IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Norton Street, Cherry Square, New
Radford, in the County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th July
1859.
I, JOHN SMITH, of Norton Street, Cherry Square, New Radford, in the
County of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to propelling ships and other vessels by means of the
pressure of air, and consists in forming inclined channels, open at the bottom
in the bottoms of ships or other vessels, in which channels air is forced, the
air entering at the lower end of the channel, passes towards and escapes at the
stern of the vessel. I also further curve these channels up the stern, where
the liberation of the air takes place. These channels may run from, say,
midships towards the stern, in which length they are inclined upwards from

page_text: midships towards the stern, equal to about the depths of the channels. For
the purpose of backing, a channel or channels must be provided that run
from, say, midships forwards to the bow, up which they are carried for the
escape. By forcing air in at the lower part of such open channels, force is
exerted between the water and the inclined upper surface of the channels,
which has the effect of propelling the vessels rapidly. For backing, it is
simply necessary to change the injection of the air from the channels runing
sternwards to those runing forwards. The air may be forced by pumps,
or other machines suitable for the purpose.
fans,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th January 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SMITH, of Norton Street, Cherry Square, New Radford, in the County of
Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Smith, Her special licence that I, the said John Smith,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Smith, iny 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 PROPELLING SHIPS
AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Smith, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to propelling ships and other vessels by means of the
pressure of air, and consists in forming inclined channels (open at the bottom)
in the bottoms of ships and other vessels, into which channels air is forced.
The air entering at the lower end of the channel, is discharged from the blast
pipe against a partition placed about midships of the channel or channels, and
passes towards and escapes at the stern of the vessel. I also further curve
these channels up the stem and stern, where the liberation of the air takes
place. These channels may run, say, from midships towards the stern, in which
length they are inclined upwards from midships towards the stern, equal to
about the depth of the channels. For the purpose of backing, a channel or
channels must be provided, that run from, say, midships forward to the bow, up
which they are carried for the escape. By forcing air in at the lower part of
such open channels against a stop or partition, force is exerted between the
water and the inclined upper surface of the channels. For backing, is is
simply necessary to change the injection of the air from the channels running
sternwards to those running forwards. The vessel may be steered by directing
the current of air into one or other of the channels only. The air may be
forced by pumps, fans, or other machines suitable for the purpose.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and

page_text: "
it part or a whole turn by means of the hand wheel i, the blast may be caused
to flow through one or the other of the branches h, h', according as it is
desired to go ahead" or "astern." To each of the branches h, h', are
attached two pipes j, j', and 1, 1, leading down to the bottom of the vessel on
each side of the keel, and there is a throttle valve k to each of these pipes, so
that the flow of blast to either side of the vessel may be regulated in order to
steer the vessel, if required. The bottom of the vessel is formed with channels
or air
passages 1,, running from stem to stern, and the pipes j. j,,, lead
into these passages, and have bends m attached to them, which conduct the
blast to either side of the partition plate n, according as it is desired to go
ahead or astern. The air passages or channels are plainly shown in Figure 4,
which is a plan of a portion of the bottom of the vessel, and in the diagram of
a vessel on a smaller scale shown at Figure 4*. Figure 5 shows one of the
blast cylinders 6 on an enlarged scale.
Having explained the general arrangement, I will proceed to describe more
fully the blast cylinders b, the construction and action of which will be more
easily understood by referring to the enlarged section, at Figure 5. o, o¹, are
boxes or chambers bolted to the cylinder, and having the cylinder covers
bolted to them. The cylinder covers have each four circular openings, which
are covered by perforated plates p, p', p³, and p³, the valves 9, 9', 9, 9³, which
I prefer to be made of vulcanized india-rubber, and the guards or stops r
are attached to the perforated plates by a bolt, as shown. The boxes or
chambers o, o', open into the air tubes or passages 8, 8, (which communicate
with the main blast pipe f, shown in the general arrangement,) and there are
valves &, s, to each of the openings into the air tubes, as shown.
I will now describe the working of the blast cylinders. Assuming the
piston to be travelling in the direction shown by the red arrow, the valves 9, q',
will be opened, and the valves 9, 9³, and s will be closed, the air passing into
the cylinder through the perforated plates p, p', to one side of the piston, at
the same time the air contained in the cylinder on the other side of the piston
will be forced through the valve s' into the tube or air passages. Upon the
return stroke the same action takes place on the other side of the piston, so
that there is a constant flow of air from each of the cylinders in their back-
ward and forward strokes. And in order that there shall be a constant supply
of fresh air to the engine room, I propose constructing the hatches with
louvre boards, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the general arrangement.
I would remark that I am aware that many attempts have been made to
propel vessels by forcing currents of air and water from apertures and through

page_text: channels formed in the ships or vessels, I do not, therefore, claim the propelling
of vessels by means of currents of air generally; but what I claim is, the
arrangement of the passages or channels formed in the bottoms of ships or
other vessels into which air is forced for the purpose of propelling vessels, as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
SIDNEY SMITH,
Weekday Cross, Nottingham.
JOHN SMITH. (L.B.)