IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON ROADS, AND VESSELS ON INLAND WATERS, WHEN EMPLOYING ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
MALCOMSON, of Portlaw, in the County of Waterford, Ireland, 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 Twelfth day of July, in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph
Malcomson, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Joseph Malcomson, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Malcomson, my
exors, adñors, 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 England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED FOR PROPELLING CARRIAGES ON ROADS, AND VESSELS
ON INLAND WATERS, WHEN EMPLOYING ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Joseph Malcomson,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performned, to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in

page_text: and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Malcomson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention has for its object improvements applicable to systems of
propelling by the pressure of the atmosphere, when the power employed to
obtain the vacuum is stationary.
Firstly, as such systems require the engine or water wheel stations to be
placed at some distance apart, I propose to lay down a close pipe distinct from
the travelling pipe for the length of line to be worked, which close pipe shall
communicate with the air pumps on each station at the vacuum side. In
general I prefer that this communication shall be uninterrupted throughout
the whole line, but in some situations, where a higher or lower vacuum is
required, it may be convenient to shut off the connexion. For any required
length of line the engines will then work conjointly in creating and
upholding the vacuum on the close pipe. I propose, by means of separating
valves, as now used on the atmospheric railway, to divide the travelling
pipe into such lengths as may be convenient for exhausting at one tinie.
At each end of each of these lengths I place a branch pipe, connecting
the travelling pipe with the long close pipe, and in the branch pipes I place
sluice or throttle valves, as now used in the atmospheric railway, the opening
or shutting of which controls the communication between the two pipes.
The working vacuum being obtained in the close pipe, I propose that in s
the length of travelling pipe, through which it is first required to propel the
train or other moving body, the sluice valve in the branch pipe farthest from
it shall be opened. The vacuum will then be extended into that length of
travelling pipe, affording the required differential pressure for such propelling
apparatus as may be adopted, and thereby giving motion to the train. Previous
to the train passing over a length of travelling pipe, the next length should be
in a similar manner brought into connexion with the vacuum, and the train,
having been set in motion in the first length, will by its own momentum pass
through the separating valve from one length to the other, and its progress
will be continued as far as required.
The second part of my Invention consists of modes of constructing any
pipe used in systems of propelling by the pressure of the atmosphere for
communicating a vacuum, but through which it may not be required to pass
ร

page_text: the propelling apparatus; and although in some instances metallic pipes will
be most convenient, yet in general I conceive the following will be found most
economical and equally effective:-I prefer the pipe to be circular, but other
shapes may be used; and I propose to construct same as a culvert, with
such materials as may be most convenient, say brick, tiles, earthenware, slate,
masonry, or stone, and in some situations timber may be adopted. I cover
the outside surface of the culvert with any caulking substance that may be
impervious to the atmosphere. In general asphaltum or bitumen will prove
more economical and effective, but the same object may be accomplished with
other caulking substances, as marine glue, caoutchouc (india-rubber), tar,
pitch, Roman cement, puddle, &c. &c. The culvert being made of sufficient
strength to support the pressure, the external caulking renders it air-tight
under vacuum. It will considerably facilitate the construction with brick,
tiles, or eathenware, having them moulded to the shape of the culvert.
propose the adoption of earthenware pipes, or draining tiles, or glass pipes,
for this purpose, which, when they are themselves made impervious to the
atmosphere, will only require to be caulked at the joints to be rendered
effective. It will be evident that when propelling vessels on canals by similar
atmospheric means this Invention may be applied.
Having thus described the nature of my improvements, I claim,-
I also
First, the adoption of a close pipe independant of the travelling pipe con-
necting the air pumps along the line, and enabling their being kept continually
and unitedly at work in creating and upholding a vacuum in said pipe. Under
such arrangement, the engines or other motive power may be placed farther
apart, and may be of less dimensions, by which a saving of first cost and
fuel is effected. The necessity of duplicate engines on each station will be
obviated, inasmuch as any engine getting deranged, the others will be available
for the work.
Secondly, I claim the modes of constructing and applying pipes described
above in all systems of propelling by the pressure of the atmosphere where
pipes are used for communicating a vacuum through which it may not be
required to pass the propelling apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Malcomson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JOSEPH MALCOMSON. (L.s.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of January, in the
year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Joseph Malcomson came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord -One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.