IMPROVED MEANS OF UTILIZING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WAVES FOR THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVED MEANS OF UTILIZING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WAVES
FOR THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS."
."-A communication from abroad by
Henry R. A Rows of Barrie Ontario. Dominion of Canada. .
.COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 26th August 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section:
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send grecting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
OF UTILIZING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WAVES FOR THE PROPULSION OF
VESSELS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my.
exccutors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for

page_text: the same, and have made solemn Declaration ՆՌԱՆ IV INS ՍԵԱԼ ԵՍԱԿ
municated to me from abroad by Henry R. A. Boys, of Barrie, Ontario,
Dominion of Canada.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings
and.to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
According to this Invention it is proposed to utilize some of the water
raised up by the waves of the sea to propel vessels by having water tanks
on the sides, and if desired in the hold or other part of the vessel arranged
to fill when the waves rise relatively to. the vessel, or the latter sinks
relatively to them and retain the water or most of it, and cause it to
escape at the water level or thereabout when the vessel rises or the waves
fall through issues by which a propelling force is produced on the vessel.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is.a side elevation of a portion
of the hull of a vessel showing one mode of carrying out the Invention ;-
Figure 2 is a cross section on the line x, x, of Figure 1; Figure 3.is a
horizontal section through one of the issues; and Figure 4 is a side
elevation of a vessel in dotted lines showing another mode of applying
the Invention either alone or in combination with that represented in
Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
:
A represents a water tank on the sides of the vessel extending length-
wise from end to end or nearly so, and in height from about the upper
deck to a point below the water line more or less as experience shall
determine; B represents numerous openings along the side above water
line or thereabout to admit water to the tank; C represents valves to
shut said passages and prevent the escape of water thereat; D repre-
sents other passages at the top of the tank, these do not require valves
to close them; E represents the the issues for the escape of the water to
propel the vessel, they are placed at the bottom of the tank and arranged
so that the reactionary force of the escaping water will be expended in
the direction to propel the boat ahead. They.are arranged as to capacity
so as to discharge the whole contents of the tank, while the vessel is
rolling from one side to the other, which experiment has shown to be
on the average about nine seconds. The inlets B and D will be ample
to fill the tank while the beam ends are immersed. The tank A is

page_text: divided by vertical partitions F at suitable distances apart to prevent
the water from flowing along the tank endwise when the vessel pitches.
By another plan tanks may be placed in the hold as indicated at G,
Figure 4, to be filled through suitable passages, say at the bottom to
close when the vessel rises and discharged through issues H at the
stern and bottom. This mode may be employed in connection with the
other if desired, the tanks G being connected with tanks A and being
filled from them or otherwise.
The tanks may be formed on the ship's side in any approved way.
In this example a portion of the interior is partitioned off along the
sides by the vertical partitions J and the ship's sides K terminate a little
lower than the upper deck, and are connected with the partitions by
sloping tops L, whilst above said tops the partitions constitute the ship's
sides. The valves may be worked by machinery and the issues may be
arranged to be opened and closed and provided with apparatus therefor,
in case it may be preferred to do so, and the issues may be reversible to
back the vessel when required.
It is proposed to use this method of propelling vessels either alone or
as auxilliary to sails or steam.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of
performing the. same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is, water tanks on the sides or within tho
vessel with inlet passages to fill them when the waves rise or the vessel
descends and issues for the escape of the water from said tanks when
the waves fall or the vessel rises, in such manner that the escaping water
will impel the vessel forward, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
HENRY W. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)