CERTAIN IM- PROVED MACHINERY FOR MOVING VESSELS AND OTHER FLOATING APPARATUS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FOULERTON, of the Jamaica Coffee House, Cornhill, in the City of London,
Master Mariner, send greeting.
"WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourteenth day of January, in the seventh year of. Her; reign, did
give and grant unto me; the said Robert Foulerton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said Robert: Foulerton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Robert Foulerton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no. others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and also in the Islands of
Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR MOVING VESSELS AND OTHER FLOATING APPARATUS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Robert
Foulerton, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery with six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, tho said
Robert Foulerton, 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 instrument in writing, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
My Invention consists in a method of turning or directing ships, barges,
dredging vessels and apparatus, floating batteries, and other floating bodies,
by moving them on a vertical axis, independently of, or by assisting the opera-
The
tion of, any of the various rudders or steering gear or sails in use.
rudders for directing vessels in the water hitherto usually employed in naviga-
tion depend for their action on the motion of the body which they steer or
direct; and the objects of my Invention are,―
Firstly, to direct the head of the vessel to any point when the rudder does
not act, or when the vessel has neither head or stern way.
Secondly, that the vessel may be brought about when the rudder fails in
stays, or in a heavy sea, the danger in wearing being thereby avoided.
Thirdly, the vessel prevented from coming up in the wind, or falling off
when lying to and got out of the trough of the sea.
Fourthly, the head brought round in sudden shifts of wind, or when taken
aback, and when there is no time to get a boat out, or the sea does not admit
of lowering one.
Fifthly, the constant bracing about in baffling winds saved, by bringing the
breeze on either side.
Sixthly, the head always kept to the course in a calm, so as to keep station
in a fleet or forge ahead.
Seventhly, the head brought round to prevent fouling among craft and
shipping, or to swing clear when fouled, and the use of boats and warps saved
on various other occasions in river ways and harbours.
Eighthly, the vessel worked with safety and certainty to an anchorage
swung at anchor in calms, to keep a clear hawse and cast when getting under
way.
Ninthly, the vessel can always be brought about in beating to windward to
advantage in short tacks without losing her headway, and thereby save the
ground that is lost in light winds, by breaking off and gathering away to
luff to her course, and in a fresh wind she will shoot to windward considerably
in stays.
Tenthly, to ships of war it affords a more ready manœuvre in going into
action, and in the event of their being disabled, even with loss of spars,

page_text: rudder, or steam power, their guns may be brought to bear. It is obvious
that various other contingent manoeuvres may be effected.
The means which I employ for these purposes is a submarine or under-water
screw or screws, fan or fans, wheel or wheels, turning upon a horizontal axis,
and which axis is at right angles, or nearly so, to the keel, of the ship or line of
the vessel's length, which screws, fans, or wheels, by their threads or paddles
or blades being set at proper angles, do, when put into motion, cause the parts
of the vessel in which they are placed to remove from their position, and thus
give a relative motion to the rest of the vessel; thus, the vessel may be
caused to turn her head to one point or to another, or to any point required:
Similar letters on the different Figures refer to the same or similar parts of the
Invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a vessel; and Figure 2 is a transverse
section near a vessel's stern. A is a screw, or worm, or fan, which I call my
manoeuvrer, placed in a tube or trunk M, at right angles to the keel B, which
manoeuvrer when caused to revolve in the tube M causes that part of the ship
to move in one direction or the other round the axis of the vessel; the
direction being of course dependent upon the movement of manoeuvrer A
round its own axis, or spindle, or shaft, in one direction or the other. This
manoeuvrer is, when required, caused to revolve in the necessary direction by
means of a band or chain passed round a suitable sheeve or wheel on its shaft,
or by means of any suitable connection to the capstan, or to a winch, or to a
rigger upon any of her decks, or to the steam engine, if in the case of a steam
vessel. I have here represented a connexion with the capstan C. The vertical
spindle D is fitted in or to the capstan, and a wheel E works the pinion
F on the horizontal shaft G, and gives motion to the upright spindle H by
means of the pair of wheels I; the spindle H passes through a stuffing box
K on the tube M, and gives motion to the manoeuvrer A by the wheels L.
Figure 3 is a plan of any ship, whereon the green lines x, x, indicate the form
of the vessel's lines. A suitable connection is made between the rigger C¹ and
the manoeuvrer in M, and by means of an endless rope R, R; round C³ the
manoeuvrer is put in motion. In many cases it may be convenient to work the
manoeuvrer by an endless rope, similar to R, R, instead of manning the cap-
stan or winch, as all hands on board could be applied to the rope in a moment
if need. The manoeuvrer can also be worked below by the winch handles of
the pumps, as used in the navy, which ship and unship, and may be continued
any length on the midship stanchions. Sometimes instead of using a stuffing
box K, I prefer a close trunk to be carried up from the tube M to a suitable
height above the water line. Sometimes I prefer having the means of shutting

page_text: in the tube or tunnel M by means of valves, and this provision I deem neces-
sary when the manoeuvrer is fitted at the bow, where I sometimes fit a
manoeuvrer either with or without having another manoeuvrer at the stern.
I prefer slide valves for this purpose, and I find the arrangement shown ou
Figures 4 and 5 suitable. O is the case, which contains a slide P, fitted to the
mould and build of the vessel; P is worked up so as to open the manœuvrer
for use, or down, so as to shut in the manoeuvrer when not required, and this
opening or shutting is effected by means of a screw, rack, or any suitable con-
trivance. Figure 5 exhibits a slide valve, whereon the part is made to
project a little, so as to make the valve flush with the mould of the ship when
the valve is shut; Figures 6 and 7, 8 and 9, 10 and 11, 12, and 13, exhibit
end and side views of different forms of screws, wheels, or fans; and Figure 14
is an end view of a manœuvrer, and Figure 15 is a side view of a manœuvrer;
they may have one, two, three, or more. threads, or fans, or blades, on the same
spindle, and they may be made of any suitable thread or pitch, and of any suit-
able material. It is easily seen how the speed of the manoeuvrer may be made
fast or slow by suitable wheels or other connexion with the: prime. mover,
according to the number of the ship's company, or the character or purpose of
the vessel, and the prime mover.may be manual' power or any convenient
artificial power.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same can be, and as I prefer it to be performed, I do hereby
declare that I do not claim as of my Invention the several parts herein-before
described, except when they or any part of them are used in combination for
manoeuvering a ship or vessel or floating machine or apparatus, for the purpose
or purposes of my Invention, which I do hereby declare to consist in moving
any such floating body by the use of my manoeuvrer, above described.
And I do claim the means, one or all, above described, or any combination
thereof, by which a. vessel may be turned or manoeuvred when the rudder or
other means are insufficient, or when they can be used to assist the rudder
or other means.
$
I claim the revolving screw or screws, fan or fans, blade or blades when
the same are placed with their axis or axes athwartship, with the view to turn
or manoeuver a ship or vessel, or other floating body; and I do not limit my
claim to the particular part of the ship, vessel, or body or apparatus; in
which the same may be most conveniently placed so as to act under water.
**And I claim the means of shutting or opening at pleasure the tubé or trunk
of the manoeuverer by means of the sliding valve' or valves P.
And this my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,

page_text: entirely new, and never before used, I do hereby declare this to be my Speci-
fication of the same, and that I do verily believe this my Specification doth
comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise with the proviso
in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent; wherefore I hereby
claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to the said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Foulerton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord
Eighteen hundred and forty-four.