A NEW DESCRIPTION OF MOTIVE-POWER ENGINE
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Smith and Sydney Arthur
Chease at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 20th January 1863.
We, JAMES SMITH, of Barkeley House, Seaforth, near Liverpool, in the
County of Lancashire, and SYDNEY ARTHUR CHEASE, of Egremont, near Birken-
head, in the County of Chester, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW DESCRIPTION OF MOTIVE-POWER ENGINE," to be as follows
(that is to say):-
This engine is an engine for obtaining motive power applicable to stationary,
locomotive, marine, and other purposes.
This Invention consists in certain mechanical appliances so arranged as to
co-operate with the motive powers of air and water, each of these powers being
subject to the action of gravitation in proportion to its ponderability. On the
bed of the engine we secure one, two, or more tanks (if the tank or tanks be
oscillating tanks, they are supported by trunnions set on bearings springing from
the bed of the engine). In the following description we adopt the singular
number being more simple and comprehensive. Within the tank we fix a
cylinder which we call "the isolated cylinder," within the "isolated cylinder
we fit a second cylinder which we call the "float." The external diameter of
the float is to the internal diameter of the isolated cylinder in the proportion of
49 to 50. The float must be perfectly air-tight, and made after the manner of a
buoy. To the bottom of the float we fix a piston, and by means of a strap
leather valve the piston is made air-tight in the isolated cylinder. In the

page_text: centre of the piston we fix a metal valve, and to this valve we attach gear,
having a rod which we call the actuating rod passing through the float by
means of a tube. The actuating rod passes through the head of the tank, and
is united to the eccentric gear. On the head of the float is fixed a rod which
we call the power rod. The power rod passes through the head of the tank,
and by means of a crosshead is united to a lever, and a connecting rod unites
the lever and the crank. In the case of an oscillating tank we unite the
power rod with the crank direct, and rotation is produced without the aid of
an excentric wheel or lever.
Rotation is produced as follows:-The valve on the piston being closed, wo
fill the tank with water, we then open the valve by means of the regu-
lating gear. The water on the face of the piston passes through the valve,
and the float ascends. When it has arrived at the full throw of the crank,
the valve is closed by the action of the eccentric and the float descends, pro-
ducing action and reaction throughout the whole system of the engine.
When the tank is stationary the regulator forms part of the valve on the
piston with gear independent of the eccentric, but when the tank is oscillating
the regulator is attached to the standard, or some other convenient situation
adapted for the purpose, and is made to act by means of a screw and bit, the
screw carrying the bit forward so as to come in contact with the head of the
actuating rod which communicates with the valve beneath, and causes it to
open and shut as the tank oscillates. By this means the wheel will continue
to rotate until the regulator is withdrawn by reversing its screw. When two
or more isolated cylinders and floats are used, we employ a right-angled crank.
The fly wheel may then be dispensed with, but we recommend the adoption of
the fly wheel in every engine that has but one "isolated cylinder" and
one float.