IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Donald Bethune, of the City of Toronto, in Canada
West, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF VESSELS
PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 29th March 1854, and dated the 28th January 1854...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Donald Bethune at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
January 1854.
I, DONALD BETHUNE, of the City of Toronto, in Canada West, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUC-
TION OF VESSELS PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER" to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in a new and peculiar mode of constructing ships
so as to give to them greater strength amidship, or, in other words, at the
part where the greatest strain takes place, and which part in ships as
hitherto constructed is usually the weakest, particularly in vessels propelled
by paddle wheels placed at the sides thereof. And further, by this Invention
I am enabled to build ships of greater length in proportion to the width of
beam than heretofore. And by strengthening the sides of the ship I am

page_text: enabled to employ paddle wheels of considerably larger diameter, by which in
combination with greater length I obtain greater speed. And I effect these
improvements by constructing the sides of ships in the following manner,
instead of making the top of the sides of a ship straight, thus―
I form the sides thereof strongest at those precise parts where the main 5
driving shaft is situated, by making such parts higher than the other parts of
the sides thus
in the form of a solid arch, and in building iron ships I rivet the sheets of
metal together which form such arch, and I connect the upper edges thereof
to a strong bar of wrought iron, so that the strain is distributed over the
greater portion of those parts of the sides which would otherwise be too weak
in proportion to the extreme length of the ship; and it is this peculiar mode
of constructing ships which constitutes this Invention of improvements in the
construction of vessels propelled by steam or other motive power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said Donald Bethune in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DONALD
BETHUNE, of the City of Toronto, in Canada West, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 2
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Donald Bethune, Her special licence that I, the said Donald

page_text: Bethune, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Donald Bethune, 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 CONSTRUC-
TION OF VESSELS PROPELLED BY STEAM OR OTHER MOTIVE POWER," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Donald Bethune, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Donald Bethune, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
=
My Invention consists in a new and peculiar mode of constructing ships,
so as to give to them greater strength amidship, or, in other words, at that part
where the greatest strain takes place, and which part in ships as hitherto
constructed is usually the weakest, particularly in vessels propelled by paddle
wheels placed at the sides thereof. By this Invention I am enabled to employ
paddle wheels of considerably larger diameter than heretofore, and also to build
ships of much greater length in proportion to their width of beam and depth
of hold, thereby obtaining greater speed with the same amount of propelling
power.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively as follows:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ship constructed according to my said
Invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of that portion of the ship's side
exhibited between the lines A, a, B, b, at Figure 1. Figure 3 is a transverse
and vertical section through the line C, D, at Figure 2. At each of the

page_text: MODE OF CONSTRUCTION.
In constructing ships according to my said Invention I proceed as follows:-
Instead of making the top of the sides straight or slightly concave throughout
the entire length of the ship, as usually practised, I form the sides thereof
highest amidship, or at those precise parts where the main driving shaft of
the engine is situated, as exhibited at A, Figure 1, where it will be seen that
the ship's sides are in the form of a solid arch, produced by rivetting the
upper edges of plates of wrought iron B, to a bow-string girder C of
wrought iron, said girder being connected to the ship's sides in the following
manner; that is to say, I extend and securely fix the parts B, B, of the
aforesaid girder inside of the frame or timbers of the ship towards the bow
and stern thereof down towards the "bilge" (as exhibited at Figure 2), and
thus I strengthen the sides of the ship at those parts which in ships of the
ordinary construction are usually the weakest, and I connect the raised sides
of the ship about seven or eight feet above the main deck, the highest part of
such said raised sides being about ten feet above the main deck. And I
employ iron beams, marked D at Figure 3, for tying or securing together such
raised sides. And I cover the aforesaid beams with planks of wood, and thus
form an upper or raised deck, which may be accessible from the main deck by
a ladder or ladders, placed at each end thereof, as exhibited, or other suitable
arrangement, and this upper or raised deck may be extended as far forward
and aft as the builder may desire. I would remark, in conclusion, that as the
details of construction according to my said Invention will depend upon the
proportions of the ship, the strength and disposition of such parts must there-
fore be left to the judgment of the builder.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention of improvements
in vessels propelled by steam or other motive power, and in what manner the
same is to be and may be performed, I declare my Invention to consist in,
and I claim, constructing ships with raised sides for effecting the following
objects:-
Firstly. for strengthening those parts of ships which are usually the
weakest.
Secondly, for enabling ships to be built considerably longer in proportion to
their width of beam and depth of hold than heretofore.

page_text: And, thirdly, by thus constructing ships, to admit of larger paddle wheels
being employed than heretofore, as above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Donald Bethune, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
D. BETHUNE. (L.S.)