A NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING AND APPLYING WATER AS A MOTIVE POWER FOR PROPELLING SHIPS BY MEANS OF PADDLE WHEELS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Rosselet at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th October
1865.
I, GEORGE ROSSELET, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, Empire of France,
Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW METHOD OF OBTAINING AND APPLYING WATER AS A MOTIVE POWER FOR
PROPELLING SHIPS BY MEANS OF PADDLE WHEELS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in forming at any desired depth, but which must
be regulated by the draft of the vessel, and by preference towards the
forward part thereof, an aperture capable of being opened or closed at will.
There is a pipe in the interior of the vessel, and in communication with
the aforesaid aperture, to convey water to buckets or floats on the top side
or sides of an hydraulic wheel or wheels, whereby rotary motion is commu-
nicated to the same. This wheel or wheels is or are fitted with jointed
buckets, as hereafter described. The wheel or wheels, with the jointed
buckets, may be placed inside or outside, or both inside and outside the
ship or vessel, as found most advantageous. The arrangement is such that
the water cannot be distributed or thrown out into the vessel, and while
on the one hand its admission can be stopped when desired, on the other
it is raised from the interior of the vessel, and always kept at a lower level
than the bottom of the hydraulic wheel.

page_text: -Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawings show how the Inven-
tion may be carried into effect..
The water after having acted on the driving wheel f, Figure 1, escapes
into the lower part of the case g, or a part connected therewith. This
water is raised by means of pumps or endless chains, and by preference in
the manner shown at h, Figure 1; each of the holders i allows air to escape
without arresting or in any way retarding the introduction of water. The
power produced by the wheel fis employed to communicate motion to the
chains h, as well as to a screw, or to one or two bucket wheels, constructed
by preference as shown at Figures 2 and 3. The buckets or paddles of
this wheel are mounted on two trunnions maintained by the cross arms k,
which carry the paddles. Each shaft of the latter is fitted at the end with
a tappet n, and it is these tappets which direct one after the other the
position of the paddles in order that they may act with facility, and in the
best possible position, without absorbing power from the water as they
.issue therefrom. Motion is transmitted to the paddles ; by the tappets n,
meeting at a given time guides m fixed to pieces of wood p for supporting
the pedestals of the shaft or shafts of the wheel or wheels, for I prefer
to place one wheel at the rear of each side of the keel of the ship or
vessel.
This new method of regulating the position of the paddles forms' an
important part of this my Invention, and wheels constructed in the manner
before described may be employed with any known motive power, and
produce results far preferable to all known propellers.