abaft the stern post, at such distance as may be,
found expedient; the rudder of the vessel being carried upon a false stern or:
rudder post, firmly bolted to that which carries the screw shaft, and abaft which
the second screw propeller works.
?
pro-
-
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of carrying the same into effect. One of the objects to be effected,
by the Invention, as before stated, is to work the screw propeller or propellers
and the paddle wheels, when both these means of propelling are used in the
samne vessel, by one steam engine or other motive agent; and I would observe
that the difficulty which has heretofore been experienced in carrying this object
into effect has arisen, not only from the different rates of speed at which the.
motive agent has been required to work to adapt it for either mode of
pulsion, but also from the difference between the transverse position of the
engine required to work the paddle wheels and the longitudinal position which
has been almost essential to the working of the screw. In carrying out this
part of my Invention, I propose, in the first place, to fix two eccentrics upon
the main or paddle shaft of the engine, one at each side of the vessel, and
at the points which may be found most convenient in practice. Each of these
eccentrics I propose to fit with a metallic band or hoop in the usual manner,
which metallic band or hoop must be attached to a connecting rod, working
horizontally under the deck timbers of the vessel, through slot or other guides,
and communicating with an apparatus usually called a bell-crank motion.. To
the opposite extremity of this bell-crank motion other connecting rods are
attached, which, working in a vertical position, convey the motion to the lower
part of the vessel, in which situation the screw shaft is usually fixed and works.
These connecting rods, before described, which work vertically, and which
must be fitted with a parallel motion, as herein-after described, communicate.
at their lower extremity with a crank attached to a horizontal, shaft, which
shaft I call a drum shaft. This shaft works parallel to the screw shaft, and

page_text: upon
it one or more drums are fixed, the motion being communicated from
this drum shaft to the screw shaft by as many straps or bands, herein-after
described, as may be required, the velocity of the motion of the screw shaft
being regulated by the ratio of the diameter of the drum or drums upon the
drum shaft to the drum or drums upon the screw shaft. Another mode of
carrying out this part of my Invention (that is, of communicating the motion
of the main or paddle shaft of the engine to the screw shaft,) is to connect
the eccentric upon the paddle or main shaft of the engine with the crank pin
on the drum shaft by two rods, working vertically beneath the eccentric, the
first rod extending any required distance between these points, and working at
its lower extremity on a pin attached to the upper side of a short horizontal
shaft. The motion of this portion of the connecting rod would be in a line
with the keel of the vessel, or at right angles to the main shaft; the
second or lower portion of the rod would be attached by a D or other joint
to the lower side of the short horizontal shaft before mentioned, and, working
below it, would connect with the crank pin upon the drum shaft.
The motion of this lower rod would be at right angles to the plane of
motion of the upper rod and to the keel, and parallel to the main shaft of the
engine. The ends of the short horizontal shaft which unites the connecting
rods must be fitted with brasses, working upon guides in the ordinary manner.
forming together a parallel motion, which may be fixed to any convenient part
of the vessel or framework of the machinery. In carrying out this part of
my Invention, I would observe that considerable difficulty has hitherto been
experienced in giving to straps or bands of large size an uniform and equal
bite or hold upon the surface of the drum or rigger, through which the power
is communicated. This difficulty I propose to obviate by using several narrow
straps or bands, each being provided with a tightening pulley, instead of using
one or more wide ones, by which arrangement several important advantages
would be gained; thus, equal areas of strap or band would not be so expensive,
the probability of the working machinery being interrupted by the breaking
of a strap would be considerably decreased, and the hole or bite of each strap
upon the drum or rigger might be accurately adjusted at the discretion of the
superintendent; but I do not claim protection for this arrangement as a part
of my Invention, for which Letters Patent have been granted to me.
accompanying Drawing will further explain and illustrate these arrangements;
wherein A is the main shaft of the steam engine or other motive agent; B, the
eccentric; C, the horizontal connecting rod working under the deck timbers
of the vessel; D, the bell-crank motion; E, the upper vertical connecting rod;
The

page_text: F, the lower vertical connecting rod, working on the crank pin G of the drum
shaft; II, the short horizontal shaft bearing the parallel motion brasses;
I, I, the guides; K, the drum shaft; L, the screw shaft; M, M, tightening
pulleys, to regulate the friction or bite of the straps or bands N, N. A cor-
responding system of eccentrics, connecting rods, and drum shafts to cither
of those herein-before described must of course be carried out on each side of
the vessel. It will be seen that by this arrangement, the speed at which the
steam engine or other motive agent employed to work the paddle wheels being
determined, any required velocity can be given to the screw propeller by
properly proportioning the diameters of the drums upon the drum shaft to
those
upon the screw shaft.
The second part of my Invention relates to the use of two screw propellers
fixed upon the same shaft, one working in the dead wood of the vessel in the
ordinary manner, and the second working abaft the rudder post, the shaft
which carries such screw passing through the rudder post, and its extremity
being supported upon a false post, which post also may carry the rudder of
the vessel. The blades of these screw propellers I propose to place at right
angles to each other on the shaft, that is, the blades of the screw propeller
working in the dead wood of the vessel, I propose to set at right angles to
the blades of the screw propeller working abaft the rudder post, but I do not
limit myself to this arrangement. The ordinary means may be applied of
throwing out of gear either the paddle wheels or screw shaft, should it be
found desirable at any time to employ either mode of propulsion alone.
Having thus described my Invention of improvements in the machinery for
propelling vessels, and the best means with which I am at present acquainted
for carrying the same into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that although
in the foregoing Specification I have described various matters which have
been long known and in use, yet I do not mean or intend to claim any such
parts as of my Invention; but that which I consider to be new in the above
described machinery, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent, is,-
First, the arrangements or combinations of eccentrics, connecting rods, and
drum shafts, by which the power of the motive agent employed to work the
paddle wheels of a vessel may be also applied to work a screw propeller or
propellers in the same vessel.
And, secondly, the use of two screw propellers of any description fixed upon
the same shaft, one working, as aforesaid, in the dead wood of the vessel, and
the second in any situation abaft the rudder post that may be found most

page_text: convenient, whether such screw propeller or propellers be used in conjunction
with paddle wheels or any other propellers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Hales, have heretofore set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
Jos. HY. RIDDELL.
HENRY HALES. (L.S.)