APPARATUS FOR ACTING ON WATER AND OTHER LIQUID SO AS TO FORCE, DISPLACE, OR PROPEL THE SAME, OR A BODY FLOATING THEREON
Year: 1854

page_text: City of London, Engineer, for the Invention of "APPARATUS FOR ACTING
ON WATER AND OTHER LIQUID SO AS TO FORCE, DISPLACE, OR PROPEL THE SAME,
OR A BODY FLOATING THEREON."
"
Sealed the 15th September 1854, and dated the 6th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles De Bergue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
April 1854.
I, CHARLES DE BERGUE, of No. 9, Dowgate Hill, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "APPARATUS
FOR ACTING ON WATER AND OTHER LIQUID SO AS TO FORCE, DISPLACE, OR PROPEL THE
SAME, OR A BODY FLOATING THEREON," to be as follows:-
My said Invention consists of a body or apparatus so rocking in the water,
on a centre worked to and fro, that each of its opposite sides shall alternately
present a moving inclined face or surface to the water on which it acts, so as to
force, displace, or propel the same, or the body floating on the water.
The accompanying Sketch or Diagram of the manner in which I propose
to propel vessels will serve to illustrate my Invention generally. a is a
chamber or case, open at both ends, one or more of such chambers (and the
arrangement in connection with it) being placed in suitable positions longi-
tudinally with regard to the vessel. is a rocking body or apparatus attached
rigidly to the connecting rod or frame c, the upper end of which receives
motion from the crank d. The rocking body I prefer to make as shewn in the

page_text: section y, y. e is one of a pair of guide pins (one on either side), working in a
slot or groove in the case, as shewn, (but for which a guide rod or rods may be
substituted if preferred,) which cause the crank to give the motion represented
by the different opposite extreme positions of the rocking body, which are shewn,
and consequently will produce currents of water through the chambers in either
direction according to the direction given to the crank, the arrows drawn in
full lines denoting one direction and the corresponding current, and the arrows
drawn in dotted lines denoting the opposite direction and corresponding opposite
current.
It is particularly to be noted, that if the motion of the crank be continuously
in either direction, the motion of the rocking body will produce a current in
one direction only, but which may be reversed by a reversed motion of the crank.
The expulsion of the water, or rather the resistance obtained against it, will give
motion to the vessel.
It is to be observed, that the chamber can in some instances be omitted, on
suitable provision being made for guiding the lower end of the connecting rod
in place of the slot or groove in the case, as above described.
When the Invention is used for raising or forcing water or other liquids,
the case or chamber may have suitable arrangements for preventing leakage
where the connecting rod or rods pass through it, and also any suitable
description of ingress and egress valves when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles De Bergue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE BERGUE, of No. 9, Dowgate Hill, in the City of London, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles De Bergue, Her special licence that I, the said Charles De
Bergue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles De Bergue, 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,

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "APPARATUS FOR
ACTING ON WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS SO AS TO FORCE, DISPLACE, OR PROPEL THE
SAME, OR A BODY FLOATING THEREON," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Charles De Bergue, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles De Bergue, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof (that is to say):
My said Invention consists of a body or apparatus so rocking in the water,
on a centre or axis worked to and fro, that each of its opposide sides shall
alternately present a moving inclined face or surface to the water on which it
acts, so as to force, displace, or propel the same, or the body floating on the
water, such apparatus working or rocking within a case or chamber through
which the water acted upon is thereby caused to pass.
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner in which it is to be performed, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which I have prepared the more fully to
illustrate my said Invention, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
for the purpose of such reference.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a steam boat or vessel intended for sea-
going purposes, having one of my improved propellers applied on cach side, in
place of the ordinary paddle wheels. Figures 2 and 3 are side elevations of
the propeller, parts being in section, so as to shew the rocking body in various
positions during one revolution of the crank. Figure 4 shews both the two
propellers, the one on the left in plan viewed from above the chamber, and
the one on the right in horizontal section, partly through the chamber and
partly through the part H, hereafter referred to. A, Figure 1, represents in
section the hull of the ship; B, the deck; C, the iron shaft, receiving its
motion from a steam engine, as in ordinary paddle wheel steamers. The
opposite extremities of this shaft project over a little on each side respectively
of the vessel, and are firmly supported in suitable bearings, and furnished with
cranks D and D', which serve to transmit the motion to the propeller. E
represents the herein-before mentioned case or chamber, open at each end, and
placed longitudinally with regard to the vessel, and so as to be entirely sub-
merged below. the surface of the water.. I construct this case in a substantial

page_text: manner, of stout sheet iron, and I rivet or bolt or otherwise firmly fix or secure
it to the hull of the vessel, whether such vessel be of wood or iron, so as in a
measure to form a part of it; and I further support and strengthen the outer
side of the chamber by the side E', which is also made of iron, and is attached
at its upper part to the beams or cross timbers of the vessel, or in other
any
suitable manner. Two slots are formed in the upper part of the case to
allow the passage and free action of the arms or connecting rod of the rocking
body. Provision should also be made in the construction of the upper part of
the case, so that a part of it may be removed or taken away for the con-
venience of inserting or removing the blade and connecting rod hereafter
described. H and H' represent the moving and principal part of the apparatus.
The part H is the rocking body or apparatus herein-before referred to, being
in fact a working blade, which acts upon or against the water; and the forked
piece or part H, which is of one piece with or firmly attached to the blade H',
serves as a connecting rod or arm to communicate the motion from the crank
D to the said blade, the latter being guided by two parallelogram arms I, made
of flat bar iron, and placed in the interior of the chamber, one on each side of
the blade H', but not so. as to hinder or impede its action. These two arms
vibrate at one of their extremities, each on one of the studs or pivots J, J, fixed
to the sides of the chamber E, and the other end of each arm is firmly secured
to each extremity of the small shaft K, which is seen in section in Figures 2
and 3, and in dotted lines in Figure 4, and which works freely in the blade H',
and it is this shaft which constitutes the centre or axis on which the rocking
motion of the blade takes place. It may be well to mention that this shaft,
and all the working parts which cannot be lubricated on account of their
working under water, should be properly bushed with brass or gun metal. I
prefer to construct the case or chamber E (particularly its upper or top side)
so as in length rather to exceed that of the blade H¹, and of such capacity and
form as to allow the to and fro and rocking action of the blade (without the
blade getting in actual contact with any part of the inner surface of the
chamber), and yet only slightly to exceed the space traversed over by the blade
during its action.
It will be observed, that when the shaft C is set in motion by the engines in
the direction of the arrow L, Figure 2, the cranks D and D' produce on each
of the blades H¹, by means of the connecting rods H, a to and fro and also a
rocking motion on the centre or axis K, as before described, and of which the
various positions are shewn by lines or dotted lines in Figures 1, 2, and 3;
namely, the first position is represented in the Figure 2; the second position
(the crank having made a quarter of a turn in the direction of the arrow L) is

page_text: represented in Figure 3, and is also shewn in the case on the right hand
side of Figure 1; the third position (the crank having made another quarter
of a turn) is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2; and finally, the fourth
position (the crank having made another quarter of a turn) is represented in
dotted lines in Figure 3, and also in the same position in the case on, the left
side of Figure 1. The arrows M, Figures 2, 3, and 4, shew the direction of
the current produced by the action of the blade H' in the chambers, and the
arrows N shew the direction of the motion thereby given to the vessel.
. It will also be observed, that by reversing the motion of the engines, and by
turning the cranks D and D¹ in the contrary direction to that indicated by the
arrow L, the current given to the water by the blade H¹ will be in the contrary
direction. It will likewise be observed, by examination of Figures 1 and 4,
that the chamber E and the blade II are wider at the centre than at the
extremities. This is for the purpose of increasing the area of the chamber in
the centre, which otherwise would be more confined than at the extremities, by
reason of the greater thickness it is necessary to give to the blade H¹at the
centre than at the ends. But to compensate for the increased velocity which it
may be necessary to give to the water during its passage through the chamber
over and above that at which it enters (in order to the more satisfactorily work-
ing or efficiency of this propeller), I purpose constructing the chamber and also
the blade E¹ of an uniform width from the front end or mouth of the chamber
to the middle of their length, and narrowing them only at their opposite ends,
whereby I apprehend the requisite quantity of water will be received in front
to compensate for the increased velocity acquired during its passage through
the chamber. Or this object may be attained by making the chamber and the
blade to taper or diminish in width from the front end or mouth of the
chamber to the opposite end throughout the entire length, and either by a
curved or a straight taper, as may be desired.
In some cases it may be found advantageous that the under side or bottom
of the case or chamber should not continue or extend throughout its entire
length, but should be somewhat shorter at one or both ends; or, possibly, it
may be deemed advisable to have no bottom to the chamber, but only a top
and sides.
Although in the Drawings the connecting rod H is represented as forked, or
with two arms connected with the blade H, it may be made with one arm
only at the centre or with a greater number of arms; or when two arms are
used, they may be placed nearer together or further apart from each other than
is shewn in the Drawing.
..I construct the blade H and the forked, connecting rod of wrought iron, so

page_text: framed and forged or connected together, as to constitute one firm, strong, and
substantial framing, and I cover the blade itself with iron plates firmly rivetted
together, and to the framing of the blade, so that the interior, being hollow, and
made impervious to water, the propeller will have a floating tendency, and its
buoyancy will render it self-supporting, instead of its weight being borne by
the vessel. But the blade may also be made of wood combined with iron, or
partly of wrought iron and partly of cast iron; or it may be made of any other
suitable substance.
I would remark, that although I have not so represented them in the Draw-
ings, the two parallelogram arms I (which serve to guide the blade) may be
made to work in a countersunk space or recess formed in the sides of the
chamber, in order that the edges or sides of the blade may fit as nearly as
possible against the sides of the chamber; or, as an equivalent, instead of the
parallelogram arms, two grooves or slots may be substituted, placed vertically
or otherwise on each side of the chamber, and in its thickness, to receive and
guide the ends of the shaft K, on which the blade works; or this may be
accomplished in any other convenient manner.
From the Drawing it will be seen that the application of this propeller to
the vessel is effected by placing one of them on each side of and on the
exterior of the vessel, and this may be at or near the middle, as in the case of
paddle wheels; or the apparatus may be placed in various other positions,
either under the vessel or towards the stern, one on either side of, or behind,
or even in the interior of the vessel; and in some cases I apprehend it will be
found particularly advantageous to place it immediately underneath and at the
bottom of a vessel. But whatever position be considered most advantageous,
a greater or less number of my said propellers may be applied to one vessel
without altering the principle of the Invention.
The propellers should always be completely submerged, and generally it will
be advisable that the chamber or chambers should be placed longitudinally
with regard to the vessel, but when placed near the stern and under the run of
the vessel, instead of their being arranged or placed horizontally, they may be
placed at a slight inclination, in accordance with the lines of the vessel. And
I would further remark, that the chamber or case and the blade and connecting
rod may also be so arranged, by suitably altering the apparatus for moving
the working parts, as to give the to and fro motion, either in a horizontal or
inclined line, instead of vertically, as above described.
Lastly, I would remark, that my improved apparatus may also be used either
to displace or to force water or any other kind of liquids instead of pumps or
pumping apparatus, or it may (being placed in a stream of water) also serve in

page_text: place of a water wheel as a prime mover; and in all such cases all the fixed
or moving parts of the apparatus may be made of wood and iron, or of any
other suitable material.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles De Bergue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
C. DE BERGUE. (L.S.)