IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAILING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Evan Leigh, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAILING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Evan Leigh at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
October 1861.
I. EVAN LEIGH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAILING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to
be as follows:-
-
My Invention consists, firstly, in the application to vessels of all classes of
iron or other metallic masts flattened out above deck with iron or other metal
plates, so as to present any required surface to the action of the wind, the said
masts so constructed as to turn on pivots in foot steps, and operated upon by a
worm working in a sector wheel or other mechanical means, so as to present
the broad surface or sharp edge of the mast at pleasure to the wind. In vessels
or boats having more than one mast, I propose to run a longitudinal shaft
under deck to connect them all together by worms and sectors, and operate
upon them all at once by simply turning the shaft. The plates on the upper
end of the masts I propose to attach so that the masts are exactly in the
centre, by which (like the throttle valve of a steam engine) they will turn in
equilibrium against any pressure of wind, and thereby dispense entirely with
all the ordinary sails and rigging at present employed in ships.
Secondly, I propose to construct the hulls of ships with an inward instead
of an outward curve in section, as being more favorable to easy motion and
increased speed, as well as being less liable to roll at sea.
[Price 8d.1

page_text: Thirdly, in ships' helms I propose to use the sector wheel and worm for
steering, in place of the chains and blocks as at present used, by which means
the helm will be fixed in any direction given to it, instead of flapping about
and forcibly jerking the wheel from the hands of the helmsman.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Evan Leigh in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EVAN
LEIGH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Evan Leigh, Her special licence that I, the said Evan
Leigh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Evan Leigh, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAILING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Evan Leigh, my executors or
administrators, 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
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 Evan Leigh, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying two Sheets of
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents a vessel built for commercial purposes; Fig. 2, a midship.
section of same; Fig. 3, a plan without the deck; Fig. 4, a plan with the
deck.
!

page_text: My principle of construction will be best understood on reference, firstly, to
Fig. 2. in which a, a, a, a, a, are five pontoons, which I prefer to build on the
principle of the parabolic curve, as shewn, without confining myself to that
particular form so that the number of pontoons be odd, as three, five, or
more. These pontoons being laid longitudinally side by side, two circular
lines are struck from the centre of each end of the middle pontoon, as seen at
b, Fig. 3. The radius of this circle is determined by the length and width of
the vessel required, the pontoons being cut through at the ends, and the sides
of the ship erected perpendicularly along the lines of these curves or segments
of a circle. Although I prefer the outer sides of the vessel being segments of
a circle. I wish it to be understood that the side of a ship may run parallel for
some distance, and then be tapered off fore and aft. As many transverse
bulkheads c. Fig. 3, are run across the ship as thought desirable, according to
its length, which divides it into water-tight compartments, and gives great
transverse strength. The pontoons are also divided into more numerous
water-tight compartments transversely, and shod at the bottom with wood
outside the iron bottom, strapped on by the iron straps d, Fig. 1. which are
let in flush with the wood. Another application of this principle is in forming
the hull with two midfeathers, tying the bottom to the decks. in order to merge
the three centre pontoons into one towards the centre of the ship where light
draught is required combined with large burden capacity. An example of this
form of construction is given at Fig. 6, which shews a section of a vessel or
raft suitable for warlike purposes, or conveying a railway train across straits.
such as those of Dover. In the centre part of the raft or ship all the dead
weight of fuel, engines, and boilers is carried. The outer pontoons have each
a screw propeller. When these ships are used for conveying a railway train,
they should be made of sufficient length and breadth to prevent pitching and
rolling and carry the train on rails in the centre of the deck, receiving the
train from a floating landing stage, and delivering on another on the opposite
side.
:
Secondly, my mode of constructing masts and sails of ships will be under-
stood on reference to the elevations. Figs. 1 and 2, and to the plan, Fig. 4.
In vessels of large size 1 prefer to put two rows of masts, which are fixed
firmly, as shewn at f, Figs. 2 and 3, and pointed at the top like a hollow
inverted upright shaft, tapering and ending in a pivot g. Fig. 2. Outer tubes h,
Figs. 1 and 2, which carry the arms and sails, go over each of these masts.
being suspended by steps fixed in the tops of the tubes, and bearing on the
masts below, as seen at i, Fig. 2. These tubes may be connected together in
rows (three preferred) by metallic bands, as seen at 1, Fig. 4, or work

page_text: separately by a worm and wheel 1, the object being to set the sails in any
direction by turning the handles of the worm shaft k. I prefer to construct
the sails of corrugated sheet iron, which fit in panels along the yard arms
attached to the tubes h, h, or stiff canvas may be used (impervious to wind
preferred). These principles may be carried out by having the sails and yard-
arms fixed to masts which work in foot steps, as described in my Provisional
Specification, and may be made self-acting in steamships by a weathercock
acting on a clutch box in the same manner as the governor of a water wheel,
which would adjust the sails to every change of wind with the greatest nicety.
In sailing ships a small windmill may be employed to produce the same
effect.
Thirdly, my improvements in steering ships consists in working ships' helms
by a worm and sector wheel, similar to those which turn the sails or masts,
and also in connecting the two helms, fore and aft, by strong wire ropes or
tension rods, as seen at m, m, Fig. 3, which rods cross each other, so that when
one helm is moved the other moves also, and effects an equilibrium of pressure,
by which means a vessel in motion can easily be turned out of its course by
the force of its own momentum, the pressure of the front hehn giving out the
power to bring the aft helm up. and vice versa. My present improved con-
struction of vessels enables a principle of steering steam ships to be carried out
more effectually which I patented July the Eighteenth. 1849, that shewed
how a vessel might be steered by its steam power, as there described. That
Invention will be understood in describing my mode of propelling steam vessels
built according to these improvements. n, n, Figs. 5 and 6, are two screws,
one on each side of the ship; each screw is worked by independent or separate
engines. When it is required to steer the ship by the steam power, it is only
necessary to check the steam to one engine or pair of engines, and give more
to the other, as described in my said former Specification; but what I now
prefer as an improvement is. that the steering rod coming on deck should be
made to act on the expansion valves of the engines. instead of on the throttle
valves, as before stated; and that two separate vertical rods should come
through the upper deck arranged to control or shut off the steam of either
engine or pair of engines at pleasure, and signalling the engineman to reverse
the one or the other in case of emergency, when the ship would speedily turn
round.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew my method of constructing gun boats or vessels of war
similar to commercial ships as regards the pontoons; but instead of building
the outer sides of vertical plate iron, I lay the plates upon another, and rivet or
bolt them together as seen at o, o, Fig. 6, like building a wall. These plates

page_text: may be of rolled iron or steel, about one inch and a half thick, and of any
desirable breadth, and may either be laid metal to metal, or have any tough
elastic substance between each layer, such as india-rubber, larch, or fibrous
material, the principle being that the armour plates form the sides of the
vessel, and give it immense strength. These plates, if made of steel, may be
bevilled off at the edges, and hardened similar to a cold chisel.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim as my Invention,-
First, the construction of ships or boats generally, as shewn, on an odd
number of pontoons converging to a point on the fore and aft part of the ship
or fore part only.
Secondly, the masts and sails of ships, as shewn, so as to swivel round a
centre in equilibrium.
Thirdly, in steering ships, I claim the sector wheel with worm for moving
the helm. The connecting two helms together, fore and aft, as shewn, by
which means the momentum of a ship in motion is made available to turn it
out of its course with rapidity and ease; and, lastly, the improved application
of two screws, as shewn and described for the same purpose.
Fourthly, the method of constructing a raft as described upon this principle
sufficiently steady to convey railway trains in the roughest weather across
narrow straits or seas.
And, fifthly, the method shewn of constructing gun boats or ships of war, as
all such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Evan Leigh, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
1
0 Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Evan Leigh, in
10
5
the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
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