IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY MEANS OF WATER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry James Lewis, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES
TO BE WORKED BY MEANS OF WATER."
Sealed the 24th February 1868, and dated the 13th September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry James Lewis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th September 1862.
I, HENRY JAMES LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY MEANS OF WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an arrangement of engine whereby the pressure of
water from ordinary waterworks or any other "head" of water is made avail-
able to produce reciprocating motion in a piston, which motion is converted
into continuous rotatory motion by means of a connecting rod and crank, as in
the ordinary steam engine.
The principal difficulty to be overcome, in utilising a constant pressure of
water to drive engines of this class is, that water being non-elastic and incom-
pressible, although the pressure would drive the piston from one end of the
cylinder to the other, the crank would not pass the "dead point," and hence
continuous rotatory motion could not be obtained. In order to obviate this

page_text: difficulty, I construct the engine as follows:-I use an ordinary cylinder with
induction and eduction ports and slide or other valve as used for a steam
engine. Inside this cylinder I place a piston connected by a piston rod and
connecting rod to a crank shaft as usual. Above and in connection with
each end of the cylinder I place an air vessel, the application of these air
vessels to the cylinder forming the principal feature of novelty in this
Invention.
When the water (under pressure) is admitted by the slide valve to the
cylinder it drives the piston to the other end, at the same time compressing
the air in the air chamber. As soon as the valve closes the pressure on the
water is removed, and the expansion of the air previously compressed in the
chamber drives the crank over the "dend point," simultaneously opening
the valve for the return stroke, when the valve admits the water at the other
end, compressing the air in the other air vessel, and so on alternately, and
thus a continuous and even rotatory motion of the crank is produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry James Lewis in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th March 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JAMES LEWIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry James Lewis, Her special licence that I, the said Henry
James Lewis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Henry James Lewis, 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 ENGINES TO BE WORKED BY MEANS OF WATER," upon the condition,
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry James Lewis, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe. and ascertain the nature of the said

page_text: 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 Henry James Lewis, 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say:
This Invention relates to an arrangement of engine whereby the pressure of
water from ordinary waterworks or any other "head" of water is made avail-
able to produce reciprocating motion in a piston, which motion is converted
into continuous rotatory motion by means of a connecting rod and crank, as in
the ordinary steam engine.
The principal difficulty to be overcome in utilising a constant pressure of
water to drive engines of this class is, that water being non-elastic and incom-
pressible, although the pressure of water would drive the piston from one end
of the cylinder to the other, the crank would not pass the "dead point," and
hence continuous rotary motion could not be obtained. In order to obviate
this difficulty, I construct the engine as follows:-I use an ordinary cylinder
with induction and eduction ports and slide, or other valve as used for a
steam engine. Inside this cylinder I place a piston connected by a piston
rod and connecting rod to a crank shaft as usual. Above and in connection
with each end of the cylinder I place an air vessel, the application of these
air vessels to the cylinder forming the principal feature of novelty in this
Invention.
When the water (under pressure) is admitted by the slide valve to one
end of the cylinder it drives the piston to the other end, at the same time
compressing the air in the air chamber. As soon as the valve closes the
pressure on the water is removed, and the expansion of the air previously
compressed in the chamber drives the crank over the "dead point" simul
taneously opening the valve for the return stroke. When the valve admits
the water at the other end compressing the air in the other air vessel, and so
on alternately, and thus a continuous and even rotatory motion of the crank
is produced.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for “Improvements
in Engines to be Worked by Means of Water," I will now proceed to describe
more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly
understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof,

page_text: and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof, that is to say:―
In the annexed Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or horizontal view, as seen
from above, of my improved engine to be worked by water, and Figure 2 is
a partial side view of the same, the cylinder, valve box, and air vessels being 5
shown in section.
A, A, is the framing of the engine; B, B, the cylinder; C, C, the valve
casing; D, D, the slide valve; E, E, the air vessels; F, F, the piston;
G, G, the piston rod having a cross head H, H, at the end sliding on a
parallel bar I, I. The cross head H, H, is connected to the crank K, K, on 1
the crank shaft L, L, by means of the connecting rod M, M. On the crank
shaft L, L, is keyed a cam N, N, working in a clip 0, 0, of the rod P, P,
which slides in bearings Q, Q. The end of the rod P, P, is connected to a
lever R, R, keyed on the way bar shaft S, S, on which are also keyed two
other levers T, T, connected to a cross head U, U, by the links V, V, and to 1
the cross head is attached the valve rod W, W, one end of which slides in the
guides X, X, and the other is connected to the slide valve D, D. Y, Y, are
stuffing boxes to keep the piston rod and valve rod water-tight, and Z, Z, is a
spring to keep the slide valve in its place.
The action of this hydraulic engine is as follows:-Water (under pressure) 2
being admitted by a stop-cock to the valve casing C, C, through the inlet
passage a, a, passes into the cylinder B, B, by the top passage b, b, nearest to
the crank shaft, and forces the piston F, F, to the bottom of the cylinder,
carrying with it the piston rod G, G, and connecting rod M, M, and thus
imparting motion to the crank shaft L, L, by means of the crank K, K. The 2
cam N, N, keyed upon the crank shaft, acting against the right-hand side of
the clip 0, 0, forces the slide valve D, D, in the direction of the arrow,
putting the top passage b, b, in connection with the exit passage c, c, and
leaving the bottom passage d, d, open to the valve casing for the admission of
water to the other end of the cylinder to drive the piston back again, and so 8
on alternately; but owing to the non-elasticity and incompressibility of the
water, the crank would not be able to pass over the dead point, and the piston
being driven to one end of the cylinder, would stay there, and no rotary
motion would be obtained. In order to remedy this defect, I attach to the
cylinder B, B, at each end an air vessel E, E, open to the cylinder, so that as 3
the piston is being forced down it compresses the air in the air vessel until
the piston comes almost to the bottom of the cylinder. The slide valve is
then shut, and cuts off the water that was entering the cylinder through the
top passage; the air that had been compressed in the air vessel E then

page_text: expands, carrying the piston on until the crank has passed its dead point, at
which moment the water is admitted by the bottom passage, and the motion
of the piston is reversed. In the upper part of the air vessels are inverted
valves e, e, to admit air into the air vessels from time to time, as may be
required to compensate for any loss that may take place.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Engines to be Worked by Means of Water," together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion, that I claim as my
Invention the general construction and arrangement of hydraulic engines as
shown in the Drawings, and above described; and more particularly I claim
the adaptation to such engines of air vessels in connection with each end of
the cylinder in order to compensate for the non-elasticity of the water, and to
carry the crank over the dead point.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry James Lewis, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
HENRY JAMES LEWIS. (L.B.)