CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO VESSELS PROPELLED BY STEAM AND OTHER POWER, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS OR PARTS THEREOF, APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HALE, of Greenwich, in the County of Kent, late of Colchester, in the County
of Essex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of March, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Hale, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William IIale, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Hale, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO VESSELS
PROPELLED BY STEAM AND OTHER POWER, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS OR PARTS THEREOF,
APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said William Hale, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chan-
cery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
sa id in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Hale, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in whch the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention relates,―
First, of a combination of machinery for propelling vessels by the aid of
steam or other power:
Secondly, to the application of a combination of machinery acting on the
principle of the well-known machinery called Barker's Mill, within the steam
boilers or within the steam chambers of steam boilers of steam boat and other
engines, whereby the steam in rushing from the boiler (or from the steam
chamber thereof) gives motion to such combination of mechanism without
lessening the elastic force or materially impeding the supply of steam to the
steam pipe in its way to actuate the steam engine:
And, thirdly, the Invention relates to the application of such improvements,
or parts thereof, to other useful purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents part of the hull of a boat having the first part of my
improvements applied thereto. Figure 2 shows a transverse section taken at
the dotted line a, a, in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a section of the various
parts of the machinery on a larger scale than the other Figures, constituting
the propellers, combined according to my improvements. In each of these
Figures the same letters are used to indicate similar parts. b, b, are two
cylinders which are securely bolted or otherwise affixed in any convenient part
of the vessel, as is clearly shewn in the Drawing. These cylinders have covers
c, c, affixed to their ends by screw bolts and nuts, by which the passage of the
water is prevented in any other direction than those formed for that purpose.
d, d, are stuffing boxes for the shaft e, by which the water is prevented flowing
through the covers of the cylinders. On each of the covers c, c, is affixed a
spiral plane g, by means of the screws f, f, as is clearly shewn in the Drawing
at Figure 3. These spiral planes y control the water, which is put in motion
by the spiral propeller, hereafter described, to take the course of such spirals,
and when it passes out from the cylinders to act most efficiently for propelling
the vessel, as will be hereafter fully described. On to the shaft e are keyed, or
otherwise affixed, the barrels h, around which are curved or formed the spiral
propellers i, i, which, it will be seen, each forms one turn of a screw, the ends

page_text: thereof coming opposite to the ends of the spiral planes g; and it will be seen
that these spiral propellers do not form a continuation of the spiral of the
planes g, but, on the contrary, are set in an opposite direction thereto. The
shaft e passes through the two inner planes g, and turns therein, and each end
of the shaft c rests on and turns in the other two planes 9 as bearings, as is
clearly shewn in Figure 3 by dotted lines. j is a cog wheel keyed or other-
wise affixed to the shaft c, and is for the purpose of gearing into and being
driven by a suitable arrangement of wheels actuated by steam or other power,
in order to obtain rotatory motion to the spiral propellers i, i; or the shaft e
may be caused to revolve by a pulley actuated by an endless strap, or it may
be turned by means of a crank and suitable connecting rod, as is well under-
stood by engineers. k, k, are the eduction passages for the water, when the
vessel is being propelled forward; but if she is being propelled sternwise they
become the induction ways for the water. 7, 7, are the induction ways for the
water to the rotatory spiral propellers, when the vessel is being propelled
forward; but they become the eduction ways when the vessel is being pro-
pelled sternwise. And I would remark that it is highly important that in
forming these water ways no impediment should be offered to the free passage
of the water; and it will be evident that as the water will by the working of
rotatory spiral propellers i, be caused to move spirally around the barrel or axis
of the propeller, and of the spiral planes g, it follows that, in order that the
openings or outlets of the water from the cylinders b, b, should be such as to
allow of the water passing off without impediment, that the passages should be
opposite those portions of the cylinders 6 where the spiral planes g, g, termi-
nate, and of the Figure produced by such terminations of the spiral planes 9, 9,
and that such passages should be as large as the streams of water put in motion
by the rotatory spiral propellers i, i. The position of these openings is clearly
shewn in Figures 1 and 2, where it will be seen that the water passages open
immediately from the cylinders b, b, to the water in which the vessel floats; and
hence, the water having been put into rapid motion by the spiral propellers i, i,
immediately it arrives at the ends of the spiral planes 9, 9, it will pass off with
the full momentum and force thus obtained, and propel the vessel[forward or
sternwise, as the case may be; and it is owing to this peculiar combination
of the spiral planes g with the spiral propellers i, i, together with the position,
shape, and direction of the water ways, that the fullest possible force exerted
in working the spiral propellers can be applied in propelling the vessel; and
hence may the spiral propellers i, i, which heretofore have failed of producing
an advantageous effect, when arranged according to the various combinations
in which they have been before employed for propelling vessels, he now most

page_text: beneficially employed. I would here remark, that although I have here shewn
and described two spiral propellers i, i, with their spiral planes g, g.
more or
less may be used depending on the construction of the vessel.
Having now described the first part of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe the second part thereof. Figure 4 shows an ordinary steam boiler
having my second improvement applied thereto. m is the shaft or axis to
which the various parts of the machinery constituting the machinery acting on
the principle of "Barker's Mill" are applied. This shaft m turns in a bearing
at n, and in a bearing and stuffing box n', as is clearly shewn. o is a drum
affixed to the shaft m for communicating the motion obtained to the shaft m
to the working of machinery in aid of the steam engine, which is actuated by
the steam after it has passed through and given 'motion to the machinery in
the boiler or steam chamber thereof. p, p, &c. are a series of chambers bolted
together, as is shewn in the Drawing. These chambers are closed to cach
other at all parts except at the points or centres of the partitions q, q. The
series of chambers p' are securely suspended and affixed within the steam boiler,
or in other constructions of boilers, and may be placed in the steam chamber
of the boiler. r is the opening into the chamber p¹ for the passage of the
steam as it is generated in the boiler. s, s, are a series of hollow vessels,
affixed by keys or otherwise, at their central bosses, to the axis or shaft m. One
of these hollow vessels is shewn separately in section at Figure 5; t, t, being
openings for the escape of steam, and vare projecting openings or short pipes
which, turning in the central openings formed in the partitions of the chambers
p, and turn therein as bearings. w is the steam" pipe leading to the steam
engine, and this steam pipe is affixed to the end of the chambers p. Now it
will be evident, that when steam is generated in the boiler, it will pass into the
chamber p', through the opening 1, and then into the vessel s, which is in
the chamber på, and the pressure of the steam in that vessel s will press in all
directions-with-an-effort-to-escape-but-will-be resisted excepting at the points
t, t, and hence the steam will flow freely through those openings, and the
vessels, with the shaft m, will revolve; if it has not to overcome too great a
force, the steam, in passing through from the vessel s into the chamber pa, will
pervade the same, and from thence will pass into the vessels in the chamber
p3, and so on till it passes to the chamber p¹, cach vessel's giving off the force
produced to the axis m, when the steam, still retaining the same or nearly the
same elastic force as the steam before it passed into the chambers p, will then
go by the steam pipe to the ordinary engine, and thus will a considerable
power be obtained from the steam before it passes to the steam pipe. And I
would remark that I do not confine myself to any particular number of the

page_text: vessels 8, which constitute the combination of machinery acting on the prin-
ciple of "Barker's Mill," as they may be varied according to circumstances,
depending on the room and construction of the boiler; nor do I confine myself
to the precise form of the vessels s, as the same may be varied. Figure 6
shows an arrangement for that purpose, and consists of a hollow tube decreas-
ing in size from the centre outwards, the object of which is, that the stream of
steam through the same may be continuous; this arrangement is to be affixed
to the axis or shaft m in like manner to the vessels s, and steam entering in
at the centre passes onwards till it arrives at the end y, where it will be seen
to be bent or turned back, hence the flow of the steam will be in an opposite
direction to that in which it travels, and there will be this advantage obtained,
that the steam in the apparatus will flow in the same direction as the apparatus
itself travels, which is particularly useful when this apparatus is employed for
the purpose of obtaining power by the flow of water and other fluids, as
hereafter described.
I will now proceed to describe the third part of my Invention, which con-
sists in applying the above-described improvements or parts thereof to other
useful purposes. Figure 7 shows an arrangement of a spiral propeller i, in
conjunction with one spiral plane g, and is intended as a pump for raising or
forcing fluids, or for pumping or forcing air for furnaces and other purposes.
The letters of reference being the same as those used in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
and as the parts perform the same office, the description herein-before given
will be fully sufficient in respect to the application of this first part of my
improvements to the other useful purposes herein mentioned. And in applying
the apparatus, Figure 6, to the purposes of a mill, I affix a hollow or other
shaft to the centre thereof, which, moving in suitable bearings, and actuating
any desired mill work by suitable gearing, which will readily be applied in
like manner to an ordinary "Barker's Mill;" but the same forms no part of
my Invention, The water flowing through the said apparatus will pass freely
along the trunk till it arrives at the point 3, where it will flow off, and it will
be seen that the water or other fluid will be flowing at all times in the direction
of the apparatus itself, owing to the end y being turned back as above described.
By this means the power obtained by the application of a given quantity of
water or other fluid will be considerably greater than if the water flowed in
one direction, and the apparatus traversed in an opposite direction, which would
be the case if the end y were not turned back, as shewn and described.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I lay no claim to
the various parts separately; but what I do claim is,―

page_text: First, the combining rotatory spiral propellers i, i, with spiral planes 9, 9,
within cylinders b, having openings or ways as above described for the passage
of the water in propelling vessels:
Secondly, I claim the application of the combination of machinery acting on
the principle of Barker's Mill,within a steam boiler or the steam chamber
thereof, as above described: ..
And, thirdly, I claim the application of the combination constituting the
first part of my Invention, to the raising and forcing of fluids, as above
described, and also the application of the apparatus, Figure 6, as an improved
Barker's Mill for propelling machinery:
In witness: whereof, I, the said William Hale, have hereunto set my hand
...and seal, this Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
WILLIAM (L.s.) HALE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1836, the aforesaid William Hale came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.