CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PADDLES OR PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING OF VESSELS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATER WHEELS FOR MILLS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MASSIE, of the Parish of Saint John, Wapping, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, sending greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Ninth day of February, in' the sixth year of His
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alexander Massie, Robert Morton, of the same Place, Engineer, William
Ranwell, of Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Coal Merchant, and Ebenezer
Ranwell, of the same Place, Miller, His especial license, full power, sole
privilege and authority that we, the said Alexander Massie, Robert Morton,
William Ranwell, and Ebenezer Ranwell, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Alexander Massie, Robert Morton,
William Ranwell, and Ebenezer Ranwell, our 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 mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PADDLES OR PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING OF VESSELS, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF WATER WHEELS FOR
MILLS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging us, the

page_text: said Alexander Massie, Robert Morton, William Ranwell, and Ebenezer
Ranwell, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one us, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and
to cause the same to be inrolled in His 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, I, the said
Alexander Massie, on behalf of myself and of the said Robert Morton, William
Ranwell, and Ebenezer Ranwell, do hereby declare that the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our improvements in the construction of paddles or paddle wheels for pro-
pelling vessels on water, or for driving mills by water power, consist in
constructing the paddles or float boards of paddle wheels and water wheels
with sliding shutters or tumbling flaps, by means of which the resisting surface
or face of each paddle may be partially opened in order to allow the water to
flow through it, or completely closed and made to present its greatest resisting
surface to the water.
The manner in which we propose to construct the paddles or float boards of
our wheels, and the machinery for working them, is shewn in the accompanying
Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents the face of one of the float boards of a paddle wheel, which
is formed by a frame of open rails fixed to two parallel radial arms. The spaces
between these open rails are intended to be closed by a similar frame of open
rails sliding upon the face of the fixed franc. a, a, are the radial arms of the
wheel, attached to the shaft or axle b. The fixed frame of open rails c, c, c,
which is to constitute the paddle, is securely attached to the radial arms a, a.
The sliding frame of open rails d, d, is held against the face of the fixed frame
by rebates or brackets e, c, extending from the arms of the wheel, or by any
other convenient means. A lever f at the side of the wheel is mounted between
brackets upon a fulcrum pin at g, the lower end of which lever is attached to
the sliding frame d by a joint at h, and the upper end of the lever, as the wheel
revolves, works in an inclined circular groove in the stationary box i, which is
intended to be fixed to the side of the vessel.
Fig. 2 is a side or edge view of one of the paddles, shewing the lever by which

page_text: the sliding shutter is moved with one of the radial arms of the wheel, and also
the stationary box, in the periphery of which the inclined circular groove is
formed, that works the lever as the wheel revolves, and thereby gives the
sliding lateral movements to the shutters of the paddle.
Fig. 3 is a similar view of the paddle to that represented in Fig. 1, in which
the sliding frame has began to move, and the spaces between the rails of the
fixed frame have become partially open.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete wheel, the spaces between
the fixed rails of those of the lower paddles which are acting against the water
being closed by the inclined circular groove in the stationary box i having
caused the levers to bring the sliding frames into the closed positions, while
those of the paddles which are rising up through the water are opened, to avoid
the resistance of the water and air against the faces of those paddles that have
passed the propelling position. The descending paddles also, by remaining
open until they arrive at the propelling position, avoid much of the impeding
effect of the back water.
Another modification of our Invention of improvements in paddle wheels
consists in constructing them with tumbling flaps, which may be opened for the
purpose of allowing the free passage of the water, or closed so as to oppose the
entire surface of the paddle to the resistance of the water.
Fig. 5 represents in perspective one pair of the radial arms of a paddle
wheel detached from its axle and having two tumbling flaps to form the
paddle. a, a, are the arms, connected by a brace at their outer extremities;
b, b, are the tumbling paddles, turning on an axle or on pivots c, c, at their
ends, which are inserted into the arms. From the ends of the paddles there
are also studs d, d, extending, which are intended to work either in slots or
in the notches e, e, of a sliding rod or bar f at the side of the arm.
Fig. 6 is an edge view of one of the arms of the paddle wheel with the two
tumbling flaps thrown open, by the acute parts of the notches e, e, acting against
the studs d, d, and as the rod or bar f moves inward drawing back the flaps
into the inclined positions shewn.
Fig. 7 is a similar edge view of one of the arms of the paddle wheel, the rod
or bar f being moved outward, and the curved parts of the notches e, e, acting
upon the studs d, d, having forced the tumbling flaps b, b, into coincidence
with the direction of the arm a, which is their most effective propelling
position.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a propelling wheel having paddles formed by
tumbling flaps, as last described. An anti-friction roller k at the inner
extremity of each of the rods or bars f work against a stationary excentric

page_text: cam, attached to the side of the vessel.
This camis. so formed and situate,
that the anti-friction rollers k, k, k, at the inner ends of the rods f. ff, acting
against its larger radius, as the wheel revolves will cause the rods to be moved
outward, and thereby to close the flaps, as shewn at Fig. 7, which is their most
effective propelling position; but on the paddle having passed through its pro-
pelling stroke, the flaps are to be thrown open as at Fig. 6, for the purpose of
enabling them to rise freely through the water, which is done by the anti-
friction rollers passing round the lesser radius of the cam, and thereby moving
the rods inwards. This operation is further promoted by a groove formed at u,
which forces inward the anti-friction rollers as they pass.
We have said that the box i, having the inclined circular groove, is fixed
to the side of the vessel, and also that the cam, is in like manner fixed,
which must be the case, while in operation, in order to open and close the
shutters or flaps of all the paddles successively at the proper times as the
wheel revolves; but as it may be desirable under some circumstances to open
and close the sliding shutters or tumbler flaps at other parts of the rotation of
the paddle wheel than those described, we find it convenient to attach the box i
or cam to the side of the vessel in such a way that it may be readily turned
round, in order that the inclined part of the circular groove or excentric part of
the cam may be brought to act upon the levers, rods, or bars f,ff, at such
parts of the rotation of the wheel as may be desired.
Having described the nature of our Invention, viz, the adaptation of sliding
shutters or tumbling flaps to paddle wheels, we desire it to be understood that
we do not intend to confine ourselves to the particular modes of working them
shewn in the Drawings, as other mechanical contrivances to effect the same
might be devised which would answer the purpose equally well; but we claim
as our Invention,―
First, the constructing of paddles or floats for propelling vessels on water,
or for water-mill wheels, with sliders or flaps, by which their existing surfaces
may be increased or diminished.
Secondly, the formation of such sliding shutters with indented surfaces,
which we find take hold of the water with greater effect than if formed with
plain surfaces, and consequently render a narrow wheel, or one with short
floats or paddles on our construction, as effective as a wheel with much
longer floats or paddles on the ordinary construction.
::
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Massie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
think civ
P.A
ALEXR (L.S.) MASSIE..

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Ninth day of August, in the
seventh year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Alexander Massie came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Ninth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six.