IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Bell Galloway, of 42, Basinghall Street, in
the City of London, late of Chili, in South America, Engineer and Ship
Owner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Bell Galloway at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd April 1856.
I, GEORGE BELL GALLOWAY, of 42, Basinghall Street, in the City of London,
late of Chili, in South America, Engineer and Ship Owner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in combining the paddle wheel, the screw propeller,
and the expulsion of air and water, as herein-after described, for the purpose
of increasing the effect of propulsion of the vessel; also in the use of the
expulsion of air and water, as herein-after described, as a separate means of
propelling vessels on rivers and canals, and also in the combination, for such
purpose, of the screw propeller, and the expulsion of air and water.
The paddle wheel which I prefer to use is one in which the floats, instead of
being as usual set radially on the wheel, and at right angles to the side of the

page_text: vessel, are inclined, so as to enter and leave the water obliquely, and also to
form an angle (not a right angle) with the side of the vessel, in such a
direction as to give the float the tendency to turn off the water therefrom.
The floats may also be curved in the section. The screw propeller may be of
the ordinary constructions.
The apparatus for expelling the air and water, so as to act as an auxilary
means of propulsion, consists of pipes in connection with the pumps of the
engine or other pumps, such pipes being arranged so as to direct the discharge
of the air and water as required, and being furnished with nozzles or other
suitable orifices for the discharge of the said air and water.
The screw propeller may be driven from the engines of the paddle wheel
by means of suitable shafting and gearing, or it may be driven by a separato
engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Bell Galloway in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BELL GALLOWAY, of 42, Basinghall Street, in the City of London, late of
Chili, in South America, Engineer and Ship Owner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George
Bell Galloway, Her special license that I, the said George Bell Galloway, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Bell Galloway, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Bell
Galloway, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Bell Galloway, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Propelling Vessels" consists in com-
bining the paddle wheel, the screw propeller, and the expulsion of air and.
water, as herein-after described, for the purpose of increasing the effect of
propulsion of the vessel; also in the use of the expulsion of air and water,
as herein-after described, as a separate means of propelling vessels on rivers
and canals, and also in the combination for such purpose of the screw propeller
and the expulsion of air and water.
The paddle wheel which I prefer to use is one in which the floats, instead of
being as usual set radially on the wheel, and at right angles to the side of the
vessel, are inclined, so as to enter and leave the water obliquely, and also to
form an angle (not a right angle) with the side of the vessel, in such a direc-
tion as to give the float the tendency to turn off the water therefrom.
floats may also be curved in the section. The screw propeller may be of the
ordinary constructions.
The
The apparatus for expelling the air and water, so as to act as an auxiliary.
means of propulsion, consists of pipes in connection with the pumps of the
engine or other pumps, such pipes being arranged so as to direct the discharge
of the air and water as required, and being furnished, if required, with nozzles
or other suitable orifices for the discharge of the said air and water.
The screw propeller may be driven from the engines of the paddle wheel
by means of suitable shafting and gearing, or it may be driven by a separate-
engine.
In order, however, that my Invention may be fully understood, I will pro-
ceed to describe it more particularly by the aid of the accompanying Drawing,
in which Fig. 1 is a Diagram representing in general outline the side of a
vessel with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 represents in a similar
manner, but on a larger scale, the side of one of the paddle wheels, above
referred to; and Fig. 3 is a plan or horizontal view of the same. In these
several Figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
a is the vessel; b, b, are paddle wheels, two pairs of which are suitably
mounted on shafts extending from side to side of the vessel in the ordinary
manner, and driven either by separate engines, or by a central engine with
suitable driving gear. These paddle wheels may be of various constructions,,

page_text: but I prefer that they should be constructed with floats, set or fixed at such an
angle to the line of the side of the vessel as to be adapted for turning off the
backwater therefrom on the revolution of the wheel in the direction of the
arrow.
I do not confine myself to the particular angle represented in the Drawing,
as this would be varied in different cases, so long as the floats are inclined to
such a degree as to be capable of turning off the backwater from the side of the
vessel, the best angle of inclination for the floats being that which will produce
this effect to the required extent without any material diminution of hold
upon the water for the purpose of propelling the vessel; neither do I confine
myself to the use of two pairs of wheels, as in some cases one pair would be
sufficient.
c is the screw propeller, which may be of the ordinary construction, and
may be driven by a separate engine, or by means of suitable driving gear
from the engine or engines of the paddle wheels. There is a propeller of this
kind on each side of the vessel, the shaft thereof being mounted on a carrier
suitably fixed in its position, as at d; or the shaft of the propeller may be
fitted in connection with a square boss capable of sliding in a box corre-
spondingly shaped in its interior, so that the shaft with the propeller may be
drawn inwards or pushed outwards, as required. A single screw propeller
with the shaft mounted in the ordinary manner in or about the centre line of
the width of the vessel, may be used, if preferred, instead of the two pro-
pellers, one on each side of the vessel, and shielded when required from the
action of the water by an iron plate, on each side which plates may be worked
up and down as required, instead of raising the screw propeller. e is an exit
pipe or mouth, through which air and water are expelled, so as to aid the
propulsion of the vessel by striking or pressing against the water behind it.
There is one or more of these pipes or mouths on each side of the vessel,
which are fitted with valves or covers, to prevent the admission of water when
the blast of air or the forced stream of water is not used. The air and water
may be thus expelled, either by means of the pumps of the propelling engines,
or of pumps specially adapted for the purpose. I do not confine myself to
any particular form or arrangement of the said pipes or mouths, nor of the
pumps to be used therewith, as they would sometimes be used alone, and
sometimes in combination with the other means of propulsion described above,
which would necessarily involve a modification of their arrangement.
.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not intend

page_text: to confine myself to the precise arrangements and combinations of the parts
represented in the Drawing above referred to; but I claim as of my Invention,
and desire to secure the exclusive use of,-
First, the combination of the paddle wheel, screw propeller, and mechanism
for the expulsion of air and water, as described.
Secondly, the use of paddle wheels with floats inclined, as described.
Thirdly, propelling vessels (especially adapted for canals) by means of the
expulsion of air and water, as described.
And, lastly, the combination of the screw propeller with the above-described
mechanism for expelling the air and water.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Bell Galloway, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the First day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
5 Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
50, Chancery Lane.
GEORGE BELL GALLOWAY. (L.S.)