Improvements in Propelling Barges and Boats on Canals and other Waterways, by Electricity.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL
DIMOITICALION.
Improvements in Propelling Barges and Boats on Canals and other
Waterways, by Electricity.
We, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, and THEOPHILUS VAUGHAN
HUGHES, of Prince's Chambers, Corporation Street, Birmingham, aforesaid,
Metallurgist and Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in effecting the
propulsion of barges and boats on canals and other water-ways such for example as
navigable rivers.
Our said improvements relate essentially to new or improved methods of effecting
electrical communication between continuous conductors in connection with the
dynamos or other sources of electricity and the said barges and boats.
Our said invention consists mainly in modifications of and additions to an invention
for which Letters Patent were granted to one of us namely William Edward
Kenway dated 21st of April 1896 No. 8838 for "Improvements in the mode of
connecting the car with the overhead wire in tramways worked by electricity."
The said patented invention has reference to the electrical propulsion of carriages
on tramways and by our invention the said method of propulsion is made applicable
to barges and boats on canals and other waterways.
In the said patented invention one metallic conductor only is employed the said
conductor being an overhead wire on one side of the tramway, electrical communi-
cation between the said conductor and the motor carried by the carriage and by
which motor the carriage is propelled being effected by a contact maker carried by
the car which contact maker effects electrical communication by bearing against the
side of the conducting wire, the contact makers employed being so constructed that
the contact maker carried by one car freely pass by that carried by another car.
In our invention we employ two overhead conducting wires the said conducting
wires being situated in the same vertical plane and at such a distance apart as to
prevent their accidental contact. The said wires constitute with the motor of the
boat a continuous metallic circuit. The sliding contact maker bears against the sides
of the conducting wires. The upper part of the contact maker is separated
electrically from the lower part by an insulating disc or star, thus dividing the
contact maker electrically into two parts. The lower part is hollow or tubular and
an insulated conductor from the upper part passes axially downwards within the
lower part, thereby connecting, say, the positive side of the circuit to the motor in
the boat while the negative side is electrically connected therewith by a conductor
from the lower end of the contact maker.
The vertical standard or support on the boat to which the swinging arm carrying
the contact maker is pivotted, is telescopic so that it can be raised or lowered and
adjusted to and fixed at the standard height of the electrical conducting wires and
thereby accommodate the varying depth of the boat's immersion in the water.

page_text: We provide for the variation in level at locks in the water-way by raising or
lowering the continuous conductors automatically by the water in the locks so as
thereby to maintain a determined height of the continuous conductors above the
water levels. Or we provide a system of plug connections attached to flexible cables
so as to put electrical apparatus on board the barges or the boats in temporary
electrical connection with the electrical conductors.
Dated this Seventeenth day of March 1898
Improvements in Propelling Barges and Boats on Canals and other
Waterways, by Electricity.
We, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, and THEOPHILUS VAUGHAN
HUGHES, of Prince's Chambers, Corporation Street, Birmingham, aforesaid,
Metallurgist and Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in effecting the
propulsion of barges and boats on canals and other water-ways such for example as
navigable rivers.
Our said improvements relate essentially to new or improved methods of effecting
electrical communication between continuous conductors in connection with the
dynamos or other sources of electrity and the said barges and boats.
Our said invention consists mainly in modifications of and additions to an
invention for which Letters Patent were granted to one of us, namely William
Edward Kenway, dated 21st of April 1896 No. 8338 for "Improvements in the
mode of connecting the car with the overhead wire in tramways worked by
electricity."
The said patented invention has reference to the electrical propulsion of carriages
on tramways and by our invention the said method of propulsion is made applicable
to barges and boats on canals and other water-ways.
in the said patented invention one metallic conductor only is employed the said
conductor being an overhead wire on one side of the tramway, electrical communi-
cation between the said conductor and the motor carried by the carriage and by
which motor the carriage is propelled, being effected by a contact maker carried
by the car which contact maker effects electrical communication by bearing against
the side of the conducting wire, the contact makers employed being so constructed
that the contact maker carried by one car can freely pass that carried by another
car.
In our invention we employ two overhead conducting wires the said conducting
wires being situated in the same vertical plane and at such a distance apart as to
prevent their accidental contact. The said wires constitute with the motor of the
boat a continuous metallic circuit. The sliding contact maker bears against the
sides of the conducting wires. The upper part of the contact maker is separated
electrically from the lower part by an insulating disc or star, thus dividing the
contact maker electrically into two parts. The lower part is hollow or tubular
and an insulated conductor from the upper part passes axially downwards within
the lower part, thereby connecting, say, the positive side of the circuit to the

page_text: motor in the boat while the negative side is electrically connected there with by a
conductor from the lower end of the contact maker.
The vertical standard or support on the boat to which the swinging arm carrying
the contact maker is pivotted, is telescopic so that it can be raised or lowered and
adjusted to and fixed at the standard height of the electrical conducting wires and
thereby accommodate the varying depth of the boat's immersion in the water.
We provide for the variation in level at locks in the water way by raising or
lowering the continuous conductors automatically by the water in the locks so as
thereby to maintain a determined height of the continuous conductors above the
water levels. Or we provide a system of plug connections attached to flexible
cables so as to put electrical apparatus on board the barges or the boats in
temporary electrical connection with the electrical conductors.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent in side elevation and
plan respectively a canal boat propelled by electricity according to our invention.
Figures 3 and 4 represent portions of the said boat drawn to a larger scale than
Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 represent details of the said invention
drawn to a larger scale than Figures 3 and 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawings.
a¹, a² are the positive and negative overhead electrical conducting wires supported
in the same vertical plane by poles b on the tow path of the canal.
The boat C is provided with a telescopic tubular standard c from which an
inclined arm & projects outwards and carries the contact maker E (shown separately
in Figure 7) which is preserved in contact with the electrical conducting wires a¹, a²
preferably by the arrangement represented in Figure of the drawing of the
Specification of the Patent No. 8338 of 1896 herein before referred to. By this
means each of the electrical conducting wires a¹, a² is put into electrical communi-
cation with an electric motor f (see Figure 4) on the boat C and forms therewith a
complete electric circuit.
The electrical conducting wires a¹, a² are supported in the manner illustrated in
elevation (partly in section) in Figure 5 and in plan in Figure 6.
An arm g is supported or clipped to the pole b and carries an insulator g' the
construction of which will be best understood by reference to Figure 5. From the
upper and lower parts of the insulator g¹, arms 92, 92 project on which arms
the wires a¹, a² are supported the wires being preserved in position by clips as in
the Specification of the Patent No. 8338 of 1896 hereinbefore referred to.
In tunnels, locks and places where the use of poles is impossible the arms g are
affixed to the wall or are otherwise supported.
The sliding contact maker E carried by the inclined arm d is divided electrically
into two parts e¹, e² one part bearing against and leading the electric current from
one wire and the other part bearing against and conducting the return current to
the other wire. The construction of the two part contact maker E will be best
understood by reference to Figure 7. An axial metallic tube e with a flange near
its lower end is screwed into and is in electrical communication with the inclined
arm d which forms one of the electrical conductors to the motor. On the said axial
tube is the hollow metallic roller or sleeve e² which bears against the lower
wire a². On the top of the last named sleeve is a mushroom shaped insulating
disc es and screwed into the top of the said insulating disc is an insulating tube et
carrying an outer metallic sleeve e¹ which bears against the upper wire a¹. The
last named metallic sleeve is placed in electrical communication with an electrical
conducting wire or cable d² passing down the axis of the inner or axial tube e and
inclined arm d, by a washer e5 and screw pin e to the end of which screw pin e
the end of the wire or cable d² is soldered or otherwise fixed. The screw pin eⓇ
takes in an insulating tube e' occupying or constituting a lining to the upper part
of the axial metallic tube e and as a further protection or insulation, an insulating
washer e is used between the outer metallic sleeve e¹ and the axial metallic
tube e.
Where the inclined arm d is non-metallic or where it is undesirable that

page_text: it should constitute one of the electrical conductors to the motor twin wires or
cables may be employed passing down the said inclined arm d. The inclined arm d
is fixed to the top of the telescopic standard c the upper part of which standard c
passes and is adjustable in the lower fixed part, the upper part being fixed after
adjustment by a screw wheel or nut c² taking on a slightly conical slit screwed top
of the fixed part of the standard c as will be best understood by reference to the
vertical and cross sections Figures 8 and 9 respectively.
The boat C is propelled by paddle wheels i, i actuated through chain and chain
wheel gear h, h¹, h² by the motor f in the manner hereinafter described. The
driving chain wheel ¹ is fixed on the motor shaft and the driven chain wheel h² is
on a parallel shaft carrying a pair of paddle wheels i, i. The middle portions of
the paddle wheels i, i are in the form of drums by which drums the said paddle
wheels are made buoyant and are thereby kept afloat. The paddle wheels i, i are
coupled to or are uncoupled from the driven chain wheel h2 by means of clutches
actuated by hand levers k, k. The proper depth of immersion of the paddle wheels
is obtained by the levers 1, turning on the motor shaft or on an axis in line with
the motor shaft, the free ends of the levers 1, 1 being fixed by pins taking into
holes in segmental racks m, m fixed on the deck of the boat. When the boat is
pursuing a straight course both paddle wheels are engaged with the driven chain
wheel h but when it is desired to turn the boat to the right or left one only of the
paddle wheels is engaged with the driven chain wheel 2 the other paddle wheel
being unclutched therefrom and engaged with a fixed clutch n on the frame. The
speed of the boat is increased or diminished by diminishing or increasing electrical
resistances which are operated by the handle p.
As it may be necessary to raise the paddle wheels i, i out of the water in short
locks and other places we have shown in Figure 3 an adjustable derrick and a
pulley block for effecting this object but other mechanism may be employed for that
purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim
as our invention :-
:
First The improvements in propelling barges and boats on canals and other
water ways by electricity herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings the said improvements consisting in employing two overhead electrical
conducting wires at the side of the canal with which electrical conducting wires a
two part contact maker carried by an inclined arm on the boat bears the said inclined
arm carrying electrical conductors in connection with a motor on the boat which
motor actuates propelling mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated.
Secondly-The two part contact maker herein before described and illustrated in
Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings the said two part contact maker consisting
essentially of an axial metallic tube carrying at its upper and lower ends metallic
sleeves separated by an insulating disc one of the sleeves being in electrical contact
with the axial metallic tube and the other sleeve being insulated electrically from
the axial metallic tube and being connected electrically to a conducting wire or cable
passing down the axis of the axial metallic tube substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
Thirdly-The adjustable standard on the boat for carrying the inclined arm by
which the height of the contact maker may be varied from time to time the said
adjustable standard consisting essentially of a telescopic tube one part of which may
be made to grip the other part and thereby fix the height of the contact maker or
may be relaxed so as to admit of the adjustment of the movable part substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
Fourthly-The means of supporting the two overhead electrical conducting
wires herein before described and illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying

page_text: drawings that is to say, by arms insulated from one another and carried by and
capable of adjustment on poles or otherwise supported substantially as described
and illustrated.
Fifthly The improvements in electrical propelling mechanism for barges, boats
and the like hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
the said improvements consisting essentially in the combination with electrical
conducting wires and contact maker and electrical conductors carried by the boat
of a motor, chain and chain wheel gear or equivalent mechanism floating paddle
wheels with mechanism for throwing the paddle wheels into and out of gear with
the driven chain wheel, mechanism for determining the depth of immersion
of the paddle wheels and mechanism for raising the paddle wheels out of the
water when necessary or desirable substantially as herein before described and
illustrated.
3 Desemba 1909