IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
VINT, of St. Mary's Lodge, Colchester, in the County of Essex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixth day of September, in the eleventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Vint, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Henry Vint, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Henry Vint, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in
the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Henry Vint, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and astertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Henry Vint, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereor
(that is to say):-
These improvements in propellings ships and other vessels consist in enclosing
the paddle wheels (of whatever construction) in close chambers on or in the
sides of the vessel, with suitable shields on the outsides of those chambers
formed by casings and curved guards, the whole of the propelling wheels and
the principal parts of the casings being intended to be submerged, or placed
below the level of the water line.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a transverse section of
the vessel, with a pair of paddle wheels a, a, attached, which wheels are to be
worked by a steam engine, or other ordinary machinery, within. These paddle
wheels, it will be seen, are partially enclosed by the casings b, b.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the vessel, taken about the level of the axles
of the propelling wheel, shewing the extent along the ship's side, and figure of
the curved guards c, c, c, formed by a continuation of the casing.
Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal elevation of the side of the ship, shewing how
much of the propelling wheel is proposed to be enclosed within the casing;
and Fig. 4 is a partial section of the casing taken vertically on the side of the
vessel, for the purpose of exposing the recess or close chamber in which the
paddle wheel is partially enclosed. It will be seen that the lower part of the
propelling wheel acts freely in the current of water in which the vessel floats,
whilst the remaining parts of the wheel are revolving in the cylindrical chamber
occupied with dead water, the chamber being open to the free access of the
water only at the under part. It may be necessary to make in the upper part
of this cylindrical chamber a valve or opening d, for the purpose of allowing
any air within the chamber to escape. The guards e, e, which extend along the
sides of the vessel from the box or recess of the paddles, are made of wood or
other suitable material, and they may be either solid or hollow. They may
be shaped in the curved form shewn in the Drawing, or in some such curved
figure dependant upon the external form of the vessel, the particular feature to
be observed in their construction being that they should present as little
resistance as possible in passing through the water.
Figure 5 is a sectional representation of a modification of my improvements.
In the present instance, instead of allowing the whole of the paddle-wheel to
project from the sides of the vessel, I propose in some cases to construct the

page_text: vessel in such a manner as to admit of placing the wheel either wholly or
partially within the lines of the side of the vessel, a recess being made on each
side for this purpose.
Having now described the manner in which I adapt my improvements
applicable to the propelling of vessels, I desire it to be understood that I do
not intend to confine myself to any particular form or construction of paddle
wheels, nor to the means of driving them, as various forms or constructions of
paddles or propelling arms may be adapted, and driving powers employed,
in conjunction with my improvements; but that which I claim as the essential
feature of my Invention is the above described mode of partially enclosing sub-
merged propellers in cylindrical casings at or built in recesses in the sides of the
vessel, the lower portions of the propellers being thereby alone enabled
to act effectively in propelling the vessel onward through the current of air in
which she floats, the tail water being allowed to escape freely from the succes-
sive strokes of the propellers, and the inoperative portions of the propellers at
the same time being enabled (though submerged) to move round in dead
water.
I also claim the curved forms of the guards applied to the sides of the
vessel, as above described, for the purpose of protecting the paddles, strengthen-
ing the vessel, and assisting its buoyancy.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Vint, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and furty-eight