AN INVENTION OF A NEW METHOD OF CREATING A POWER USEFUL IN MOVING MACHINERY AND REDUCING LABOUR BY MEANS OF FIRE, WATER, AND STEAM, WITH OR WITHOUT CONDENSATION, APPLICABLE TO EVERY PURPOSE WHERE STRENGTH IS REQUIRED
Year: 1799

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BISHOP, of Newhaven, in the County of Newhaven, in the State of Connec
ticut, in North America, Gentleman, at present residing in the Parish of
Saint Paul, Covent Garden, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of September, in the thirty-ninth year of
His reign, did give and grant unto me, the said John Bishop, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licenco, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said John Bishop, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention therein mentioned, to wit,
"AN INVENTION OF A NEW METHOD OF CREATING A POWER USEFUL IN MOVING
MACHINERY AND REDUCING LABOUR BY MEANS OF FIRE, WATER, AND STEAM, WITH
OR WITHOUT CONDENSATION, APPLICABLE TO EVERY PURPOSE WHERE STRENGTH IS
REQUIRED," within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, tho
said John Bishop, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should seem meet,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and
advantages, therein granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said
John Bishop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and
unto the full end and term of fourteen years therein expressed; in which said

page_text: Letters Patent there is (among other things) contained a proviso, that if I,
the said John Bishop, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, that then
the said recited Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and
by the said recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Bishop, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as follows; that is
to say:-
The applications of the power acquired by this Invention may be various,
but none seems more natural than that of a simple wheel similar to that of an
overshot water wheel being hung on an axis in a floom or box so full of water'
as to cover the same. The bottom of the floom or box must be made of metal
or other substances which the fire will not injure, with a convenient place for
a fire, or to receive the heat under the same. The steam formed by the boil-
ing of the water being conducted into the buckets on that side of the wheel
where they open downwards, as near the center on the under side as may be,
the water in the floom or box will then act with a force to turn the wheel, in
proportion to the quantity of steam in the buckets, at the rate of about eight
or nine pounds to each gallon, which, together with the circular motion of the
water, will give a regular motion to the wheel, which may be communicated,
either by a crank or otherwise, for almost any purpose, from that of turning
a spit for roasting meat up to that of driving mills or propelling boats.
Description of the Condenser which may be used with it.-It consists of a
pipe to lead the steam from the top of the boiler through cold water, far
enough to condense the same, placed in such a form that the condensed steam
shall return back into the boiler through a pipe or pipes. A valve on the
outer end of the pipe will prevent the air or water from pressing into the boiler
while there is a vacuum-in the-same, and let the steam.out while there is none.
After the water has boiled a sufficient time to have driven the air out through S
the pipe, the valve is to be shut, and the box or tube through which the pipe
passes is to be filled and kept supplied with cold water; this will instantly
produce nearly a vacuum in the boiler; the water will then boil with less heat,
the steam will then occupy a larger space in the buckets, and, consequently,

page_text: ncrease the power of the engine very much. For some uses it may be best to
pake use of ether or spirits of wine instead of water, as they boil with a less
legree of heat. The Drawings below are explanatory of the Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bishop, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine.
Inrolled the same Twenty-third day of October, in the year above written.