Ix- PROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSION OF STEAM VESSELS, BY A DIRECT APPLICATION OF A CRANK OUTSIDE THE HULL TO SIDE SCREW PROPELLERS, SUCH APPLICATION
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Whitaker, of the City of Buffalo, State of
New York, in the United States of America, for the Invention of "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSION OF STEAM VESSELS, BY A DIRECT APPLICATION
OF A CRANK OUTSIDE THE HULL TO SIDE SCREW PROPELLERS, SUCH APPLICATION
"
Sealed the 20th November 1855, and dated the 21st May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harry Whitaker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
May 1855.
I, HARRY WHITAKER, of the City of Buffalo, State of New York, in the
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSION OF STEAM VESSELS, BY A DIRECT APPLICA-
TION OF A CRANK, OUTSIDE THE HULL TO SIDE SCREW PROPELLERS, SUCH APPLICATION
BEING COMBINED WITH A HIGH-PRESSURE ENGINE ALSO OUTSIDE OF THE HULL," to be
as follows:-
The nature of my improvenient consists in applying screw propellers and
high-pressure engines therefor to the sides of vessels, in such a manner that
they can be worked by the direct application of the crank from the engine.
The trial has heretofore been made to place screw propellers upon the sides

page_text: of vessels, but the power to drive them has been applied through gearing; I
believe, also, that the direct application of the crank to screw propellers has
been used in the case of propellers placed at the stern of vessels, but my
arrangement to employ screw propellers upon the sides of vessels, and under
the direct application of the crank, is new. My plan necessarily involves
seperate engines for each propeller, and high-pressure engines must be used in
order to secure the requisite number of revolutions. Engines, however, of any
particular construction, whether cross head, beam, or oscillating, may be used,
& the kind and number of boilers may vary, according to circumstances.
The arrangement of the engine entirely outside of the hull is a distinguish-
ing feature of my Invention. It would be possible to place the engine within
the hull, and yet have a direct application of the crank, but such an arrange-
ment would be as difficult as outside engines for stern propellers. I regard any
position of the engine, i. e., the principal parts, as cylinder, piston, and connect-
ing rod, as outside the hull, when the hull is not perforated below the gunwale,
and my object may be attained by setting the cylinder over or within the line
of the gunwale; but the best position is that when the parts are actually
outside the hull.
In the application of screw propellers to the stern, it is practicable to apply
the crank direct, and pass the shaft through a stuffing box; but in the use of
side screw propellers, the stuffing box cannot be used unless the propeller is
geared.
The axis of the propeller is above the water line, more or less, according to
the size of the wheel. With a screw fourteen feet in diameter, and an engine
of 400 horse power, three-foot stroke, & an eighteen-inch crank, from ninety
to one hundred revolutions per minute can be easily and safely had, which
with the little slip incident to screw propellers, will give a speed of from 25 to
28 miles per hour.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Harry Whitaker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30
21st November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
WHITAKER, of the City of Buffalo, State of New York, in the United States
of America, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 21st day of May, A.D. 1855, in the eighteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Harry Whitaker, Her special license that I, the said Harry
Whitaker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Harry Whitaker, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PROPULSION OF STEAM VESSELS, BY A DIRECT APPLICATION OF A
CRANK OUTSIDE OF THE HULL TO SIDE SCREW PROPELLERS, SUCH APPLICATION BEING
COMBINED WITH A HIGH-PRESSURE ENGINE ALSO OUTSIDE OF THE HULL," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Harry Whitaker, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Harry Whitaker, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompaning Drawings, and to the
letters of reference marked thereon, and making a part of this Specification.
Figure 1 is a sectional plan, exhibiting the arrangement of the engines and
propellers; and Figure 2 is a top view of the same.
The nature of my improvement or Invention consists in applying screw pro-
pellers and high-pressure engines therefor to the sides of vessels, in such a
manner that they can be worked by the direct application of the crank from
the engine. I am aware that screw propellers have been placed upon the
sides of vessels, but in all such cases within my knowledge the power has been
applied to drive such propellers through gearing. I am also aware that it is
common to employ the direct application of the crank to screw propellers
placed at the stern of vessels, and that such application has been found to be
far preferable to the use of gearing. But my arrangement, to employ screw
propellers upon the sides of vessels and under the direct application of the
crank, has not been before known or made use of. It will be seen, also, that
my plan and Invention involves necessarily seperate engines for each propeller,

page_text: and in order to attain the requisite number of revolutions the high-pressure
engino must be used. The kind of engine, however, whether cross head, beam,
oscillating, is not material, as any one may be made use of, and tho kind and
number of boilers may vary, according to circumstances.
In Figure 1, A is the lower wheel beam, which is generally of iron, and strongly
secured and fastened to the hull H; B is the upper wheel beam, in line with
the deck; and C is the promenade deck; D is the screw propeller, which, for
a vessel of the size represented in the Drawing, might be about fourteen feet in
diameter, and the axis of the screw should be more or less above the water line,
according to the size of the wheel. For a fourteen-foot wheel I would have
the axis about one or two feet above such water line. The steam cylinder E
whether an oscillating cylinder or not, is supported by the cylinder timbers f,f.
The connecting rod G which works the crank L is drawn out of proportion
to show more clearly the several parts. The stroke of the engine in the case
represented is designed to be about three feet, and with an eighteen-inch crank.
With engines of four hundred horse power cach, there will be no difficulty in
getting ninety to one hundred revolutions per minute, and with the very little
slip of screw propellers this will give a speed of twenty-five to twenty-eight
miles an hour. With some of the later and more improved oscillating engines,
from one to three hundred revolutions per minute can be obtained, which
will also greatly increase the speed.
As will be observed, the engines are placed outside of the hull, and this
arrangement of the engines is a distinguishing feature of my Invention. It
would be possible to place the engine within the hull in the side application of
screw propellers, and yet have the direct application to the crank, but obviously
such an arrangement would be next to impracticable, and certainly as difficult
as would be the use of outside engines for stern propellers. I regard any
position of the engine, that is to say, the principal parts, as the cylinder, piston,
and connecting rods, as outside the hull, when the hull is not perforated below
the gunwale to admit the piston and connecting rod, one or both. And it is
evident my object may be attained by setting the cylinder directly over or
within the line of the gunwale; but I esteem the best position that I have
chosen. These several parts are all outside of the hull, according to my
meaning of the term.
In the application of screw propellers to the stern, it is practicable to apply
the crank direct, and pass the shaft through a stuffing box; but in the use
of side screw propellers, the stuffing box cannot bo used unless the propeller
is geared. I am not aware that there ever has been any direct application

page_text: of the crank to screw propellers, or any other paddle wheel in which the
crank was outside of the hull either for stern or side wheels; and, therefore,
what I claim as my Invention and improvement is, the direct application of
the crank outside of the hull to side screw propellers, when such application is
combined with or effected by a high-pressure engine arranged also outside of
the hull, substantially in the manner herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harry Whitaker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, A.D. 1855.
HARRY WHITAKER. (L.B.)