IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS, CARRIAGES, AND AGRICULTURAL MACHINES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Jonn
BAPTISTE SIMION TEISSIER, of Paris, Engineer, and ANTOINE HYPPOLYTE TRIAT,
of Paris, Professor of Gymnastics, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Baptiste Simion Teissier and Antoine Hyppolyte Triat, our exors,
adiiors, and assigns, her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that we, the said John Baptiste Simion Teissier and Antoine Hyppolyte Triat,
our exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Baptiste
Simion Teissier and Antoine Hyppolyte Triat, our exors, adñors, 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 night
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS,
CARRIAGES, AND AGRICULTURAL MACHINES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that we, the said John Baptiste Simion Teissier and Antoine

page_text: Hyppolyte Triat, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said 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 Baptiste Simion Teisser and Antoine Hyppolyte Triat, do hereby declare
that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates, first, to propelling vessels on water; and, secondly, to
propelling carriages on rail and other ways, and certain agricultural implements.
And in order that our Invention may be better understood, we will proceed
to describe the means pursued by us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Scheet 1 of the Drawings represents an arrangement of propellers according
to our Invention, adapted to propelling vessels on water, by which it will be
seen the employ for this purpose a number of arms suspended on axes in a vertical
direction in the water, each having two moveable pieces or wings forming fins,
which are connected to the arms by hinges, so that they may open and close
successively, and thus expose sometimes all their surface to the action of the
water, and at other times their thickness only. The opening and closing of
the wings is effected simply by their movement through the water in one or
the other direction. These propellers can be arranged on each side of the
vessel, before or behind, according to circumstances. When placed before or
behind they are put in such a way as to act alternately, and always two by
two, so that if there are eight, for example, they must be put as if at the four
angles of a square inscribed in the circle formed by the movement of the cranks,
which communicate to them a partial and alternative circular movement. It
results from that peculiar arrangement that amongst the eight propellers there
are six continually in action to propel the vessel forward. Figure 1 is a general
plan of the propeller, and of the mechanism which puts them in motion.
Figure 2 is a vertical and longitudinal section through the centre of a steam
boat to which the propellers are shown applied. Figure 3 is an end view of
the boat. The propellers are shown so arranged that eight of them determine

page_text: the forward movement of the boat, and two other smaller ones its backward
movement; these last are only used as occasion may require. Each propeller
consists of two wings a, which we prefer to be formed of sheet iron of a suitable
thickness, connected by hinges, as will be seen by reference to Figures 4 and 5,
to a strong bar of iron b. These wings a can turn on the bar b, so as to open
to a certain extent, that is, whithout ever making more than a right angle to
that bar. When completely over it, the fans vould be in the position shown
by the horizontal section, Figure 6; and when, on the contrary, the are closed
they would assumed the position shown by the section, Figure 7. The different
arms are suspended upon independent axes c, which are moveable in supports
d, which may be disposed inside or outside the vessel, and secured to a strong
framing A, supported by two cross pieces B, or sleepers. The upper ends of
each of the arms b is attached by a pin joint to a connecting rod e. These
rods e pass to the interior of the boat, and are attached to the cranks on the
axis f, from which the propellers receive their movement, transforming it from
a continued rotatory to an alternative circular movement. Figure 2 shows
how the cranks on the axis f are arranged; they are at right angles to each
other, so that when, for example, the two extreme cranks, which are marked
No. 1, are occupying the horizontal position in the feft, the corresponding pro-
pellers will be found inclined towards the right. During this time the two
opposite cranks No. 3, which have a direction to the right, bring their propellers
to the position inclined towards the left, and finish the movement in that direc-
tion. The two cranks No. 2 are in a vertical position, and the propellers
No. 2 to which they communicate their movement are also vertical, and quite
opened, because moving contrary to the ship, therby presenting all their
surface to the water, with a tendency to propel the vessel forward. The two
cranks the nearest to the motive power No. 4 are also vertical, but in the
direction opposed to the preceding No. 2; their propellers are likewise vertical,
but quite closed, because they receive at this time movement in a direction with
the vessel. By this disposition of the crank axle a rotatory movement is given
in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. There are always six propellers in play,
while two entirely close are coming back to their old place. In this manner
there is no interruption, and the movement is as continual as with the common
paddle wheels or the Archimidean screw. This arrangement presents the
advantage of uniting the energy of oars to the rotation of wheel work. The
steam power, which is only represented on the design by two inclined cylinders
c, and which are supposed to oscillate an communicate directly the movement

page_text: of their pistons to the crank axle f, are placed in the middle of the vessel's
width, and as near the stern as possible. The course of the pistons is arranged
so as transmit to their axle a celerity of rotatory movemens sufficient for the
propellers directly, without any combination of cog wheels or other machinery,
except the rods e which connect the cranks to the arms b. To obtain a back
motion when necessary, two, more or less, additional propellers a¹ are put
between the first, and so arranged that they open in the opposite way to the
others. In order that these extra propellers may act singly, and that their
effect may not be destroyed by the others, the motive power of these last is
stopped, and a sort of fork slipped over them, to prevent their opening. During
the progressive movement of the ship, when it is required to produce a back
motion to the barrel, these supplemental propellers are set in action by a little
supplementary steam engine M placed quite at the stern, as shown, as the
propellers a¹ are rarely called into action; they are arranged to give only a slow
movement to the vessel, but this may be varied; and we would remark, that
any of the propellers, when not in action, may be drawn up of the water.
Figure 8 shows a separate view of the crank axle. This arrangement of pro-
pellers, it is evident, may be readily adopted to vessels propelled by sails as
well as steam power, because the propellers are always submerged; and when
it may be desirable to obtain motion to the vessel by the sails alone, the
propellers may be either shut up or drawn quite out of the water. The.
Drawing No. 2, Figure 9 and 10, shows our improvement applied to
propelling an engine on a railway, the crank axles having cranks combined
with paws or propellers. Figure 10 shows how the motion is communi-
cated from two steam cylinders A to the crank axle B. This crank axle B
communicates motion by means of the connecting rods c to the crank axles D,
with cight cranks for so many paws or propellers E. By the rotation of the
crank axle D the paws move forward, and take successively hold on the ground
as horses would, and produce the movement to carriages; this arrangement
of crank axle, having several cranks with paws propellers, is favorable for
ascending inclined planes. Figure 12 shows the application of the system to:
a plough. The crank axle A may be placed behind or before, and may receive
its rotation from any suitable power. The arms or paws E are connected to
the cranks on the crank axle A, and take hold of the ground on the opposite
side, and produce motion of the plough.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, we would have it
understood, that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shewn and

page_text: described, so long as the peculiar character of our Invention be retained; but
what we claim is,--
First, the mode herein described of propelling vessels on water:
Secondly, we claim the modes herein described of propelling carriages on
rail and other ways, and also propelling agricultural implements.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Baptiste Simion Teissier and
Antoine Hyppolite Triat, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-five.