IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVERSING MARINE AND OTHER LARGE STEAM ENGINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James John Miller, Jun., of No. 17, Albert
Terrace, New Church Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey,,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVERSING
MARINE AND OTHER LARGE STEAM ENGINES."
Sealed the 5th July 1870, and dated the 6th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James John Miller at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th January 1870.
I, JAMES JOHN MILLER, Jun':, of No. 17, Albert Terrace, New Church
Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVERSING
MARINE AND OTHER LARGE STEAM ENGINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
reversing marine and other large steam engines.
For this purpose I.
employ a cylinder with a piston within it, and I connect such cylinder
with a steam boiler by a supply pipe entering the boiler below the water.

page_text: .
level and drawing water therefrom. On this pipe is a valve which can
be opened and closed at will, and by which when open the water from
the boiler can be directed into the cylinder on either side of the piston,
whilst it is allowed to escape from the other side of the piston. A four-
way cock or a slide valve may be used. The piston rod is connected in
any convenient manner with the reversing link or gear, and the same
cylinder may be used to move the reversing gear of both the engines of
a pair, or separate cylinders may be used. The waste water may be
led into the hot well to avoid unnecessary loss of heat. The discharge
pipe is fitted with a nozzle of small size to control the speed of the
apparatus.
.
Apparatus may also be provided for working the reversing gear by
hand, or for locking it in any position in which it may be desired to
retain it.
If no separate apparatus is provided for working the reversing gear by
hand a pump should be provided for forcing water into the cylinder
to move the reversing gear when steam is not up..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said James John Miller in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
JOHN MILLER, Jun'., of No. 17, Albert Terrace, New Church Road,
Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
•
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James John Miller, Her a
special licence that I, the said James John Miller, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James John
Miller, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REVERSING MARINE AND OTHER LARGE STEAM
ENGINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the said James
John Miller, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 James John Miller, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This. Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
reversing marine and other large steam engines. For this purpose I
employ a cylinder with a piston. within it, and I connect such cylinder
with a steam boiler, by a supply pipe entering the boiler below the water
level and drawing water therefrom.. On this. pipe is a valve, which can
be opened and closed at will, and by which, when open, the water from
the boiler can be directed into the cylinder on either side of the piston,
whilst it is allowed to escape from the other side of the piston. A four-
way cock or a slide valve may be used. The piston rod is connected in
any convenient manner with the reversing link or gear, and the same
cylinder may be used to move the reversing gear of both the engines.
of a pair, or separate cylinders may be used. The waste water may be
Ted into the hot well to avoid unnecessary loss of heat. The discharge
pipe is fitted with a nozzle of small size to control the speed of the
apparatus:
Apparatus may also be provided. for working the reversing gear by.
hand and for locking it in any position in which it may be desired
to retain it.
If no separate apparatus, is provided for working the reversing gear by..
hand a pump should be provided for, forcing water into the cylinder to.
move the reversing gear when steam is not up:
i

page_text: It is obvious that in place of cylinders and pistons rams or similar
contrivances may be substituted but less advantageously.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a plan of the water cylinder and
parts in connection therewith as I prefer to construct them for engines
of moderate size, Figure 2 is a side view partly in section, and Figure 3
is an end view also partly in section of the same. a is the cylinder, and
b a piston working therein; its piston rod e is connected with the
reversing link or gear of the engine by any convenient arrangement of
rods, levers, or parts. d, d¹, are passages leading from the ends of the
cylinder to the four-way cock e. The pipe is connected with the
boiler beneath the water level and conveys water under pressure to the
cock e. The pipe g is an outlet and may lead to the hot well; it is
'fitted at the end with a contracted nozzle to prevent the motion of the
piston 6 and parts connected therewith being too rapid. When the
piston is moved to the position in which it is shown in Figure 2
the plug of the four-way cock is making communication between the
passage d and the boiler pipe f and a separate communication. between
the passage & and the escape pipe g. By turning the plug of the cock
one quarter round by means of a suitable lever handle, the com-
munications are reversed, and the piston then moves to the other end
of the cylinder. When the plug of the cock is placed in an intermediate
position all the passages are closed, and as water can neither enter nor
leave the cylinder the piston 6 and the reversing link of the engine
which is coupled with it are held stationary.
Figures 4 show the arrangement I prefer for engines of larger size.
A cylindrical slide valve is, as will be seen, substituted for the four-way
cock. The passages d and d as before lead to the ends of the cylinder,
and the outlet passage g is between them. At f a connection is made
with the boiler below the water level. When the valve is in its central
position both the passages d, d', are closed, being covered by the two
cylindrical ends of the valve which accurately fit the valve case. When
the valve is moved to either end of its course one of the passages d, ďª,
is opened to receive water from the boiler, and the other is put in
connection with the outlet g, and water is able to flow by it out of the
cylinder past the central contracted portion of the valve. The size of
the parts will be varied in accordance with the size of the engine and
the pressure at which it is worked.
.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is, the arranging apparatus for reversing marine and other large.
steam engines by means of water under pressure supplied from the
boiler, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James John Miller, liave hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JAS. J. MILLER, JUN³. (L.S.)