AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM ENGINES FOR THE USE OF VESSELS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Vincent Gâche, ainé, Engineer, residing at Nantes,
in France, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF STEAM ENGINES FOR THE USE OF VESSELS."
Sealed the 9th August 1858, and dated the 3rd April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Vincent Gâche, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd April 1858.
I, VINCENT GÂCHE, ainé, Engineer, residing at Nantes, in France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF STEAM ENGINES FOR THE USE OF VESSELS," to be as follows:-
The improvements in this system consist in,―
1st. A general disposition and arrangement of the entire apparatus, which
in rendering all the component parts fixed and solid imparts to the whole
absolute stiffness, compactness, and solidity, and gives it the proper shape to
place in the after part of sea-going vessels.
2nd. The form and position of the condenser and the air pump placed above
the driving shaft or axle of the engine. Their position, 1st, permits to command
the piston of the air pump by a simple connecting rod; 2nd, by dispensing
with the pipe through which the water is lift off from the condenser, (and
which is always very long in vessels of great draught where the condenser is
beneath the engines) the pressure of the column of water in that pipe is got

page_text: rid of, and the jolts and jerks are thereby avoided, that are under other
circumstances generally occasioned by that column of water, especially in the
case of screw engines whose motion is always rapid.
3rd. Air pump valves placed in the condenser, which arrangement permits
the indispensable supply of air being given, to avoid all jolting; these valves
are made of india-rubber, but, contrary to those hitherto used, their motions
are not effected by their own flexion; they have the same shape as metallic
valves, and function in the same way. A socket of copper attached to the
valve receives the spindle or axle, round which the valve moves; the india-
rubber being thus not subject to any contraction, will wear a very long time.
4th. A feed pump whose piston forms an integral part of the piston of the
air pump. This arrangement suppresses the driving gear used in other engines
to make the said piston move.
5th. A reversing gear composed of an undulated cogged wheel fixed on the
socket of the eccentric, which are moveable upon the driving shaft or axle, two
flaps kept to the circumference of the wheel by means of cheeks; these flaps
being moved alternately by the crank shaft, work into the undulations of the
wheel, and impart to the eccentrics a rotary motion on the driving shaft as far
as the catch or stop, whereby the engine is made to go ahead or astern. This
reversing gear, which works with sufficient rapidity to answer all requirements,
is very powerful; it is worked by one man, it serves also when the engine is at
rest to place the latter in the requisite position, to tighten or slacken the
journals, or to brace the shaft of the screw when the latter has got out
of order.
Independently of the improvements just described, the construction of the
apparatus is altogether marked by the most perfect regularity united to extreme
simplicity; three connecting rods suffice to command the principal parts, and
notwithstanding the compact and solid appearance of the whole it will be seen
that the separate parts or pieces can all be unfixed without difficulty; the
driving pistons may be taken out by removing the bottom of each cylinder.
By removing the sight plate from that part, and taking off the stops, the
bottom valves of the air pump may be got out without unfixing the bolts; the
upper valves of the same pump are got out through the other opening, another
opening allows the valves of the feed pump to be examined after having
previously shut the other valve, lastly by removing the sight plate from that
part of the apparatus, the piston of the feed pump may be repacked.
My apparatus constructed after this system makes no noise in working and
suffer no vibration.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Vincent Gâche, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, VINCENT
GÂCHE, ainé, Engineer, residing at Nantes, in France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Vincent Gâche, ainé, Her special licence that I, the said Vincent
Gâche, ainé, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Vincent Gâche, ainé, 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 "AN IM-
PROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM ENGINES FOR THE USE OF VESSELS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Vincent Gâche, ainé, 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 per-
formed, 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 Vincent Gâche, ainé, 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 and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
The improvements in our system consist of,-
1. A general disposition and arrangement of the entire apparatus, which
by rendering all the component parts fixed and solid, imparts to the whole
absolute firmness, compactness, and solidity, and gives it the proper shape to
place in the after part of sea-going vessels.
2°. The form and position of the condenser C and the air pump D' placed
above the driving shaft or axle of the engines H. Their position permits, 1°, to
command the piston of the air pump D' by a simple connecting rod J; 2°, by
dispensing with the pipe through which the water is let off from the con-
denser, (and which is always very long in vessels of great draught, where the

page_text: condenser is beneath the engines), the pressure of the column of water in that
pipe is got rid of, and the jolts and jerks are thereby avoided which are
generally occasioned by that column of water, especially in the case of screw
engines whose motion is always rapid.
30. Air pump valves placed in the condenser, which arrangement permits
of the indispensable supply of air being given to avoid all jolting; these valves
are made of india-rubber, but contrary to those hitherto used, their motions
are not effected by their own flexibility; they have the same shape as metallic
valves, and function in the same way. A socket of copper f" attached to the
valve receives the spindle or axle f", round which the valve moves; the india-
rubber being thus not subject to any contraction, will wear a very long time.
4°. A feeding pump E, whose piston D" forms an integral part of the
piston of the air pump D'; this arrangement suppresses the driving gear used
in other engines to move the said piston.
5º. A reversing gear composed of an undulated cog-wheel K' fixed on the
socket of the excentrics K, which move upon the driving shaft ; two flaps
i, i, kept to the circumference of the wheel K' by means of cheeks j, j;
these flaps being moved alternately by the crank shaft L, work into the undu-
lation of the wheel, and impart to the excentric a rotary motion on the
driving shaft H.as far as the catch or stop M, whereby the engines are made
to go ahead or astern. This reversing gear, which works with sufficient
rapidity to answer all requirements of the service, is very powerful; it is worked
by one man, it serves also when the engine is at rest to place the latter in
the requisite position to tighten or slacken the cushion, or to brace the shaft
of the screw when the latter is out of order.
Independently of the improvements just described, the construction of the
apparatus is altogether marked by the most perfect regularity united to
extreme simplicity, three connecting rods sufficing to command the principal
parts, and notwithstanding the compact and solid appearance of the whole it
will be seen that the separate parts or pieces can be removed without difficulty.
The driving piston may be taken out by removing the bottom of each cylinder.
By removing the sight plate g, and taking off the stops g', the bottom valves
of the air pump may be removed without unfixing the bolts; the upper valves
of the same pump are removed through the sight plate e; another opening
allows the feeding pump to be examined after having previously shut the valve
m; lastly, by removing the sight plate n, the piston of the feeding pump may
be repaired.
The apparatus constructed after this system makes neither noise nor suffers
from vibration

page_text: A, A, steam cylinders; B, B, steam boxes; a, a, steam pipes; b, b, tubes
of the condenser; C, condenser; D, air pump; D', piston of the air pump;
D", piston of the feeding pump; E, feeding pump; e, e, valve to feeding
pump; ff, inlet and outlet valves of the air pump; f', f', inlet and outlet
valves for the air of the air pump; f",f", copper socket fixed to the india-
rubber valves; f",f", copper axle for the valves to work on; 9, a sight
plate, by means of which the valves of the air pump can be examined &
changed; 1, the sight plate of the inlet and outlet valves for air of the air
pump; d, g, the stops of the valves of the air pump; F, injection slide valve;
G, G, outlet tube of the condenser; h, stop valve of the outlet of the con-
denser; a', principal steam pipe with valve; H, crank shaft; I, moving
block; J, connecting rod of the piston of the air pump; K, K, excentrics of
the slide valve; K', undulated cog wheel for reversing the movement, fixed to
the socket on which the excentrics move; i,i, flaps held by the cheeks j, j‚Ì‚ Ï‚
& put in movement by the connecting rods k, k, Fig. 4; L, L, crank shaft
governing the connecting rods k, k, by the aid of which the machines are
reversed; M, stops of the excentrics; N, N, racks of excentrics; 0, 0, the
principal connecting rod; P, balance weight of the machine; Q, Q, handle
giving the movement to the starting cock; q', q', levers giving the movement
to the injection slide valve, and to the delivering cock of the condenser; R,
recoil headstock; S, foundation plate; e', sight plate of the valve of the feeding
pump; m, stop valve of the suction pipe of the feeding pump; n, sight plate
for packing the piston of the feeding pump.
In witness whereof, I, the said Vincent Gâche, ainé, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 4th day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
VINCENT GÂCHE. (L.S.)