Iм- PROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS, AND IN THE PROPELLERS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Mathew. Barker, of Kennington Park
Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS, AND IN THE PROPELLERS TO BE
EMPLOYED THEREIN.
"
Sealed the 3rd January 1873, and dated the 9th July 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Mathew Barker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th July 1872.
I, CHARLES MATHEW BARKER, of Kennington Park Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS, AND IN THE
PROPELLERS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel system or mode of propelling ships
or vessels, and to a peculiar construction and arrangement of propeller
to be employed therein, whereby the power is supplied in a direct and
more efficient manner than heretofore.

page_text: According to this Invention I propose to employ a peculiarly con-
structed propeller revolving within a surrounding case placed in a
suitable aperture in the dead wood or run of the vessel; this case is
open at its stern end, and has apertures at its opposite end, and through
these ends currents are produced that propel the vessel forward or
astern, as required. This case is by preference in the form of an
open-ended cylinder, but with one end partially closed and made hemi-
spherical, and having apertures therein, an axial orifice being also
provided, in which revolves the propeller shaft, which carries the pro-
peller. This propeller is in form similar to the case, but is of less
diameter, being a short open-ended cylinder with a partially closed
hemispherical end, which is keyed on the shaft. This end has apertures
for admission of the water into the annular space between the propeller
and the case in which it revolves. On the periphery of the propellers
there are fixed two or more (but by preference three) segments of screw
blades, which increase in depth from the axial end to the point where
they join the parallel cylindrical space to which they conform.
propeller may be made to overhang the end of the shaft, or the shaft
may be continued into and be centered in the stern post.
On motion being imparted to the propeller two separate currents,
namely an inner and an outer one, are produced in opposite directions, but
both in line with and parallel to the axis of the propeller. The inner
current moves in the direction of the vessel's forward course, and this
current enters the inner circumference of the propeller, and passes
through the apertures in the hemispherical end thereof into the annular
space before mentioned. The screw blades then reverse the direction of
this current, which now becomes the outer one, by expelling the water
in the direction of the stern of the vessel in the form of a rotatory annular
current, such current being perfectly axial to the keel; consequently
exerting the power applied directly to the propulsion of the vessel.
On reversing the motion of the propeller the outer current will be
expelled through the openings in the front or hemispherical end of the
outer casing, which opening or openings may or may not be in com-
munication with directing pipes, and be provided or not with adjustable
stop valves, as found requisite for the purpose of manoeuvring the
ship.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Mathew Barker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th January 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MATHEW BARKER, of Kennington Park Road, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two, in the 36th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Charles Mathew Barker, Her special license
that I, the said Charles Mathew Barker, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Mathew Barker, my
executors, administrators, or 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, use, 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 SHIPS OR VESSELS, AND IN THE PROPELLERS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Mathew
Barker, my executors or administrators, 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 Charles Mathew Barker, 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 accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My said Invention consists of a propeller of novel formation and.
action, by which the water acted upon causes the vessel to proceed in a
forward or in a stern course by reversing the rotation of the propeller, as
in the ordinary screw; the forward propulsion of the vessel is effected by

page_text: the emission of a current of water sternward in a right line with the
length of the vessel, and the stern course is produced by the emission of
two separate currents towards the bows in an oblique direction in a
horizontal or nearly horizontal plane from an aperture in each side of
the vessel. The said currents are produced by the revolution of the
propeller, which propeller consists of an open-ended cylinder with its
axis placed horizontally or nearly so, such cylinder being partially closed
at its forward end by a hemispherical or other shaped end, which is
fastened on to the propeller shaft. The openings in the inside of the
hemispherical end of the propeller are by preference three in number,
although more or less may be used, and through these the water passes
to the exterior surface of the propeller, on which are fixed two or more
screw blades or segments of screw blades, by preference three. These
blades may be formed so as to increase in depth from their forward end
to the opposite or stern end of the propeller, or they may be formed of an
uniform depth from end to end. I prefer however to make the blades of
a slightly increasing depth from the forward to the stern end. These
blades when revolving put the water into motion in the annular space
formed between an outer stationary casing surrounding the propeller and
the cylindrical part of the propeller itself, and by the motion of the
propeller the blades force the water outwards according to the direction
of revolution either forwards or backwards, and by such action an inward
current is at the same time produced in the interior of the propeller,
thus producing a constant inward and outward current by which the
vessel's propulsion either "ahead" or "astern" is effected.
The open-ended cylinder may or may not be used as previously
described, and when not used a circular half-round sectioned ring is
to be substituted, to which ring the stern ends of the blades are to be
connected, the said ring being connected to the propeller shaft by arms
or a cross stay.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in both Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a stern end elevation of my
T:

page_text: A is the propeller shaft centred in the stern post; B is the propeller,
consisting of a short cylinder with its axis horizontal, open at the stern
end, and partially closed at the forward end, which is made by preference
hemispherical, and with apertures a, a, therein, such hemispherical end
being fixed on the propeller shaft; C, C, are three screw blades fixed on
the exterior surface of the cylinder B; D is the outer fixed casing of
similar form to cylinder B, which it surrounds or encloses. Between the
casing D and cylinder B there is an annular space E, in which space the
screw blades revolve, and into which the water passes from the hollow
interior of the cylinder or propeller through the apertures a, a, and is
thence expelled towards the stern, as indicated by the arrows for a
forward propulsion of the vessel, the water being drawn inward by the
rotation of the propeller, as indicated by the arrows shewn near the
propeller shaft. When the vessel is moving astern then the emission of
the water takes place through the openings marked a, a, and thence
through the opening marked F in the hemispherical end of the fixed
outer casing D, and afterwards through tubes G at each side of the
vessel, opening outwards in a forward and horizontal direction at a
slight angle to the axial line of the vessel. The mouths of these
directing tubes G have sliding or hinged covers H fitted thereto, such
covers when hinged opening by the action of the current when moving
the vessel astern, and closing by the forward motion of the ship when
she is going ahead," or the mouths of the. tubes G may be opened or
closed by suitable stop valves, or by any other suitable mechanical
appliance to be worked by hand for manoeuvring the ship. I is a central
cross stay in the open end of the propeller. The whole of the casing
and propeller is placed near the dead wood of the vessel, and all parts
are securely enclosed or shielded from any accidental injury, or from
projectiles.
[
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―

page_text: and outer currents produced by a propeller, which is constructed and
made to operate substantially in the manner herein-before described.
Second. The combination of a screw-bladed rotatory ring or a hollow
cylinder open at its stern end, and partially closed at its forward end
with a correspondingly shaped fixed casing inclosing the same, and
having apertures in its forward end communicating with directing tubes
disposed horizontally at a slight angle to the axial line of the vessel
towards the bows, and fitted with adjustable covers or stop valves, the
whole being arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for
the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Mathew Barker, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal; the Fourth day of
January One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
CHAS. M. BARKER. (L.S.)