IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Watson, of Johnstone, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Rope Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Watson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
January 1865.
I, WILLIAM WATSON, of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Rope Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," to be as follows,
that is to say:
This Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by drawing in and
ejecting water, and consists in forming and arranging the apparatus employed
in a simplified and improved manner.
In one modification a transverse horizontal shaft turned by any convenient
power has attached to it a drum or cylinder working in an elliptical or oval
chamber, and in contact with the bottom side thereof, the chamber being
disposed with its longer axis horizontal and longitudinal. A paddle or blade
is fitted to work in a slot in the drum, and its outer edges work in contact, or
nearly in contact with the internal oval circumferential surface of the chamber,
each end acting alternately, as in turning over the drum it is projected out-
wards. Passages are formed in communication with the lower sides of the.
chamber, one forward, and the other aft of the lowest point, and the forward

page_text: passage is made with an external mouth or opening directed or facing
forwards, whilst that of the other passage is directed or faces aft. The
chamber is, by preference, arranged within the vessel, the passage mouths only
being outside of it. For propelling the vessel forwards the drum is turned
so as to move the upper side of the paddle backwards, and the water is drawn
in at the forward mouth, carried round the oval chamber, over the drum, and
ejected at the after mouth. The drum is turned in the opposite direction for
propelling the vessel backwards.
In other modifications the drum may be against the top side of the
chamber, and there may be two paddles at right angles to each other, or one
or more oval chambers may be employed, and with their axes horizontal,
inclined, or vertical.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Watson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th July 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WATSON, of Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Rope
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Watson, Her special licence that I, the said William
Watson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Watson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Watson, 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 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Watson, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the propelling of vessels by drawing in and
ejecting water, and consists in forming and arranging the apparatus employed
in a simplified and improved manner.
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to, and representing one
modification of my improved apparatus or arrangements.
Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections of the apparatus, taken respectively
transversely and longitudinally as regards the vessel to which the apparatus
is applied; Figure 3 is a horizontal section, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal
section of the vessel, showing the manner of placing the apparatus within it,.
together with the various passages for the ingress and egress of the water.
The section, Figure 3, is taken principally as at the line A, B, in Figure 4.
In this modification a horizontal shaft 1, disposed transversely in the vessel is
carried in bearings 2, and is fitted or formed with cranks 3, to be turned by
any convenient kind of steam engine, but which it has been considered
unnecessary to show in the Drawings. This shaft 1 passes through an
elliptical or oval chamber 4, 5, within which it has fast on it a drum 6,
which is in contact with the bottom of the chamber, and is formed with a
slot diametrically through it. A paddle or blade 7 is fitted to work in the
slot of the drum 6, and its outer edges work in contact, or nearly in contact
with the internal oval circumferential surface of the chamber 4, 5, each end
of the paddle acting alternately, as in turning over with the drum it is pro-
jected outwards, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. Passages 8, 9, are
formed in communication with the lower side 5 of the
forward, and the other, 9, aft of the lowest point where
contact with the bottom, but these passages are not as wide as the chamber
or paddle, and the latter therefore cannot enter into them. From the forward
passage.8.a duct or pipe 10 is carried horizontally to the bow of the vessel,
whilst from the after passage 9 a similar duct or pipe 11 proceeds to the
stern. The forward duct 10 has at its extremity a central mouth-piece 12,
and two lateral mouth-pieces 13, 14, each provided with sluices, and the
after duct 11 has similar mouth-pieces 15, 16, 17, also each fitted with sluices.
In ordinarily propelling the vessel in a longitudinal direction, the central
chamber, one, 8,
the drum 6 is in

page_text: sluices 12 and 15 will be open, the lateral ones being closed, their use being
for manoeuvring the vessel, as is herein-after explained. For propelling the
vessel forwards the drum 6 is turned in the direction of the arrow, and so as
to move the upper side of the paddle 7 backwards, and the water is thereby
drawn in at the forward mouth 12, and along the forward duct 10, and is
carried round the oval chamber 4, 5, over the drum 6, and is ejected along
the after duct 11, and at the after mouth 15. The drum is, of course,
turned in the opposite direction for propelling the vessel backwards. The
elliptical or oval form of the chamber 4, 5, is such that in every position of
the paddle 7 both ends of the paddle touch or very nearly touch the internal
circumferential sides of the chamber. The form of the chamber may be
drawn in various ways. Thus the diameter of the drum 6 and the diametrical
length of the paddle 7 being fixed upon, the proportions shown in the
Drawing being what I prefer, and believe to be very suitable, a true ellipse
can be drawn with its shorter axis corresponding to the vertical position of
the paddle, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, and passing through points
corresponding to the ends of the paddle in its horizontal position. Or the oval
outline may be constructed of parts of circles, and I prefer to construct it of
segments or parts of two circles, one segment having its centre at 18, and
extending from one end of the paddle as placed horizontally round through
the highest point to the other end of the paddle, whilst the other segment
has its centre at 19, and extends from one end of the first segment round
through the lowest point to the other end. In making the chamber I bore or
turn two complete cylinders to the different circles, and cut off from such
complete cylinders the segmental portions 4 and 5, which I require, the pieces
being cast with suitable flanges for being bolted together, as shown in the
Drawing. In using the lateral mouths 13, 14, 16, 17, for manoeuvring the
vessel, if it is wished to turn her in as small space as possible, the sluices
12, 15, are closed, and two sluices on one side, 18 and 16, or 14 and 17 are
opened. If it wished to move the vessel laterally, then a lateral sluice on
each side must be opened, such as 13 and 17, or 14 and 16. Again, if either
the bow or stern sluice 12 or 15 is opened, and one of the lateral sluices at
the other end, then an intermediate turning effect will be obtained. The
sluices may be worked by screw spindles, and small shafting with bevil gear
may be carried from them to the middle of the ship, so that they may be all
acted upon from one point.
It will be obvious that the improved arrangements may be modified in
various ways, thus, the chamber 4, 5, may be arranged with the drum 7 in
contact with the top side of it; or the drum may be fitted with two paddles

page_text: at right angles to each other, with their middle portions cut away or slotted
so as to pass each other. One cr more oval chambers may be employed, and
with their axes horizontal, inclined, or vertical. Thus two oval chambers on
the same transverse horizontal axis may be placed one against each side of
the vessel, either inside or outside of the shell, in which case the ingress and
egress openings will be arranged close to the oval chambers.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated; but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
constructing and arranging of apparatus for propelling vessels by drawing in
and ejecting water, substantially in the improved manner herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Watson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
Wч. WATSON. (L.S.)