A CERTAIN MACHINE OR MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS, WHICH MAY BE WORKED BY STEAM, BY WATER, OR BY GAS, AS A MOVING POWER
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MOORE the younger, of Castle Street, in the City of Bristol, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Ninth day of December now last past, did give and grant
unto me, the said John Moore, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said John Moore, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said John Moore, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter 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, my Invention of
"A CERTAIN MACHINE OR MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS, WHICH MAY BE WORKED BY
STEAM, BY WATER, OR BY GAS, AS A MOVING POWER;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Moore, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereto had, will more fully apprear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Moore, have executed this instrument, by which I do declare that the
nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be

page_text: performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the annexed
Sheet of Drawings or Plans, and the following description thereof, viz. :-
My Invention of "A Certain Machine or Machinery, or Apparatus, which
may be worked by Steam, by Water, or by Gas, as a Moving Power," consists
in a new arrangement and combination of parts and apparatus already known
and in use (in those machines usually denominated rotary steam engines or
steam wheels), without claiming any of the parts of the apparatus individually,
but only the general combination thereof, as constituting a machine or appa-
ratus capable of being employed with advantage as a moving power to actuate
machinery in general by the power of steam or water or gas. In order to
render the explanation of my Invention clear and intelligible, I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings or Plans, wherein Figure 1 shews a longitudinal
section of the apparatus taken through the middle, and Figure 2 a transverse
section thereof. Note. The same characters or letters of reference denote
the same part upon both the Figures. In this description I will suppose the
machine to be actuated by the expansive force of steam, and in conjunction
with the condensing apparatus upon the known principles employed in steam
engines. A, A, represents a wheel or drum of metal, supported by any number
of arms or spokes projecting from an axis B, so as to turn round along with it,
the extreme ends of the axis beyond the bearings or supports P, P, being
furnished with cogged wheels, or other suitable contrivance, to communicate
the motion of the drum to any required machinery. The outer circumference
of the drum is turned true and smooth, and has four or any other suitable
number of cavities or recesses formed in its surface to receive and contain a
corresponding number of leaves or valves, marked C, C, and D, D, which turn
upon pivots or hinges e, e, working in the metal forming the sides of the
recesses (or otherwise arranged in such manner as to slide into recesses towards
the centre of the drum, in order to come within its circumference, as will be
hereafter explained by the Figures 3 and 4 on the Drawing). The leaves or
valves C, C, and D, D, are capable of being shut down into recesses formed
round the drum, or of being turned upon their pivots e, e, into the direction
of radii, so as to project beyond its circumference; these leaves or valves I will
denominate propellers, because the steam or other fluid (employed to operate
upon the machine) is intended to act against them when they are opened, as
shewn at C, C, Figure 1, to propel or turn the drum A, A, round along with its
axis B; when the propellers are shut down into the recesses they fill them up,
and form a smooth surface to the drum. This steam wheel or drum, with its
attached propellers, is surrounded by a hollow cylinder or casing E, E, F, F,
having side plates T, T, as seen by Figure 2, which is fixed by screw bolts or

page_text: otherwise to the fixed framing G, G, of the machine, in a position exactly
concentric with the fixed bearings P, P, which carry the axis B of the drum.
The width of the casing E, E, F, F, with its side plates (in the direction of the
axis) is the same as that of the drum, as seen by Figure 2, but the diameter
of the casing is so much larger than the drum as to leave an annular space or
steam channel between them, which is equal to the height of the propellers
when raised into the position C, C, Figure 1, in which position the propellers
fill up the whole transverse section of the steam channel, which is formed by the
casing and side plates. The fitting round the edges of the propellers is rendered
steam-tight (or nearly so) in the channel by a packing of any proper material
being secured to the propeller by plates of metal, which are screwed thereto
upon either side, as may be found best, or the packing may be inserted into a
groove formed round the propellers, as shewn in Figure 1 and Figure 2, in
such manner that no steam can escape by the sides or edges of the propellers,
although they are entirely free to move round in the steam channel by the
pressure of the steam carrying the drum A, A, along with them. The steam
channel surrounding the drum is interrupted at the two opposite sides by a
piece or pieces of metal, S, S, which I will call steam stops, from the circum-
stance of their stopping the steam and preventing its escape, unless it operates
upon the propellers to move the drum round. The steam stop occupies the entire
width of the steam channel, and is fixed firmly to the outer casing E, E, F, F;
the inner part of the steam stop fits close against the outer circumference of the
drum A, A, and is rendered steam-tight (or nearly so) by a packing of hempen
yarn or other suitable material, (which will resist the heat of the steam without
being destroyed, being driven into grooves or openings formed in the steam stop
in a direction across its width, as seen at p, p, Figure 1; when the propellers
are shut down (or otherwise caused to recede within the circumference of the
drum), they can pass freely by the steam stop. The drum A, A, has small
channels formed entirely round the edges of its circumference, and passing on
each side of the recesses formed for the propellers, as seen at q, q, Figure 2.
The object of these channels is to contain a packing of hemp, similar to that
described for the steam stops, which packing comes into contact with the
smooth edges of the side plates T, T, of the steam channel, and prevent the
escape of steam through the fitting between the moving drum and the fixed
casing, as will appear by the section, Figure 2. The steam to work the
machine is conveyed from the boiler by the steam pipe H, H, into the steam
boxes I, I, so as to enter freely into those portions of the steam channels
which are contained between the steam stops S, S, and the propellers C, C, to
force them forwards in the steam channel; at the same time the steam is

page_text: prevented from passing into the other portions of the steam channel by the
packing p, p, of the steam stops (before described) bearing against the smooth
circumference of the drum A, A. The steam stops must be of such extent as
to occupy a portion of the channel somewhat exceeding the extent of the re-
cesses which contain the propellers, in order that no steam may escape by the
steam stops during the passage of the propellers by the same. After the steam
has performed its office, it escapes from the steam channel at the part L, L,
into the eduction pipe N, N, whence it is conveyed to the condensing apparatus
before mentioned, or where high-pressure steam or water or gas is employed,
it escapes freely through the pipe N, N, into the open air. The action of the
machine is as follows:-Suppose the drum A, A, with its propellers, to be in
the position represented by Figure 1, viz, the propellers C, C, extended so
as to intercept the steam channel, and those D, D, to be nearly closed, as in
the act of passing by the steam stops S, S, the steam will flow from the boiler
through the pipe H, H, and fill the steam boxes I, I, and part of the steam
channel, until it meets with opposition from the propellers C, C, which will be
caused to move round in the steam channel in the direction shewn by the
small darts or arrows in the Figure 1. Thus the drum A, A, will be moved
round by the propellers C, C, until the propellers D, D, have passed entirely
by the steam stop S, S, at which period the propellers D, D, are opened or
turned up (into a position to be acted upon by the steam, by means of small
levers or arms c, c, d, d, which are fixed upon the axis or pivots e, e, of the
propellers on the outside of the drum, as shewn by Figure 2. The axis of the
propellers are fitted steam-tight through the side of the drum, where they pass
to receive the levers c, c, &c.; these levers come into contact with part of the
fixed frame ef the machine at O, and by the motion of the drum, which forces
the levers round so as to turn the propellers D, D, up into a proper position to
be acted upon by the steam, which is constantly flowing into the steam boxes
I, I; by the time the propellers D, D, are brought into action, those marked
C, C, have arrived at the part L, L, where the steam can escape freely to the
condensing apparatus (as before mentioned). When the operation of the
machine has proceeded thus far, a new action upon the propellers has com-
menced, in addition to the simple pressure of the steam, viz, a vacuum or
rarefaction is produced in those portions of the steam channel where the steam
was not permitted to enter at first; thus by the pressure of the atmosphere
being removed on one side of the propellers, at the same time that the steam
is pressing on the other side, causes them to move forcibly in the direction
shewn by the arrows in the Figure. The propellers C, C, being arrived near
the steam stop, require to be shut or pressed into the recesses in the drum, in

page_text: order to pass by the steam stops S, S, which is effected by two inclined pieces
of metal or wedges W, W, against which the backs of the propellers are obliged
to pass in their motion through the steam channel, as will be evident from in-
spection of Figure 1. As soon as these propellers have passed by the steam stops,.
they are caused to rise up into a position to be acted upon by the steam by the
operation of the small levers c, c, d, d, striking against the fixed frame at O, as
before described. Thus a continued motion or rotation of the drum A, A, is
kept up, there being always two of the propellers exposed to the action of the
steam on one side, whilst the atmospheric pressure is removed on the other.
If it should be thought advisable, the steam might be admitted at more than,
two places, in which case the drum A, A, must be constructed with a suitable
number of propellers, and proper steam stops and boxes, similar to those above.
described, must be situated at other parts in the steam channel, always observing
that the arrangement of the propellers and steam stops should be such that
no steam may pass from the steam boxes to the eduction pipe or box without
being obliged to move the propellers and drum A, A, through their destined
portion of a revolution in the steam channel. In the Drawing are exhibited
four propellers, and there should never be less than those opposite to each other
may always be in the same state of action. If more than four are introduced,
the next best number is eight, for none of the intermediate numbers between
four and eight would place the opposite propellers in the same state of action
at the same time, which is one of the principal advantages of my said Invention,
a considerable portion of strain upon the drum and its axis being thereby
avoided. When eight propellers are used, a like double number of steam
stops, steam boxes, steam escapes L, L, steam pipes, and eduction pipes, must
also be used, and similarly placed, as in Figure 1. Thus, a steam box and stop
must be opposite to a steam escape, having their steam and eduction pipes as in
Figure 1; also a part O placed near to each steam stop.
88
Figure 3 and 4 will serve to explain another form or construction of the drum
A, A, where the propellers, instead of being turned upon pivots or hinges
above described (to allow them to pass by the steam stops), are caused to approach
the center of the drum in a direction perpendicular to its surface, and recede
within its circumference by entering into proper recesses formed to receive them.
The requisite movements for withdrawing or extending the propellers are con-
veyed by means of small cylindrical rods of metal e, e, which are rendered
steam-tight by passing through stuffing boxes h, h, situated at the bottom of the
recesses. One end of the rods e, e, is affixed to the propellers and the other end
to a cross bar of metal ff, Figure 4, which has links g, g, jointed to it; the
other end of the links are furnished with small rollers c, c, d, d, to act against the

page_text: fixed inclined planes or wedges W, W, which are situated opposite the steam
stops and fixed firmly to the framing or casing of the machine. The small
rods e, e, and links 9, 9, are guided and supported by levers i, i, which are
jointed at one end to the rim of the drum A, A, and the other end turns upon
the same pin or pivot as the small rollers c, c, d, d'; these levers prevent the
rods e, e, from being bent by the action of the rollers c, c, against the fixed
inclined planes W, W, in the operation of withdrawing the propellers to pass
by the steam stops. The propellers are caused to extend themselves by the
action of the steel springs m, m, which press constantly against the ends of the
small rods e, e; but the springs m, m, will yield and allow the propellers to be
operated upon by the inclined planes W, W.
Figure 3 shews the drum A, A, nearly in the same position as Figure 1,
but detached or taken out of the external casing, with two of the propellers
extended as C. C, and two withdrawn as D, D. q, q, Figure 4, shews the
small channel formed on the edge of the drum, to contain packing as de-
scribed in Figure 1. If the drum constructed as Figure 3 and 4 was sub-
stituted for the drum A, A, Figure 1, and two inclined planes W, W, was
fixed fast to the external casing or framing of the machine in the position
shewn at Figure 3, it would operate in a nearly similar manner to what has
been described above, when a part of the frame was removed to let the links
9, 9, pass between the frame with the drum A, A. The form and proportions
of the parts may be varied at the discretion of the workman, as also the
materials of which the same may be made, without deviating from the object
of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Moore, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand sight hundred and twenty-one