IMPROVE- MENTS IN INLAND NAVIGATION
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Grahame, of Upper Seymour Street, Port-
man Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN INLAND NAVIGATION."
Scaled the 17th November 1857, and dated, the 27th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Grahame at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th May 1857.
I, THOMAS GRAHAME, of Upper Seymour Street,. Portman Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INLAND NAVIGATION," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in inland navigation in
order to accomplish a saving of the water now necessary to pass boats bý
means of locks in ascending to a higher and descending to a lower level,on
canals and inland waters; also a saving of time in the passage of such locks,
with a power to increase the amount of traffic now capable of being:carried
on; also to facilitate a more economic use of steam power on canals and
inland waters; and at the same time to give to canal companies, power to
increase the length of the boats used on canals and inland waters, as the
length of the boats will no longer depend on the length of the locks. For
these purposes two or more lines of railways are constructed on the inclines to
be overcome and where locks are situated, and the steam engines on board
the tug boats are made with suitable gearing to enable the engines to work; as
fixed engines (when the tug boats are anchored or fixed at the top or bottom
of an incline,) and by suitable wire ropes, chains, or tackle to cause, the boats.

page_text: (when run on to wheeled cradles, trucks, or carriages,) to be run up or down
the inclines; and to facilitate the passing of the boats on to trucks or carriages
at the upper and lower parts of the railways on the inclines, the ends of each
of the railways are formed below the water in such manner that the
trucks or carriages may be run into such positions as to admit of the boats
being floated over them. When desirable or required for the purposes of
speed or otherwise, the tug boats may be made to run on to wheeled cradles,
trucks, or carriages fitted with driving wheels and suitable gearing, and the
steam power on board may be used to work the tug boats themselves when so
embarked up and down the inclines; and the arrangements of the gearing
and tackle may be also such as to facilitate the use of the counterbalancing
power obtainable when there are boats to be simultaneously raised and lowered
at any incline; or the same object may be attained by attaching or filling up
the wheeled cradles, trucks, or carriages with caissons, or otherwise, to be
filled when necessary with water from the canals or inland water.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
. by the said Thomas Grahame in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GRAHAME, of Upper Seymour Street, Portman Square, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Grahame, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Grahame, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Grahame, 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 INLAND NAVI-
GATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Grahame, 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

page_text: 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 Thomas Grahame, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in inland navigation in
order to accomplish a saving of the water now necessary to pass boats by
means of locks in ascending to a higher and descending to a lower level on
canals and inland waters; also a saving of time in the passage of such locks,
with a power to increase the amount of traffic now capable of being carried
on; also to facilitate a more economic use of steam power on canals and inland
waters; and at the same time to give to canal companies power to increase the
length of the boats used on canals and inland waters, as the length of the boats
will no longer depend on the length of the locks.
It is well known that various forms of lifts on canals have been proposed to
be used in place of locks, amongst others inclined planes have been substituted
for locks, and barges or vessels navigating the canals have been caused to float
over and be received by cars, trucks, or carriages, suitably formed for moving on
rails fixed on the inclines, and such carriages, trucks, or cars have been moved
up and down on the inclines by means of steam engines fixed on the land.
The fixed engines have been arranged to give motion to suitable windlasses or
capstans, which by wire ropes or chains have given motion to the carriages,
trucks, or cars moving on rails fixed on the inclines. By this mode of working
canals by inclines in place of locks, it is necessary to have fixed steam engines
at the several inclines, together with persons to attend and work them; the
steam must also be constantly kept up, though the power of the engines is
only called into use at intervals more or less distant, which mode of working
is thus necessarily expensive.
Now my Invention has for its object to dispense with the use of fixed
engines, and to employ in place thereof the engines on board the boats which
navigate such inland waters.
For these purposes two or more lines of railways are constructed on the
inclines to be overcome and where locks are situated, and the steam engines
on board the tug boats are made with suitable gearing to enable the engines
to work as fixed engines (when the tug boats are anchored or fixed at the
top or bottom of an incline), and by suitable wire ropes, chains, or tackle to
cause the boats (when run on to wheeled cradles, trucks, or carriages) to be

page_text: run up or down the inclines; and, to 'facilitate the passing of the boats on to
trucks or carriages, at. the upper and lower parts of the railways are formed
below the water in such manner that the trucks or carriages may be run
into such positions as to admit of the boats being floated. over them.. The
engines on board the boats or vessels are arranged readily to be .discon-
nected from the propelling machinery, and so as to be readily put into
gear with the barrels, drums, or machinery at the inclines, so as to give
motion to the same and the wire ropes worked thereby in like manner to
when using fixed and stationary engines. By these means the engines on
board the tug boats or vessels will be continued in use when raising a suc-
cession of boats on the inclines in place of remaining out of use with the
steam up whilst the fixed' engines are raising the boats or vessels. On a tug-
boat coming to an incline. it will be anchored or fixed to the land, and the
driving tackle of the engine put into gear with the barrel, drum, or apparatus
for actuating the wire ropes; as when using fixed engines at the several
inclines on a canal or inland water. By thus using the boat- engines it will
be evident that much saving in cost of working will be obtained, in addition
to dispensing with the use of locks on inland waters; which in itself is not
new.
When desirable, or required for the purposes of speed or otherwise, the
tug boats may be made to run on to wheeled cradles, trucks, or carriages
fitted with driving wheels and suitable gearing, and the steam power on board
may be used to work the tug boats themselves when so embarked up and
down the inclines; and the arrangements of the gearing and tackle. may be
also such as to facilitate the use of the counterbalancing power obtainable
when there are boats to be simultaneously raised and lowered at any incline;
or the same object may be attained by attaching or fitting up the wheeled
cradles, trucks, or carriages with caissons, or otherwise, to be filled when
necessary with water from the canals or inland water.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Grahame, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS GRAHAME. (L.s.)
Witness,
GEORGE PERRYMAN,
Butler to said Thomas Grahame.