IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN GEARING, CLEANSING AND PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1850

page_text: TUCKER'S, SPECIFICATION.
-TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TUCKER, of the Royal Dockyard, Woolwich, in the County of Kent, Ship-
wright, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain and Ireland,
bearing date at Westminster; the First day of June, in the thirteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Tucker, my exors, 'adñiors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
John Tucker, and such others as 'I, the "said John Tucker, my exors, adñiors,
and 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,
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, the Invention, communicated to me by a certain foreigner
residing abroad, of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STEAM BOILERS, AND IN GEARING, CLEANSING
AND PROPELLING VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said John Tucker, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being had thereto, will more fully and at large appear. In compliance
with such proviso, I, the said John Tucker, hereby declare the said Invention
to consist

page_text: Firstly, in an improved steam boiler, shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, Sheet 1 of
the annexed Drawings. It is unnecessary to enter into a description of the
mode of making the seperate parts of this boiler, or of putting them together,
as all steam-boiler makers are acquainted therewith. Figure 1 is a front
elevation of the boiler, shewing one half thereof in section through the line
A, B, at Figure 2. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of said boilers; Figure
3 a plan view, shewing the tubes as they would appear if cut through the line
C, D, at Figure 2. a is the diaphram; b, b, the tubes which are placed
vertically as shewn, with the water passing through them, and are composed
of iron, copper, mixed or other metal; c, c, the spaces between the tubes
through which the flame travels; e, e, the furnace bars or grate; f, f, the fire;-
here it should be observed, that it is advisable to place but a comparatively
small quantity of fuel on the grates (or indeed at any time afterwards) at first
lighting; if there be too much fuel, the fire will not cause the steam to rise
kindly, but if the fire be well laid the steam will rise more rapidly than
customary-g, g, g, the funnel, which it will be observed has its root or heel
on the diaphram; in consequence of the funnel passing through the steam
chest, the steam is made considerably drier, and the chance of priming much
less; h, h, the steam chest; i, i, the casing round the funnel; j, j, the blow-off
pipe and cocks; k, the man-hole, which may be placed wherever it is found
to be most convenient; 1, 1, the space made in the boiler to allow a man to get
into the smoke box to clean the soot out. The advantages gained by
constructing the boilers as shewn:-An economy in the consumption of fuel;
in weight of boiler, both in material and body, or quantity of water required;
in space, because a boiler so constructed will occupy little more than half the
space of those in ordinary use; easiness of access for repairs or cleansing, and
the consumption of the sparks of wood or coal by the peculiar position of the
funnel.
The second part of the Invention in improved apparatus for screw propelling,
and is illustrated by five diagrams; in Sheet 1 of the annexed Drawings, by
which the screw is fixed so as not to interfere with the dead wood on stern
post of the vessel, and means are shewn for lifting or topping up the screw
when required. Figure 4 is a side elevation of a part of the starboard side
of a vessel. A, A, is the main shaft from the engine, running through the
starboard side of the vessel, (the apparatus may be placed on either side of the
vessel, and passing out near the stern, where it connects to B, B, the screw
propeller; C is an arm conriccted to the shaft M, and also carries the propeller
to the counter of the ship, as shown by the dotted lines E, E, which position
the propeller and arm assumes when the screw is topped up to the counter

page_text: of the ship; F, F, gearing or apparatus for lifting or topping up the screw;
G, gun-metal casting, which connects the two shafts together, videlicit the
main shaft A, A, and the topping at shaft M, M, and keeps them securely
at the proper distance from cach other; II, a male and female screw for taking
the propeller off the arm C, when the propeller is required to be shipped
or unshipped, to a ring or loop of metal, by which the propeller may be
lifted to the counter and there steadied. By the above arrangement it will
be seen that the main engine shaft A, A, may be placed at any distance from
the centre of the vessel, and the dead wood or stern post thereof is no wise
interfered with, while under the arrangement hitherto practised the post is so
weakened that a very slight shock by ice, or the ship's keel touching the
ground or otherwise, would carry it away. It also provides that the screw
shall be worked in the volume of water, by which the greatest effect is
obtained from its propelling powers and the steerage improved. A small
notch is cut in the rudder in the wake of the shaft, to allow of its being
put hard up or down as need may require. By the arrangement of the
propelling power; the vessel is really strengthened instead of weakened as
in the old method of fitting the screw, and likewise the present method
of cutting the aperture in the dead wood and fining the vessel in the
stern to receive the propeller, which very much weakens the vessel, pre-
venting the use of the lower deck and stern guns. There is considerable
power lost in the screw working in this aperture by the water being bound
into the fore and after most post and the upper side of the keel; also the
aperatus can be much more cheaply fixed. The parts L, L, and F, F,
are drawn to double the scale of the portion of the vessel shewn, in order
to give a better illustration. Figure 5 shews the stern of a vessel with
the screw in its place, and the dotted lines demonstrate the position it
would assume if topped or taken up; Figure 6 shows a a plan of the
main shaft with its exit from the rim of the vessel, and also the rudder
placed at an angle of forty degrees; Figure 7 the front, and Figure 8 a
side view of a four-armed screw fitted with wrought iron bands or belts,
are securely fixed to the outer rim or edges of the arms or floats of the
screw, and serve to protect them when working through ice or in action. In
the former case the rings or bands impinge on the floating masses of ice,
and force them downwards, or otherwise keep them away from the floats
or arms, securing them from breakage. In battle these rings or bands
would prevent the cordage or other hamper from getting foul of or around the
screw, permitting its free working; a screw not so protected would be stopped
working as the cordage or ice by fouling would render it necessary.

page_text: The third part of the. Invention is for cleansing the sides. and bottoms of vessels
when afloat. I construct an apparatus as shewn on Drawings Sheet 2,
Figures 1 to 10 (similar letters denoting similar parts in each of the
Figures), as follows:-Two cleets, one at each end of the false keel of the
vessel, should be permanently fixed, as shewn at a, a, Figure 1, or notches
may be made in the keel itself. These cleets or notches *: prevent the
principal chains to which the apparatus is fixed, from slipping off the
ends of the keel; 4 ringbolts, two at each end of the vessel, as shewn at b, b,
2 and 4, are provided; these bolts are fixed about one foot above the line
of the vessel's deepest immersion. In fixing the apparatus the chain c, c,
is hooked on to the ring bolt,, the, bight is cast under the keel, and being
caught and retained in its place by the cleet or notch, the end is brought
up on the other side of the vessel, and is made tight by a tackle fixed to
the end of it, and attached to a purchase on deck. To the chain cc, is
affixed a short bar d, d, Figure 3, provided with two loose rings, which
allow its sliding freely, along the chain, and which is kept in the position
required by small ropes, I, I, Figure 1, rove through pulley blocks and
carried inboard. This bar d, d, is to adjust the scrubbing brush F, F,
in the various positions requisite for cleansing the vessel. The remainder
of the apparatus consists of the scrubbing brush F attached to an air vessel;
this air vessel is constructed of thin sheet iron, (or copper shewn at G,
Figures 5, 6, 7, and Figure 3, where also the chain.C and sliding bar d
are shewn to an enlarged scale. The brushes may be made of cane, whale-
bone, or any suitable material. Attaching the air vessel to the.scrubbers
causes buoyancy, and enables them to be moved horizontally or vertically
(when immersed) with facility. A plug or valve is provided, so that if the
scrubber be too buoyant the water may be admitted to restore the
equilibrium. The scrubbers may also be constructed as shewn at K, Figures
8, 9, 10, the framework being entirely of wood; this arrangement answers
extremely well, and is less expensive. When cleansing the, vessel's bottom
the brushes are moved horizontally by ropes H, H, Figure 1, passing through
pulley blocks e, e, attached to the sliding bars d, d, and carried inboard,
where they are hauled backwards and forwards by the crew. When the
operation of cleansing has been performed over the entire surface by a
series of horizontal scrubbings, it may sometimes, owing to the tenacity
with which the barnacles and other objects adhere, be desirable to repeat
them; then the scrubbers may be made to work diagonally. To effect this
the sliding bar d is drawn, down at one end of the vessel towards the keel,
while at the other end of it is kept level with the surface of the water,

page_text: and as one end is raised the other is depressed, and vice versa. The exact
position of the air vessel and scrubbers may be determined when immersed
by marks fixed at given distances on the ropes I, I, attached to the sliding
bar d, d.
I do not claim any of the separate parts of the Invention; but I claim
the peculiar formation of the boiler, also the mode of topping up the screw
and screw bands, illustrated in Sheet 1, and the apparatus for cleansing
the sides and bottoms of ships, illustrated in Sheet 2, Figures 1 to 10 of
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the whole herein-before described
in this my Specification.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid John Tucker came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
5 aforesaid, and all and every thing 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 Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty.