IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING, STEERING, AND TURNING SHIPS AND VESSELS AND RAISING THE SAME WHEN STRANDED
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Victor Juge, of Nice, in the Empire of France,
Engineer, at present residing at New Bridge Street, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND
APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING, STEERING, AND TURNING SHIPS AND
VESSELS AND RAISING THE SAME WHEN STRANDED."
Sealed the 25th March 1869, and dated the 30th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Victor Juge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1868.
I, VICTOR JUGE, of Nice, in the Empire of France, Engineer, at present
residing at New Bridge Street, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND
APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING, STEERING, AND TURNING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS,
AND RAISING THE BAME WHEN STRANDED," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means and apparatus for propelling,
steering, and turning ships and other vessels and raising the same when
stranded, and consists in forcing a jet or jets of water in a contrary

page_text: direction to the desired course of such ship or other vessel. A cylindrical
or other shaped chamber in which works an air and water tight piston is
placed at a suitable distance below the water line of the ship or other
vessel, and reciprocatory motion is imparted to the said piston by a steam
engine or other motive power, the propelling effect being due to the
vacuum formed in the cylinder by the difference of pressure on the
ejection and induction faces of the said piston, the pressure of the
columns of air and water opposed to the said vacuum being the basis
on which the acting face of the piston reposes.
In one modification of my improved hydro-atmospheric propeller, I
arrange a tube or tubes at either end of the said cylindrical or other
chamber, the said tubes serving as passages of communication between
the cylinder and the water, and having moveable nozzles at their lower
extremities, the use of which will be described hereafter. Water is
alternately admitted and ejected through the tube or tubes into and
from either end of the said cylindrical or other chamber, and if the
piston is travelling from the aft to the forward end of the cylinder or
other chamber water is drawn by the suction thereof through the after
tube or tubes till the said cylinder or other chamber is filled or nearly
so, and on the return stroke of the said piston the water is forced from
the said cylinder through the after tube or tubes, the same action taking
place during both the forward and backward strokes of the piston, in one
case, however, the water is forced out at the forward orifice, and in the
other at the after orifice. It will be evident that the jet of water thus
alternately forced from the said orifices will by its pressure against the
body of water following in the wake of the vessel, and that contingent
thereto, propel the said vessel through the water at a speed corresponding,
1st, to the depth of the cylindrical or other chamber below the surface
of the water; 2nd, to the area of the piston and the length of its stroke ;
3rd, the speed at which the piston travels through the cylinder; and
4th, the area of the propelling orifices. As before stated the nozzles
at the extremities of the tubes are moveable and may be operated upon
in any known or suitable manner by the engineer in charge or by an
officer on deck, so that the ship or other vessel may be steered thereby
as well as propelled.
In another modification of my improved hydro-atmospheric system of
propulsion, a reservoir for collecting the water forced alternately from
either end of the cylinder is arranged in a convenient position between

page_text: the said cylinder and the ejection orifice, a horizontal tube connecting
the said reservoir to the after end of the cylinder, and being continued
on the other side of the said reservoir to the extreme aft of the hull of
the vessel, and a second tube arranged parallel to the length of the
cylinder serves as a communication between the forward induction
orifice and the said reservoir. According to this arrangement when the
piston has arrived at the end of its forward stroke, and the after end of the
cylinder is full of water or nearly so, the orifice through which the water
has been admitted is closed by suitable cocks or valves, and kept so
closed during the return stroke of the said piston, the water being forced
from the cylinder into the reservoir, and the forward induction orifice
being open during such return stroke, the forward end of the cylinder
is consequently filled, the communication closed, and the water forced
into the said reservoir as before stated, where the impetus imparted by
the double stroke is accumulated and continuously ejected from the said
propelling orifice. Smaller tubes may also conduct the water to either
side of the said main propelling orifice when desired, so that the ship or
other vessel may be steered thereby, in which case the rudder may be
dispensed with. Also by turning the nozzles towards the bed of the sca
or river the force with which the water is ejected will tend to raise the
ship or other vessel so that it will set itself afloat if stranded. It is
evident that the induction and ejection passages and their orifices or
nozzles may be arranged in any suitable manner and position, and that
there may be two or more cylindrical or other shaped chambers with
their accompanying pistons and other gear to cach ship or other vessel
if required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Victor Juge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, VICTOR
JUGE, of Nice, in the Empire of France, Engineer, at present residing at
New Bridge Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-

page_text: second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Victor Juge, Her special licence that I, the
said Victor Juge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Victor Juge, my executors, administrators, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS
POR PROPELLING, STEERING, AND TURNING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSEIS, AND RAISING
THE SAME WHEN STRANDED," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Victor Juge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Victor Juge, 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, and accompanying Sheet of Drawings, (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to improved means and apparatus for propelling,
steering, and turning ships and other vessels and raising the same when
stranded, and consists in forcing a jet or jets of water in a contrary
direction to the desired course of such ship or other vessel. A cylindrical
or other shaped chamber in which works an air and water-tight piston
is placed at a suitable distance below the water line of the ship or other
vessel, and reciprocatory motion is imparted to the said piston by a steam
engine or other motive power, the propelling effect being due to the
vacuum formed in the cylinder by the difference of pressure on the
ejection and induction faces of the said piston, the pressure of the columns
of air and water opposed to the said vacuum being the bases on which the
acting face of the piston reposes.
In one modification of my improved hydro-atmospheric propeller I
arrange a tube or tubes at either end of the said cylindrical or other
chamber, the said tubes serving as passages of communication between
the cylinder and the water, and having moveable nozzles at their lower

page_text: extremities, the use of which will be described hereafter. Water is
alternately admitted and ejected through the tube or tubes into and from
either end of the said cylindrical or other chamber, and if the pistion is
travelling from the aft to the forward end of the cylinder or other
chamber water is drawn by the suction thereof through the after tube
or tubes till the said cylinder or other chamber is filled or nearly so, and
on the return stroke of the said piston the water is forced from the said
cylinder through the after tube or tubes, the same action taking place
during both the forward and backward strokes of the piston, in one case,
however, the water is forced out at the forward orifice, and in the other
at the after orifice. It will be evident that the jet of water thus alter-
nately forced from the said orifices will by its pressure against the
body of water following in the wake of the vessel, and that contingent
thereto propel the said vessel through the water at a speed corresponding,
1st, to the depth of the cylindrical or other chamber below the water line;
2nd, to the area of the piston and the length of its stroke; 3rd, the speed
at which the piston travels through the cylinder; and 4th, the area
of the propelling orifices. As before stated the nozzles at the extremities
of the tubes are moveable and may be operated upon in any known or
suitable manner by the engineer in charge or by an officer on deck, so
that the ship or other vessel may be steered thereby as well as propelled.
In another modification of my improved hydro-atmospheric system of
propulsion, a reservoir for collecting the water forced alternately from
cither end of the cylinder is arranged in a convenient position between
the said cylinder and the ejection orifice, a horizontal tube connecting
the said reservoir to the after end of the cylinder, and being continued
on the other side of the said reservoir to the extreme aft of the hull of
the vessel, and a second tube arranged parallel to the length of the
cylinder serves as a communication between the forward induction
orifice and the said reservoir. According to this arrangement when
the piston has arrived at the end of its forward stroke, and the after end
of the cylinder is full of water or nearly so, the orifice through which the
water has been admitted is closed by suitable cocks or valves, and kept
so closed during the return stroke of the said piston, the water being
forced from the cylinder into the reservoir, and the forward induction
orifice being open during such return stroke, the forward end of the
cylinder is consequently filled, the communication closed, and the water
forced into the said reservoir as before stated where the impetus imparted

page_text: by the double stroke is accumulated and continuously ejected from the
said propelling orifice. Smaller tubes may also conduct the water to
either side of the said main propelling orifice when desired, so that the
ship or other vessel may be steered thereby, in which case the rudder
may be dispensed with. Also by turning the nozzles towards the bed of
the sea or river the force with which the water is ejected will tend to
raise the ship or other vessel so that it will set itself afloat if stranded.
It is evident that the induction and ejection passages and their orifices
or nozzles may be arranged in any suitable manner and position, and that
there may be two or more cylindrical or other shaped chambers with
their accompanying pistons and other gear to each ship or other vessel
if required.
Or the above arrangement may be modifiled by imparting a rotary
motion to the piston of the steam engine, and thereby to the piston of
the water cylinder, the theory on which the Invention is based and the
practical result being the same in both cases, and in order that my
Invention may be clearly understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows
a cylinder B in communication with the water outside the vessel by
means of the induction orifices a¹ and the ejection orifice a which are
alternately opened and closed by the cocks or valves b. In the said
cylinder B works a piston A to which motion is imparted by a suitable
steam engine. The dotted line H represents the pressure of the atmo-
sphere, and the pressure of the column of water between the level of
the top of the cylinder B and the waterline of the vessel. The basis on
which this new system of propulsion is founded is that the hydrostatic
pressure acts upon the working face of the piston, whilst a vacuum takes
place on the induction side thereof. This vacuum may be either absolute
or partial, and the propelling power of the piston will necessarily be
equal to the sum of the vacuum and the compressive force acting on
the piston. The diameter of the piston as well as the diameter of the
tubes and orifices of propulsion should be calculated, so that the volumn
of water that enters the cylinder equals the volumn ejected therefrom
at the same time. The best arrangement of propelling orifices for
causing the forward movement of the vessel is that by which the water
is drawn in from the direction in which the vessel is proceeding and
ejected in the contrary direction, so that the direction of the induction
and ejection water will be the same, that is, it will follow the course of

page_text: the arrow f. By this arrangement the reacting forces of induction and
ejection are combined and produce together the power required to propel
the vessel in the direction of the arrow f¹. In order to manœuvre the
vessel in different directions the position of the induction and ejection
nozzles must be necessarily changed. The most useful manoeuvres in
navigation are, the propulsion of the vessel stern foremost, the rotary or
circular movement, the parallel movement, and raising the vessel in a
vertical direction.
For propelling the vessel stern foremost it is only necessary to reverse
the position of the orifices as hereafter explained. The circular move-
ment comprises the concentric revolution represented in Fig. 2, in which
the force emanating from the nozzles a and a¹ causes the vessel m, n, to
turn on its centre o, and the eccentric revolution represented in Fig. 3,
in which the impelling force acts only upon the point a situated near one
extremity of the ship; in this case the centre o' of the circle described
by the vessel is no longer the centre o of the said vessel, but must be
determined by calculation according to the relative position of the
orifice a. This eccentric revolution corresponds to the action of an
ordinary rudder and may be used instead thereof when desired as hereafter
explained.
The parallel movement represented in Fig. 4 takes place when the
two nozzles a and a' are placed at right angles to the keel of the vessel,
and both act in the same direction either on the starboard or larboard
side of the said vessel m, n, which takes the position m¹, n¹, as shewn.
In order to raise the vessel when stranded the orifices are placed in a
vertical position, the water being in that case ejected toward the bottom
of the sea.
Instead of a reciprocatory motion being imparted to the piston of the
machine, a rotary motion may be imparted thereto as represented in
Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8. A is the piston having its surface on the exhaust
side inclined towards the diaphragm D, the propelling surface forming
a spiral curve; according to this arrangement the piston always revolves
in one direction, but at A' is shewn a different arrangement of the piston
with a double spiral curve, which enables it to revolve in either direction,
so that the course of the vessel may be reversed when necessary. B is
the exterior cylinder in which the piston A or A' revolves; C, the drum
of the piston fixed to the shaft H; D, a movable diaphragm or partition

page_text: working in slides and serving to intercept all communication between
the exhaust and delivery sides of the piston. The said diaphragm is
raised by the curved part of the piston A or A¹ coming into contact
therewith and falls by its own weight, and is always resting either on
the drum or the curve of the piston. If the diaphragm were placed in
a horizontal position it would be necessary to employ a spring or
weighted lever for holding it against the said drum of the piston. E is
the steam or water chest having the propelling and induction passages
leading therefrom and thereto separated the one from the other by the
diaphragm D; F is the induction pipe; G, the propelling or ejection
pipe; H, the shaft in which are fixed the propelling and steam pistons;
B', the steam engine arranged in the same manner as the propeller
to which the steam is admitted through the tube F and ejected through
the tube G, and two of these engines may act on the propeller shaft if
required in order to better regulate the motion of the propeller.
Figs. 9, 10, and 11 represent a vessel in which are placed the engines
and propeller with the apparatus for manoeuvring the vessel. B is the
propeller, and B', the steam piston mounted on the same shaft; the
letters E, F, G, represent the same apparatus as in the before described
figures; F is the exhaust pipe, which may be continued to the forward
end of the vessel for the circular and parallel evolutions thereof; a', the
induction nozzles, which may be directed forward or beneath the boat,
and are arranged so that they can never draw in air; a, the propelling
orifice in a line with or parallel to the keel of the vessel, or there may
be two orifices a indicated by the arc of a circle shewn in dotted lines in
Fig. 10, and b, b', are regulating cocks for determining the course of the
vessel. For propelling the vessel stern foremost the tube G is placed in
communication with the induction side of the chest E, and the tube F
with the ejection side of the said chest, thus reversing the motion of the
vessel; I is the hydraulic rudder composed of a cylinder in which works
a valve, the said cylinder being mounted on the propelling tube G and
distributing the water by means of the valve from the nozzles i or i¹,
according to the direction in which the ship is required to progress, and
this apparatus may be used instead of the rudder L when required; J is
the steering wheel in communication with the hydraulic rudder; K, the
slide valve for closing the propelling orifice a when it is required to make
either circular or parallel evolutions; and X, Y, the water line. of the
vessel.

page_text: Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I claim,―
First. The application of hydro-atmospheric power to the propulsion
and various manoeuvres of vessels, the piston working either with a
reciprocatory or rotary motion as described.
And, second. The rotary engine with its spiral curved piston and
movable diaphragm acting as a propeller and serving to manœuvre
vessels as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Victor Juge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.