CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO CANAL NAVIGATION
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SMITH, of Deanston Works, in the Parish of Kilmadock, in the County of
Perth, Cotton Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of October, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
Smith, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said James Smith, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Smith, my exors, admiors, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO CANAL NAVIGATION;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James
Smith, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Inven-
tion, 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 the said proviso, 1, the said
James Smith, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained 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 improvements applicable to canal navigation consist of two distinct
parts; first, a new and peculiar mode of lockage, whereby the vessels or boats
passing along the line of canal rise or drop, as the case may be, from one level
to another without having to be stopped, and which I attain by confining the
difference of altitudes at each lock to from twelve to eighteen inches, and by
allowing the vessel to pass over the lock gates, depressing them under water
to the depth of the draught of the vessel.
Having thus detailed the leading features of my improved system of lockage
for canals, I shall now proceed to describe minutely the various parts and form
of the lock gate, shewing the passage of a vessel over three different gates in
different positions, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing, together with a
longitudinal and transverse section of the improved lock gate upon a larger
scale. The same numbers of notation refer to the different views of the same
parts, as seen in the respective Figures.
Figure 1, a longitudinal section of a portion of a canal, shewing a series of
locks with the differences of the levels at each lock gate; Figure 2, a longi-
tudinal section of a portion of a canal, with threo of the improved locks;
Figure 3, a plan view of the same, both shewing vessels passing over the locks
in three different positions; Figure 4, a longitudinal section of a lock gate
with wings on a larger scale; Figure 5, a transverse section of the same. 1, a
general outline of the margins of the canal; 2, the surface line of the water;
3, outline of the vessels passing over the locks; 4, the lock gates, which may
be made of iron, timber, or other suitable material, and are formed hollow in
order to give them sufficient floatage; 5, the contracting wings of the lock,
which may be of masonry or of timber, as shall best suit the circumstances of
the case.
The gate must be hinged to a sill nearly in a level with the bottom
of the canal, and attached to the masonry or timber framework of the wings;
to this sill the lock gate may be attached, either by trunion hinges, or by a
continuous joint all across, so that it shall be water-tight or nearly so;
6, bracket checks, against which the gate rises, and by which it is retained at
its proper altitude and position, and keeping tight up to the checks by the
pressure of the head of water, so as to prevent the water from passing from
the upper to the lower level; 7, a roller, to facilitate the movement of the

page_text: vessels over the lock gate; 8, Figure 2, a temporary prow attached to the
vessels, having a gradually curved surface for the purpose of pressing down
the lock gates. The gates of the lock should be made to slope at an angle
not greater than forty-five degrees. It will be seen in the Figures 2 and 3,
that the face of the temporary prow, coming in contact with the roller on the
top of the gate, will depress it, and thereby permit the vessel to pass over
the gate without having to be stopped. Whilst the gate is depressed by the
passage of the vessel, the water from the higher reach will have a tendency to
pass through the gateway; but as the cross section of the vessel will fill up a
considerable part of the area of the opening, as seen at Figure 5, and as the
gate will shut as soon as the vessel has passed through, a small portion only. of
water will pass from the higher to the lower reach, and this portion being
divided over the extended area of the surface of the water in that portion of
the canal which intervenes betwixt and the next gate, the whole water which
has so passed will be retained in the lower reach, and will be available for the
passage of vessels to the next succeeding reach. As the same quantity of
water which flows whilst a vessel passes from onc reach to another will serve
for each succeeding reach, so the whole quantity of water necessary to pass a
vessel from one reach to another will pass it along in a descent or ascent to
any extent of difference of altitude, thus effecting a great saving of water in the
lockage of vessels, which forms one feature of my improvement. In canals
which are in the course of execution, the wings of the lock may be of masonry
or any other suitable structure, but in canals which are in use it may be of
importance, in putting in the new locks, to execute them in such manner as
can be accomplished without withdrawing the water from the canal, or in any
way stopping the navigation. With this view I prepare a framework of timber,
as seen in Figures 4 and 5, consisting of a sill frame 8, with wings 9 on each
side for contracting the gateway to a suitable width for the vessels passing in the
navigation, and for retaining the lock; the wings I first construct by driving in
piles forming the outline of the wings the sill piece. I have them fitted so
as to go down to its place by sliding upon temporary feathers attached to the
wing posts, and having the gate attached by a proper hinge, so that it shall at
once go down to its proper place in a working condition. The checks I then
affix by bolting them to the sheeting piles of the wing walls. All the timber.
I drive to a depth of 6 or 8 feet under the usual level of the surface of the
canal, and I place massive dressed stones (10) over it as cope work for the
structure. In this mode of lockage, the head pressure being small, a much
less substantial structure of the whole work will suffice than in cases where
the head pressure runs from four to ten feet.

page_text: My other improvement applicable to canal navigation consists in the
application of a wheel or wheels of large diameter passing by the sides or
through the bottom of the vessel, so as to rest upon the bottom of the canal,
and being so attached to the vessel by radial links or ties as to admit of
its adapting itself to the varying level of the surface of the bottom of the
canal, without affecting in any way the floatage of the vessel; and from the
bite or hold of the rim of the wheel upon the bottom of the canal I derive
sufficient hold or resistance, from which, by any suitable power, I acquire the
means of propelling the vessel in a much more effectual manner than has
heretofore been done by paddle wheels or otherwise. By using a wheel of
large diameter, I, in the first place, give greater effect to the power of the
bite of the wheel upon the bottom of the canal, as the distance of the point
of contact from the centre of motion gives a considerable leverage; and I
gain this further object by the large diameter of the wheel, that the point
of attachment of the power which I apply to propel the wheel is considerably.
above the surface of the water, which enables me to work the gear without
any interruption or annoyance from the water. In order to enable me to
communicate motion to the wheel in its movement relative to the floatage
line of the vessel, I place a cross shaft parallel to the axle of the wheel, and
to which the radial links from the axle of the wheel are attached. From this
shaft I communicate motion to the wheel by such mechanisin as I find most
convenient, such as with cranks and a connecting rod, as shown in the Drawing,
or by a series of toothed gear, or by belts and straps, or any other known method
of communicating motion from one shaft to another. To this shaft I give motion
by steam or other motive force, and the vessel is propelled with a velocity
much exceeding that which has hitherto been attained by paddle wheels,
whilst there is less commotion produced in the water. This my improvement
is also applicable to boats plying in rivers, where the bottom has been rendered
tolerably even by dredging or other means, and whereby the channel of the
river has become in effect a canal. Figure 6, a longitudinal section of a vessel,
shewing the large central wheel, with its attachment to the boat and to the
moving power; Figure 7, a bird's eye or plan view of the same; Figure 8,
a transverse section of the vessel, shewing the wheel with the connection of
the cross shaft and motive power. 1, the outline of the vessel; 2, the large
propelling wheel passing through the bottom of the boat, and resting on the
bottom of the canal at 3; 4, the axle of the wheel; 5, the radial arms, which
are fitted by a socket upon the cross shaft 6; 7, a crank attached to the axle
of the large wheel, and connected to a crank upon the cross shaft 6 at 8, by a
connecting rod 9, whereby motion is communicated from the cross'shaft to the

page_text: large wheel. At each end of the cross shaft there is a crank 10, to which is
attached connecting rods 11, which communicate with steam cylinders or other
motive engines at 12; and it will be seen that when the cross shaft is put in
motion by the motive power, motion is communicated directly to the large
wheel by means of the connecting rod 9, and the bite of the periphery of the
large wheel on the bottom of the canal gives a sufficient hold of the propelling
of the vessel forward. In like manner, when it is wanted to go in a contrary
direction, the engineer has only to reverse the motion of the engine. It will
be seen that by the radial movement of the large wheel on its point of attach-
ment to the cross shaft of the vessel, it can readily adapt itself to the varying.
depth of the canal or inequality of the bottom, without affecting the draught
or floatage of the vessel. It is evident that a vessel so propelled may either
carry goods and passengers, or may be used as a tug boat to drag others, and
the power of the bite of the wheel upon the bottom of the canal can be
increased to any extent, by adding weight to the wheel, or by extending the
breadth of the
Having thus described the nature, construction, and adaptation of my
improvements applicable to canal navigation, I hereby declare that I do not
claim as new and of my Invention any of the well-known parts and adapta-
tions, connected either with the lockage or with the propelling of boats; but I
do claim as of my Invention,-
First, I claim the mode of applying locks to canals, whereby boats or vessels
can pass over the same by their onward progress, as above described.
Secondly, I do claim as of my Invention, the adaptation for propelling boats
or vessels on canals of a wheel of large diameter, fitted to roll on the bottom
of the canal by its outer rim or periphery, and adapting itself to the various
inequalities of the bottom of the canal, without disturbing the floatage of the
vessel, and taking a bite or hold of the ground, so as to effect a fulcrum
whereupon force applied shall react and propel the vessel, and so applied that
the central parts of the wheel, to which the connection of the propelling power
is attached, are above the surface of the water, such wheel being driven by
steam or other power.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this
day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.
JAMES
(L.S.) SMITH.
JAMES (L.S.) SMITH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid James Smith came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and everything therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty.