IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER MACHINES OR ENGINES ON STEAM ENGINES, AND THE MODE OF TRACTION ON CR IN CANALS OR OTHER WATERS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN AITKEN,
of Surrey Square, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, 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 Tenth day of April, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Aitken, IIer especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Aitken, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Aitken, my exors, adññiors, 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, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATER MACHINES OR ENGINES ON
STEAM ENGINES, AND THE MODE OF TRACTION ON CR IN CANALS OR OTHER WATERS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
John Aitken, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with of the said proviso, I, the said
John Aitken, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully 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:-
My Invention relates, first, to working dredging machines for cleansing
and deepening tideways of rivers by means of power obtained from the tide.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of 'arranging machinery for lifting
stone or other heavy bodies, by means of vacuum produced displacing water.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to improvements in condensing steam engines,
whereby I obtain greater power from the steam employed.
Fourthly, my Invention relates to a mode of traction on or in canals and
other waters, by means of atmospheric pressure acting into a partial vacuum
obtained by water.
Fifthly, my Invention relates to a mode of loading or discharging ships or
other vessels of coal, grain, or other cargo, by means of the power of the tide
in tidal rivers.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted
with for performing the same.
The object of the first part of my Invention is, to take advantage of the
tide for giving motion to dredging machinery; and this I do by applying
an undershot water wheel or undershot water wheels to give motion to the
shaft or axis of the dredging machinery, in place of having steam engines on
board a vessel for such purpose. The nature and construction of dredging
machinery being well understood, and the power requisite for giving motion
to the same, it will not be necessary to describe the same, as my Invention
will not require any alteration therein; and such machinery is to be applied
to a suitable vessel or float, to which a water wheel or water wheels are to be
applied of a size depending on the power required and the speed of the stream,
such wheels communicating motion to the main shaft, by which motion is
transmitted to the dredging machinery.
The second part of my Invention relates to machinery for raising stone or
other heavy bodies, and consists of forming a tank or vessel with a partition,
on which is fixed a cylinder similar to that of a steam engine, having a piston
and piston rod in connection by suitable apparatus, with a windlass or barrel,
so that in the moving of the piston motion may be given to the windlass or
barrel, and causes the same to wind on a rope or chain, and thus to raise a

page_text: stone or other ponderous body, or for other purposes. The cylinder is to
have a cover at the upper and lower ends, the piston rod working through a
proper stuffing box, and the cylinder valves are to be kept constantly covered
with water, and the cylinder is to have slides or valves forming induction
and eduction ways to the to the upper and lower parts of the cylinder, and so
arranged that the induction ways communicate to the water surrounding the
cylinder; but when either of the induction ways is open, the water may flow
into and fill the cylinder, the eduction ways being open only to the compart-
ment of the tank below the partition, and a partial vacuum is to be made
by pumping the water from the lower part of the tank back into the upper
part of the tank, by means of a pump fixed at the bottom of the tank, the
piston or bucket of which works below the level of the water in the lower
part of the tank. By this arrangement, supposing it was desired from time
to time to lift very considerable weights by the exertion of comparatively small
power, during a time proportionably great, as the weight to be raised is
greater than the power employed; and supposing the piston of the cylinder
were at the upper part of the stroke, and that a partial vacuum had been
obtained by removing a quantity of the water therein equal to the contents
of the cylinder, if the valves be moved so as to open the eduction way to the
vacuum and the induction way to the upper part of the cylinder, the pressure
of the atmosphere pressing the water into the cylinder above the piston, the
piston would be pressed towards the vacuum with the force due to the state
of vacuum in the lower part of the tank below the partition, the water
flowing from the under part of the cylinder into the tank below. Then, sup-
posing that by the action of the water pump the water was pumped from the
lower compartment to the upper part or compartment of the tank, there
would again be a partial vacuum, and, by reversing the slides or valves, the
pressure of the air forcing water into the lower induction passage of the
cylinder would force up the piston with a pressure due to the state of
vacuum on the other side of the piston, and the water above the piston would
be delivered into the lower compartment of the tank; and in case that it be
desired to have the machinery and apparatus so arranged that the piston in
the working cylinder should make two or more strokes in close succession,
then the lower part of the tank must be large enough to contain as much
water as will be given out in the number of strokes it is desired to make in
continued succession; and this quantity of water is to be pumped out of the
lower part of the tank before starting the machine, and then it will only be
necessary to work the valves as the piston arrives at each end of the cylinder,
and the piston will continue working till the vacuum below: is filled up by

page_text: the water delivered from the cylinder; and the advantage of using water and
a pump suitable for removing it, in place of an air pump, for obtaining a
vacuum in the lower part of the tank is, that in working a water pump it at
all times delivers the same quantity, and a like space is rendered void at each
stroke, whereas by the use of an air pump each stroke would produce less
effect, as the air contained in the
would be of less gravity at cach
stroke, and consequently less effect would be produced than when removing
water at each stroke.
The third part of my Invention has for its object, a mode of supplying the
condensing water to the condenser of steam engines, and at the same time
obtaining power by so doing. And this part of my Invention consists in using
or applying a cylinder, with a piston and piston rod similar to that of the
steam engine, the cylinder being of a size suitable for containing as much
water as will, when thrown into the condenser, condense the steam coming
from the steam cylinder; and the piston rod of this additional cylinder is to be
in connection with the steam, so as to aid in giving motion thereto. The
additional cylinder is to have valves or slides to induction and eduction ways
opening into the condenser, so that the water may be thrown into the con-
denser in a suitable manner for condensing the steam, as it comes in from the
steam cylinder; the induction ways opening into a tank or vessel of water,
the water surrounding the additional cylinder. By this arrangement, sup-
posing the piston of the additional cylinder be descending, the lower eduction
port will be open to the condenser, and the upper induction port will be open
to receive the water which will be pressed in by the atmosphere, and will
force down the piston in the additional cylinder owing to the vacuum in the
condenser; by this means the pressure of air acting to move the piston in the
additional cylinder will aid the steam in the cylinder in giving motion to the
beam of the engine, and thus the engine will be relieved of the weight of water
in the air pump, and consequently additional power will be obtained to the
engine.
The fourth part of my Invention has for its object, to give motion to vessels
on canals and other waters by means of the atmosphere pressing towards a
vacuum in a pipe placed just below the surface of the water in a canal or
other water, from which pipe the water being withdrawn, either by means
of a column of about thirty-three feet, or by means of pumps, as hereafter
explained, a vacuum or partial vacuum may be obtained; and by having the
pipe formed with a slit, with a valve so as to allow of a piston travelling
within the pipe to be put in connection with a vessel on the water, such
vessel may be moved by the pressure of the air in like manner to what

page_text: carriages are now moved and proposed to be moved on atmospheric railways.
The traction pipe is, as heretofore on atmospheric railways, to be constructed
with a longitudinal opening or slit covered by a valve made of leather, or
other suitable material suitably prepared for resisting the action of the water,
as is practised in preparing such materials for the buckets of pumps and
other purposes, as is well understood; this valve should be strengthened by
numerous parallel narrow plates of metal fixed side by side across the valve, as
has before been practised, and such valve may be attached at one of its edges to
the side of the slit or opening in the traction pipe, as is now practised in the
atmospheric railway in Ireland, or the valve may be wholly separated from
the traction pipe, and simply cover the slit or opening, as has before been
suggested by others. And I would here mention, that I make no claim to
any peculiar construction of traction pipe, nor longitudinal valve for the
same, nor do I claim any novelty in the construction of other valves to be
used in working this apparatus is canals or other waters, my Invention being
confined to the use of water as herein described, for obtaining and maintaining
a vacuum in the traction pipes employed for moving vessels on water; and
as the various details of apparatus of atmospheric railway form no part of
my Invention, it will not be necessary for me to describe the same, further
than is required for explaining how water is to be used in obtaining and
maintaining the requisite vacuum in the traction pipes used according to my
Invention. The vessel or vessels will be connected with a piston similar to
those used in atmospheric railways, and the requisite means of opening and
again closing the longitudinal valve employed will be applied. The traction
pipe I place near the side or other convenient position in the water of a canal
or other water, so that the water will at all times cover the pipe some inches,
as will be better understood on examining the Drawing, where Figure 1 is a
transverse section of a traction pipe in a canal, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sec-
tion, and Figure 3 a plan of part of a traction pipe; a being a transverse slide,
6 the slide box, c, c, the longitudinal opening in the traction pipe, and d the
longitudinal valve, the nature of which has before been explained. Where the
vacuum is not required to be repeated at quick intervals of time, only one
eduction pipe would be required in a mile or other greater length, as time
may be allowed for running off the water, and obtaining the vacuum in the
traction pipe before the vessel or vessels start; and the speed of removing
the water may be hastened by having more eduction ways. And it will be
evident, that as the longitudinal valve is lifted, the pressure of the atmosphere
will force the water into the traction pipe, and the air and water will press
forward the piston into the vacuous traction pipe, the water filling up the

page_text: traction pipe behind the piston, the valves on the water eduction ways being
closed as soon as the vacuum has been obtained, and thus the traction pipe
will again be in a condition to be rendered vacuous; and, when desired, the
transverse valves in the traction pipe may be immediately closed after the
assage of a vessel, and thus the previous part of the traction pipe may be
again rendered vacuous for a succeeding vessel or vessels; and such trans-
verse valves should in all cases be used at water eduction ways, so that the
same person who attends to one valve may attend to the other, and the
correct working of the valves will be greatly facilitated by having electric
telegraphs along the lines of canal, to intimate to the men on the line what
is required to be done with the valves from time to time. It will be evident,
where the requisite vertical length for the eduction water pipes can be con-
veniently obtained with a sufficient supply of water, that will be the better
way of applying my Invention, and the eduction pipes are to descend into
water below or have their lower ends bent up; but where the requisite ver-
tical column cannot be obtained with convenience, then I use short water
eduction ways with pumps, in such manner that the pump working in the
water will remove the cubic contents of the spaces moved through by their
pistons at each stroke, and, where necessary, (owing to the supply of water
being short,) I return such water into the canal containing the traction
pipe.
I will now describe the fifth part of my Invention, which relates to the use
of the tide as a means of giving motion to machinery for lifting coals or
other cargo out of ships or other vessel. In earrying out this part of the
Invention, I have a water wheel carried by a suitable frame or raft to float
the same, and this water wheel being brought alongside a ship or vessel and
made fast, the power thereby obtained may, by suitable bands or ropes, be
conducted over pulleys on board the ship or vessel to be loaded or unloaded,
such bands or ropes receiving motion by winding on and off drums or pulleys
on the axis of the water wheel; the drums so used being made fast to the
axis by a clutch when it is desired to wind up the ropes or bands, and the
clutches are to be released when it is desired to lower the ropes or bands.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
an acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details herein described, so long as the
peculiar character of either part of my Inven on be retained; but what I
claim is,
First, the mode of working dredging machines, as herein described, by means
of the power of the tide:

page_text: Enrolled the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.