NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE COMBINATION OF STEAM POWER WITH ATMOSPHERIC OR HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, OR WITH BOTH
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jacob Jehoshaphat Salter Mountain
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1864.
I, JACOB JEHOSHAPHAT SALTER MOUNTAIN, Doctor in Civil Law, of (St.
Helier's, Jersey), Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "NEW OR IMPROVED MEANS OF OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY THE COMBINATION
OF STEAM POWER WITH ATMOSPHERIC OR HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, OR WITH BOTH," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its objects, 1st, a great increase of power beyond what
can be exerted by the ordinary steam engine now in use, and at less cost of
fuel, with at the same time an application of power so direct as to occasion no
waste whatever of that power.
2dly, a simplicity of construction such as will render the engine itself both
less costly, less bulky, less cumbersome, and less exposed to injury from any
cause whatsoever.
3dly, an arrangement and disposition of its parts, such as peculiarly adapts
it for the propulsion of vessels of war of all kinds (which may by its means be
furnished not only with much greater power than they could sustain without
injury to themselves from vibration and overstraining, if supplied by the steam
engine now in use, but also with a direct means of propulsion, which as well
as the engine itself would be so placed in the ship as to be out of the reach of
injury either from an enemy's shot, outward obstructions, or any other external
cause) while it is also capable of being used with very superior advantages on
board any other vessels, or for the driving of steam carriages on rails or on

page_text: plain roads, and for any other purpose for which the common steam engine is
now used or is capable of being used.
The chief characteristic of my Invention is that the piston [acting directly
against the air or water, as the case may be, which presses upon it, thro' the
outer end of the cylinder in which it works] is itself the immediate means of
motion or propulsion. In order to this the piston is driven down towards
the outer end of the cylinder by the pressure of steam, or by that conjointly
with the external pressure of air, or the combined external pressures of air
and water.
This Invention, therefore, consists essentially, and in all cases partly, of a
piston or double piston (with the ordinary piston rod and necessary apparatus)
working as above described in a long cylinder (which either may or may not
have a valve placed at the outer end, and constructed in the manner herein-
after explained); but in some cases my Invention consists of a "double piston"
attached by the ordinary piston rod to each end of a beam or triple beam (or
other apparatus instead, suitable to the place where or the purpose for which
the engine is to be used) and worked each in its own cylinder (one of which
is parallel to the other, and horizontal when horizontal movement is required)
by the force of steam on the inside of piston (a) tending to drive it out
against the water or air (as the case may be) and the force of the pressure of
the external water or air on the outside of piston (6) forcing it up through
the vacuum inside, and thus simultaneously acting on piston (a) above, which
as soon as it has reached the extent of its outward stroke a vacuum is
produced, when the reverse movement takes place, and so on "vice versa," thus
combining at each single stroke the united power of steam with that of the
pressure of air, or the combined pressures of air and water.
The "double pisten" is composed of two corresponding parts (each working
steam and water tight in its own cylinder) firmly connected (for example, by
a number of small pillars, or by a metallic framework), but placed at a
distance from each other of at least the length of the stroke of the piston, in
order that the water need never enter and cool the upper part of the cylinder,
into which the steam is admitted by a pipe from the boiler introduced through
the smaller part at the top, which extends beyond the shoulder or (ledge-all-
round) against which the piston impinges. This arrangement is made in
order that steam may the better be admitted into the cylinder when the piston
is at its highest point, or rather just as it is arriving at its greatest height, so
as by its elasticity to prevent or assist the fly wheel (where one is used) in
preventing the piston from impinging too violently against the shoulder or
ledge, which is made to receive it. In ships or vessels of any kind the two

page_text: cylinders (if two are used) should be placed on or as near the bottom as may
be, so as by their depth below "the line of floatation" or water line of the
ship to secure the greatest water pressure against the pistons, which must just
penetrate the end of the ship at each side of the "stern post," and by the use
of the "triple beam" they may be brought quite up against it and in close
proximity to each other.
The "triple beam" consists, first, of two smaller beams, the inner ends of
which just overlap each other sufficiently that piston (a) rod may be attached
to the inside end of the "beam," whose centre is on the same side of the ship
or vessel of any kind, as piston (b) and piston (6) rod to the inside end of the
"beam," whose centre is on the same side of the ship or vessel of any kind as
piston (a) while the outer ends of these two smaller beams are connected by
"rods" with the two ends of the larger or "connecting beam;" on the same
vertical axis with this "connecting beam" may be placed (if it be desired to
save room) a horizontal "fly wheel to be worked either by the same beam
itself, in a manner to be hereafter described, or by the inside end of one, or
conjointly by the inside ends of both of the smaller "beams."
fly
If in order to produce retrograde motion it be necessary to have
similarly placed in the other end of the ship or vessel of any kind another
"atmosphydraulic steam engine" corresponding to this in all its parts and
arrangements (excepting, perhaps, as regards the "connecting beam" and "
wheel" (if there be one) inasmuch as, in some cases, in order to save room or
expense the same "connecting beam" and fly wheel might be made to
answer for both engines) then in order to prevent the speed of the ship being
retarded by water rushing into the cylinders at that end which was foremost,
it would be very desirable that the outer ends of the two cylinders of each
engine should be fitted with doors or valves flush with the outside of the ship,
and hinged on the side next to the end of the ship, so that as soon as she
begins to move the force of the water would at once close these doors or
valves at the foremost end, and they would so remain untill the motion of the
ship be reversed by the engine, to which these cylinders belonged, being set in
motion, when immediately these valves would be forced open and kept so by
the action of the water, which would also at the same time close the others.
If these valves fitted close (as they should do in order to entirely cover up the
opening and conceal the cylinder) it would be necessary that they should be
perferated with small holes just sufficiently that water enough might enter to
prevent the receeding piston from leaving such a partial "vacuum" behind
it (during the first stroke) as would greatly check its motion. These valves
so placed and arranged (whether perferated or not perferated) I claim as

page_text: my Invention; I claim also to have wholy invented the principle of my
"atmosphydraulic steam engine" in whatever manner, by whatever means,
or secondary means, or adaptation of means, this principle may be practically
applied, whether for the propulsion of boats, or ships, or vessels of any kind,
either on the water or under the water) of steam carriages to go on rails or
on common roads, of balloons, or things to go in the air, or for the working of
mills or factories of any kind, or of agricultural machines or instruments of
any sort, or for any other purposes to which this principle may be applied.
For many of these purposes a suitable readjustment and adaptation of
machinery and appliances would be requisite. Therefore I do not confine
myself for application of the principle I have discovered to the exclusive use
of any of the means above described.
Though, generally speaking, the "beam" or "triple beam," with two
double pistons, each working in its own cylinder, could, I consider, be most
advantageously employed, yet sometimes otherwise, and where quickness of
motion of machinery was a greater consideration than power (as in locomotive
engines) it might be preferable to dispense with any beam whatever, and to
employ but one cylinder, thus making movement or propulsion to depend
solely upon the power of steam to force the piston down in the cylinder, and
relying upon the external pressure to force the piston back after a "vacuum
had been left above. Such an engine would also come within the scope of
the Invention to which I here lay claim as being one of the many applications
that may be made of the same principle.