IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry William Grylls, Henry
Neville, and James Holt at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 2nd November 1867.
We, HENRY WILLIAM GRYLLS, of Dalston, Civil Engineer, HENRY NEVILLE,
of Mile End, Builder, and JAMES HOLT, of Hackney Road, Gentleman, all
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention -
for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER," to be
as follows, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists in an improved arrangement of drum, coil, or other
springs for obtaining and applying motive power for the propulsion of railway
and other kinds of land carriages, ships, boats, and vessels for sea or river
navigation, also for driving machinery for manufacturing purposes, and for
propelling balloons and other aerial machines.
To carry out our Invention we-mount a centre shaft in or on a metal or
wood frame furnished with a cylinder or cylinders which carry the motive
spring or springs. At each end of the cylinder or cylinders is placed a metal
disc with slots at the sides, the two discs of each cylinder being fastened
together by screw bolts or other suitable means. Each cylinder with its discs
thus forms a drum or barrel enclosing a spring. The outer end of each spring
is fastened to a sliding bar which projects through the slots in the discs; at

page_text: the end of the drum or drums we fix a cog or other driving wheel to gear or
connect with smaller wheels fixed on a second shaft for driving purposes;
we then fix on this shaft carriage wheels, paddle wheels, drums or pulleys for
driving machinery, or fans or other appliances that may require to be driven.
Each spring if required may be wound up separately, or the several springs
combined may be wound up together. The winding up of the springs is
effected by means of a fly wheel and cog wheels, and to assist the winding up
we fix on a second shaft two ratchet wheels, between which are placed two
revolving discs enclosing a cog wheel which gears with a wheel on the centre
shaft. The outer side of the discs is furnished with two spring catches acting
on ratchet wheels. The enclosed cog wheel gearing in. the wheel on the
centre shaft and acting with the cog attached to the fly wheel thus keep the
spring or springs continually in action. A lever and ratchet wheel can be
used for winding up if fixed on the centre shaft. To obtain the reverse or
back motion we use a third shaft, on which is fixed a wheel which gears with
a driving wheel on the centre shaft and also gears with a wheel on the second
shaft, which wheel is thrown in or out of gear by a hand lever. For checking
speed or for stopping we use a hand lever and grooved friction wheel, or an
ordinary screw brake.
The whole of the mechanism herein-before described is enclosed in a metal
or wood frame to form the apparatus complete.
When applied for propulsion on common roads we prefer using chains with
dug or spike wheels in place of cog wheels..
To apply the Invention to propelling balloons we fix the apparatus in the
car of the balloon or aërial machine; a man in the car then fixes on the
second shaft fans, wheels, or other driving contrivance for propelling the
balloon.