Improvements in the Propulsion of Ships or Vessels.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Ships or Vessels.
I JOHN LEFEAUX of 45 Bryn Road Swansea Gentleman do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction and use of an apparatus or appliance
which when applied to ships or vessels propelled by means of one or more paddle
wheels will effect a saving in the power required to propel such ships or vessels
and will also increase the speed of such ships or vessels and the invention consists
in enclosing the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels by means of a casing or
casings of iron or other suitable material more completely than they are usually
enclosed at present and in the addition of directing tubes of suitable shape affixed
to the said casing or casings in such a manner as to prevent the loss of power
occurring by the displacement of the water in other directions than in the line of
the ship's or vessel's progress when a paddle wheel or paddle wheels are used
without such casing or casings and directing tubes. The mode of applying my
invention is as follows cause a casing or casings of iron or other suitable
material to be affixed to the said ship or vessel by any of the ordinary known
means of construction, the said casing or casings to be of such a shape and affixed
in such a manner as that the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels shall revolve
entirely within such casing or casings. I also attach and affix to such casing or
casings tubes of suitable shape to direct and confine the inflow of water to and the
outflow of water from the said casing or casings as directly as may be in the line
of the progress of the said ship or vessel and so that the whole or the greater part
of the force.exerted against the water by the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels
when revolving shall be effective in the propulsion of the said ship or vessel and
not lost by the diversion of the flow of water in other directions than that of the
line of the ship's or vessel's progress. I prefer that the said casing or casings
shall be as to its or their internal form of such a shape as to follow the exterior
shape of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels and in order to avoid as much as
may be the slip of water to the rear of the line of motion of the floats of the said
paddle wheel or paddle wheels I prefer the said casing or casings to approach as
closely as may be with safety to the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels. To the
inner ends of the said tubes for directing and confining the inflowing and out-
flowing currents of water I attach curved wing pieces for still further directing
the currents of water; that one attached to the inflow tube being used to direct the
water towards the periphery of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels and that
one attached to the outflow tube being used to direct the water towards the said
outflow tube.
In order to make my invention and the mode of applying the same more clear I
refer to the sheet of drawings which accompanies this Specification.
Figure 1 shows an external view of the said casing and tubes with the wing
pieces. Figure 2 shows an internal vertical and longitudinal section of the said
casing and tubes with the wing pieces and of the paddle wheel as contained in the
said casing and in these figures and in any other figures in the said drawings the
same letters of reference refer to the same portions of the apparatus or appliance.
A A A A represents the said casing enclosing B the paddle wheel C shows
the inlet tube and D the outflow tube W W¹ represent the curved wing pieces-
the curved arrow E shows the direction in which the paddle wheel revolves
and the straight arrows F F¹ the direction of the ship's or vessel's course when
the paddle wheel revolves in the direction shown by the curved arrow E.
To prevent any portion of any one or more of the floats of the said paddle wheel

page_text: or paddle wheels which may by accident be detached or broken off from the wheel
from becoming entangled with the inner portion of the said wheel I further provide
a drum shaped grating or netting of large mesh attached to the inner edge of each
float of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels or to the framework of the said
paddle wheel or paddle wheels in such a way as to form a continuous grating or
netting of circular or drum shape and of a diameter equal to the circumference of
.the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels measured just within the inner edges of the
said floats: this drum shaped grating or netting is shewn by the letter G in Figure 2
of the said sheet of drawings. The external ends of the said directing tubes C, D, or
of either of them may be protected by means of gratings or nettings to prevent the
inflow of any floating matter likely to cause injury to the said paddle wheel or
paddle wheels and the said grating may be hinged so as to admit of its being
opened if necessary or the said gratings or nettings may be attached to the
inner ends or other more suitable part of the interior of the said directing
tube or tubes.
The use of my said invention is not confined to ships or vessels having side
paddle wheels only but may be applied also to those ships or vessels which are
propelled by means of a stern paddle wheel or paddle wheels and may further be
applied with great advantage to ships or vessels in which the propelling paddle
wheel or paddle wheels and the said casing or casings enclosing the same are
carried within the said ships or vessels. Further advantages to be derived from
the use of my said invention are that the diameter of the said paddle wheel or
paddle wheels may be reduced below the dimensions at present in common use and
that the said casing or casings may be securely closed by means of suitable valves
against the inflow of water and when so closed and when the contained water has
been pumped out or otherwise removed the said casing or casings may be entered
from the upper part or from the interior of the said ship or vessel for the purpose
of repairs to the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels.
Dated this Sixteenth day of May 1892,
JOHN LEFEAUX.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Ships or Vessels.
I JOHN LEFEAUX of 45 Bryn Road Swansea Gentleman 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 :-
This invention relates to the construction and use of an apparatus or appliance
in combination with a paddle wheel or paddle wheels which when applied to ships
or vessels propelled by means of one or more paddle wheels will effect a saving in
the power required to propel such ships or vessels at a given rate of speed and will
also increase the speed of such ships or vessels.
The invention consists in enclosing the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels by
means of a casing or casings of iron or other suitable material more completely than
they are usually enclosed at present and in the addition of directing tubes of suitable
shape and material affixed to the said casing or casings in such a manner as to
prevent the loss of power or some portion thereof which occurs owing to the
displacement of the water by the paddle wheel or paddle wheels in other directions
than the line of the ship's or vessel's progress when a ship or vessel is propelled by
means of a paddle wheel or paddle wheels not having such casing or casings and
directing tubes connected and used therewith. The mode of applying my invention
is as follows I cause a casing or casings of iron or other suitable material to be
affixed to the said ship or vessel by any of the ordinary known means of con-
struction of suitable strength the said casing or casings to be of such shape and
atfixed in such a manner that the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels shall revolve
entirely within the space enclosed by such casing or casings and those parts of the

page_text: said ship or vessel which are adjacent to the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels.
I also attach and affix to such casing or casings or partly to such casing or casings
and partly to the main fabric of the said ship or vessel tubes of suitable shape and
material to direct and confine the inflow of water to and the outflow of water from
the said casing or casings as directly as may be in the line of the progress of the
said ship or vessel and so that the whole or a greater part of the force exerted
against the water by the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels when revolving (after
making due allowance for any friction caused by the passage of the water through
the said tubes and casing or casings) shall be effective in the propulsion of the
said ship or vessel and not lost or diminished by the diversion of the flow of water
in other directions than the line of the ship's or vessel's progress to so great an
extent as is the case when a ship or vessel is propelled by means of a paddle wheel
or paddle wheels without such casing or casings and directing tubes.
I prefer that the said casing or casings shall be as to its or their internal form of
such a shape as to follow the exterior shape of the said paddle wheel or paddle
wheels and in order to avoid as much as may be the slip of water to the rear of
the line of motion of the floats of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels I prefer
that the said casing or casings should approach as closely as may be with safety to
the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels. To the inner ends of the said tubes for
directing and confining the inflowing and outflowing currents of water I prefer to
attach curved wing pieces for still further directing the currents of water; that one
attached to the inflow tube being use to direct the water towards the periphery of
the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels and that one attached to the outflow tube
being used to direct the water towards the said outflow tube.
In order to make my invention and the mode of applying the same more
clear I refer to the sheet of drawings which accompanies this Specification and in
which
Figure 1 shews an external side view of one of the said casings and tubes.
Figure 2 shews an internal vertical and longitudinal section of the same casing
and tubes with the wing pieces and of a paddle wheel as enclosed in the said casing
and in all these figures the same letters of reference refer to the same portions of
the said apparatus or appliance.
A A A A represents the said casing enclosing B B¹ the said paddle wheel (
shows the inflow tube and D the outflow tube; these tubes should each of them,
as to their cross section, be as nearly as may be of the same width measured
horizontally as the width of the casing to which they are affixed. Either or both
of these tubes may be deflected either upwards, downwards or sideways and may be
divided into two or more divisions longitudinally and either or both or all of the
said two or more divisions may be so deflected as may be necessary, particularly in
the case of a ship or vessel propelled by means of one paddle wheel working at
the stern or in the interior of the hull of the said ship or vessel in which case it
may be necessary to divide and deflect or divide or deflect the said inflow tube
towards the sides of the said ship or vessel. I have hitherto described in this
Specification and in the drawings which accompany it a casing having both inflow
and outflow tubes but my invention is not confined to the use of such casing having
both inflow and outflow tubes but includes also the use of a casing or casings in
which the inflow of water is through an aperture of suitable shape and dimensions
in the casing and in which only the outflowing current is confined and directed by
means of a tube or tubes. W W represents the curved wing pieces. The curved
arrow E shows the direction in which the paddle wheel usually revolves and the
straight arrows F F show the direction of the ship's or vessel's course when the
paddle wheel revolves in the direction shown by the curved arrow E.
To prevent any portion of any one or more of the floats of the said paddle wheel
which may become detached or broken off from the wheel becoming entangled with
the inner portion of the said wheel I further provide a drum shaped grating or
netting of large mesh and of strong iron wire or other suitable material attached
to the inner edge of each float of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels or to the

page_text: framework of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels or to both the said floats
and framework in such a manner as to form a continuous grating or netting of
circular or drum shape and of a diameter equal to the diameter of that portion of
the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels when measured just within the inner edges
of the said floats. This drum shaped grating or netting is shown in section by the
line marked with the letter G in Figure 2.
The external ends of the said directing tubes C D or of either of them may be
protected by means of gratings or nettings to prevent the inflow of any floating
or other matter likely to cause injury to the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels
and the said gratings should be hinged so as to open outwards and allow of any
parts of the said paddle wheel floats which may become detached from the paddle
wheel being carried out with the current of water and the said gratings or nettings
may be attached to the inner ends or other more suitable part of the interior of the
said directing tube or tubes.
The use of my said invention is not confined to ships or vessels having side
paddle wheels only but may be applied also to those ships or vessels which are
propelled by means of a stern paddle wheel or paddle wheels and may further be
applied with advantage to ships or vessels in which the propelling paddle wheel or
paddle wheels and the said casing or casings enclosing the same are carried within
the said ships or vessels. Further advantages to be derived from the use of my
said invention are that the diameter of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels
may be reduced below the dimensions at present in common use and that the said
casing or casings may be securely closed by means of suitable valves against the
inflow of water and when the contained water has been pumped out or otherwise
removed the said casing or casings may be entered from the upper part or from the
interior of the said ship or vessel through a suitable door for the purpose of repairs
to the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a paddle wheel or paddle wheels as used for propelling a
ship or vessel with a casing or casings by means of which the said paddle wheel
or paddle wheels are completely or almost completely enclosed: the said casing or
casings having in them apertures and tubes connected therewith for confining and
directing the flow of water moved by the floats of the said paddle wheel or paddle
wheels more completely in the line of the direction of the ship's or vessel's course.
2. The combination of a paddle wheel or paddle wheels as used for propelling a
ship or vessel with a casing or casings by means of which the said paddle wheel or
paddle wheels are completely or almost completely enclosed, the said casing or
casings having in each of them a suitable aperture at or near the forward end of
the said casing to admit of the inflow of the water to the said paddle wheel
or paddle wheels and also having at or near the stern end of the said casing or
casings an aperture and a tube connected therewith for confining and directing the
outflow of water after it has been moved by the floats of the said paddle
wheel or paddle wheels more completely in the line of the direction of the ship's or
vessel's course.
T.1 1000