IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF STEAM AND OTHER POWERS TO USEFUL PURPOSES BY MEANS OF SUITABLE APPARATUS
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TROTTER, of Soho Square, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of
July, in the fifty-first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John
Trotter, my exors, adññors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said John Trotter, my exors, admors, and
assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF
STEAM AND OTHER POWERS TO USEFUL PURPOSES BY MEANS OF SUITABLE APPARATUS;"
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said John
Trotter, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Trotter, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained as follows, (that is to say:-
The Figure represents an apparatus for propelling or forcing water or other
fluids, being of the nature of an horizontal section or ground plan. The letters
A, B, C, indicate certain cavities, spaces, or chambers, separated from each
other by valves, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, in such manner that whatsoever fluid may
be introduced into A, the same may pass from A into B thro' either of the
valves 1 & 2, but not back again or in the reverse direction from B to A;
and so likewise that whatever-fluid may be-introduced-into B, the same may
pass into C, thro' one or the other of the valves 3 & 4, but not back again
or in the reverse direction from C to B; and the said apparatus is closed on all
sides, K, K, K, K, excepting at the opening or openings denoted by the arrows
at E, thro' one or more of which water or other fluid may be admitted into the
cavity or space A, and the opening or openings denoted by the arrows at F,
thro' one or more of which the same may flow out or be extruded from the
cavity or space C. D is a piston or propellor moveable in the space B, into
which the same is fitted, either accurately by means of stuffing, or else less
exactly, so as not to touch the surrounding sides, accordingly as the force
or propulsion or other circumstances of choice or convenience may render
either manner of fitting most desirable; and the said propeller is moveable
backward and forward in the cavity, space; or chamber B, by means of a
rod or rods G, G, G, passing thro' collars of leathers G, G, in the sides K, K,
and acted upon by application of the natural powers of steam, or the strength
of men or other well-known first movers, in the usual and customary methods.
And in order that the said action may be fully effectual, it is expedient and
greatly preferable that the cavity, space, or chamber B should be of a square or
other prismatic or cylindrical form, having the section at right angles to its
axis everywhere of the same figure, magnitude, and position, as pump barrels
are usually made. And the effect of the said apparatus is described as follows:-
Let water be admitted into A, by pipes of communication or otherwise, thro'
either or any of the apertures E, and the same will pass thro' the valves
1, 2, 3, 4, and fill the apparatus throughout, and flow forth from C by the
apertures F, or such of them as may be open;. but if, instead of the water being
supposed to have some external force or cause to enter the apparatus and flow
thro' the same, we suppose the water to be quiescent therein, and the piston
D to be then moved repeatedly back and forward, the consequences, would be
that by the motion of D forward towards H, a portion of the water. in the
of the space B lying on that side would be driven forward, and would
shut the valve 1 and open the valve 3, and pass into C, where its action would

page_text: shut the valve 4, and a like portion of the fluid would be driven out through F ;
and again, upon the return of D towards I, the like effect would take place
with regard to the fluid in the part of the space B lying on that side, which
would shut the valve 2 and open the valve 4, and shut the valve 3 and drive
out a like portion of the fluid thro' F, as before; and in both the said cases
other water would be received from A into B; that is to say, during the forward
motion of D the part I of the space B would be replenished thro' the
valve 2, and during the return of D the part H of the space B would be
replenished through the valve 1, and at the same time or times the cavity or
space A would be supplied by water thro' one or more of the apertures E;
and the reverse of all these would take place by regulating the valves to act in
the opposite direction and admitting the water to enter at F, and extruding it at
the apertures E by the action of D. And I do further declare that I do apply
the said natural powers or first movers by means of the apparatus here described
to the various useful purposes of propelling or giving head or stern way to
ships and other vessels, and steering the same; and that I do effect the said
purposes by drawing in or receiving water or other fluids thro' a pipe or
pipes, aperture or apertures, connected with the said ships or vessels, and
with the said apparatus, and also by forcing out the said water thro' another
pipe or pipes, aperture or apertures, connected as aforesaid. And with
regard to the situation and direction of such pipe or pipes, aperture or
apertures, I do declare generally that whenever a portion of the external water
is drawn in or received thro' a pipe or aperture, the ship or vessel will be
thereby pressed or urged to move in a direction opposite to that of the entering
current; and so likewise whenever a portion of water from within is forced out
thro' a pipe or aperture the ship or vessel will be thereby pressed or urged
to move in a direction opposite to that of the emitted current, and consequently,
that if the water be drawn in or received thro' a pipe or aperture the mouth
of which is directed right forward, and forced out thro' a pipe or aperture
the mouth of which is directed right aft, the ship or vessel will on both accounts
be propelled right forward; and moreover that if the direction and situation of
the said apertures be duly varied a rotatory motion similar to that produced by
the rudder may be caused, and that by altering the size, the number or direction
of the said apertures and the course of the current through the same, the ship
or vessel may be propelled with headway or sternway, or with such other
horizontal motion of progression or rotation as may be desired and will be
easily apprehended and understood without further explanation; and moreover,
that whereas the action or effect of the water which is or may be so forced out
is much more considerable than the action or effect of the water which is or

page_text: may be drawn in or received as aforesaid, and whereas it is essential that the
water should issue out with considerable velocity, I do not consider it to be of
much practical importance in what direction the water is drawn or received,
but that it is requisite that the apperture for this purpose should not be too
small, and, on the other hand, that the aperture for the protruded water should
be comparatively small and very correctly directed, as before described, and the
pipe or pipes leading to or terminating in such apertures may be either carried
thro' the sides of the ship or over the gunwale into the water, as may be
thought best. And further, I do declare that I do employ the said powers and
apparatus to the useful purposes of pumping either water or foul air out of
ships, by receiving the same through the appertures E, and driving the same
out thro' F, with the adaption of fit tubes or pipes suitably directed for
these purposes, and also of pumping water from without and forcing or raising
the same thro' F to more clevated situations, for washing the decks, for
wetting the sails, for supplying all culinary or domestic uses, for the immediate
extinction of fires, and for various other desirable objects, and also of receiving
and protruding the air of the atmosphere in order to produce blast for the
forge or other similar purposes. The Figure represents my apparatus so dis-
posed that the alternate motion of the piston or propeller is performed or made
in an horizontal direction, but it is practicable to dispose the said apparatus
in any position or situation which may be found most convenient. An air
vessel or chamber may be made to constitute a part of or communicate with
the cavity, space, or chamber C, and will serve practically to render the
motion of the fluid perfectly uniform; and in working my said apparatus a
whole ship's crew may be employed at once, and powerfully, to propell or to
pump the ship or vessel, and the said work may be done by ropes or falls
passed through leading blocks along the gangway or any place where the men
may stand, or by means of the capstan or otherwise. And lastly, with regard
to the dimensions, materials, and construction of the said apparatuses, and
the parts thereof, and the relative situations of the same, I do declare that the
same may and must be greatly varied according to the local situations, circum-
stances, purposes, and intentions to be occupied, regarded, answered, or accom-.
plished, but that the same may, without farther instructions, or any scale or
specific measure, be easily adjusted, settled, determined, completed, and made
by any person competently skilled in works of this or the like nature.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Trotter, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twelve.
JOHN TROTTER (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eleventh day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1812, the aforesaid John Trotter, Esq, came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twelve.