IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH. APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND CONNECTED WITH. APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS, APPLICABLE
ALSO FOR OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by James Curtis,
of Middletown, County of Montgomery, and Charles Spencer Stewart, of the
City and County of St. Louis, both in the State of Missouri, United States
of America.
aled the 28th June 1878, and dated the 6th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th February 1878.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent-Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR PRO-
PELLING VESSELS, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER PURPOSES." [A communication
from abroad by James Curtis, of Middletown, County of Montgomery, and
Charles Spencer Stewart, of the City and County of St. Louis, both in the State
of Missouri, United States of America.]
This Invention has reference to an improved balanced propelling and dry dock
attachment to vessels for ocean and inland navigation. The propeller is so con-
nected with water conducting trunks that they may be closed, and thereby a kind
of submarine dry dock formed around the propelling wheels for conveniently
repairing the wheels or machinery at any time in case of injury.
The Invention consists essentially of balanced propelling wheels at the end of a
lateral revolving shaft in connection with water induction and eduction trunks.
The shaft to which the propelling wheels are attached turns in bearings, and is.
revolved by suitable gearing with the main shaft driven from the engine. The
wheels balance each other as they draw the water from opposite sides under equal
pressure. The wheels draw in the water, compress it, and issue it with force through
the outlet, giving end pressure to the column of water in the same way as in the
[Price 6d1

page_text: ordinary propellers, but with the advantage that the column of water does not cause
a loss of power.
The balanced wheels may be set inside the lines of the vessel or back of the
same, being in the latter case provided with inlet trunks at suitable inclination
to the longitudinal axis of the vessel. The balanced propellers may be arranged at
the stern of the vessel, or at the centre of the same, or at both stern and bow, the
draw blades of the bow wheels being turned inside and the packing arranged
outside.
The action of the bow propellers draws in the water in front, and expels it at the
sides so as to pull the vessel while the stern propellers push the same. When the
wheels are at the centre, as for canal or river boats, longitudinal inlet and outlet
trunks are arranged, which may be depressed to take up and discharge the water at
the lowest possible points.
By actual tests it has been found that propelling wheels constructed with buckets
that project at both sides of the wheel frame proper and have lateral partitions that
divide each bucket into sections give excellent results, as they draw in the water
and expel in superior manner and with the least loss of power. The oblique trunks
are closed by hinged and rubber-packed gates, or when no side trunks are used
sliding gates are employed, that are guided along rails of the vessel and operated by
worm screw and rack. The sliding gates are provided with scrapers at the front
edge for cleaning the barnacles from the sides of the dock. The central exit or inlet
trunk, according as the wheels are at the stern or bow, is provided with a hinged
drop gate, that is lowered by suitable mechanism when any one of the wheels has
been damaged. The side gates are then also closed and the water pumped out of
the cliamber formed thereby around the propellers by first opening an air pipe with
stop-cock and then the pumping pipe.
When the water is pumped out a submarine dry dock is formed of the inclosing
chamber that may be readily entered through a man-hole from the vessel to make
the necessary repairs. When this has been done the man-hole is closed again, the
water inlet pipe opened, and thereby the chamber filled with water. The gates are
then opened and the vessel may proceed. A branch pipe with stop-cock-may be
attached to the inlet pipe to be used in case of fire, for washing decks, and other
purposes.
The propelling wheels may also be applied with equal advantage for pumping or
air-blowing purposes. The arrangement of the double-balanced propelling wheels
at any part of the vessel renders the motion of the same steadier, and especially so
when arranged at both bow and stern, in which case very little power is lost, while
the dry dock attachment formed by the closing gates furnishes a convenient means
of repairing the wheels at mid ocean in case of accident without the annoyance to
which steamers are at present exposed.
The hinged and sliding closing gates of the dry dock attachment are metal lined,
and have suitable packing along the edge of the opening to be closed; suitable holes
in the gates pass from the outside to the back of the packing, and form, when the
gates are closed and the water pumped out from the inside, entrance holes for the
water, which presses on the packing by the vacuum formed at the inside so as to
produce a perfect closing of the gates.
The end wall of the dry dock through which the driving shaft passes is removable
by taking off the driving wheel and withdrawing the shaft. An opening large
enough to pass all the propelling parts, including the wheels, is thereby obtained, so
that a vessel can have her machinery put in when afloat or renewed without going
into a dry dock.
The propelling wheels being inside the lines of the vessel and incased are not
exposed to damage by coming in contact with floating bodies and are less liable to
injury than the common screw propeller.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd August 1878.
⚫ ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH APPARATUS FOR PRO-
A communication
PELLING VESSELS, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
from abroad by James Curtis, of Middletown, County of Montgomery, and
Charles Spencer Stewart, of the City and County of St. Louis, both in the State
of Missouri, United States of America.
This Invention has reference to an improved balanced propelling and dry dock
attachment to vessels for ocean and inland navigation that may be arranged either
at bow and stern, or at the stern merely, or at the middle of the vessel, so as to
propel the vessel in a steadier and more uniform manner and at a smaller loss of
power than with the common screw. The propeller is so connected with water-
conducting trunks that they may be closed, and thereby a kind of dry dock arrange-
ment formed around the propelling wheels for conveniently repairing the wheels or
machinery at any time in case of injury.
The Invention consists essentially of balanced propelling wheels at the end of a
lateral revolving shaft in connection with water induction and eduction trunks. The
trunks are arranged with tightly-closing, hinged, or sliding gates that may be closed,
forming a chamber or dry dock, from which the water is pumped for repairing the
wheels, forming a kind of submarine dry dock.
In the accompanying Drawing,-
Figure 1 represents a side view of a vessel on a small scale, with the improved
propelling and dry dock attachment arranged at bow and stern.
Figure 2 is a detail side view of the propelling and dry dock attachment.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line x, x, Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a top view; Figure 5, a rear elevation of the same; and Figures 6
and 7 are a detail top view and a horizontal section of the improved construction of
propelling wheel.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the propelling wheels that are attached to the ends of a lateral shaft
turning in suitable bearings of the vessel, and being revolved by suitable gearing
with the main shaft driven from the engine. The wheels balance each other as they
draw the water from opposite sides under equal pressure. The wheels draw in the
water, compress it, and issue it with force through the outlet, giving end pressure to
the column of water, in the same way as in ordinary propellers, but with the
advantage that the column of water does not cause a loss of power.
The balanced wheels may be set inside the lines of the vessel or back of the same,
being in the latter case provided with inlet trunks B, as shown in Figure 4, in
which one half of the Figure represents the wheel inside the lines of the vessel, while
the other is provided with a trunk at a suitable inclination to the longitudinal axis
of the vessel. The balanced propellers may be arranged at the stern of the vessel,
or at the centre of the same, or at both stern and bow, the draw blades of the bow
wheels being turned inside and the packing arranged outside.
The action of the bow propellers draws in the water in front and expels it at the
sides so as to pull the vessel while the stern propellers push the same. "When the
wheels are at the centre, as for canal or river boats, longitudinal inlet and outlet
trunks are arranged which may be depressed to take up and discharge the water at
the lowest possible points.
By actual tests it has been found that propelling wheels constructed with buckets

page_text: that project at both sides of the wheel frame proper, and have lateral partitions that
divide each bucket into sections give excellent results, as they draw in the water
and expel in superior manner and with the least loss of power. The construction of
these wheels is clearly indicated in Figures 6 and 7. The oblique trunks are closed
by hinged and rubber-packed gates C, or when no side trunks are used, sliding
gates Care employed that are guided along rails of the vessel, and operated by worm,
screw, and rack, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The sliding gates C are provided
with scrapers a, Figure 2, at the front edge for cleaning the barnacles from the sides
of the dock. The central exit or inlet trunk D, according as the wheels are at the
stern or bow, is provided with a hinged drop gate D¹, that is, lowered by suitable
mechanism when any one of the wheels has been damaged. The side gates are then
also closed and the water pumped out of the chamber formed thereby around the
propellers by first opening an air pipe b with stop-cock and then the pumping
pipė b¹.
When the water is pumped out a submarine dry dock is formed of the enclosing
chamber that may be readily entered through a man-hole d, Figure 5, from the
vessel to make the necessary repairs. When this has been done the man-hole is
closed again, the water inlet pipe e opened, and thereby the chamber filled with
water. The gates are then opened and the vessel may proceed. A branch pipe
with stop-cock may be attached to the inlet pipe to be used in case of fire, for
washing decks, and other purposes. The propelling wheels may also be applied with
equal advantage for pumping or air-blowing purposes. The arrangement of the double-
balanced propelling wheels at any part of the vessel renders the motion of the same
steadier, and especially so when arranged at both bow and stern, in which case very
little power is lost, while the dry dock attachment formed by the closing gates furnishes
a convenient means of repairing the screws at mid ocean in case of accident without
the annoyance to which steamers are at present exposed.
.
The hinged and sliding closing gates of the dry dock attachment are metal lined,
and have suitable packing along the edge of the opening to be closed; suitable holes
in the gates pass from the outside to the back of the packing, and form, when the
gates are closed and the water pumped out from the inside, entrance holes for the
water which presses on the packing by the vacuum formed at the inside so as to
produce a perfect closing of the gates. The end wall of the dry dock through which
the driving shaft passes is removable by taking off the driving wheel and with-
drawing the shaft. An opening large enough to pass all the propelling parts,
including the wheels, is thereby obtained, so that a vessel can have her machinery
put in when afloat, or renewed without going into a dry dock.
The propelling wheels being inside the lines of the vessel and encased are not
exposed to damage by coming in contact with floating bodies, and are less liable to
injury than the common screw propeller.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The combination with water inlets and outlets of the balanced propelling
wheels arranged in the planes of the sides of the vessels, or within or back of said
planes, as and for the purpose described.
2nd. The trunks or tanks B, oblique or depressed, and provided with hinged or
sliding water-tight covers in combination with the .balanced propelling wheels of a
vessel, as and for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a vessel having balanced propelling wheels and tanks, substantially as 5
shown and described, the sliding gates C provided with scrapers a at the front edge,
as and for the purpose specified.
4th. The combination of the chamber or dry dock attachment formed by the
tightly-closing gates of the water inlet and discharge openings or trunks around the
propellers with air inlet, water inlet, and pumping pipes, substantially as and for 5
the purpose described.

page_text: 5th. The balanced propelling wheels having draw buckets extending obliquely
on both sides of the wheel frames and having lateral partitions, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
A. M. CLARK. (LS.)