provements in Apparatus for Propelling Boats and other Navigable. Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Boats and other
Navigable. Vessels.
I, HENRY BARCROFT, of The Glen, Newry, in the County of Armagh, Ireland,
Director of the Dundalk and Nowry Steam Packet Company, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to bo as follows:-
My invention relates to a construction of apparatus for propelling boats and
other vessels such as was described in the Specification to my Patents No. 6809 of
1891 and 15693. of 1892. In the last named specification was described a con-
struction consisting of a rectangular frame held in a vertically adjustable manner
ao as to overhang the stern of the boat, which frame carried a vertical driving
shaft receiving rotary motion at its upper end from a motor on deck, and imparting
such motion at its lower end by bevil gear to the boss of a screw propeller,
mounted loose on a horizontal axis carried by the said frame.
My present invention has for its object, an improved construction of the said
frame and of the means of carrying the propeller thereby. According to one
arrangement I construct the frame of lengths of iron or steel tubes, the lower part
of the frame being formed of a single vertical tube connected by a screwed union
or by welding to the rectangular loop shaped upper part, which is preferably
formed of two side tubes, having their ends hent to a right angle and secured
together at bottom either by wolding or by the before-mentioned screw union, and
at top also by welding or by a second screw union. The single tube forming the
lower part has fixed to its lower end a disc which serves as the means of attachment
of a box carrying the screw propeller axis and propellor blade projecting from one
ride thereof. This box has a face adapted to fit against the underside of the said
dise on the frame and into it projects the lower end of the vertical driving shaft
that passes up through the tubular frame and to which, within the box is fixed a
bevil wheel gearing with a bevil wheel formed or fixed ou the propeller boss
which is either mounted loose upon its axis fixed in the lower part of the box, or
the axis may be fixed to the propeller boss, and revolve in bearings formed in
the box.
By the above described construction the advantage is gained, that while the
rectangular frame can be adjustably secured in its overhanging position without
necessarily being accurately in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of
the boat, the box with the propeller can be adjusted in position relatively to the
frame so as to bring the propeller axis either accurately parallel to such longitudinal
axis of the boat or at any desired angle thereto.
The mode of adjustably securing the frame to the boat so that the propeller
shall have the required degree of immersion may be similar to that described in
my said Specification No. 15693 of 1892.
According to another modification, instead of making the frame of tubular
metal as described construct the same of trough iron bent into the requisite
shape for forming the rectangular loop shaped upper part, the single tubular
lower part being formed by fixing two trough irons together with the open

page_text: slides facing each other. To the lower end of this part is then fixed a disc as
before
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Boats and other
Navigable Vessels.
I, HENRY BARCROFT, of The Glen, Newry, in the County of Armagh, Ireland,
Director of the Dundalk and Nowry Steam Packet Company, 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 :-
My invention relates to a construction of apparatus for propelling boats and
other vessels such as was described in the Specification to my Patents No. 6809 of
1891 and No. 15693 of 1892. In the last named specification was described a con-
struction consisting of a rectangular frame held in a vertically adjustable manner
so as to overhang the stern of the boat, which frame carried a vertical driving
shaft receiving rotary motion at its upper end from a motor on deck or elsewhere,
and imparting such motion. at its lower eml by bevil gear to the boss of a screw
propeller, mounted loose on a horizontal axis carried by the said frame.
My present invention has for its object an improved construction of the said
frame and of the means of carrying the propeller thereby.
According to ono arrangement construct the frame of lengths of iron or steel
tubes, the lower part of the frame being formed of a single vertical tube connected
by a screwed union or by welding to the rectangular loop shaped upper part, which
is preferably formed of two side tubes, having their ends bent to a right angle and
secured together at bottom either by welding or by the before-mentioned screw
union, and at top also hy welding or by a second screw union. The single tube
forming the lower part has fixed to its lower end a disc which serves as the means
of attachment of a box carrying the screw propeller axis and propeller blade pro-
jecting from one side thereof. This box has a face adapted to fit against the
underside of the said.dise on the frame and into it projects the lower end of the
vertical driving shaft that passes up through the tubular frame end. to which,
within the box is fixed a bevil wheel gearing with a beril wheel formed or fixed
on the propeller boss which is either mounted loose upon its axis fixed in the lower
part of the box, or the axis may be fixed to the propeller boss, and revolve in
bearings formed in the box.
By the above described construction the advantage is gained, that while the
rectangular frame can be adjustably secured in its overhanging position without
necessarily being accurately in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of
the boat, the box with the propeller can be adjusted in position relatively to the
frame so as to bring the propeller axis either accurately parallel to such longitudinal
axis of the boat or at any desired angle thereto.
The mode of adjustably securing the frame to the boat so that the propeller
shall have the required degree of immersion may be similar to that described in
my said Specification No. 15693 of 1892.
According to another modification, instead of making the frame of tubular metal
as described I construct the same of trough iron bent into the requisite shape for
forming the rectangular loop shaped upper part, the single tubular lower part being
formed by fixing two trough irons together with the open sides facing each other.
To the lower end of this part is theu fixed a disc as before.

page_text: The accompanying drawings shew by way of example some of the arrangements
by which my above described invention can be carried out. Figure 1 shews a back
elevation and Figure 2 a sentional side view of one construction in which the
frame A carrying the propeller B is formed of iron or steel tubes electrically welded
or otherwise secured together so as to form an upper part A. of rectangular or loop
form, with a single tubular lower part A', on the lower end of which is fitted a
bracket C with bearings carrying the shaft D having the screw propeller B fixed
on it. The eye of the bracket can be fitted loose on the part A' so as to be capable
of being turned in order to bring the axis of the propeller shaft into any desired
angular position relatively to the plane of the frame A, and it is then fixed by
means of setting screws or otherwise, so that while maintaining the propeller shaft
in the required fore-and-aft position the frame A A' can be adjusted to the most
convenient position for securing it to the stern or side of the boat.
Such securing of the frame can be effected in any suitable manner, such as that
described in the before mentioned Specification 15693/92, as indicated in dotted
lines at Figure 1. The vertical shaft E through which motion is imparted to the
propeller from a motor engine passes through the tubular part A' of the frame and
on its lower end projecting through the eye of the bracket C it carries a bevil
pinion gearing with a bevil pinion F' fixed on the propeller shaft. The action
of the bevil gear is such as to produce a thrust in the direction towards the
propeller; while on the other hand the action of the propeller in driving produces
a thrust in the contrary direction, so that by this arrangement these thrusts will
practically balanco each other.
The shaft E is driven either by a suitable motor on board the vessel by bevil
gear, as indicated, or by any other gear, or directly by an electrical or other motor
fixed on or to the upper end of the frame A. Figures 3 and 4 shew respectively
back elevation and a sectional side view of a modification of the above described
construction, in which the bottom bracket C carries a fixed axle D on which
the propeller B runs loose, in a similar mauner to that described in my
Specification 15693/92. In this construction the bevel pinion F is fixed by
screw bolts to the boss of the propeller. The bracket C is in this case is fixed to
a flange on the lower end of the part A' of the frame by means of screw bolts,
these being so arranged, either by slotting the holes, or by providing the flange
with a number of bolt holes into which the bolts can be shifted, that the bracket
and propeller shaft can be adjusted to different angles relatively to the plane of
the frame, as before.
Figures 5 and 6 shew similar views of another modification in which the frame A,
instead of being built of tubes, is made of suitably bent channel irons, which are
brought together at the lower end to form the central part A' through which the
shaft E passes. The bracket C carrying the propeller B, and its revolving shaft D
is similar to that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2; it may either be
titted with an eye on the lower end of the part A, as shewn, or it may be formed
with a flange at top, for securing to a flange fixed on the lower end of A', in a
similar manner to Figures 3 and 4.
Although I prefer to construct the frames either of tubes or of channel iron as
described, yet they may obviously be constructed of iron of other sections, either
alone or in combination with wood or other materials, so long as the herein
described distinctive features of my invention are retained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for propelling boats such as is herein reforred to, constructing
the overhanging frame that carries the propeller as a rectangular or looped
frame A with central lower part A' to which is attached a bracket C carrying the
propeller shaft, and through which passes the vertical shaft E that drives the
propeller, the said frame being either constructed of tubes electrically welded or

page_text: otherwise secured together, or of channel iron or of a combination of iron with
other materials, substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
2. In screw propeller frames such as are referred to in the first claim, arranging
the bracket C attached to the central lower part A' of the frame in such manner
that the bracket and consequently the propeller axis, can be made to assume any
desired angle relatively to the plane of the frame A, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agenta for the Applicant.