A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OR METHODS OP PROPELLING BOATS, CEAPT, AND ALL KINDS OF VESSELS ON CANALS, RIVERS, AND OTHER SHALLOW WATERS, AND ALSO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES, VEHICLES, AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON ROADS
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JoHN
and SAMUEL SEAWARD, of the Canal Iron Works, in the Parish of Saint Ann,
Poplar, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers and Co-partners, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the First day of November now last
past, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John and Samuel Seaward, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said John and Samuel Seaward, our executors, adini-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED METHOD OR METHODS OP PROPELLING BOATS, CEAPT, AND ALL KINDS OF
VESSELS ON CANALS, RIVERS, AND OTHER SHALLOW WATERS, AND ALSO LOCOMOTIVE
ENGINES, VEHICLES, AND OTHER CARRIAGES ON ROADS;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging us, the said John and Samuel Seaward, by
an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that our said Invention of a new or improved method or
methods of propelling boats, craft, and all kind of vessels on canals, rivers, and
other shallow waters, and also locomotive engines, vehicles, and other carriages
on roads, is fully described and ascertained in manner and form following,
and by the Drawings in the margin of these Presents, and the accompanying
description thereof, that is to say :-
First, our method or methods of propelling boats, craft, and all kinds of
vessels on canals, rivers, and other shallow waters consists in employing a
wheel or wheels to turn or revolve upon the bottom of the canal, river, or other
shallow water, or against the sides thereof, and by that means propel or draw,
according as the wheel may be placed, the floating vessel forward, to which the
said wheel or wheels may be attached. The wheel or wheels above mentioned
we call propellers, and when necessary to guard against it or them from sliding
on the ground without proceeding forward, we arm the periphery with pro-
jecting knobs or other contrivances well known to engineers, by which means
the propeller will catch firmly hold of the ground, and propel the vessel with
adequate force; or the propeller may be formed of a boss on its axis, with a
circular series of projecting arms or radii similar to a wheel without its periphery.
In general we employ only one propeller for a boat or vessel, and place it in an
opening or well through the bottom of the boat or vessel, the well of course
closed all round to prevent the admission of water into the boat or vessel; it
may, however, be placed at the side without passing through the bottom of the
vessel, or at one or both ends, as may be found most convenient; and instead
of one, two, or more propellers, may be used, placed in suitable situations,
either in a vertical, horizontal, or oblique position, to turn or roll on the bottom
or against the sides of the canal or river.
The methods of connecting or attaching the propeller to the vessel or
boat, and giving it a rotary motion, are various. We shall, however, proceed
to describe two or three ways which we prefer employing for that purpose.
If the bottom of the canal or river is level, and the depth of the water
everywhere the same, it will be sufficient to hang the propeller on a suitable
shaft moving in fixed bearings, such as the crank shaft of a steam engine
or other moving power; and if the propeller be made of suitable diameter
to touch the ground or bottom, it will by its rotary motion cause the boat
to advance. If the bottom of the canal or river is uneven, the projecting

page_text: arms, radii, knobs, or other contrivances used for this purpose, may be made
to slide in and out of hollow spokes freely of themselves, by which means
the diameter of the propeller will accommodate itself to the unevenness of
the ground. When the depth of water is various, or the bottom very irre-
gular, we employ a hanging or swinging frame, one end of which frame is
attached to the crank shaft of a steam engine or other moving power, and
allowed to swing freely thereon. To the other or vibrating end is fixed the
propeller, by means of a shaft or axis running in suitable bearings; by this
means the propeller, will rise or fall; and accommodate itself to the various
depths of water, or to the inequalities of the bottom of the river or canal; or
the ends of the axis of the propeller, or the bearings in which they work, may
be made to rise and fall in circular grooves concentric with the crank shaft
aforesaid, and other similar contrivances may be adopted to cause the <pro-
peller to adapt itself to the depth of water. To give the requisite rotary
motion to the propeller when employed with the swinging frame, circular
grooves, or similar contrivances, we employ two drum wheels, one fixed on the
crank shaft, and one on the axle of the propeller, with an endless band or
chain, by which the necessary motion will be communicated, though tooth
wheels and many other contrivances may be employed for the same purpose.
In the Drawings in the margin of these Presents we have introduced Figures
illustrative of the principle of the propeller when employed with a swinging
frame, drum wheels, and endless band or bands.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a boat with a propeller and swinging
frame working in an opening through the bottom; Fig. II. is a transverse
section across the boat; and Fig. III. is a plan. The same letters refer in
each Figure to the same parts.
A; A, is the boat or vessel; B, B, is the swinging frame; C, the axis or
crank shaft to which the frame is attached; D is the propeller, revolving on
the bottom of the canal, with its axis E connected to the vibrating end of the
swinging frame; F, a drum wheel fixed on the crank shaft; G, a drum wheel
fixed on the axle E of the propeller; H, the endless chain or band passing
over the two drums, and communicating the motion from the crank shaft to
the propeller.
:
We claim as our Invention, the propelling boats, craft, and all kinds of
vessels on canals, rivers, and other shallow waters, by means of a revolving
wheel or wheels, arms or radii, working either on fixed centres, on swinging
frames, in circular
Judith other suitable contrivances, and rolling or
turning on the bottom or against the sides of canals, rivers, or other shallow
T.
grooves,

page_text: waters, however or by what means soever the said wheel or wheels, arms or
radii, are made to revolve or turn round.
Secondly, our new and improved method or methods for propelling locomotive
engines, vehicles, and other carriages is fully described and ascertained as
follows, (that is to say,) we place the body of the locomotive engine, vehicle, or
other carriage on two or more wheels, which we call the supporting wheels.
In Fig. IV. the locomotive engine or vehicle A, A, is placed on two pair of
wheels B, B. C is the crank shaft of a steam engine or other moving power,
which is here supposed to be within the body of the machine. To the shaft C
is attached the swinging frame D, with a propeller E turning on its axis G, at
the vibrating end of the swinging frame. The propeller may be constructed
in a similar manner as has already been described for propelling vessels, and
the propeller may be made to revolve by any of the means there detailed. The
propeller may also have its axis working in circular grooves, as is also there
described; and instead of being placed before or behind, the propeller or pro-
pellers may be placed in the middle or other convenient part of the locomotive
engine, vehicle, or carriage. The supporting wheels before mentioned may be
supplied with suitable springs F, F, to prevent the steam engine or body of the
machine from receiving injury by concussions; they may be adapted to travel
on common roads or ways, or upon tram and rail roads; but in all cases the
supporting wheels will merely sustain the weight of the engine, as the pro-
gressive motion will be given entirely by the propeller or propellers. When
the machine is intended to travel on tram or rail roads the space between the
rails or trams may be purposely made rough that the propeller or propellers
may more firmly catch or lay hold of the ground.
We claim as our Invention, the propelling locomotive_engines, vehicles, or
other carriages by means of a wheel or wheels connected either by a swinging
frame or frames to the crank shaft of a steam engine or other moving power,
or working in circular grooves, so that it or they may rise or fall to accom-
modate themselves to the roughness or uneveness of the ground, but supporting
no part of the weight of the said engine, vehicle, or carriage, such weight being
entirely supported by separate wheels with or without springs.
In witness whereof, we, the said John and Samuel Seaward, have here-
unto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.
OHN (L.B.) SEAWARD.
SAMUEL (L.B.) SEAWARD.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-eighth day of
April, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John and Samuel Seaward
came before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamed according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.