CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO MARINE ENGINES, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HICK, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and WILLIAM
HODGSON GRATRIX, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Enginer, 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 Twenty-eighth day of February, in the twelfth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
Hick and William Hodgson Gratrix, Her especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that we, the said John Hick and William Hodgson
Gratrix, our exors, adiñiors, and assigns, and such others as we, the said John
Hick and William Hodgson Gratrix, our exors, admors, 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,
exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM ENGINES,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO MARINE ENGINES,
AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said John
Hick and William Hodgson Gratrix, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
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, we, the said
John Hick and William Hodgson Gratrix, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
is particularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto
annexed, and the following explanation thereof (that is to say):
Our improvements-in steam engines, although applicable for stationery and
locomotive purposes on land, are more particularly adapted to marine engines
for propelling vessels, especially to the engines of vessels to be used in naval
warfare, or in other service wherein it is essential that the whole of the working
parts of the engine, or as much as practicable, should be placed below the
level of the water, in order to avoid, if possible, the liability of their being
injured and disabled by cannon shot or other missiles. Our improvements
consist particularly in a suitable construction of engine arranged for the purpose
of working two pistons in one oscillating steam cylinder, the rods of which
pistons work through opposite ends of the said cylinder, and communicate their
power direct to two separate crank shafts, or by means of connecting rods to
one crank shaft only. Our improvements in machinery or apparatus for pro-
pelling vessels apply to that class of propellors now well known as "screw
propellors," and consist in so forming each blade or vane as to have two sepa-
rate and distinct angles or "pitches" of screw upon the same blade, instead of
a gradually increasing or diminishing "pitch" as heretofore used in "screw
propellors." The principal object of this peculiar formation of blade being
that the more oblique plane of one screw retains the water, and prevents it
from escaping in a radial or centrifugal direction, whilst the other plane acts
upon the water with a propulsive force in a direct line with the shaft or axis
upon which the propellor is fixed.
Such heing the nature and object of our said improvements, we will proceed
to describe the method of carrying the same into practical effect, which will be
readily understood upon referring to the Drawings annexed to these Presents,
and the following description thereof :-
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings Fig. 1 represents a midship section of a vessel,
shewing in elevation a pair of engines constructed and arranged according to
our Invention for communicating motion direct to a screw propellor; Fig. 2
is a plan view of the same; and it will be evident upon an inspection of these
Figures that the elementary parts of the engine only having reference to this
1

page_text: Invention are exhibited. a, a, is the framing of the engines supporting the
two horizontal oscillating cylinders b, b, each being furnished with two pistons,
the rods c, c, of which work through opposite ends of the cylinders, and com-
municate motion direct to the two crank shafts d, d. These shafts d, d, are
coupled by means of the connecting rods e, e', one of which communicate
motion by means of the crank f to the propellor shaft g, g. (See Fig. 3, which
is a front elevation of the connecting rod e'.) h, h, is the condensor; i, i, are
the air pumps; and k, k, is the crank for working the same.
In Sheet 2 of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a midship section of a vessel shewing
a front elevation of a pair of horizontal oscillating engines, constructed and
arranged for propelling by means of the ordinary side paddles. Fig. 2 shews a
side elevation; and Fig. 3 a plan view of the same. a, a, is the framing of
the engine supporting the two horizontal oscillating cylinders b, b, the piston
rods c, c, of which communicate motion to the crank shafts d, d, by which it is
transmitted by means of the connecting rods e, e, and cranks f, f, to the paddle
shafts g,g. h, h, is the condensor; i, i, are the air-pumps; and k, k, are the
connecting rod and lever for working the same. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a front
view of our improved propellor; and Fig. 5 is a side view of the same. a, a,
is the propellor shaft, upon which a long boss b, b, is keyed. The boss b, b, is
furnished at each end with six arms c, c, c, to which the blades or vanes d, d, d,
are rivetted or otherwise secured, being placed in a diagonal position, as best
seen in Fig. 5. e, e, e, are transverse stay rods, in order to give greater rigidity
to the propellor. The peculiar formation or construction of the blades or vanes
will be better understood by referring to Fig. 6. A plate of iron of the form shewn
is bent in the direction of the line f,g, until the two planes h, i, of the same assume
the requisite relative angle to each other, which in the propellor shewn is about
140°, that being the angle which by experience we have found to answer best;
but of course the angle at which the two planes of the blade are placed may
be varied as circumstances may require. It will be evident that as a propellor
so constructed revolves, the outer plane h of the blade being placed in a more
oblique position, will retain the water and prevent it from escaping in a centri-
fugal direction, whilst the inner or less oblique plane i exerts against the water
a propulsive force in a direct line with the axis or shaft a, a. We would here
observe, that if preferred the blades may be attached to the boss by only one
arm each, the arms being twisted to follow the inclination of the blades.
Having thus described the nature and object of our said Invention, together
with the method of carrying the same into practical effect, we would remark
in conclusion that we claim as our Invention,-
First, with reference to our improvements in steam engines, the particular

page_text: construction of engine having two steam pistons in one oscillating cylinder, the
rods of which pistons work through opposite ends of the said cylinder, and
communicate motion direct to two separate crank shafts, or by means of
connecting rods to one crank shaft.
Secondly, with reference to the machinery or apparatus for propelling vessels,
we claim the novel and peculiar construction or formation of propellor, having
two separate and distinct angles or pitches of screw upon each and the same
blade, without confining ourselves to the particular angle which the two pitches
bear to each other, the number of blades employed, or the angle which they
bear to the line of propulsion.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Hick and William Hodgson
Gratrix, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
August One thousand night hundred and forty-nine
day
JOHN (L.S.) HICK.
WILLIAM HODGSON (L.S.) GRATRIX. 1
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid John Hick and William Hodgson
Gratrix came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
housand eight hundred and forty-nine.