A NEW METHOD OF DRAGGING BOATS BY THE POWER OF THE WATER TH
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robertson, of the City of-Manchester, 'in-the
County of Lancaster, Mechanician, for the Invention of "A NEW
METHOD OF DRAGGING BOATS BY THE POWER OF THE WATER PASSED THROUGH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robertson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th December 1859.
"
I, WILLIAM ROBERTSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for A NEW METHOD OF DRAGGING BOATS BY THE POWER OF THE WATER
PASSED THROUGH CANALS OR RIVERS, OR OTHERWISE ATTAINABLE," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in a method of dragging boats by
the
power of the water passing through the canal or river to be navigated,
or otherwise attainable.
The power of the water may be utilized in two ways; first, at each lock,
or as frequently as circumstances may dictate, a water wheel or turbine
is crected, receiving its water from the first lock, or second, or third, or
otherwise as may be necessary or convenient to the work to be done.
through a pipe, and which water wheel gives motion to a chain, rope, or
[Price:8d.]

page_text: flexible band of suitable material passed over pulleys or rollers distri-
buted along the banks between the locks, or such other points at which
the water wheels are placed. To such rope or chain is fastened one end
of a short rope, whose other end is made fast to the boat, so that the
boat is thereby moved, or a boat may be kept constantly attached to the
rope or chain moved by the wheel, and the boat to be dragged may be
attached to it in the usual way.
A second method of utilizing the power of the water passing through
the canal or river, or otherwise conveniently attainable, consists in
fastening to the end of the conveying pipe fixed in one lock, embank-
ment, or bottom, as may be found most suitable, a flexible pipe, and
passing it along the bottom of the canal to the next lock, when it is
attached to the end of another pipe similarly fixed with the above to the
lock, embankment, or bottom. This flexible pipe is passed between a
pair of rollers fastened in suitable framing on the deck of the boat to
be dragged, and as the water is admitted into the pipe it will be
expanded between the rollers and force them along, and, of course, the
boat on which they are fastened will be forced along with them. As in
the preceding method, the rollers may be placed in a suitable framing
fastened on the deck of a small boat, and the boat to be dragged may
be connected to this small boat in the usual way. The rollers may be
fastened in framing under the boat, and the tube passed between them,
or a twin boat may be constructed, in the middle of which a framing
for the rollers may be put, through which the flexible tube may be passed,
and the water utilized..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Robertson, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERTSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third
year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Robertson, Her special licence that I.
the said William Robertson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: or such others as I, the said William Robertson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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, usc, exercise, and vend, with in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for A NEW METHOD OF DRAGGING BOATS BY THE
POWER OF THE WATER PASSED THROUGH CANALS OR RIVERS, OR OTHERWISE ATTAINABLE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robertson,
my executors, or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 William Robertson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention consists in an improved method of
dragging boats by the power of the water passing through the canal or
river to be navigated, or otherwise attainable.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thercon. The same letters refer to the same parts in the first five
Figures, and to such of the parts as recur in Fig. 6.
Fig. 1 is a plan of a canal shewing two locks; Fig. 2 is a side elevation
of the same; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a lock on an enlarged scale,
shewing the water wheels attached; Figs. 4 and 5 are plans in section
of the pipes and valves for regulating the admission and outlet of the
water; Fig. 6 is an elevation shewing the mode of obtaining tractive
power from the water passing along a flexible tube. The water in canals
or rivers which passes through locks is available to a high degree,
though only for short periods, as power. The filling or emptying of a
lock is the passing from a higher to a lower level of the quantity of
water which the lock contains, and this water alone is necessarily
passed through canals and available for power without increased expense.
Where locks occur in series and are placed at short distances from each
other by the method now proposed the discharged water from a lock, or

page_text: the water with which it is being charged, is made available for the pur-
pose of dragging boats from one of these locks to another. The water
in discharging passes from the lock a through the flexible pipes b, b,
to the turbine wheels c, c, entering the turbine centre pipe at right
angles to its course from the lock, and from the turbine wheels it is dis-
charged into the lower reach of the canal from an opening, see Fig. 4.
in the casing of the turbine immediately over the entrance of supply,
and at right angles also to the course of the pipe b, b, towards the
turbine. When a lock is being charged the water passes from the
higher level of the canal through the syphon pipes d, d, and enters the
turbine wheels c, c, in a line parallel with the course of the pipes b, b,
and it is discharged into the cases e, e, and by the flexible pipes b, b,
is conveyed into the lock chamber a. The flexible pipes b, b, are
attached to the two way pipes f, f, communicating with the turbine
cases by an angular way on a level with its course and with the turbine
centres by another angular way underneath its course, from the side of
which way and at right angles to its course it enters the turbine centre.
The syphon pipe d charges the turbine in a direct line to the centre,
the flexible pipe b at right angles to its course. When the lock is dis-
charged through the flexible pipe b, the water enters the turbine at
right angles to its course and is discharged into the canal, also at right
angles to its course. When the lock chamber a is filled through the
syphon pipe d, the water enters the turbine c in a direct line, and is
discharged from the turbine case e also in a direct line immediately
over the direct supply entrance, this discharge line being angled in the
pipe f, after passing the valve chamber p (which. will be described
hereafter) so as to enter the flexible pipe b, and through it to fill the
lock chamber a.
In one corner of the valve chamber p. Figs. 4 and 5, is fitted in a
water-tight collar, the valve spindle 2, which rises to the level of the lock
chamber a, and as much farther as will bring it to a convenient height
to be worked by hand. On the valve spindle are fastened (one in
each level) the valves s, s, so that when the water is required to fill or
discharge the lock a single quarter turn of the valve spindle will admit
the water to the turbine from the proper pipe, and discharge it from the
turbine case by the proper opening. In the sectional view, Fig. 4, of
the valves, the water is admitted from the lock to the turbine by the
flexible pipe b, and it is discharged from the opening into the canal.
By placing the valve s across the opening from the lower two-way pipe

page_text: f, and across the opening k to the canal, the water would be admitted
by the syphon pipe d from the upper level of the canal to the turbine c,
and would be discharged from the turbine case e, through the upper
two-way pipe f and the flexible pipe 6 into the lock chamber a. The
turbine shewn is the one known as Whitelaw and Stirrat's patent turbine,
but the arrangements necessary to adapt the pipes to any other class of
turbines will be obvious to any engineer. The water is admitted to the
turbine at its centre, and is discharged into its case by the curved arms,
its supply pipe being fitted to receive the bearing of the turbine and to
allow it freely to revolve as is usual in such machines. The connection
from the driving wheel to the band, rope, or other proper material, may
be adjusted in any of the well-known forms. Two different modes of
adjusting such ropes having been already published, one in the Specifi-
cation of Letters Patent granted to Charles Liddell, of Abingdon Street,
in the City of Westminster, on the Fifteenth July One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three, No. 1085, under the title of "Improvements in
Moving Boats on Canals and Rivers," and another by Tell Claude
Francois Lecour, of Paris in the Empire of France, and 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, in a Provisional Specification of "Improvements in
Locomotion on Canals and Rivers," left with the Commissioners of
Patents on the Twenty-second March One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five, No. 633; either of these forms may be applied to the present
improvements, which are adapted only to dragging boats for short dis-
tances by the water power deriveable from the emptying or filling of a
lock. The advantage of this method consists in using only the water
passed necessarily through the canal, and thoroughly utilizing that
amount of water by deriving power therefrom both during the filling and
emptying of a lock. This system will also permit the advantageous
employment of tug steamers capable on long reaches of canals of draw-
ing boats in teams without occasioning delay at the locks or the employ-
ment of horse traction, as by disengaging the boats they can be dragged
from lock to lock of a series by the emptying or filling of cach such
successive lock. The power derivable from a lock is short in duration
and great in amount, being in some cases equal to about forty horses
power, and to economise this so as to spread it over a sufficient length
of time I employ a fly-wheel t, see Fig. 3, so adjusted on the turbine
shaft or any other shaft connected with the turbine that it will con-
tinue to move after the water has ceased to drive the turbine. The weight
of this fly-wheel will serve as a counterpoise against the pressure of

page_text: the water in the turbine shewn, and if other forms of turbine are
employed, the fly-wheel may be placed on a horizontal shaft. The
clutch is fastened on the turbine shaft, and a catch a is placed
-on a-stud fastened in the rim of the boss of the fly-wheel t, so as to
take into the teeth of the clutch u, and receive motion from the turbine.
When the turbine ceases to move or moves so slowly as to be of no
advantage in turning the fly wheel, the catch a slips over the teeth of
the clutch u. Power can sometimes be obtained from water not pass-
ing through canals, and may be utilized for working local traffic with
advantage. An instance of this kind occurs between Paisley and John-
stone in Renfrewshire, Scotland, where a considerable stream passes
underneath the canal, and at the distance of about two hundred yards
or thereabouts a very important and available fall, more than sufficient
during the year to work the traffic on that portion of the canal between
Paisley and Johnstone; other instances might be named in which water
not passing through the canal may be utilized, but the above is suffi-
cient to shew the application of this part of my Invention. The
advantage derived from using water in this manner is, that it preserves
the canal free from current and from the danger arising from heavy
rains when unnecessary water is passed through it.. The power derivable
from this source will be best applied by the means hercin-before
described, as they permit the water from which power is obtained to
pass away without entering the canal, whereas the system I am now
about to describe would necessarily require the water to be emptied into
the canal.
In Fig. 6, which represents a side view of the method of utilizing the
water passed through canals by passing the water from locks or to
them, along a flexible pipe reaching from one lock to another, this pipe
being passed between rollers which are carried by the boat to be dragged
or by a boat to which the boat or boats to be dragged may be attached
in the usual manner. a is the lock, to the lower gates of which the
flexible pipe or pipes w is or are attached. These pipes extend to the
next lock a', and there are connected with a two-way pipe w', one
way of which opens to the canal, allowing the water to pass which may
have accumulated in the pipe, or the surplusage of water from the
lock, above what was necessary for the purpose of pushing the boat or
boats to the lock a'. The second way of the pipe w' opens a connec-
tion to a fixed or flexible pipe w communicating also with the lock a.
The valve w regulates the connection of the two-way pipe with the

page_text: canal or lock. The flexible pipe w may discharge its water at or near
the gate of lock a by the valve y in the pipe by which it is attached to
the gate. The boat z has a frame z', having bearings for two rollers z²,
between which the flexible pipe w passes. In the frame z' at the top
there is an adjustable screw, by which the rollers may be pressed so as
not to allow any water to pass between them. If, now, the valve y be
opened to the lock a, and the valve in the two-way pipe w' adjusted to
discharge its water into the canal, the water from the lock will pass along
the flexible pipe, causing it to expand and so to strive to pass between
the rollers 2, which effort, acting upon the roller bearings and the boat
which carries them, will tend to push the boat towards the lock a¹.
If, again, the valve y be adjusted to close the connection of the flexible
pipe w with the lock a, and to open it to the canal, and also the valve
win the two-way pipe w¹ be adjusted to connect the flexible pipe w
with the pipe w³, extending from the lock a to the lock a', and com-
municating with the lock a, then the water will pass along the flexible
pipe w from the lock a', and push the boat or boats towards the lock a.
By this double action the circulation to and fro may be maintained.
The valves y and w³ being in every respect the same as above described
in reference to Figs. 4 and 5 it is not necessary here to repeat the
description of them.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First, the improved methods of utilizing the water necessarily passed
through canals or rivers, as herein-before described.
And, secondly, the utilizing of available falls of water not passed
through canals for working local traffic on canals as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said William Robertson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON. (L.S.)