CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER BY MEANS OF WINDS AND WAVES FOR PROPELLING VESSELS ON WATER, AND DRIVING OTHER MACHINERY
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CONRAD
FREDERICK STOLLMEYER, late of Goulden Terrace, Barnsbury Road, Islington,
but now residing at Upper Charles Street, Northampton Square, both in the
County of Middlesex, Merchant, 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 Seventeenth day of September, in the fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Courad Frederick Stollmeyer, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Conrad Frederick Stollmeyer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Conrad Frederick
Stollmeyer, 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 Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER BY MEANS OF WINDS AND WAVES FOR
PROPELLING VESSELS ON WATER, AND DRIVING OTHER MACHINERY," being a com-
munication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Conrad Frederick Stollmeyer, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's

page_text: High Court of Chancery within six callendar 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Conrad Frederick Stollmeyer, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, arc
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annex'd, and to the
letters and figures marked thercon (that is to say):
-
This Invention consists in certain novel machinery by which the winds and
the waves of the occan or inland seas are employed to impart a progressive
motion to ships, or put into action machines on shore or anchored in deep
water. The power of the wind or of the waves may further be made use of
as a motive power for locomotives by the means of transmission of power. The
principal features of the improvement are, firstly, to effect all the works for
shifting the sails and other stated purposes by a windmill at the stern of the
vessel; secondly, to simplify the sail system by superseding all the ordinary
sails, and substituting in their stead a sort of fan to be expanded or contracted
to any portion of its surface, and to be turned around a mast, as on a pivot,
into any position required, by means of connecting the same with the wind-
mill or other first mover; thirdly, as the windmill may produce any rotatory
or lincar motion, it may also be applied to weigh anchors, lift goods on board,
pump water, and perform other operations; fourthly, as the action of the
waves consist in alternate ascending and descending motions, any of them,
and all around and below the vessels or float, may be made tending to a
rotatory motion of one and the same continuous way; and when this is once
obtained, any kind of machine may be driven by it, for the purposes of propul-
sion of the vessel, pumping out water, and any alteration in the expansion,
contraction, or turning on the pivot of the sail or fan mentioned. The
mechanism is constructed as follows, reference being had to the Drawings
hereto annexed:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the vessel, showing the action of the waves
upon the vessel in reference to the floats underneath and upon the buoys, the
vessel being supposed to be pitching. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, showing
the position of the machinery in the vessel and the apparatus for working the
sails. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in which the form of the sails, as well as
the position of the floats and buoys, are more clearly shown. Similar letters
are used to denote similar parts in all the Figures wherever they occur. A is
the deck; B, the windmill; C, the mast; D, D, the sails or fan; E, F, the

page_text: shaft, having several ratchet pinions F, F, fixed upon it; and G, G, are toothed
rods, the teeth of which take into the ratchet pinions. H, H, are links con-
nected to the rods G, G, which links turn upon a stationary spindle or axle I, I.
K, K, arms, with buoys L, L, affixed at their extremities floating on the sur-
face of the water, and, being about one-half of the specific gravity if the water,
rise and fall with the waves. M, M, other arms jointed to some of the former,
and attached to floats O, O, underneath the vessel, placed sufficiently deep to be
in still water, and therefore not acted upon by the rising and falling of the
waves; consequently the heaving of the vessel in agitated water will cause
alternating lever actions of the arins K, K. That action being communicated
through the jointed links H to the rods G, G, the ratchets on those rods will
be continually driving the pinions F, F, on the shaft E round, by which a
power from the waves is obtained and communicated to drive machinery. A
Ay wheel N may keep the rotatory motion of the shaft E, E, sufficiently
uniform. The floats 0, 0, 0, may be kept in their positions relatively to the
vessel by chains or ropes at each of their four corners crossways, so that the
ropes or chains run diagonally from one corner to the place at the vessel ver-
tically above the opposite corner, allowing to the floats thus but the free ascent
and descent in relation to the vessel's motion, or rather the free ascent and
descent of the vessel in regard to the floats underneath; for, as the latter are
not moved by the waves in the same way as the vessel, they do not yield on
account of the resistance of the water above or below their large surfaces
respectively. The arms of the windmill, if a vertical one, are kept with their
faces against the wind by the tail l' turning on a vertical pin Z. On this pin
there is a horizontal bevelled cog wheel 2, turned by the agency of a bevil
pinion 1. On the shaft of the windmill 3 is another rim of teeth round the
under part of the wheel 2, which may be brought to act into any of the six
wlicels 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, placed round it. This connection may be made by push-
ing outwards the lower ends of the levers 10, 10, (see Figure 1,) which levers
may be held in their respective positions either at 11 or 12, by a pin 13, 13.
The vertical spindles of these six wheels, on being turned, will wind on or
off a rope or chain. There are two ropes, 14, 15, for pulling up the two halves
of the sail; two others, 16, 17, for pulling the same down, if their own weight
should not be sufficient; two others, 18, 19, for turning the sails in any way
around its pivot or mast. The said ropes or chains may run through pullies
conveniently placed. Each spindle of these six wheels has a ratchet wheel at
bottom, with a stopper to prevent its running back. In the construction of
the fan 20, 21, 22, 23, are concentric arches, between which the ribs of the
sails slide, the inner arches holding the pivots of the ribs, the outer one serving

page_text: as supports to the sails, and also for assisting in keeping in keeping the two
halves of the sails in any position of expansion desired, which is effected by
inserting pins 24, 24, through the arches. The beam 25, 25, is to afford an
aulditional support to the sails, its ends being connected with the extremities of
all the ribs of the sails by ropes. The beam slides by the rollers 26, 26, in a
rail 27, 27, at the fore and aft part of the deck. The thin poles 28, 28,
running on the middle of each fold of the sails, and 29, 29, at their extre-
mities, are to keep the folds stretched when lapping together. A hook at each
half of the sails may connect any number of the ribs to prevent their unfold-
ing, so that the two halves may be partially expanded either near the deck or
near or close to the mast. The shape of the sails is arbitrary; any shape
may be produced by the different lengths of their ribs and folds. As, cither
by the rotatory motion of the shaft E, E, or by that of the windmill, any other
rotatory or linear motion of a quicker or slower rate of velocity may be pro-
duced by means of cog wheels or cranks, it follows, that any desirable opera-
tion of a mechanical nature may be then effected, be it for pumping out water,
raising heavy things, weighing anchor, &c. The main object of navigation
being to propel the vessel in all cases as quickly as possible, the turning of
the shaft E, E, may be easily applied for driving paddle wheels in the same
way as is done on steam vessels; this requires but the cog wheels 30 and 31
(both bevilled), the latter at the spindle of the paddle wheel. But I think in
heavy waves oars to be preferable, if constructed in a mode to be continually
in the water, with a kind of shutters that open when the oars move one way
and close when moving in the opposite way. Such a one is represented on
the Drawings by 32, 33, 34, and 35, 36, 87, at the hind and fore parts of the
vessel, on both sides the hind and the fore oars nioving by means of connecting
rods 38, 39, with a crank 40, 40, turned by the cog wheels 30 and 31, with
their spindles in opposite directions, so that at each movement two oars strike
with their expanded surfaces, and the other two move in the opposite direction
with the edges only of their shutters against the water. By this contrivance
very little power is lost in any case, and any heaving of the water forins no
impediment to the working of the machinery, which is not the case with
paddle wheels, as they frequently are either too much or too little immersed,
and may in many cases be rendered thereby entirely ineffective. The oars
32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, consist of two bars 32, 33, 35, 36, between which are
hinged, at their upper edges, cross boards 34, 34, so that they collapse or shut
themselves as they move in one direction, the lower edge of each lapping
upon the upper edge of the next beneath it, and they open when moving in
the opposite way. To insure a uniform lapping upon each other, pins protrude

page_text: from the lower edges of each vertical row of flaps, connected by a rod, which
are drawn whenever the sweep of the oar reaches the fore end, and thus forces
the cross boards to shut uniformly at once. The pumping out of the water
may be effected by prolonging one of the arms K, K, towards the pump
rod 43, and connecting both ends of them; or if the whole power of the
shaft E, E, is to be applied for that purpose, two cog wheels, one on the
shaft E, E, and the other actuated by it, and provided with a crank of which
the extremity is connected with the upper end of the pump rod, may be added.
For the purpose of driving any machine (factory mills, &c. &c.) by the power
of the waves, the same contrivance, as stated for the rotatory motion of the
shaft E, E, may be applied either upon some vessel at anchor or afloat, con-
necting the motion of the shaft, either in the way described above for turning
the spindles of the cog wheel 31, or by a crank on the shaft E, E. For
purposes of this kind merely buoys, as described, will suffice. For the trans-
mission of the motive power thus obtained to a given distance, the means
hereafter explained and shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 are employed. 1, a
double-necked pulley turning on a pivot fixed in the ground; 2, 3, a balance
beam of a machine with which the motive power is to be connected; 4, 5,
driving ropes coiled several times round the wheel 1, to prevent their slipping.
a, b, ropes coiled several times round the second neck of the pulley 1, and
fastened by its extremities to the wires 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, hercafter to be
described; 6, 7, 8, &c., wires or chains lying on the ground or on rollers at
convenient listances; 11, 12, ropes or chains for fastening the wires to the
balance beam 18; 13, a balance beam turning horizontally on a pivot 14,
fixed to the ground; 15, second balance beam placed on the same pivot 14;
16, connecting rod of the two balance beams for changing the direction of the
balance beam 18, when it is necessary to change the direction of the motion of
the wire lines; 17, moveable bar on a pin fixed in the balance beam 15, con-
nected on its opposite side to an excentric bolt fastened to the wheel 18;
18, wheel put into motion by powers obtained as described before, or by other
means.
Fig. 5 shews the manner of joining the ends of the wires, which are
brought together and forced against each other by two rings that are brought
together and forced against each other by two rings that are clenched by a
blow from a hammer given on one side; they are unclenched by forcing the
rings in an opposite direction.
Fig. 6 shows a carriage for supporting the ropes that run from the wheel 1
to the machine to be put in motion. a, a, shews a front view of the said
carriage; b, b, a side view of the same; c, c, c, great wheels; d, d, axle crossed

page_text: by a beam e, with small wheels f, f, at its ends; 9,9, 9, 9, two arms fixed on
the axle d, d; h, h, h, h, ropes to be supported by the carriages. The carriage
should be as light as possible; and the wheels f,f, being smaller than those
c, c, one of the wheels f will touch the ground, causing an inclination of the
arms g, g, which will direct the motion of the ropes 4 and 5.
That which I claim as new and not previously known in the above-described
machine is, the means of connection between the windmill and the fan, the
fan, the floats underneath the vessel, the buoys on the sides of the vessel, and
their application to produce a rotatory motion on the vessel, which power is
then transferrable to any machine for propelling or other purposes; and the
application of ropes, wires, or chains, and balance beams and supporting bars,
as shown in connection with the same in Fig. 4, 5, and 6, for the purpose of
transferring power in the above-described way to more distant places on land
or anchored vessels.
In witness whereof, I, the said Conrad Frederick Stollmeyer, have hore-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-two.
CONRAD F. (L.S.) STOLLMEYER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the fifth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said Conrad
Frederick Stollmeyer came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statuto made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and forty-two.