AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATER WHEELS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATER WHEELS."A com-
munication.
Sealed the 8th February 1859, and dated the 10th September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th September 1858.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATER WHEELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention of "An Improvement in Water Wheels," relates to an
improvement in that class of water wheels in which the water is made to act
upon the wheel by means of atmospheric pressure or suction, produced by
means of a vacuum formed in a draught tube below the wheel:
The Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the wheel, and gates
in connection with the draught tube, whereby the wheel is rendered exceed-
ingly simple in construction, and very efficacious. A horizontal shaft is placed

page_text: in a box in a penstock, through which the shaft passes transversely. This box
is provided at each side with a tubular projection, in which screw flanches are
fitted snugly, but still allowed to turn freely therein. The screws are per-
manently attached to the horizontal shaft, and form the wheel. On the
horizontal shaft two circular discs equal in diameter to the tubular projections
are placed loosely, and form the gates of the wheel, and may be operated or
adjusted by any proper means. A draught tube is attached to the under side
of the penstock, and communicates with the box above. This tube is made
sufficiently large, so that its lower end will at all times be immersed in the
tail race. The operation of the parts is as follows:-The gates being opened
to the desired width, the water passes through the screws into the box in
the penstock, and down the draught tube, and as the screws are always
submerged, and as the lower end of the draught tube is always submerged in
the tail race, it follows, as a matter of course, that a partial vacuum will be
formed in the draught tube, as the water is made to pass through contracted
spaces formed by the screws into a larger space in the draught tube, and con-
sequently, the water will be suspended therein to a height proportionate to
that of perfect vacuum, and the velocity with which the water would otherwise
fall from the wheel, were the draught tube not employed, is communicated
to the water above, which acts by motion or atmospheric pressure, no per-
cussive force being employed. The gates may be readily adjusted, so as to
admit any desired volume of water on the wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at

page_text: 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
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN WATER WHEELS," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of an improvement in water wheels, relates to an im-
provement in that class of water wheels in which the water is made to act
upon the wheel by means of atmospheric pressure or suction, produced by
means of a vacuum formed in a draught tube below the wheel.
The Invention consists in the peculiar construction of the wheel and gates
in connection with the draught tube, as herein-after fully shown and described,
whereby the wheel is rendered exceedingly simple in construction, and very
efficacious in operation.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
is a vertical section of the stationary parts of the improvement; and Fig. 2 is
a plan or top view of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts in both Figures.
A represents a penstock, in which a horizontal shaft B is placed; and C is
a box through which the shaft B passes transversely. This box C is provided
at each side with a tubular projection a, in which screw flanches D, D, are
fitted; the screws are fitted snugly in the projections a, but still are allowed to
turn freely therein. The screws D, D, are permanently attached to the shaft B,
and form the wheel. On the shaft B two circular discs E, E, are placed
loosely. These discs are equal in diameter to the tubular projections a, a,
and form the gates of the wheel, which gates may be operated or adjusted by
any proper means. A draught tube F is attached to the under side of the
penstock A, and communicates with the box C above.
sufficiently large, so that its lower end will at all times
tail race G. The screws D, D, gates E, E, and tubular projections a, a, may
This tube F is made
be immersed in the

page_text: be of cast metal, and the shaft B of wrought metal, the penstock and draught
tube may be of wood. I do not, however, confine myself to any particular
material, as the whole may be formed of metal, if desired.
The operation of the parts is as follows:-The gates E, E, being opened to
the desired width, the water passes through the screws D, D, into the box C,
and down the draught tube F, and as the screws D, D, are always submerged,
the bottom of the penstock A being as low as the reservoir of water, and as
the lower end of the draught tube F is always submerged in the tail race, it
follows, as a matter of course, that a partial vacuum will be formed in the
draught tube F, as the water is made to pass through contracted spaces
formed by the screws D, D, into a larger space in the draught tube F, and,
consequently, the water will be suspended therein to a height proportionate to
that of perfect vacuum, and the velocity with which the water would other-
wise fall from the wheel, were the draught tube F not employed, is com-
municated to the water above, which acts by motion or atmospheric pressure,
no percussive force being employed. The gates E, in consequence of being
constructed and arranged as shown, may be readily adjusted, so as to admit
any desired volume of water on the wheels.
The draught or motion tube F has been previously used, and I believe was
first employed in what is known as the Jouval turbine wheel, and has lately
been employed in connection with other wheels; but, so far as I am aware,
the ordinary tub or horizontal wheels have been used in connection with the
draught tube, and guide orifices have been necessarily employed to cause the
water to act in the proper direction upon the buckets, such guide orifices
being placed over the wheel; other parts are also necessarily used, in order to
adapt the draught tube to the ordinary tub or horizontal wheels.
By the present improvement the full benefit of the draught tube is obtained,
and a very steady movement of the wheel with a maximum power, fully
equal, if not greater than others, is also obtained, and at the same time the
construction of the whole is rendered extremely simple. The screws D require
no guide orifices, as the water will act upon them perfectly as it is drawn
through them into the box C and tube F.
Having now described the Invention of an improvement in water wheels, as
communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I would observe, that I do not claim
separately the draught tube F, as that has been previously used for similar
purposes; but what I claim is, the use of the tube F in combination with the
wheel, formed of the screws D, D, placed on a shaft B, and working within the
tubular projections a, a.

page_text: I also claim, in combination with the wheel and draught tube, the
gates E, E.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)