IMPROVEMENTS IN ADAPTING PROPELLERS PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS FOR OCEAN NAVIGATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Louis Winans, of Dover Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, and Thomas Winans, of Baltimore, in the
United States of America, but now residing at Dover Street aforesaid,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ADAPTING PROPELLERS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Louis Winans
and Thomas Winans at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 20th June 1863..
We,: WILLIAM LOUIS WINANS, of Dover Street, iu the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, and THOMAS WINANS, of Baltimore, in the United States of
America, but now. residing at Dover Street. aforesaid, Gentleman, do hereby.
declare the nature of. the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ADAPTING
PROPELLERS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS FOR OCEAN NAVIGATION," to be as
follows:
.-Our: Invention of" Improvements in Adapting Propellers for Propelling Ships
or Vessels for Ocean Navigation consists' in combination of a spindle-shaped.
hull; 'patented by Ross and Thomas Winans, June 19th, 1858, No. 1886, with
one screw propeller placed near to one end, or two screw propellers, one near
each end of. the vessel. These propellers are of large size, and their shaft

page_text: coincides with the centre line or longitudinal axis of the vessel, so that one-
half, or nearly one-half, of the propeller or propellers will be out of the water.
The hub of the propeller on one side is made to correspond with the hull of
the vessel, and upon the other side of the hub is a projection, so as to continue
the line of the vessel and make out the spindle form.
Our Invention likewise consists in the combination of one or two screw pro-
pellers, as herein described, with the said spindle-shaped hull as improved by
ourselves, for which improvements we have this day applied for Provisional
Protection.
When one propeller is used, we would prefer, for greater facility of steering,
that it should be placed on the forward end of the vessel with one of the
rudders of large size a short distance in rear of the propeller, in order to par-
tially counteract the tendency of the end of the vessel to move laterally by the
action of the propeller. We propose, in some cases, to employ one or more
fins projecting down from the hull a short distance astern of the wheel, so as
to counteract partially the tendency of the end of the vessel to be pressed
laterally by the action of the propeller.
By these improvements more propelling surface of blades and a greater
pitch of propeller can be obtained than is usual at the present time on steam
vessels with screw propellers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 17th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
LOUIS WINANS, of Dover Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and
THOMAS WINANS, of Baltimore, in the United States of America, but now
residing at Dover Street aforesaid, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, Her special license that
we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Louis
"Winans and Thomas Winans, our executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN ADAPTING PROPELLERS FOR PROPELLING SHIPS OR VESSELS
FOR OCEAN NAVIGATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, by an instrument in writing
under our 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 we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas
Winans, do hereby declare the nature of our 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
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in [Adapting Propellers for Propelling
Ships or Vessels for Ocean Navigation" consists in the adaptation to and com-
bination with a spindle-shaped hull, 'such as was invented by Ross and Thomas
Winans, and patented 19th June 1858, No. 1886, of a screw propeller placed
at one end of the vessel, or two screw propellers, one placed at each end of
the vessel. It likewise consists in the adaptation and combination of like.
propellers to a spindle-shaped hull in combination with a flat or nearly flat
upper deck, with bulwarks, railing, or cabin similar to that invented by us,
and for which we have applied for Letters Patent. The longitudinal centre
line of the shafts of these propeller's coincides, or nearly so, with the centre
line or longitudinal axis of the vessel, so that one-half, or nearly one-half, of;
the propeller or propellers will be out of the water. The external surface of
one end of the hub of the propeller corresponds with the outside diameter of the
end of the hull of the vessel, and the other end of the hub is continued to. a.
point, thereby completing the spindle form of the vessel.
.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shewn various views of two dif-,
ferent modes of applying our Invention. Fig. 1, Sheet I., is. an elevation of.
part of a conical or spindle-shaped vessel, with the present improvements,
adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, shewing.
the manner of securing the propeller on the propeller shaft; Fig.. 3 is a cross.
section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2, and looking towards.the left; Fig. 4.

page_text: is another cross section taken in the line 3, 4, and looking in the same
direction; Fig. 5 is an end view of the propeller shaft and hub, looking
towards the right; Fig. 6 is a plan view of part of the vessel, showing the
external view of the hub of the propeller shaft, but with the propelling arms
or vanes removed. All the Figures in Sheet I. represent parts of a vessel of
moderate dimensions, but the Figures in Sheets II. and III., hereafter
referred to, represent different views of parts of a vessel of a large class.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a, a, is the main body of the vessel, the end of which
is closed by a strong cast-iron cover b, b, Fig. 2, in which is placed the
bearing c, to receive and support the propeller shaft d, which in this instance
is made solid, but if preferred may be made hollow. This shaft d also passes
through a stuffing box e, and carries at one end a strong cast-iron hub f, f,
which is secured thereon by a ring and keys or cottars g. The hub is
strengthened by webs f¹, f, and is provided with a circular flange f³, f,
on to which is rivetted or otherwise secured the conical or pointed projection h
of the propeller hub, which forms a continuation of the lines of the vessel.
The propelling blades i, i, i, are secured on the hub f by means of screw
bolts and nuts j, j, Fig. 2, the heads of which are inserted in countersunk
slots or grooves k, k, cut in the hub, as seen in Figs. 2 and 6. In Figs.
2 and 4, 1, 1, are feathers secured in the inner face of the hub f, f, and
projecting inwards radially towards the centre. These projecting feathers l
enter and work in an annular groove 6', made round the casting b, so that
should the end of the shaft d become broken off by accident the feathers j
will prevent the broken part from falling away. The hub and the parts
connected with it may be jammed tight and temporarily secured by screwing
up the tightening screws m, m, behind.
Fig. 7, Sheet II., is a longitudinal vertical section of a modification of the
arrangement shewn in Sheet I., and is adapted for vessels of large size;
Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9, Sheet III., is another transverse section taken in the line 3, 4, of
Fig. 7 Fig. 10 is an elevation of the propeller mounted on its hub and
adapted to the vessel; Fig. 11, Sheet II., is a detached view, drawn on an
enlarged scale, of the mode we prefer to adopt for packing the propeller shaft.
a is the main body of the vessel, the end of which is closed by the cast-iron
cap or cover b, in combination with the wrought-iron plates 6, 63. The
bearing c is of peculiar form and construction, as shewn in the Drawings, and
receives the hollow shaft d, to the outer end of which the hub f is secured
by keys or cottars 9, as in the former instance. The conical, pointed, or

page_text: projecting end h of the hub of the propeller is made of such form and
dimensions as to continue the lines of the vessel to a point, but as the shaft d
in this instance is hollow, a wrought-iron conical cap or cover n, n, is secured
to the hub as a bulkhead, and for greater security this bulkhead is made of
a conical form, so as to cause less obstruction to the movement. of the vessel
in case the outer cone should be accidentally broken off. The propeller
blades or arms are secured to the hub in the same manner as in the former
instance, but instead of the projecting feathers 1, 1, shewn in Fig. 2, a number
of screw bolts o, o, are arranged radially round the inside of the cast-iron cap
piece b, b, and their outer ends are made to project therefrom and enter a
groove cut in the inside of the hub, as seen at p. p. By this means, should
the end of the propeller shaft be broken off by accident, it would be prevented
from falling away from the vessel and becoming lost. When one propeller
only is used a rudder q is placed immediately in rear of the propeller, as
shewn, and another one is placed at the other end of the vessel, at about an
equal distance from the end. When two propellers are used a rudder'g is
placed immediately in rear of the front propeller, and another one is placed
forward of the after propeller. The spindle or shaft of the rudder passes up
through the bottom of the vessel and through a stuffing box r, and to the
upper end of the spindle is adapted a double-armed or forked lever (not
shewn in the Drawings), which embraces the propeller shaft d, and serves to
inanceuvre the rudder by means of the ordinary steering gear. The rudder
not only serves to guide or steer the vessel, but also acts as a fin to prevent
the water from being carried round by the action of the propeller. We
sometimes make in lieu of this rudder a fixture to act simply as a fin for the
purpose above explained, the steering rudder being placed at some other
convenient part of the vessel. For vessels in which the two propellers are
used, one propeller is placed at each end of the vessel, but as both propellers
are constructed alike, and the projections of the hubs will be continued in a
line to a point, we have not considered it necessary to shew more than one.
When one propeller only is used, we would prefer, for greater facility of
steering, that it should be placed on the forward end of the vessel, with one
of the rudders of large size a short distance in rear of the propeller, as shewn
in the Drawing, in order to partially counteract the tendency of the vessel to
move laterally by the action of the propeller. By these improvements more
propelling surface of blades and a greater pitch of propeller can be obtained
than is usual at the present time, on steam vessels with screw propellers of
the ordinary construction, and therefore greater speed than usual can be

page_text: obtained. By "ocean navigation," we mean in this Specification all navigation
excepting that upon rivers, canals, and lakes.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Adapting Pro-
pellers for Propelling Ships or Vessels for Ocean Navigation," and having
explained a way of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood
that we do not confine ourselves to any exact form or dimensions for con-
structing the different parts, neither do we confine ourselves to the details
herein described so long as the peculiar character or principles of our Invention
be retained. What we claim is,—
First, the adaptation to and in combination with a spindle-shaped vessel,
such as was invented by Ross and Thomas Winans, and for which Letters
Patent were granted to them June 19th, 1858, No. 1886, of one screw
propeller placed at one end of the vessel, with its shaft coinciding with the
centre line or longitudinal axis of the vessel, or nearly so, the outside diameter
of the hub of the propeller at one end corresponding with the outside diameter
of the end of the vessel, and the other end of the propeller hub being con-
tinued to a point, thereby completing the spindle form of the vessel.
Second, the adaptation to and in combination with a spindle-shaped vessel,
such as was invented by Ross and Thomas Winans, and for which Letters
Patent were granted to them as above referred to, of two screw propellers
placed one at each end of the vessel, with the shaft or shafts coinciding with
the centre line or longitudinal axis of the vessel, or nearly so, and the outside
diameter of the hubs of the propellers at one end corresponding to the outside
diameter of the ends of the vessel, and the other end of the propeller hub being
continued to a point, thereby completing the spindle form of the vessel.
Third, the adaptation to and in combination with a spindle-shaped vessel, in
combination with a flat, or nearly flat, upper deck, with enclosed bulwarks or
open railing, or with an enclosed cabin or cabins, similar to that invented by
us, and for which we have applied for Letters Patent, of one propeller placed
at one end of the vessel, with its shaft coinciding with the centre line or longi-
tudinal axis of the vessel, or nearly so, and the outside diameter of the hub of
the propeller at one end corresponding with the outside diameter of the vessel,
and the other end of the propeller hub continued to a point, thereby completing
the spindle form of the vessel.
Fourth, the adaptation to and in combination with a spindle-shaped vessel,
with a flat, or nearly flat, upper deck, with enclosed bulwarks or open railing,
or with an enclosed cabin or cabins, similar to that invented by us, and for
which we have applied for Letters Patent as aforesaid, of two screw propellers

page_text: placed one at each end of the vessel, with the shaft or shafts coinciding with
the centre line or longitudinal axis of the vessel, or nearly so, and the outside
diameter of the hubs of the propellers at one end corresponding to the outside
diameter of the ends of the vessel, and the other ends of the propeller hub
being continued to a point, thereby completing the spindle form of the vessel.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Louis Winans and Thomas
Winans, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day
of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.
W. L. WINANS..
(LS.)
THOMAS WINANS. (L.s.)