AN IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rowland Jay Browne, of Kidwelly, in the
County of Carmarthen, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS."
Sealed the 15th February 1876, and dated the 22nd October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rowland Jay Browne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd October 1875.
I, ROWLAND JAY BROWNE, of Kidwelly, in the County of Car-
marthen, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS," to
bo as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to propel vessels through the water
by the action of compressed air on the water below the surface.
In carrying out my Invention air is compressed by means of any
suitable engine into a strong vessel or receiver, and is allowed to escape
therefrom through a valve or cock to a pipe or pipes, which will conduct

page_text: it to the exit aperture or apertures in that part of the vessel which is
below the surface of the water.
I prefer to have two exit apertures, one on each side of the keel, and
to each of them a trumpet mouth or cone is adapted, so that the air
when it escapes can expand in the cone or trumpet mouth before it
reaches the free water beyond the open end of the cone. The inner ends
of the air tubes are provided with cocks or valves for the purpose of
allowing the supply of air to be cut off from both or either of the tubes.
By thus stopping the supply of air on one side of the keel of the vessel
and maintaining it on the other I am enabled to very considerably
facilitate the steering of the vessel.
When it is desired to propel the vessel forward in a straight line the
compressed air is supplied to both the exit openings.
For going astern or stopping the vessel a precisely analogous arrange-
ment of pipes and exit openings is provided on each side of the kecl,
except that the open ends of the cones or trumpet mouths are pointed
in the opposite direction, that is, towards the bow of the ship.
The air openings for backing or stopping the vessel may be placed
either at the stern, sides, or bows of the ship, as may be found most
convenient; and there may be an air cook or valve connected with the
compressed air reservoir interposed between the outlet of such reservoir
and the above mentioned pipes constructed in the form of a two-way
cock, so that air can be directed to either set of air pipes, as may be
required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Rowland Jay Browne in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROWLAND
JAY BROWNE, of Kidwelly, in the County of Carmarthen, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the

page_text: thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Rowland Jay Browne, Her
special licence that I, the said Rowland Jay Browne, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Rowland
Jay Browne, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF PROPELLING SHIPS OR OTHER
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Rowland
Jay Browne, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Rowland Jay Browne, 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
The object of this Invention is to propel vessels through the water by
the action of compressed air on the water below the surface thereof.
In carrying out my Invention air. is compressed by means of any
suitable engine into a strong vessel or receiver, and is allowed to escape
therefrom through a valve or cock to a pipe or pipes, which will conduct
it to the exit aperture or apertures in that part of the vessel which is
below the surface of the water.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a sectional
elevation of part of a vessel, shewing my improved propelling apparatus
adapted thereto.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vessel, shewing in dotted lines the
arrangement of the air pipes.
The several Figures in Sheet II. represent various views of the valve

page_text: gear and its accessories for controlling the passage of the compressed
air to the exit apertures according to the direction in which the vessel
is desired to proceed.
I prefer to have two exit apertures a¹, a', and b', 6', one of each such
apertures is arranged on each side of the keel, as shewn in Figures 1
and 2, and to each of these apertures a trumpet mouth or cone is
adapted, as shewn in the Drawing, so that the air when it escapes from
the conducting pipes a or 6 can expand in the cone or trumpet mouth
before it reaches the free water beyond the open end of the cone. The
inner ends of the air tubes a and b communicate by means of valves a* 1
and 6* with the compressed air chamber c, c, for the purpose of allowing
the supply of air to be cut off from both or either of the tubes a and b.
By thus stopping the supply of air on one side of the keel of the vessel
and maintaining it on the other I am enabled to very considerably
facilitate the steering of the vessel.
When it is desired to propel the vessel forward in a straight line the
compressed air is supplied to both the exit opening a¹, a', Figures 1 and 2.
For going astern or stopping the vessel a precisely analogous arrange-
ment of pipes and exit openings b', ', is provided on each side of the
keel, except that the open ends of the cones or trumpet mouths are
pointed in the opposite direction, that is, towards the bow of the ship,
as shewn at Figures 1 and 2.
The air openings for backing or stopping the vessel may be placed
either at the stern or at the sides or bows of the ship, as may be found
most convenient, and there may be an air cock or valve connected with
the compressed air reservoir c interposed between the outlet of such
reservoir and the above mentioned pipes constructed in the form of a
two-way cock, so that air can be directed to either set of air pipes, as
may be required; but I prefer the arrangement and construction of
parts shewn in the enlarged views in Sheet II., in which Fig. 3 is a side
elevation, and Fig. 4, a top view, drawn on an enlarged scale, to the
compressed air chamber, with the valves for regulating the exit of the
air and the levers for working the same adapted thereto; Fig. 5 is a
transverse vertical section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 6; and Fig.
6, a horizontal section of the compressed air chamber, taken in the line
3, 4, of Fig. 5, and showing its internal arrangement.

page_text: The compressed air chamber o, which is in fact little more than a
valve chest, but acts in some measure as a pressure regulator, communi-
cates (by means of the opening d and bent pipe d*, Figures 1 and 2) with
a large compressed air reservoir e, into which air is forced by any
suitable engine not shewn in the Drawing. The air when forced into
this reservoir is very considerably compressed, and therefore the reservoir
is provided with a safety valve and pressure indicator. The valve
whereby communication is maintained between the reservoir e and the
chamber c is so weighted as to yield to a given pressure, so that it will
always keep the chamber c supplied with air of an average pressure.
The slide valves f,f, which open and close the communication between
the chamber c and the pipes a and b, are connected by links to short
arms at the lower ends of the vertical shafts g, 9, which pass up through
stuffing boxes h, h, adapted to the cover or lid of the chamber c.
the upper end of the vertical shafts g, g, are keyed the hand levers i, i,
whereby the valves f, f, are worked. In order to prevent mistakes in
"> < astern,"
working the valves a series of labels with the words “ahead,”
port," "starboard," "open," and "shut," are fixed on the lid or cover
of the chamber c, as shewn at Fig. 4.
"
On
It will now be understood that by pulling over the two left-hand
levers i, i, connected with the valves f (communicating with the pipes
a, a, Figures 1 and 2) the compressed air will be allowed to issue from the
trumpet mouths a', a', and consequently the vessel will go "ahead" in
a straight line. If however only one of these valves be opened the
vessel will move forward in a curved line in a direction corresponding
to the valve which is opened. If the two right-hand levers i, i, be
pulled over, and those on the left hand be shut, the vessel will be
driven "astern" in a straight line. From this it will be seen that by
manipulating the valves in the proper manner the vessel may be easily
manœuvred and propelled in any desired direction.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Mode of Pro-
pelling Ships or other Vessels," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me
by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the use of compressed air supplied to
any suitable reservoir, from which it will pass through a regulated
pressure valve to a valve chest or chamber provided with valves con-
nected with channels or pipes which will conduct the compressed air to
suitable exit apertures arranged parallel, or as nearly parallel as may be

page_text: convenient, to the keel of the vessel, so that the air may escape there-
from and be made to act upon the water, as and for the purpose herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rowland Jay Browne, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the First day of April, in the t
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.