IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FROM OCEAN OR OTHER WAVES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christian Schiele, of Lower Bebbington, in the
County of Cheshire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FROM OCEAN OR OTHER WAVES."
Sealed the 3rd September 1860, and dated the 3rd March 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christian Schiele at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
March 1860.
I, CHRISTIAN SCHIELE, of Lower Bebbington, in the County of Cheshire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FROM OCEAN OR OTHER WAVES," to be
as follows:-
My Invention relates to certain mechanical arrangements for taking up the
power exerted by the waves of the ocean, and for usefully applying the same.
For these purposes I oppose oblique surfaces or boards, buoys, floats, pistons
working in cylinders, and boards on hinges to the action of the waves, in such
a manner that the wave's motion shall impart a horizontal reciprocating
motion, a vertical, a rotary, or a surgin motion, as the case may be; for
instance, I connect by suitable means one or more of the oblique surfaces or
boards to a pump, so that the pump's piston shall be drawn out by the rising
wave and be driven in by the falling one, by this means I elevate water to a
height, accumulate and use it again for obtaining (by known means) motive
power, or as may be desired. To obtain rotary motion I attach a number of
Pic 1

page_text: oblique surfaces or boards hinged like wings to the rim of a horizontal wheel,
in such a way that the waves shall always exert their force in the same
direction, and so impart a rotary motion, which may be applied to a number
of useful purposes by known means. I also use the oblique surfaces or boards
for the purpose of towing ships, as follows:-I provide a long hollow beam,
formed to float securely, pass casily through tho water, and be sufficiently
strong to resist the force of the waves; to this hollow beam I hinge a number
of oblique surfaces like wings, which are moved up and down (within certain
limits) as the water rises and falls, and thus acting as inclined planes give a
propelling motion to the hollow beam. Towing cables from the hollow beam
will be connected with a vessel on its starboard and larboard sides, and the
cables will be so arranged that by tightening one of them and slackening the
other the steerage of thehollow beam may be effected. By connecting a number
of the tug beams parallel to each other, a great concentration of power may
be obtained, and the hollow beams so connected may also be used as a kind of
breakwater. In some cases I use the tug beams as ordinary lifeboats are
used for the purpose of preserving life and property from shipwreck. I also
apply the oblique surfaces attached at suitable angles to ship's decks, or other-
wise, so as to assist in steering, pumping, and other useful
purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Christain Schiele in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd September 1860.
TO, ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTIAN
SCHIELE, of Lower Bebbington, in the County of Cheshire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Christian Schiele, Her special licence that I, the said Christian Schiele, my:
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Christian
Schiele, 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 Chanuel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER FROM OCEAN OR OTHER WAVES," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that 1, the said Christian Schiele, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Christian Schiele, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates to certain mechanical arrangements for taking up the
power exerted by the waves of the ocean, and for usefullyapplying the same.
For these purposes I oppose oblique surfaces or boards, buoys, floats, pistons
working in cylinders, and boards on hinges to the action of the waves, in such
a manner that the wave's motion shall impart a horizontal reciprocating
motion, a direct horizontal, a vertical, a rotatory, a surgin, or other motion,
as the case may be; for instance, I connect by suitable means one or more
of the oblique surfaces or boards to a pump, so that the pump's piston shall
be drawn out by the rising wave and be driven in by the falling one, by this
means l'elevate water to a height, accumulate and use it again for obtaining
(byknown means) motive power, or use it for other purposes as maybe desired.
To obtain rotary motion I attach a number of oblique surfaces or boards
hinged like wings to the rim of a horizontal wheel, in such a way that the
waves shall always exert their force so as to impart a rotary motion, which
may be applied to a number of useful purposes by known means. I also use
the oblique surfaces or boards for the purpose of towing ships, as follows:-
I provide a long hollow bean, formed to float securely, pass easily through
the water, and be sufficiently strong to resist the force of the waves; to this
hollow beam I hinge a number of oblique surfaces like wings, which are
moved up and down (within certain limits) as the water rises and falls, and
thus acting as inclined planes give a propelling motion to the hollow beam.
Towing cables from the hollow beam will be connected with a vessel ou its
starboard and larboard sides, and the cables will be so arranged that by tight-
uing oneof them and slackening the other the steerage of the hollow beam may
be effected. By connecting a number of the tug beams paralell to each other,
a great concentration of power may be obtained, and the hollow beans so
connected may also be used as a kind of break water. In some cases I use the
tug beams as ordinary lifeboats are used for the purpose of preserving life and

page_text: property from shipwreck. I also apply the oblique surfaces attached at
suitable angles to ship's decks, or otherwise, so as to assist in steering,
pumping, and other useful purposes.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood and explained
in detail, I will now proceed to describe the same in connection with the
Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 of the Drawings shews in section a well built in a sea wall, the
said well communicating with the water at a point below the low-water level;
in the well is placed a loose piston, and its piston rod is connected with a
working beam placed above, which transmits the power obtained from the
water rising or falling in the said well, in consequence of the rising and falling
of the waves, to a pump conveniently placed for the purpose of forcing water
into a reservoir on an elevation, the water being their accumulated, and
afterwards drawn off and used for such purposes as the turning of machinery;
or the said pump may be used for drainage, for irrigation,and other such like
purposes. Across the top of the well are fixed a couple of cross beams, which
determine the stroke downwards. The piston end of the beam must be made
heavy enough to fall by itself in calm weather, and leakage round the piston
is required for this, as also for equalizing the changing levels of the tide.
Letter (a) is the well; (b) is the piston; (c) is the piston rod; (d) is the
working beam; and (e) are the cross beams. Figure 2 shews another mode
of acting upon a pump by means of an oblique board, which is pushed
inwards by the rising wave and outwards by the falling wave, or by revers-
ing the angle of the said board it's action will be reversed also. Two elastic.
washers are fixed to the guide frame for terminating the length of stroke;
a pump is let into the wall, taking water from below and discharging it into
an elevated tank or reservoir, to be afterwards used for watering streets,
for baths, and for other purposes. Letter (/) is the oblique board; (g) is
the guide frame; and () is the tank.
Figure 3 is an elevation of a number of floats formed like cups, and
mounted between two endless chains. The inverted cups, offering a form of
greater resistance than those on the opposite side, are pushed upwards by the
rising waves, their ascent being aided by the buoyancy of the air retained
within them. The descending cups are acted upon similarly by the falling
waves, and aided in their descent by the weight of the water left within them,
by these means the endless chain is caused to revolve. There are on the land
side of the chains buckets fixed at intervals, which carry water up and
discharge it into a watercourse mounted on a stage, by which the water is
carried to the land to be there used forwashing sewers of towns, forirrigation,

page_text: for baths, and for other purposes. Letter ) are the floats or cups; (k) is
the endless chain which passes round the pulleys (m) and (n). The move-
ment is in the direction shewn by the arrows.
Figure 4 is a part side elevation, Figure 5 an end view, and Figure 6 an
eularged view, of a portion of an apparatus for producing rotary motion by
means of a kind of valvular or swinging wings, shewn detached at Figure 6
(attached to a wheel), which open or cut through the water passing in an
opposite direction to that in which the wheel should turn, and close or oppose
their whole surfaces whenever the water moves the right way. The wheel is
composed of a skeleton frame of wrought-iron arms, with central stopping
arms to receive the wings so as to prevent their swinging round more than
one half when the latter are closed, or resist the passing of the water without
taking them along. Bolts passing through the arms of the wheel serve as
centres, round which the wings swing. There are cranks placed at right
angles to each other on the ends of the shaft, serving as a means for working
pumps, which deliver their water into pipes secured to a suitable stage
reaching to the shore, where the water may be used for turning machinery.
and for other purposes. By combining a number of the said wheels con-
siderable power may be obtained from the action of a turbulent sea, and the
wheels would at the same time produce the effect of a breakwater, by
diminishing the power of the waves, and such a breakwater would easily
repay its cost for construction and maintenance. Letter (o) is the wheel;
(p) are the valves or wings; (g) are the stopping arms; (r) are the cranks
with connecting rods to the next wheel or wheels; (s) are the pumps; (t)
are the water pipes leading to the shore..
Figure 7 is a view of a portion of a ship's stern, shewing the manner of
working a ship's pump by means of a boat attached to a lever. The said lever
is weighted to counterbalance so much of the weight of the boat as will ensure
the pump's piston being forced downwards whenever the boat rises on a
wave. Letter () is the ship's stern; (w) is the boat; (y) is the lever;
and (), the pump's piston rod.
At Figure 8, A, B, and C represent different views of an oblique board or
wing, which is caused to swing on a spindle or change the direction of its
angular position by the action of the waves in such a way that the power
exerted on the oblique board or boards causes propulsion in one direction
only. The smaller end of the board is made solid so as to balance on the
spindle or axis the larger end, which is hollow. Their axes are so shaped that
their smaller ends will tend to stop the wings from assuming the full angular
position with less powerful waves. Larger waves cause a slight twisting

page_text: spring action of the axes or spindles, until by their form they finally prevent
any further turning of the wings in the same direction. The size of the said
wings should be regulated to suit the size of the waves, upon the principle
that the larger the waves are, the larger should be the wings exposed to their
action. For obtaining great speeds a small angular position of the wings
is required, and for slow speeds a greater angular position. For small
waves the wings should be laid just under the surface of the water, but
for large waves the wings should be laid just under the trough or hollow
of the waves. The said spindles sometimes are made to pass through
the said wings, which may be caused to stop by other means than that
described above. The wings may also be varied in shape, and be some-
times made of timber or other suitable material. Letter (a) is the
oblique board or wing, and (b) is the spindle.
Figure 9 is a plan view, and Figure 10 a side elevation, of a skeleton wheel
fitted with a number of the said wings, the wheel being held out horizontally
by a suitable framing to the action of the waves. The wheel can be adjusted
to suit the tide, and can be held securely down, if required, by a weight
suspended underneath the framing. The motion is transmitted from the
wheel by means of suitable gearing constructed as is usual under angular
adjustments, and the power applied for purposes where the use of varying
power is admissable, as, for instance, edge rollers, mills, stampers,
crushers, pumps, etc. The said wheel, if fixed vertically into the sea on
a slanting shore facing the surge, would also turn with power. Letter (c¹)
is the wheel; (¹) is the framing; aud (e) is a weight.
Figure 11 is a side elevation, Figure 12 an end view, and Figure 13 a plan
view, of a hollow beam fitted with wings (as above described) all along its
sides. A hollow beam when constructed of a sufficient size and strength may
be used as a ship, as is shewn in Drawings, weight of material, ballast, und
load being so arranged as to secure its upright position. A hollow beam, when
resting on two or more waves, tends to keep itself in a horizontal position, the
depressing and upraising motion of the waves counterbalancing each other, or
nearly so, the body of the beam being so framed as to offer little resistance to
the rise and fall of the waves. Two balanced rudders are used simultaneously
steered from the deck, and the said rudders also serve, when turned athwart,
to check the progress of the said beam. By making provision for securing
the wings in a horizontal position their propelling power will be suspended.
Letter (1) is the hollow beam; (g) are the wings; (1) are the rudders;
aud () is a strong eye for securing a towing cable, or for securing the beam
to its inooring cables.

page_text: Figure 14 is a plan view of a hollow beam when used as a tug merely for
towing a vessel. Letter (¹) is the tug.; (1) are the cables; and (m³) the
vessel.
Figure 15 is a side elevation, and Figure 16 an end view, of a wave tug
floating by means of the lightness of the timber of which it is constructed,
instead of being made hollow, for sending through the surge to a ship in
distress, or for towing a lifeboat to a ship, or for towing boats from a ship to
the nearest harbour by means of two ropes, used at the same time for steering
the tug by its rudder to its destination. The tug is constructed in the form of
a ladder, its side rails being well suited for persons to cling by until rescued,
it is fitted (on the spokes) with wings, as before described. Letter (nl) are
the side rails; (¹) are the steering cables; and (p¹) are the wings.
Figure 17 shews a boat provided with a wing, as before described, which
(its rod being firmly held in rough weather) acts as a propeller, and the same
serves as a kind of paddle in calm weather. A number of such wingsattached
to a ship's rudder will assist in steering. Letter (41) is the boat, and () is
the propelling wing.
Figure 18 is a side elevation, and Figure 19 is a plan view, of a number of
Hoating beams combined to form a raft for obtaining great power, and also for
use as a breakwater. As such the raft is made always to face the storm, and
for this purpose large surfaces like vanes are securely fixed abaft for the
purpose of turping the raft round a central mooring, and for balancing the
propelling action, thus relieving the strain on the mooring cables.
A swinging board in a hanging position with a surgin motion may be
applied in inlets on the shore, similarly to the application shewn at Figure 1,
the entering and issuing of the water causing the said board to swing to and
fro for the purpose of transmitting motion by suitable connection to a pump,
or for other purposes.
Wings like those described at Figure 8, exposed to the action of waves
produced by steam vessels, will take part of their power up, and also lessen
their damaging effect on the shore of canals or rivers.
As the motion of the water up and down in forming waves diminishes in
proportion to the depth below the surface, I sometimes suspend and hold
securely in a horizontal position (from a floating body above) flat boards or
plates, which, by their large surface, resist to a great extent the heaving up
and down of the floating body with the rise and fall of the waves, thus
increasing the effect on the propelling wings, or other means used to obtain
power from the waves, for instance, such boards or plates applied to floating
breakwaters will materially increase their efficiency.

page_text: Having now fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would have it understood
that what I consider as new and original, and therefore claim as secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is as follows:-
First, making use of pistons in cylinders, oblique boards, floats, cups, valves,
boats, as floats, wings, and swinging boards, as a means for obtaining motive
power from the rise and fall of ocean and other waves, as herein-before
described.
Second, breakwaters constructed so as to usefully employ the power of the
waves.
Third, the steering of ships by means of two cables when a wave tug is
applied, as herein-before described.
Fourth, finding support for the action of the waves on the propelling wings
of a floating beam or framing, by making the said beam long enough so as
not follow the rise and fall of the waves; or as in the case of shorter floating
bodies, finding support, by flat boards or plates reaching deeper under the
surface of the waves to less agitated water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christian Schiele, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
CHRISTIAN SCHIELE. (L.S.)
Witness to the signing and delivery hereof
by the within-named CHRISTIAN SCHIELE,
1.
R. BINS,
Birkenhead.