IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1846

page_text: DHAL
E, We, GEORGE
ALEXANDER THOMPSON, of Connaught Terrace, Hyde Park, Gentleman, and
JOSEPH WRIGHT, of Holborn Bars, Merchant, both in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said
George Alexander Thompson and Joseph Wright, our exors, adñiors, and
assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we,
the said George Alexander Thompson and Joseph Wright, our exors, adñiors,
and assigns, and such others as we, the said George Alexander Thompson and
Joseph Wright, our exors, adññiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that we, the said George Alexander Thompson and Joseph
Wright, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
George Alexander Thompson and Joseph Wright, do hereby declare that the
nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of applying two revolving propellers in a vessel, such
propellers being so constructed and arranged, that projections on the one work
into recesses in the other, the propellers being combined with suitable water
channels or passages to allow of water flowing from the stem of the vessel
to the propellors, and then to be ejected by the propellers at the stern of the
vessel.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed,
in the various Figures of which the same letters of reference are used to indicate
the same parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a plan of part of the machinery, the propellers and water-
ways being covered; Figure 2 shews a horizontal section through the propellers
and waterways; Figure 3 shews a longitudinal section; and Figure 4, a trans-
verse section of the same parts; Figure 5 shews a plan of the vessel on a
smaller scale than that to which the other Figures are drawn; by this Figure
the position of the machinery and waterways will be more readily traced.
Figure 6 shews a side view; and Figures 7 and 8, the bow and stern ends of
the vessel.
a, b, are two propellers, each having projections c, c, and recesses d, d, which
are so arranged that when rotatory motion is given to the two propellers a
and b, the projections c enter the recesses d, as will readily be understood on
examining the Drawings. e, e, are two waterways leading from the stem of
the vessel to the closed chamber in which the propellers a, b, rotate; and we
prefer that there should be two waterways, as that arrangement allows of there
being one on either side of the kellson. f. f, are the two waterways leading
from the closed chamber in which the propellers move to the stern of the vessel
as shewn. It will be evident that various modes may be resorted to for giving
motion to the propellers; we prefer the arrangement shewn, where a cranked
axle 9 receives motion from a steam engine which we have not thought it
necessary to shew, as the same will readily be applied by an engineer. On the
axle g are two bevelled toothed wheels h, h, which take into and drive the

page_text: bevilled wheels i, i, on the shafts or axes of the propellers a, b. In using this
machinery, when the propellers are moving in the direction of the arrows, the
water will flow through the waterways leading from the stem, and be ejected
at the stern, and the vessel will be propelled forward; but when it is desired
that the vessel should make stern way, the direction of rotation of the
propellers will be reversed.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we are
aware that apparatus similar to the propellers a, b, have before been proposed
to be combined for the purposes of constructing steam engines, and also pumps
for pumping water; we do not therefore claim the same separately as of our
Invention.
We would remark, that although we believe the arrangement of parts
shewn and described to be the best for carrying out our Invention, we do
not confine ourselves to the details so long as the peculiar character of our
Invention be retained; and we would wish it to be understood that what we
claim is, the application of two propellers a, b, combined with suitable water-
ways within a vessel for propelling the same, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Alexander Thompson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this 21st day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty six
GEORGE ALEXAD
(L.S.) THOMPSON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid George Alexander Thompson came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One