Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 22nd June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd July, 1887
I THOMAS HITT, of Northumberland House, Brandon, Suffolk, Gentleman do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to the propulsion of ships or other vessels and its
characteristic feature is the employment of one or more paddle-wheels driven by the
wind or in other words one or more wind wheels acting as paddle wheels. Means are
provided whereby the inclination or position of the vanes or sails of the wheels can be
readily adjusted or moved according to the direction of the wind and the direction in
which it is required to travel.
The manner in which my invention may be carried into effect is as follows:-
In the centre of the vessel which may be of the twin type I mount in suitable
bearings the shaft of a vertical wheel, whose diameter is, say, 100 feet, more or less.
The periphery of this wheel extends down to about the level of the keel and its lower
part turns in the water. The upper part is above the level of the upper deck and is
acted on by the wind. The wheel is composed of a number (say 12, more or less) of
vanes or sails, the inclination or angle of which relatively to the axis of the wheel can
be altered or adjusted by suitable means, such, for instance, as those hereinafter
described. It will be readily understood that as the wheel is driven round by the
action of the wind the vanes or sails as they pass through the water in the course of
their revolutions will propel the vessel like the paddles or floats of a paddle-wheel.
The vanes or sails are preferably made of spring steel so that when set at an angle to
the axis of the wheel and entering the water at that angle, the pressure of the water
will bend or force them to a position parallel or approximately parallel to the wheel's
axis and they will thus offer a greater surface to the water; on leaving the water
they will spring or move back to the angle position; a sort of feathering is thus
obtained.
One way of altering or adjusting the inclination or angle of the vanes relatively
to the axis of the wheel is as follows:-Each vane is formed at back with one or more
rings or gudgeons which fit upon a spoke or arm extending radially from the boss or
centre of the wheel. On the face of each vane are two eyes or blocks to which are

page_text: connected respectively the ends of two ropes or chains that pass through eyes or
blocks on the radial rod of the next adjoining vane, thence through eyes or blocks
respectively on the port and starboard sides of the wheel boss and thence to collars or
travellers embracing the wheel shaft. There is one of these collars or travellers on
each side of the boss and to it is therefore connected one rope from every vane-that
is to say, 12 ropes if there are 12 vanes. The collar or traveller is itself connected
by ropes or chains to a frame free to be moved in a line with the wheel shaft by means
of connections under the control of a lever, hand-wheel or other suitable contrivance.
There is, of course, one of these levers or contrivances at each side of the wheel. By
pulling the connections at the one side and slacking or letting off those at the other
the two frames and the two collars, together with the ropes leading to the vanes, are
operated and a uniform and simultaneous movement of all the vanes to the desired
inclination or angle is thus effected. The wheel may be strengthened by carrying a
chain or rope around its periphery and connecting it to the outer ends of all the
radial arins.
In a calm the wheel could be turned by a small engine, or by hand with the aid of
crank handles.
Date :..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Ships or other Vessels.
I THOMAS HITT, of Northumberland House, Brandon, Suffolk, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has reference to the propulsion of ships or other vessels and its
characteristic feature is the employment of one or more paddle-wheels driven by the
wind or in other words one or more wind-wheels acting as paddle-wheels. Means
are provided whereby the inclination or position of the vanes or sails of the wheels
can be readily adjusted or moved according to the direction of the wind and the
direction in which it is required to travel.
The manner in which my invention may be carried into effect is as follows:-
In the centre of the vessel which may be of the twin type I mount in suitable
bearings the shaft of a vertical wheel, whose diameter is, say, 100 feet, more or less.

page_text: The periphery of this wheel extends down to about the level of the keel and its
lower part turns in the water. The upper part is above the level of the upper deck
and is acted on by the wind. The wheel is composed of a number (say 12, more or
less) of vanes or sails, the inclination or angle of which relatively to the axis of the
wheel can be altered or adjusted by suitable means, such, for instance, as those herein-
after described. It will be readily understood that as the wheel is driven round by
the action of the wind the vanes or sails as they pass through the water in the course
of their revolutions will propel the vessel like the paddles or floats of a paddle wheel.
The vanes or sails may be made of spring steel so that when set at an angle to the
axis of the wheel and entering the water at that angle, the pressure of the water will
bend or force them to a position parallel or approximately parallel to the wheel's axis
and they will thus offer a greater surface to the water; on leaving the water they will
spring or move back to the angle position; a sort of feathering is thus obtained. Or,
instead of the vanes being made of spring steel for the purpose above described they
may be fitted with supplementary vanes on the fore side, these supplementary vanes
being set at such an angle to the main vanes as that they shall be approximately
parallel to the wheel's axis when the main vanes are set at an angle therewith; thus
while the supplementary vanes will not be acted upon by the wind they will offer a
suitable surface to the water.
One way of altering or adjusting the inclination or angle of the vanes relatively to
the axis of the wheel is as follows:-Each vane is formed with one or more rings or
gudgeons which fit upon a spoke or arm extending radially from the boss or centre of
the wheel. On the face of each vane are two eyes or blocks to which are connected
respectively the ends of two ropes or chains that pass through eyes or blocks on the
radial rod of the next adjoining vane, thence through eyes or blocks respectively on
the port and starboard sides of the wheel boss and thence to collars or travellers
embracing the wheel shaft. There is one of these collars or travellers on each side of
the boss and to it is therefore connected one rope from every vane, that is to say:
12 ropes if there are 12 vanes. The collar or traveller is itself connected by ropes or
chains to a frame free to be moved in a line with the wheel shaft by means of con-
nections under the control of a lever, hand-wheel or other suitable contrivance.
There is of course one of these levers or contrivances at each side of the wheel. By
pulling the connections at the one side and slacking or letting off those at the other
the two frames and the two collars, together with the ropes leading to the vanes, are
operated and a uniform and simultaneous movement of all the vanes to the desired
inclination or angle is thus effected. The wheel may be strengthened by carrying a
chain or rope around its periphery and connecting it to the outer ends of all the
radial arms.
In a calm the wheel could be turned by a sinall engine or by hand with the aid of
crank handles.
The accompanying drawings, which show a vessel of the twin type fitted with one
of my wind paddle wheels, will serve to illustrate my invention. Figure 1 is an
elevation of the starboard side of the vessel. Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a front
view, partly sectional. Figure 4 represents one of the vanes of the wheel detached.
Figures 5 and 6 are views on larger scale of one of the frames hereinbefore
described.
a is the hull of the vessel which can, of course, be of any desired form. b, 6 are
the two keels. c, c is a space or opening between the two parts or halves of the vessel
for the wind paddle wheel to rotate in; this space or opening extends from the upper
deck down to the keel. d is the shaft of the wheel mounted in suitable bearings e, e.
fis a boss fixed on the shaft d and forming the centre or nave of the wheel. g, g are
spokes or arms radiating from the boss f and embraced by rings or gudgeons h, h on
the vanes i, i; these vanes with the spokes g, g, boss f, and shaft d constitute my wind
paddle wheel. Twelve vanes are shown but the wheel may have more or less as may
be thought desirable. k, k are supplementary vanes on the fore side of the vanes i,
for the purpose hereinbefore described; they are fitted by means of gudgeons or

page_text: rings 1, 1 to the spokes g, g and may be provided with any suitable means whereby
their angle with the vanes i, i can be adjusted when the wheel is stationary.
On the face of each vane i at m, m are two eyes or blocks to which are connected
respectively the ends of two ropes or chains n, n that pass through blocks or eyes p, p
on the spoke g of the next adjoining vane, thence through eyes or blocks q, q
respectively on the port and starboard sides of the boss and thence to collars or
travellers r, which embrace the shaft d. There is one of these collars or travellers 1, r
on each side of the boss fand to it is therefore connected one rope or chain from
every vane, that is to say: 12 ropes or chains. The collar or traveller is itself
connected by ropes or chains s, s to a frame t free to be moved in a line with the
shaft d by means of ropes or chains u, u connected with a hand lever or other
suitable contrivance v. By pulling the ropes u, u at the one side and slacking or
letting off those at the other the two frames t, t and the two collars r, r together with
the ropes n, n leading to the vanes i, i are operated and a uniform and simultaneous
movement of all the vanes to the desired inclination or angle is thereby effected. The
frames t, t move on fixed guide rods or bars w, w and in order that the said frames
may not be drawn into the rotation of the shaft d I construct them as shown in
Figures 5 and 6, that is to say: of two plates x, x having circular recesses to contain
an inner circular plate or disc y; this plate y has a square hole to fit the shaft d, it
therefore revolves with the shaft, and within the plates, which remain stationary;
the plates, are held together by means of screws z, (Figure 2) which are hollow
so as to move on the guide rods w. The ropes or chains s, s that connect the collars
or travellers r, r to the frames t, t are attached to the circular plates y, y of these
frames at the parts marked s¹, Figure 6, and not to the plates x, x of same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for propelling ships or other vessels consisting of a wind paddle
wheel, that is to say, a paddle-wheel driven by the wind or a wind wheel acting as a
paddle wheel as set forth, the said wheel being provided with means whereby the
inclination or position of its vanes or sails can be readily adjusted or moved, substantially
as herein before described.
2. As means or apparatus for adjusting the inclination of the vanes or sails of a
wind paddle wheel, a set of ropes or chains connecting the several vanes with travellers
and sliding frames on the wheel shaft on the port and starboard sides thereof
respectively and thence with levers, hand wheels, or analogous contrivances, the
arrangement being such that by pulling the connections at the one side and slacking
or letting off those at the other a uniform and simultaneous movement of all the vanes
or sails to the desired inclination or angle is effected, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
1008
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.