IM- PROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner, C.B., Major-
General in Her Majesty's Service, of St. James' Square, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Kearney Mac-
gregor Skinner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 25th February 1870.
I, PHILIP KEARNEY MACGREGOR SKINNER,. C.B., Major-General in
Her Majesty's Service, of St. James' Square, in the County of Middle-
sex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as
follows:
―:
According to my improvements in propelling vessels the blades of the
propeller, instead of dipping into the water during a part only of each
revolution as in ordinary paddle wheels, are continually immersed
either partially or entirely according to the trim of the vessel, and

page_text: .
as notwithstanding the ship's pitching and rolling the propellers, of
which there are two, cannot rise clear of the water all liability of the
engines "racing" from that cause is avoided. Moreover when totally
submerged the action of the propeller is increased instead of reduced as
is the case with the ordinary paddle wheel.
In carrying out my Invention I dispose each propeller or paddle to
work on a vertical axis wholly or partly below the water line, the pro-
peller being placed one at either side of the vessel amidships. The
centre or body of each propeller is cylindrical and is traversed by a
pallet or blade working through a transverse opening or slot corre-
sponding in height to the pallet or blade, which extends from top to
-bottom-of-the-cylinder,-and-being_of_greater_width than the diameter
of the cylindrical body of the propeller will always partly project
therefrom on one or both sides. This cylinder is carried on a vertical
axis working in suitable bearings and is partly enclosed in a recess
formed in the sides of the ship to receive it or preferably a channel of
the same height, as the propeller is formed longitudinally in the sides of
the vessel within which the propeller is placed and partly recessed as
before, so as to be within the lines of the hull and so protected from
injury; in either case one half only of each cylinder is exposed at a
time. The cylinder is placed eccentrically within immovable rings of
somewhat oval form at top and bottom, said rings being secured hori-
zontally to the timbers of the hull and placed with their long axes in a
fore and aft direction, so as to give a long sweep to the propeller blade
or pallet. The pallet or blade is provided at top and bottom with
friction rollers which run around the inner edges of the rings in constant
contact therewith, either side of the pallet or blade being projected
alternately from the exposed or outer side of the cylinder as the latter
revolves. Friction rollers may also be provided in the drum or cylinder
bearing, against the sides of the pallet or blade to facilitate its traverse
through the cylinder, in which it is slung by suspension rods so as to
traverse to and fro with but little friction. The propelling apparatus
is enclosed above, and being placed below the water line the ordinary
paddle boxes are dispensed with and the deck thus left free from
obstruction. Rotary motion is communicated by means of suitable
gearing to each propeller preferably from separate driving shafts operated
by an independent pair of engines, which may thus be disposed in any
convenient position in the vessel. I also provide stops to lock the pro-
pelling blade in a fore and aft line, so as to oppose no resistance to the

page_text: water when the vessel is under sail only. The propellers acting in-
dependently the vessel can be turned on her own axis by rotating them
in contrary directions, and should one become totally disabled from any
cause the ship can continue her course with the other by the aid of
5 the rudder. Another important advantage is that the propellers can be
drawn up on deck for examination and repair when at sea.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 25th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP.
KEARNEY MACGREGOR SKINNER, C.B., Major-General in Her Majesty's
Service, of St. James' Square, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, 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 Philip Kearney Macgregor
Skinner, Her special licence that I, the said Philip Kearney Macgregor
Skinner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
VESSELS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst:|
others) that I, the said Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner, my execu-.
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner,
do hereby declare the nature of my 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 Sheet
of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
According to my improvements in propelling vessels the blades of the
propellers instead of dipping into the water during a part only of each
revolution as in ordinary paddle wheels, are continually immersed, and
as notwithstanding the ship's pitching and rolling the propellers, of
which there are two, cannot rise clear of the water, all liability from that
cause of the engines "racing" is avoided.
.
In carrying out my Invention I dispose each propeller or paddle to
work on a vertical axis wholly below the water line, the propellers being
placed at either side of the vessel amidships or preferably in the run of
the ship. The centre or body of each propeller is cylindrical and is
traversed by a pallet or blade working through a transverse opening or
slot which extends from top to bottom of the cylinder, and the pallet
being of greater width than the diameter of the cylindrical body of the
propeller will always partly project therefrom on one or both sides. This
cylinder is carried on a vertical axis working in suitable bearings, and is
partly enclosed in a recess formed in the side of the ship to receive it,
and thus protected from injury, one half only of each cylinder being
exposed at a time. The cylinder is placed eccentrically within an
immovable ring of somewhat oval form disposed around the upper part,
the ring being secured horizontally in the hull and placed with its long
axis in a fore and aft direction so as to give a long sweep to the propeller
blade or pallet. The pallet or blade is provided with friction rollers
which run around the inner edge of the ring in constant contact there-
with, either end of the pallet.or blade being projected alternately from
the exposed or outer side of the cylinder as the latter revolves. Friction
rollers may
also be provided in the drum or cylinder bearing against the
sides of the pallet or blade to facilitate its traverse through the cylinder,
in which it is slung by suspension rods so as to traverse to-and-fro with
but little friction. Rotary motion is communicated by means of suitable
gearing to each propeller preferably from separate driving shafts operated
by an independent pair of engines, which may thus be disposed in any
convenient position in the vessel. I also provide stops to lock the

page_text: propelling blade in a fore and aft line, so as to oppose no resistance to
the water when the vessel is under sail only. The propellers acting
indepently the vessel can be turned on her own axis by rotating
them in contrary directions, and should one become totally disabled
from any cause the ship can continue her course with the other by the
aid of the rudder. Another important advantage is that the propellers
can be drawn up on deck for examination and repair when at sea.
aid of the rudder. Another important advantage is that the propellers
can be drawn up on deck for examination and repair when at sea.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a transverse section of my
improved propeller in position in the run of the vessel, while Figures 3
and 4 show also detached vertical and horizontal sections of the propeller
on a larger scale.
A is the cylinder forming the centre or body of the propeller mounted
on a vertical shaft B and disposed wholly or partly below the water line
in a recess formed in the hull of the vessel. The cylinder or drum A
fits closely in said recess but with sufficient room to allow it to revolve
freely therein, rather more than one half of its periphery being con=
stantly exposed to the external water. A longitudinal channel may.
also be formed in the hull to allow more direct access of the water to the
exposed side of the cylinder. The shaft B works in suitable bearings
disposed above the cylinder, a central pivot at the bottom of the cylinder
being received in a step or bearing C on which the cylinder is supported.
D is the pallet or blade, which works in the opening or slot E made
transversely through the cylinder A. As the blade D exceeds in width
the diameter of the cylinder or body it will always partly project from
the periphery of the cylinder in a radial direction on one or both sides.
The blade is supported or slung therein by suspension rods F, Figure 3,
jointed at their upper ends to the top part of the cylinder at a convenient
distance above the propeller blade D, to the lower edge of which their
other ends are connected. These rods are parallel and form a sling in
which the blade D swings with but little friction in its traverse across
the cylinder, friction rollers being also provided in the cylinder bearing
against the sides of the pallet or blade D to facilitate its action. The
traverse of the blade across the cylinder is effected by the aid of a hori-
zontal ring G of somewhat oval form, within which the cylinder A is
placed towards one side, as shown in the horizontal section Figure 2.
This ring G is rigidly fixed to the framework of the vessel and surrounds
the drum or cylinder A on a level with the top of the blade D.
The

page_text: form and dimensions of this ring should be such that the edges of the
pallet D or rather the truck rollers H carried on studs or pins thereon)
shall always be in contact with the inner surface of the ring during the
rotation of the drum A by which the blade is caused to assume suc-
cessivively the positions shown in red lines Figure 4, either end of the
blade being alternately projected from the exposed side of the drum to
the requisite extent to act on the external water for the purpose of
propelling the vessel. One or more rings G may be employed if found
desirable placed to act on and support either the lower part of the
blade D or in an intermediate position. Each propeller (of which there
are two disposed one at either side of the vessel, the latter being indi-
cated-in-red-outline)-may-be-driven-by-an-independent-pair_of_engines
from which power is transmitted to shaft B by any convenient arrange-
ment, or a number of propellers constructed as before described may be
arranged along either side of the vessel, each set being driven by onc
pair of engines. The bearings for the propeller shaft may be carried in
framework capable of being raised in the well or space I in which it is
disposed so that the propeller can be hoisted on deck for repair when
The well I is covered in and may be provided with a grating J
to check the agitation of the water therein. The drum G may be
constructed in the form of a water-tight casing with the necessary
passage through it for the reception of the blade D.
at sea.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, pro-
pelling vessels as described by apparatus constructed, arranged, and
applied as herein set forth and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Kearney Macgregor Skinner,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred
and seventy.