AN IMPROVED PROPELLER FOR STEAM VESSELS, CANAL BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROPELLER FOR
STEAM VESSELS, CANAL BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS."-A communication
from abroad by Robert Hunter, of the City of New York, United
States of America.
Sealed the 8th January 1869, and dated the 27th July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th July 1868.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROPELLER FOR STEAM VESSELS, CANAL BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
The object sought to be attained by this Invention is a propeller
which obtains the greatest possible resistance from the water in deliver-

page_text: ing the propelling stroke, and is subject to the least possible resistance
from the water in returning to the initial or starting point, and which
opens and closes by the action of the water alone without the aid of
springs or complex machinery.
The propeller consists of a frame or chamber within which one or
more floats are fixed to axles which vibrate in journals or swing on
fixed axles through one quarter of a circle. It may be made of any
desired shape, round, square, oblong, or octagonal, and constructed of
wood, iron, or other suitable material. When the floats are arranged
horizontally they are so adjusted that the lower edge of each float
shall rest over the axle of the float below it. When they are arranged
vertically the edges of the float not attached to the axle are adjusted
to rest on or against the frame or chamber. The object of this
arrangement is to give the float the greatest possible support while
impinging against the water. The surface of the floats may be made
either straight or slightly curved, but the latter formn is preferred as
giving a firmer hold on the water in delivering the propelling stroke.
The propeller is attached to the lower end of a vertical lever adjusted
at the stern, sides, or through the bottom of the vessel to be propelled.
The lever may be either made to swing or oscillate on a fixed axle
or be rigidly attached to an axle made to rock in journals or be passed
through an axle which is enlarged and perforated in its centre. This
latter form of attachment is chiefly used to give the vessel a backward
motion by reversing the propeller. The lever is operated by a horizontal
engine attached to its upper end. The lower end is armed with the
propeller afore described. When set in motion by the engine attached
to its upper and shorter extremity, the lower and longer extremity
carries the propeller backwards and forwards between any two points
deemed most favorable to propulsion.
The peculiarity of this propeller operated in the manner described,
consists as follows:-1st, it feathers by self-action when moved by the
lever in the line of the vessel's motion. 2nd, it closes by self-action when
moved in the opposite direction. 3rd, it gives the water a mechanical
advantage favorable to propulsion in being attached to the long end
of the lever.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my
executors, administrators, 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, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
PROPELLER FOR STEAM VESSELS AND BOATS AND OTHER VESSELS," being a com-
munication to me from Robert Hunter, of the City of New York,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The object sought to be attained by this Invention is a propeller
which obtains the greatest possible resistance from the water in deliver-

page_text: ing the propelling stroke and is subject to the least possible resistance
from the water in returning to the initial or starting point and which
opens and closes by the action of the water alone without the aid of
springs or complex machinery.
The propeller consists of a frame fitted with floats fixed to axles
which vibrate in journals (or they may swing on fixed axles) through
one quarter of a circle. The propeller may be made of any desired
shape, and constructed of wood, iron, or other suitable material. When
the floats are arranged horizontally they are so adjusted that the lower
edge of each float shall rest over the axle of the float below it.
When they are arranged vertically the edges of the float not attached to
the axle are adjusted to rest on or against the frame. The object of
this arrangement is to give the float the greatest possible support
while impinging against the water. The surface of the floats may
be made either straight or slightly curved, but the latter form is.
preferred as giving a firmer hold on the water in delivering the propel-
ling stroke. The propeller is attached or connected to the lower end
of a vertical lever adjusted at the stern, sides, or through the bottom
of a vessel. The lever may be either made to swing or oscillate on a
fixed axle or be rigidly attached to an axle made to rock in journals
or be passed through an axle which is enlarged and perforated in its
centre. This latter form of attachment is chiefly used to give the
vessel a backward motion by reversing the propeller. The lever is
operated by a horizontal engine attached to its upper end. When the
lever is set in motion by the engine attached to its upper and shorter
extremity the lower and longer extremity carries the propeller back-
wards and forwards between any two points deemed most favorable
to propulsion.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents one form
of the propeller frame, with the floats in a horizontal position,
A, B, C, D, are four sides of the frame or chamber. The axles of the
floats b, 61, 62, 63, vibrate in the journals c, d, e, f, for one quarter of
a circle and the lower edge of each float rests over the axis of the float
below it. The object of this arrangement is to give greater strength
and stability to the propeller in impinging against the water.
Fig. 2 shews a vertical arrangement of the floats, which in some
cases is preferable as occasioning less resistance in returning to the
initial or starting point of the propelling stroke. It also represents

page_text: a different form of the propeller frame which has two advantages,
first the greatest width at the lower end, and second it has greater
strength.
Fig. 3 shows in partial section the stern end of a vessel; G is the
vertical lever carrying at its lower end the propelling structure D, H is
the axis of the lever, and I the connecting rod of the engine..
It will readily be seen that when the lever is operated by the engine
the propelling structure will be carried by it backwards and forwards
between the points h, h.
Fig. 4, Sheet II.,.represents a different adjustment of the propeller D,
which in this instance is attached to and carried by a horizontal shaft E
working through a stuffing box F in the stern of the vessel; G is a
vertical lever to which the inner end of the shaft is attached, and H.
is the axis of the lever; I is the connecting rod of the engine. By this
arrangement the lever is operated entirely within the vessel's hull, and
no part of the machinery is exposed above the water line, which
arrangement in war vessels is desirable. It also renders this
Invention applicable to a class of canal boats which could not be passed
through locks with the before described arrangement without altering
the present form of the boats.
In this last described mode of adjustment the same leverage is
employed as in the former case, the only difference being in the inter-
vening horizontal shaft which connects the lower end of the lever to the
propelling structure.
The peculiarity of this propeller operated in the manner described
consists as follows:-First, it feathers by self-action when moved by the
lever in the line of the vessel's motion; second, it closes by self-action
when moved in the opposite direction; third, it gives the water a
mechanical advantage favorable to propulsion in being attached to the
long end of the lever.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved
Propeller for Steam Vessels, Canal Boats, and other Vessels," as com-
municated to me from abroad, and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim, constructing and mounting

page_text: reciprocating propellers in the manner and for the purpose above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)