IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Webster, of Jefferson County, in the Terri-
tory of Washington, one of the Territories of the United States of
America, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PROPULSION
OF VESSELS."
Sealed the 23rd November 1858, and dated the 25th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Webster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1858.
I, WILLIAM WEBSTER, of Jefferson County, in the Territory of Washington,
one of the Territories of the United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE PROPULSION
OF VESSELS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the shape of the propellers, the mode of housing
them, and the mode of regulating their speed.
Preparatory to the employment of these improvements, I modify somewhat
the hull of the vessel. The model I prefer resembles that of the modern
clipper ships, but is much finer, having more dead wood forward and aft.
The lower part of the vessel's fore peak, or entrance and run, is built solid
inside. I also place in the ends of the ship air chambers which give her
buoyancy, and counterbalance the great weight of the propellers, and thus
make the ship easier in a sea-way..

page_text: The propeller fins I make in the shape of a whale's fin, and cast them
hollow for the sake of lightness; they may be attached to the shaft in any
convenient mode. When it is desired to use sails alone on the vessel, I cover
in the fins by slide ports, which descend one on each side through a trunk
which runs down from the deck. Preparatory to this, the shaft of the fins is
turned and held by a pall in that position which will bring the fins upright
within the space intended to be enclosed. There is a trap hatch in the bottom
of the trunk opening inwards, and the slide ports work up and down in the
trunk, and are operated in any convenient mode from the deck. When the
ports are down the fins are enclosed in a water-tight well, from which the
water can be drawn off through a hoso leading to the ship's pumps. When
this is done, a man can descend to repair, unship, or replace the fins at
pleasure. The fins are formed to throw the water from the centre. I pro-
pose in vessels for shallow water, to use two fins, one abaft the other. In that
case I place the after one on a separate shaft in line with the main shaft, and
capable of being clutched to it and unclutched at will, by means of a lever
descending through the trunk from the deck. Thus, the two fins can be
placed at right angles to each other when at work, and parallel when it is
desired to cover them in. The shaft I make hollow to combine strength and
lightness, & prevent bending.
On that end of the propeller shaft to which the power is applied, I place at
some distance from each other three pinions of equal diameters, and mashing
respectively into three concentric rings of cogs on the face of a wheel placed
horizontally above them, and revolving on a vertical shaft. These rings of
cogs are made removable at pleasure by being raised up out of gear with the
pinions, and when the machinery is in motion, only one ring of cogs and one
pinion must be in gear at the same time. The speed of the propeller shaft
depends upon the particular pair that are in gear. The greatest speed is
imparted by the outermost ring of cogs, and the least by the small one nearest
the centre of the wheel, and the speed may be. varied at pleasure without
altering the speed of the engine, by throwing either ring of cogs into gear
with its appropriate pinion. The revolutions may thus be increased from sixty
to a hundred and eighty, or more. The weight of the annular wheel is sup-
ported on friction rollers near its periphery, and its axle rests at its lower end
upon a friction bearing.
The crank driving the vertical shaft of the annular cog wheel works hori-
zontally and is driven by a pitman connected with the piston rod of an
oscillating engine of ordinary construction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WEBSTER, of Jefferson County, in the Territory of Washington, one of the
Territories of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Webster, Iler special licence that I, the said William Webster,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Webster, 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR THE PROPULSION OF VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Webster, or my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 William Webster, 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,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal vertical section of the stern or after part of a vessel having my
improvements; Fig. 2 is a similar section of the bow of such a vessel; Fig. 3
is a transverse vertical section of the stern; Fig. 4 is a similar section of the
bow; Fig. 5 is a side view of the annular cog wheel; Fig. 6 is a top view of
the same; Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, showing also
the pinions on the propeller shaft, and the friction rollers supporting the
annular wheel; Fig. 8 is a segment of one of the rims of cogs removed from
the wheel. The same letter is used to designate the same part in all the
Figures.
A marks the hull or frame of the vessel; B, the fore peak; C, the run;

page_text: D, fins or propeller blades; E, shafts; F, slide ports; G, trunk; H, tube for
emptying propeller chamber; I, air chambers in bow and stern; J, chains
for raising and lowering slide ports; K, separate shaft of after fin; L, L', L",
pinions on propeller shaft; M, M, M", concentric rings of removable cogs;
N, annular wheel composed of the rings of cogs; P, friction rollers support-
ing wheel N; Q, shaft of wheel N; R, crank; S, piston; T; oscillating
cylinder.
My Invention relates to the shape of the propellers, the mode of housing
them, and the mode of regulating their speed.
Preparatory to the employment of these improvements, I modify somewhat
the hull of the vessel. The model I prefer resembles that of the modern-
clipper ships, but much finer, having more dead wood forward and aft as shown.
The lower part of the vessel's fore peak B, and run C, is built solid inside.
The simple forms of bow and stern, shown in the Drawing, will be produced
at a greatly diminished cost from those of the present clipper model. I also
place in the ends of the ship, air chambers I, which give her buoyancy, and
counterbalance the great weight of the propellers, and thus make the ship
easy in a sea-way.
s
The propellers or fins D, D, &c., I make in the shape of a whale's fin, and
cast them hollow for the sake of lightness. I place them sometimes at the
bow as well as at the stern of the ship; they may be attached to the shaft E in
any convenient mode. When it is designed to use sails alone in the vessel,
I cover in the fins by slide ports F, F, &c., which descend one on each side
through a trunk G, which runs down from the deck. Preparatory to this, the
shaft of the fins is turned, and held by a pawl in that position which will
bring the fins upright within the space to be enclosed. There is a trap hatch
in the bottom of the trunk G opening inwards, and the slide ports are worked
up and down in the trunks, being operated in any convenient mode from
the deck. When the ports are down, the fins are enclosed in a water-tight
well, from which the water is drawn through a pipe H, and conveyed by hose
to the ship's pumps. When this is done, a man can descend to repair, unship,
or replace the fins at pleasure. The fins are formed to throw the water from
the centre instead of drawing it towards the centre as in the propellers now
in use, and hence there will be no back or dead water caused by their
working.
I propose in vessels for shallow water to use two fins, one abaft the other.
In that case, I place the after one on a separate shaft in line with the main
shaft, as seen at K, Fig. 1, and capable of being clutched to it and unclutched
at will by means of a lever descending through the trunk G from the deck.

page_text: Thus, the two fins can be placed at right angles to each other when at work,
and parallel when it is desired to cover them in. The shaft E, I make hollow,
to combine lightness and strength with diminished liability to bend.
At that end of the shaft E where the power is applied, I place, as shown,
three pinions L, L, L", of equal diameters, and mashing respectively into three
concentric rings of cogs M, M', M", on the face of wheel N, placed hori-
zontally above them, and revolving on a vertical shaft Q. These rings of cogs
are made so as to be capable of being raised up out of gear with the pinions at
pleasure. For this purpose they are made in segments, and when down, are
held in place by bolts, shown in Fig. 6. By withdrawing these bolts they can
readily be raised by means of a lever. When the wheel is in motion only
one ring of cogs and one pinion must be in gear at the same time. The speed
of the propeller shaft E depends upon the particular pair of cogs and pinions
that are in gear. The greatest speed is imparted by the outermost ring of
cogs M, and the least by the small one M", nearest the centre of the wheel N,
and the speed may be varied at will without altering the speed of the engine,
by throwing either ring into gear with its appropriate pinion.
The weight of the annular wheel is supported, as seen in Fig. 8 by friction
rollers near its periphery, and the lower end of its shaft Q rests upon a friction
bearing.
The crank R driving the vertical shaft Q of the annular cog wheel N,
works horizontally as shown in Figure 1, and is driven by a connection
with the piston S of the oscillating cylinder T of an engine of ordinary
construction.
1 claim, first, the new form of hull herein described and represented.
Second, the use of air chambers to counterbalance the weight of the
propeller, and give case to the ship.
Third, making the propellers or fins hollow.
Fourth, the mode of housing the fins by slide ports.
Fifth, the annular wheel N, constructed and operating as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Webster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of
One thousand sight hundred and fifty-eight
W. WEBSTER. (L.S.)