CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS ON WATER
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CORSCADEN THOMPSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Master
Mariner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of November, in the ninth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Carscaden Thompson, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said William Corscaden Thompson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Corscaden
Thompson, my 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
in all the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also
within all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, an Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
ON WATER," which has been communicated to me by a foreigner residing
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
William Corscaden Thompson, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be

page_text: enrolled in Her 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
William Corscaden Thompson do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed,
and to the following explanation thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of the application, employment, or use of one or
more paddle-wheels of peculiar construction, placed in water-tight cases, and
projecting through the sides, bilges, or bottom of a vessel. These wheels
differ from the common paddle-wheels, inasmuch as that all the centre part,
for about three-fourths of their diameters, will consist of a hollow water-tight
drum, to the periphery of which the floats or paddles are to be attached. The
axis or shaft on which these wheels revolve passes through stuffing boxes into
the vessel, and to these are to be connected the steam engine or other moving
power. It is to be observed that only a small are of the wheels will project
from the vessel, and that the month of the apertures will fit as close to the
wheels as in practise may be found advisable. These wheels being set in
motion, it is found that at and above a given velocity the water is, by the
centrifugal force of the wheels, excluded from the cases, although they should
be situated entirely below the level of the water, at the side of the ship.
Thus, while the part of the wheel outside of the case is acting in the most
favorable direction for propelling the ship, the remainder is working in an air-
tight chamber free from water. The advantages to be derived from this appli-
cation are, first, whatever may be the immersion, the wheel is always in a
favorable position for giving the greatest effect; second, it is found that a much
smaller paddle-wheel is required for taking up the power of the engines than
with the old system; third, that this Invention will be found of great service in
vessels of war. In order that these improvements may be more fully explained
and clearly understood, I have attached to these Presents a Sheet of Draw-
ings exhibiting several modes of their application to steam vessels, and drawn
upon a scale of about three inches to the foot, having the same letters of
reference marked upon corresponding parts of the apparatus in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 is the section of a vessel having the paddle-wheel in the centre,
with the driving crank on each side. Figure 2 is a side view of the wheel in
the same nosition.

page_text: Figure 3 is a section of a vessel having two paddle-wheels placed at the
bilges, with the crank shaft between them. Figure 4 is a side view of the
same arrangement.
b, b, are the
Figure 5 is the section of a vessel, also having two paddle-wheels projecting
from the sides in recesses something similar to the common paddle-wheels, but
enclosed in air and water tight cases, as before described.
Figure 6 is a side view of the same arrangement. a, a, a, a, are cases or
paddle-boxes attached to the bottom or sides of a vessel. These are made air
and water tight, except at the bottom, where they are open.
driving shafts, which are made to revolve by a steam engine or other motive
power; c, c, are the drums or hollow centres of the paddle-wheels; d, d, are the
floats or paddles attached to the periphery of the hollow drums or centres c, c.
These paddles may either be opened at the sides e, e, Figure 5, as in an
ordinary paddle-wheel, or may be enclosed at the sides f, f, Figure 8, like
an overshot water-wheel. I do not confine myself to any peculiar form of
paddles.. They may be either curved or oblique, or in any position which
experience may prove to be best, nor do I confine myself to the form of the
cases or boxes in which they revolve. 9. g, are bilge pieces, made somewhat
deeper than usual, as a guard to the wheels in shallow water. The Drawing
shews both the vessel and wheel of iron; but I do not confine myself to these
materials, but would adopt timber or any other material that should be con-
sidered best for the object. I would remark, in conclusion, that in case of its
being desirable to work vessels so fitted under sail alone, the paddles may be
lifted up entirely out of the water by any suitable machinery, or one or both
paddle wheels may at any time be engaged or disengaged with the driving
power by means of any well-known or suitable connecting apparatus, without
in any way interfering with the Invention.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be practically carried into effect, I desire it to be under-
stood that I claim, by virtue of the above in part recited Letters Patent, the
peculiar arrangement and construction of the paddle-wheel or wheels, having
the centre formed like a hollow drum or cylinder, and being provided with
floats or paddles attached to the periphery thereof, which propelling wheels or
apparatus are to be worked in a water and air tight chamber (when partly
immersed), with the lower portion of the wheel or wheels projecting or
dipping into the water; and also the application, employment, or use of such
apparatus for the purpose of propelling vessels on water, whether used in
connection with. the steam engine or any other driving power, or with any

page_text: connecting or disconnecting apparatus, when the vessel is to be worked under
sail only, or otherwise.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Corscaden Thompson, have
hereunto set my land and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
Extraordinary in Chancery.
WILLIAM CORSCADEN
(L.S.) THOMPSON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Eighteenth day of May, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Corscaden Thompson came
before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in such case made and provided.