CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON OR ADDITIONS TO WHEELS OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTON
BERNHARD, of Finsbury Circus, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of December, in the ninth
year of His reign, did, for Dimself, His heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Anton Bernhard, His especial licence, that I, the said Anton
Bernhard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Anton Bernhard, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad, my Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON OR ADDITIONS TO WHEELS OR APPARATUS FOR
PROPELLING VESSELS, AND OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Anton Bernhard, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and scal, particularly to describe and ascertain 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 His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said 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
Anton Bernhard, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist
in a guide or leading frame to which each paddle is connected by a crank
and which gives the paddles a direction independent of that which they would
otherwise receive from the frame which carries them round; and also in a

page_text: mode of varying at pleasure the said direction so given as aforesaid; and in
further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Anton Bernhard, do
hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be performed by
the following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawing annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a paddle wheel furnished with my said Inven-
tion. The parts marked P represent eight paddles turning on axes at their
centres, and which axes rest on bearings in the frames F, F, one only of which
can be seen in this Figure, but which are in fact the frames which carry the
paddles round on the main axis A. The parts marked G form together a
separate frame which I call the guide or leading frame, revolving also round
the main axis A, but upon a different centre, which different centre is obtained
by means of the eccentric E placed on the main axis A. The parts marked C
are small cranks firmly fastened at one end to arbors on the ends of the axis of
the paddles, and at the other end to the arms of the frame G, by means
of crank pins which turn in bearings marked r, placed to receive them. E is
a circular plate acting as an eccentric, and which I therefore call such. It
rests in a steady plate i, and the main axis A passes loosely through it. This
excentric may be turned round, when necessary, but is held steady to the posi-
tion required, when the paddles are in motion, by means of a lever or arm not
shown on the side of the eccentric exhibited in this Figure, lest it should con-
fuse the Drawing, but shewn at L as fastened to and projecting from the eccen-
tric at the opposite side of the wheel. The effect of the guide or leading
frame G moving round the eccentric E, while the eccentric is held in the posi
tion here shown by means of the lever L, is to preserve, by the action of the
cranks c, and the vertical position of the paddles during the whole revolution
of the frame F to which they are attached. But it is obvious that, if the lever
I be raised or depressed, the eccentric will turn round in the steady plate,
and draw with it to one side or other the guide or leading from G, causing a
corresponding movement in the cranks c, and that will force them out of the
vertical position here shown, and cause them to take any angle required,
which angle they will preserve when the lever L is fixed again with the same
uniformity during the revolutions of the frame F, that was attributed to the
vertical position before described. B is the plummer block, and D the beam
to support the main axis A of the paddle wheel. It may be as well here to
state, that similar letters are used to denote similar parts in all the Figures.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1. In this Figure the levers L, by which the
eccentric E is turned to give the required position to the paddles, are both

page_text: shown; and it will be seen that there is a connecting rod from one to the
other to keep them steady, and cause them to have a corresponding action on
each side of the wheel or apparatus. Figure 3 is drawn merely for the pur-
pose of more clearly explaining the relative position of the main axle which
carries round the paddle frame and paddles, and the guide or leading frame
which is acted upon by the cranks. Part of this Figure is shewn in section,
and part as an elevation, as was thought best for explanation; and only two
paddles are represented, lest a greater number should make the Drawing con-
fused. It will be seen by this Figure that the apparatus, the side of elevation
of which is shown in Figure 1, is to be repeated at the opposite side of the
machine; but where no great strength is required, it is obvious that one guide
or leading frame and cranks at one side of the paddle wheel will suffice. In
Figure 3, now under description, A is the main axle or shaft. F, F, F, F, are
two arms of the frame which carries the paddles. P, P, the paddle turning on
axes which work in the bearings S, S, T, T, placed on the ends of the arins
F, F, F, F, to receive them. And so far I have only described such parts of a
paddle wheel as have already been used; but I will now proceed to describe
the additions thereto which constitute my said improvements. They consist of
the guide or leading frame G, G, G, G, turning round the eccentric E, and
of the levers L, L, which turn the eccentric. It will be seen that the arms
of the guide or leading frame G, G, G, G, are connected with the axis of the
paddles by means of the cranks c, c, c, c; and it should be here stated that
the length of the cranks c, from the centre of the crank pin to the centre of
the paddle axle, should correspond exactly with the distance from the centre
of the main axis A to the contre of the guide or leading frame. L, L, are
the two levers, one fastened to each eccentric, and connected at their upper
ends by the cross bar W, for the purpose of turning the eccentric, and thereby
giving any required position to the paddles. Now, the effect of this arrange-
ment will be that, as the main axis or shaft A is driven round by the steam
or other power applied to it for that purpose, it will of course carry round with
it the frame F, F, F, F, and the paddles P, P, at the same time that the paddles,
by means of the cranks c, c, c, c, on their axes, will drag round the guide
frame G, G, G, G, which guide frame, turning on the eccentric E, and thus
having a different centre of motion to the main axis A, will cause the paddles
5 to turn on their axes as the frame to which they are attached passes round, in
such manner as to preserve the vertical position of the paddles through the
whole course of its revolution. I state here vertical position, because in this
Figure the levers L, L, are supposed to be fixed in the same position, as shown
in Figure 1; but, as stated before, the object of the guide or leading frame,

page_text: eccentric, and cranks, is to preserve the paddles in whatever position may be
required; such position to be determined by the position of the eccentric in
the steady plate, and of the paddles on their respective axes. Figures 4 and 5
are two separate views of the eccentric E and its lever L. It will be seen that
there is a boss V cast on the eccentric which fits into the steady plate i
Fig. 8, in which it turns, and there is a groove in the boss to receive two
half rings e, e, Figure 3, which keep the eccentric steady in the steady plate..
Now, whereas I claim as my Invention, first, the guide or leading frame
marked G attached to the cranks marked c, and turning round the eccentric
marked E, for the purpose aforesaid; and, secondly, the lever marked L
attached to the sd eccentric, for the purpose of giving any required angle to
the paddles at pleasure:
And whereas such my Invention is, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new, and has never before been used within that part of His said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His
said Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in any of His
said Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad; and I do hereby declare this
to be my Specification of the said Invention; and I do verily believe this
my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or
disguise with the proviso in the said heroin-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Anton Bernhard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.