IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING PADDLE-STEAMERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I DANIEL MCDERMID of 41 St Johns Crescent Darlington in the County of
Durham Carpenter do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING PADDLE-STEAMERS to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in Machinery and alterations in
mode of applying some portions of existing machinery in the propulsion of Steam
Vessels whereby to increase the speed of such vessels without any increase of
horse-power of Engine. This is accomplished by a long stroke, or keeping a
constant push or paddle-pressure against the water by means of endless-belts or
chains or ropes & passing over the Paddle-wheels: to which belts, chains or
ropes & the Paddles are to be attached instead of (as at present) the Paddle-
wheels.
The Paddle wheel to be a drum or driving wheel to carry belt, chains or ropes &c
of Paddles, which shall also pass over another and smaller drum to be fixed so as to
revolve at stern-side, or other part of the vessel, to receive & carry said belt, chains
or ropes & of paddles; which drums shall be so fixed as to keep the lower portion
of belt chains or ropes & of paddles continuously in the water: thus, giving a
long stroke to each paddle of the full distance from center of Paddle-wheel drum,
to center of small drum.
Also, by permitting the paddles to be wider apart the water is not so much
broken or disturbed for next paddle to enter thus giving better grip on the water
and not exhausting the power of the Engine in beating down the water in front of
paddle wheel and immediately throwing it up in spray behind, before it has had
time to accomplish any useful end completely. By thus getting the best power of
the Engine applied in propelling the vessel a great gain in speed is effected.
Dated this Sixteenth day of September 1885.

page_text: I, DANIEL MODERMID of Darlington in the County of Durham, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
It consists of certain improvements whereby the power of propulsion is largely
increased without extra steam power being required.
In place of fixing the paddles upon the usual wheel I fix them upon an endless
band, rope, or chain of suitable material which endless band or chain passes round
two or more drums, one or more of which is or are driven by the usual steam
power. The other drum or drums is or are placed either in front or behind or in
other suitable positions so that the paddles upon the endless band or chain are
drawn through the water in its passage from one drum to the other, exerting
during their passage a steady continuous pressure upon the water and utilizing the
whole force of the power used. The drums and bands may be placed at the sides
of the vessels as the paddlewheels are at present or wholly under water in any
convenient manner, the paddles in the latter case being made to "feather" or lie
Bat upon the band during their backward passage. In order that the foregoing
may be better understood I send herewith a sheet of Drawings in which is shown
a side elevation of the apparatus in one method of fitting a being the driving
wheel or drum round which passes the endless band, rope or chain b carrying the
paddles c. passing also round and supported by the smaller drum d, the paddles
passing under the waterline e in their passage from drum a to drum b with a
steady continuous pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
-
An endless band or chain of paddles passing round two or more wheels or drums,
to give a steady continuous pressure upon the water substantially as described and
shewn hereinbefore and in the accompanying drawings for the purpose set-forth.
Dated this 10th day of June 1886
JOHN HENRY TOPHAM,
Agent to Applicant.