Improvements in and connected with Paddle Wheels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1804
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Paddle Wheels.
I JOHN LEFEAUX of No. 55 Finsbury Terrace Swansea Glamorganshire
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction and appurtenances of
paddle wheels used for the propulsion of ships or vessels and has for its object the
more effective use of the power employed to propel such ships or vessels.
The improvements consist in partially enclosing the sides of the said paddle
wheels by attaching thereto discs with the centres left open each disc so attached
consisting of a flat ring and I prefer that the width of the said flat rings on the
sides of the paddle wheel shall be approximately equal to the depth of the said
paddle wheel floats and shall enclose the sides of the said paddle wheel to that
depth from its peripheral edge.
The peripheral face of the said paddle wheel or paddle wheels is left open and
unenclosed as to its lower portion as in the paddle wheels now commonly in use
excepting that towards the lower part of the said paddle wheel-or paddle wheels
and to the stern of them but quite unattached to the said paddle wheel or paddle
wheels a partial outer casing open both fore and aft is attached either to the
main frame of the ship or vessel or to the sponson thereof or to both. The said
partial outer casing has running across it from side to side horizontal or nearly
horizontal plates to direct the water moved by the floats of the said paddle wheel,
or against which the said floats thrust, in a straight direction towards the wake
of the course of the said ship or vessel. The said horizontal or nearly horizontal
plates may be either permanently attached to the said partial outer casing or so
attached by means of grooves or otherwise as to allow of their being used at a
higher or lower level in respect of the said partial outer casing. The effect of
the said discs thus partially covering the sides of the said paddle wheels and of
the said partial outer casings behind them is to confine the force exerted by the
floats of the said paddle wheels against the water moved by them more effectually
in the line of the ship's or vessel's course and so to cause the said force to act
more effectually in the propulsion of the said ship or vessel.
In order to make my invention and the mode of applying the same more clear
I refer to the two sheets of drawings which accompany this Specification.
In these drawings
A A represents the paddle wheel.
B B the disc like covering attached to the same.
<C C> the depth of the ring of the said disc like covering.
DD the sides of the partial outer casing attached to the main frame of the ship
or essel or to the sponson or to both. The said casing may have two sides formed
of separate plates as shown and described herein or the inner side may consist of
that part of the skin or covering plates or planking of the said ship's or vessel's side
contiguous thereto.
E. E E E the plates crossing from side to side of the said partial outer
casing D D.
F. FF stays connecting and strengthening the lower ends of the two sides of
the said partial outer casing D D or connecting the outer side of the casing with
the plates forming the skin or covering of the ship as the case may be.
Figure 1 represents a side view of one of the said paddle wheels and of the said
partial outer casing and the broken or dotted lines on this figure indicate the parts

page_text: of the wheel and of the said partial outer casing where hidden by the said plates
of the said partial outer casing and the disc like covering respectively.
Figure 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the paddle wheel and
the partial outer casing and the dotted lines on this figure indicate the slightly
overlapping outline of the partial outer casing where it is hidden by the disc like
covering of the wheel itself.
In each of the said figures the same letters of reference refer to the same parts
of the paddle wheels and their appurtenances, the curved arrows indicate the
direction in which the paddle wheels revolve when the ship is going ahead and the
straight arrows show the direction in which the ship or vessel itself moves.
The use of my said invention is not confined to ships or vessels propelled by side
paddle wheels only but may be applied to ships or vessels propelled by means of a
stern paddle wheel or paddle wheels.
Dated this 28th day of October 1893
OUNT LEIDDI MUIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Paddle Wheels.
I, JOHN LEFEAUX of 55 Finsbury Terrace, Swansea in the County of
Glamorgan, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of paddle wheels
and to apparatus in connection therewith for use in the propulsion of ships or
vessels and has for its object the more efficient use of the power employed to propel
such ships or vessels through the water.
According to this invention the sides of the paddle wheels are partly enclosed
by annular discs or rings; the peripheral faces of the paddle wheels are left open
and unenclosed as to their front lower parts as in paddle wheels commonly in use
while towards the lower parts of the paddle wheels and to the stern of them they
are provided with partial outer casings open both fore and aft being free from the
paddle wheels and attached to the sides of the vessel or to the sponson thereof or
to both. The said casings are provided with division plates arranged horizontally
which may be fixedly attached to the sides of the said casings or be fitted to slide
in grooves thereon.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will now more
particularly describe the same with reference to the figures on the annexed sheet
of drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the
figures.
Figure 1 is a side view of a paddle wheel with outer casing adapted thereto
and Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same.
A is a paddle wheel of ordinary construction with floats a attached thereto;
B shews one of the annular discs or rings, having the centre portion removed,
bolted or otherwise fixed to each side of the paddle wheel A so as to revolve
therewith each disc so attached constituting a flat ring the width of the said ring
being preferably equal to the depth of the floats a; or if desired only one disc
may be employed with each paddle wheel the said disc being attached to the outer
side thereof furthest from the vessel. The partial outer rear casing is formed by
side walls D overlapping the floats a and the discs B as shewn in the drawings
and extending forward at its lower part to a line passing perpendicularly through
the axis of the paddle wheel; the said casing is attached to the main frame of the
vessel or to the sponson or to both, E are horizontal division plates crossing from
side to side of the said casing being rigidly attached thereto or they may be
arranged to slide in grooves in the casing so as to allow of them being used at a

page_text: higher or lower level in respect of the said outer casing. The area of the opening
between the said horizontal plates is preferably equal to the superficial area of a
paddle float a. F are stays connecting the lower ends of the walls D of the casing
for strengthening the same. Instead of the partial casing being formed as described
the casing D may be formed with an outer side wall and the inner side of the
casing may consist of that part of the skin or covering plates or planking of the
vessel adjacent thereto. The curved arrows indicate the direction in which
the paddle wheels revolve and the straight arrow shews the direction the vessel is
taking.
The effect of the discs thus partially covering the sides of the paddle wheels
and of the said partial casings arranged behind them is to confine the force exerted
by the floats of the said paddle wheels against the water moved by them in the
line of the vessel's course and so to cause this force to act more efficiently in the
propulsion of the said vessel.
In the case of paddle wheels having feathering floats the partial rear casing
may be employed either with or without the horizontal division plates, but
preferably the horizontal division plates are used.
This invention is not confined to ships propelled by side paddle wheels as herein-
before described; it may be equally well applied to a paddle wheel or paddle
wheels arranged at the stern of the vessel for propelling the same."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a paddle wheel of a stern casing provided with
horizontal division plates substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
2. The combination with a paddle wheel partially closed at one or both sides
of a stern casing provided with horizontal division plates substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described.
Dated this 18th day of July 1894.