Year: 1888

page_text: I, HORTENSIUS, COATES SIMPSON, of Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire,
General Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to water-wheels for driving machinery in mills and for
other like purposes and to paddle-wheels for propelling ships and boats, and the said
invention consists of the improvements herein described by which the said wheels can
be raised or lowered so as to maintain the proper depth of immersion in the water
thus enabling water-wheels to work equally well at any water level providing there is
sufficient depth of water for the purpose, and enabling paddle-wheels to have the
same propelling power whether the ship or boat be heavily or lightly laden.
Various arrangements of mechanism may be employed to effect the purposes of my
invention such for instance as the following as applied to a water-wheel :-The
water-wheel is carried by a frame which can be raised or lowered about the line or first
motion shaft as a centre and is counterbalanced at the other side of the centre.
Motion is transmitted from the water-wheel to the said line shaft by a driving chain
A screw and nut or a rack and pinion or other
or by spur wheels or other means.
means are or may be provided for raising or lowering the water-wheel and for fixing
it at work in any required depth of water and in the case of floods for raising the
water-wheel so as not to be clogged by backwater. Or, in places where the said frame
would be inconvenient the water-wheel and its axle and bearings may be arranged to
be raised or lowered vertically by gearing of the nature of a lift or hoist or by
other means.
In this case the power may be transmitted to the line shaft by three
spur wheels gearing together one of the said spur wheels being fixed on the line shaft,
the second spur wheel turning with the water-wheel axle and the third being
intermediate wheel maintained in gear with the first and second spur wheels by jointed
an

page_text: links connecting the line shaft and the water-wheel shaft to the intermediate wheel
axle or any other arrangement of mechanism may be employed which will transmit
motion from the water-wheel axle to the line shaft when they are at various
distances apart.
The said invention is proposed to be similarly applied to the paddle-wheels of ships
and boats.
Improvements in or Connected with Water-wheels and
Paddle-wheels.
I, HORTENSIUS COATES SIMPSON, of Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire,
General Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to water-wheels for driving, machinery in mills and for
other like purposes and to paddle-wheels for propelling ships and boats, and the said
invention consists of the improvements herein described by which the said wheels can-
be raised or lowered so as to maintain the proper depth of immersion in the water
"thus enabling water-wheels to work equally well at any water level providing there is
sufficient depth of water for the purpose and enabling paddle-wheels to have the same
propelling power whether the ship or boat be heavily or lightly laden.
Various arrangements of mechanism may be employed to effect the purposes of my
invention such for instance as the following as applied to a water-wheel-The
water-wheel is carried by a frame which can be raised or lowered about the line or
first motion shaft as a centre and is counterbalanced at the, other side of the centre.
"Motion is transmitted from the water-wheel to the said line shaft by a driving chain
or by
spur wheels or other means. A screw and nut or a rack and pinion or other
means are or may be provided for raising or lowering the water-wheel and for fixing
it at work in any required depth of water and in the case of floods for raising the
water-wheel so as not be clogged by backwater.
14,
:1. 心
.
"The said invention is similarly applied to the paddle-wheels of ships and boats.
On the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents in plan and Fig. 2 in side éleva-
tion a water-wheel arranged according to my invention and driving the line shaft by
cranks and connecting rods; Fig. 3 is one of the wall bearings for the same; Figs. 4, 5

page_text: and 6 illustrate details of the same on an enlarged scale; Fig. 7 is a plan partly in
section and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modification of my invention in which the
power is transmitted from the water-wheel to the line shaft by spur gearing; Figs. 9
and 10 illustrato a further modification of the same in which chains are used to
transmit the power from the water-wheel to the line shaft Figs. 11, 12, and 13
illustrate an arrangement similar to that shewn by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 with the addition
of an automatic water feed mouth which however forms no part of this invention;
Fig. 14 represents in side elevation and Fig. 15 in plan part of a steam ship with side
paddle-wheels arranged to be adjusted in height according to my invention and Fig. 16
is a side elevation of the same with the paddle-wheels in their highest position;
Figs. 17 and 19 are cross sections of the same on an enlarged scale shewing two
different methods of raising the paddle-wheel shaft; Fig. 18 shews the adjustable
bearing of the same separately; Figs. 20 and 21 illustrato details of the same and
Figs. 22 and 23 illustrate how my invention is applied to rear paddle-wheel ships.
The same letters of reference indiente corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, A is the water-wheel
revolving with its axle B in bearings c c which are fixed near one end of the frame D
which consists of two strong side beams connected together one on either side of the
wheel, E is the line or first motion shaft of the mill about which the frame D turns as
a centre, the water-wheel' and frame being partly counterbalanced by the counter-
balance fixed at the other end of the frame. G G are the walls of the wheel race
between which the frame and water-wheel can move up or down. The line shaft E
revolves in bosses d' d' fixed to the sides of the frame and these bosses for trunnions
on which the frame can turn, the trunnions fitting in bearings e e fixed to the
walls GG.. H is the screw for raising or lowering the frame and water-wheel the
lower. end being jointed to a cross bar fixed in the walls G G or otherwise secured
and the upper part passing through a cross piece d of the frame D above which is the.
nut by turning which the frame and water-wheel can be raised or lowered as desired.
In order to more securely fix the water-wheel in any required position its axle B is
extended at each side and fits in bearings in the side walls G G. These bearings fit
in frames shewn on an enlarged scale by Fig. 3, built in the walls which frames
are arcs of a circle of which the line shaft E is the centre. Removable packing
blocks are filled in above and below the bearings bb. The water-wheel
axle B and the line shaft E are cranked at each side of the water-wheel and are
5 connected together by the two connecting rods II' which transmit power and
rotary motion from the water-wheel axle to the line shaft, the cranks at one side
of the water-wheel being by preference at about right angles to the cranks on the
other side.
.
By the water-wheel A being carried by the frame D as above described it can
be, raised or lowered so that (if a breast wheel as shewn by Figs. 1 and 2) it will
be clear of the tail water in the time of floods or if an undershot wheel (to which
my invention is more particularly applicable) it can be fixed in any required position
so as to be immersed just the proper depth in the stream.
When applying my invention to breast water-wheels I prefer to make the end d
of the frame D near the water-wheel to conform with the outline of the wheel and
I provide a sliding shutter 3 on the frame to keep the water in the buckets. This
shutter may be operated by a rack and pinion d so that it can be raised or lowered
as the position of the water-wheel is changed. Or instead of a sliding shutter
removable boards de may be employed as shewn by Figs. 4, 5 and 6. Or, as illustrated
by Figs. 11, 12 and 13, the sliding shutter may be arranged to be novel automa-
tically by the act of raising or lowering the water-wheel. This is accomplished by
connecting the top of the sliding shutter d³ to two chains m one on either side of the
wheel these chains passing over guide pulleys n and o to a point p where they are
secured to the lever frame D so that as the position of the water-wheel and frame D
is changed the sliding shutter d³ is automatically raised or lowered to suit. The outh
of the dam has a hinged water, shoot y which leads the water into a travelling shoot r
provided with rollers's this shoot being hinged to the top of the sliding shutter ³ so

page_text: as to lead the water into the buckets of the water-wheel with the least possible amount
of waste. t is a sluice for admitting water to the water-wheel when the latter is down
at its lowest position.
In the example illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8 the cranks and connecting rods I" I²
are dispensed with and rotary motion and power are transmitted from the water-wheel
axle B to the line or first motion shaft E by the three spur wheels gearing together
and marked J J J of which the wheel J' revolves with the water-wheel, the
wheel J is fixed to and revolves with the line shaft E, and the idle wheel J³ is an
idle wheel carried by the shaft j¹, and is only used in cases where the line shaft is
required to run in the same direction as the water-wheel; or the wheel J¹ may have
internal teeth and gear with and surround the pinion J2; or where the water-
wheel and line shaft run in opposite directions the wheels J and J' may gear
together externally, in any case the proportions of the wheels being arranged to suit
the speed required.
In the example illustrated by Figs. 9 and 10 two chains one on either side of the
water-wheel are employed to transmit the power and motion of the water-wheel A to
the line shaft E. These chains pass round suitable chain toothed wheels k¹ k² fixed
respectively on the water-wheel axle B and the line shaft E and the chains and wheels
are by preference arranged inside the beams of the frame D which for this purpose
are made of a hollow rectangular form in cross section and water tight so as to prevent
the chains and wheels getting wet and oxidized by the water.
In applying my Invention to steam ships having side paddle-wheels A A (see
Figs. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21) the frame D forms the frame of the engines
and at its free end it is provided with bearings c for the paddle-wheel shaft B, the
steam engine cylinders oo being fixed near the trunnions d' on which the frame D
turns. The bearings of the paddle-wheel axle in the ship's sides and the bearings
outside the paddle-wheels can be moved up or down and fixed in radial guides 62
of which the trunnion of the frame is the centro and when the desired position
has been obtained the spaces above and below the bearings are filled in by the
blocks b³ so as to keep the shaft in its correct position and prevent the entrance of
water.
Various devices may be used for raising or lowering the paddle-wheels and shaft
such as the rope, slings and crab shewn by Fig. 18 or the temporary screw jacks shewn
in Fig. 19.
By raising or lowering the frame D on its trunnions d'and the paddle-wheels A
and their shaft B, as above described, the proper immersion of the wheels in the water
can always be maintained without altering the engines thus enabling the wheels to work
equally well whether the ship is heavily or lightly laden.
My invention can also be similarly applied to rear paddle-wheel ships and boats as
illustrated for instance by Fig. 22.
:
The accompanying drawings shew what is considered to be the best way for carrying
my said Invention into practice but it is to be understood that the Invention is not
limited to the precise details illustrated and herein before described. ..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declaro that what I
claim is :-
:-
1st. The hereinbefore described improved means of rendering the height of water-
wheels adjustable to suit different water levels, consisting in carrying the water-wheel
axle by a lever frame which may or may not be counterbalanced and which can be
moved about the fixed driving shaft as a centre the said water-wheel shaft and
the fixed driving shaft being geared to revolve together, substantially as hereinbefore
set forth.
2nd. The combination with a water-wheel, of a counterbalanced lever frame sup-
porting the water-wheel axle and moveable about the driving shaft as a centre, the
water-wheel shaft and the fixed driving shaft being geared to revolve together in any
of the several ways substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

page_text: 3rd. The combination with a water-wheel, of the counterbalanced lever D supporting
the water-wheel axle at each side of. the water-wheel and moveable about the
driving shaft as a centre, tho water-wheel shaft and the fixed driving shaft
being geared together by chains running within the lever D, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figs. 9 and 10 of the accompanying
drawings.
4th. The herein before described improved means of rendering the height of the
paddle-wheel or wheels of a steam-ship or steam-boat adjustable to suit the different
depths of immersion of the ship or boat, consisting in carrying the axle of the paddle-
wheel or wheels by a lever frame to which the engine or engines is or are fixed which
lever frame with the paddle-wheel or wheels and engine or engines can be moved
about some fixed centre so as to raise or lower the paddle-wheel or wheels without
affecting the driving of the engine or engines, substantially as set forth.
Dated this Lot daw of Autobar 1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.