IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS OR WIND ENGINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Zahn, of New York, in the United
States of America, but now residing in London, and Joseph Henry
George Wells, of 3, Ebenezer Place, Neckinger Road, Bermondsey,
Surrey, Mechanical Engineer and Draughtsman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS OR WIND ENGINES."
Sealed the 25th July 1856, and dated the 11th February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Zahn
and Joseph Henry George Wells at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 11th February 1856.
We, WILLIAM HENRY ZAHN, of New York, in the United States of
America, but now residing in London, and JOSEPH HENRY GEORGE WELLS, of
3, Ebenezer Place, Neckinger Road, Bermondsey, Surrey, Mechanical Engineer
and Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS OR WIND ENGINES," to be as follows; and consists in
the mechanism employed for making windmills or wind engines self-regulating,
by allowing the velocity of the wind to act upon and lessen the surface of the
sails exposed to the wind, as well as for altering the position of the sails while
stationary or during the action of the mill or engine, so as to produce an
uniform speed, according to the power necessary to work the machinery
attached to the mill or engine.

page_text: The bearings, which support the shaft of the mill or engine, are fixed
on a cap working loosely upon a circular plate fixed to a proper support or
framework. On the said shaft is fixed a wheel, and through or by the side of the
rim of which the spindles of the wings or sails pass to the boss, and are pre-
vented from withdrawing by the said spindles being made smaller and fitting
into suitable bearings fastened to the wheel; or the spindles may be held by
screws or pins. On the spindles are small arms fixed thereto, one on each,
and opposite to these arms on the said spindles are projections which prevent
by their coming into contact with the arms of the wheel the wings or sails
presenting too much surface to the wind. These small arms are made on the
flat side with oblong square holes, for the purpose of allowing rods fixed to a
sliding head at the back of the said wheel fitting therein, so that when it is
required to lessen the surface of the sails, this sliding head is moved forward
by mechanism, as hereafter mentioned, and which forms a particular feauture
of this Invention. On the said small arms, and at the extreme end thereof,
and to the said sliding head, are fixed pieces of vulcanized india-rubber, which
act as springs, or any other suitable springs may be employed. The said
sliding head is loose upon the shaft, but made to turn with it by having a
key fixed on the shaft, and fitting in a corresponding cavity in the head.
This head has a groove turned in it, in which a forked lever fits; this
lever is bent to about right angles, and is supported by suitable bearings
fastened to the said cap, which works loosely upon the before-mentioned
-circular plate.
A vertical rod passes down the side of the support of the windmill, working
in suitable bearings, one end of which is attached to a connecting rod, which
is connected to the crank of the shaft, and the other end to the pump rod or
other machinery to be driven. On this vertical rod is attached a sliding head
or boss, which has a recess or groove in it, in which a forked arm fits; this
forked arm is attached to a rod, working in suitable guides fastened to the
support of the mill. A rod is attached to the last-mentioned sliding head or
boss; and to one end of the forked bent lever, so that when the sliding head or
boss is moved downwards, the forked bent lever causes the sliding head on the
shaft to move forward, and present that surface of the sails to the wind as may
be required; but when the wind increases beyond that velocity for which the
sails are set, it acts upon and lessens the surface of the sails and expands the
india-rubber or other spring, and as soon as the wind slackens, the elastic force
of the spring will move the sails back to their original position.
If it should be required to increase the speed of the mill with a velocity of
the wind beyond that which the spring in its natural state will allow, the sliding

page_text: head or boss on the vertical rod is elevated, which causes the forked bent lever
to move the sliding head on the shaft inwards, so that the springs are
expanded without moving the sails, (the small projections on the spindles
which bear against the arms of the wheel prevent such movement,) thereby
causing the velocity of the wind to exceed that power for which the expanded
springs are set, before it shall lessen the surface of the sails by expanding the
springs to a greater extent. The sliding head or boss on the vertical rod can
be elevated or depressed in several ways, either by a screw rack and pinion or
levers.
This last-mentioned improvement of altering the surface of the sails exposed
to the wind while stationary, or during their motion, can be made applicable to
other windmills which are self-regulating. The usual wing is attached to the
mill or engine for keeping the wings or sails facing the wind.
Other modifications of using vulcanized india-rubber as springs can be
adopted, such as fastening the springs to the sails and to the wheel, or to a
head fixed on the shaft, but the plan above mentioned we. consider more
complete in its action, and, therefore, more fully explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Zahn and Joseph Henry George Wells in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY ZAHN, of New York, in the United States, but now residing in
London, & JOSEPH HENRY GEORGE WELLS, of 3, Ebenezer Place, Neckinger
Road, Bermondsey, Surrey, Mechanical Engineer and Draughtsman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Henry Zahn and Joseph Henry George Wells, Her special licence
that we, the said William Henry Zahn & Joseph Henry George Wells, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Henry Zahn and Joseph Henry George Wells, our 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

page_text: 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 IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS OR WIND ENGINES, upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Henry Zahn and Joseph Henry
George Wells, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Henry Zahn and Joseph
Henry George Wells, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and acertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention consists in the machinery employed for making windmills or
wind engines self-regulating, by allowing the velocity of the wind to act upon
and lessen the surface of the sails exposed to the wind, as well as for altering
the position of the sails while stationary or during the action of the mill or
engine, so as to produce an uniform speed, according to the power necessary
to work the machinery attached to the mill or engine.
The accompanying Drawing illustrates our Invention, in which Fig. 1 is
a front elevation of the mill, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.
The
bearings A, which support the shaft B of the mill or engine, are fixed on a
cap C, working loosely upon a circular plate D fixed to a proper support
or framework. On the said shaft is fixed a wheel E, and through bearings E',
or the side of the rim, the spindles F of the wings or sails G pass to the boss H,
and are prevented from withdrawing by collars fixed to the said spindles F
immediately under the bearings E' by pins. On the spindles are small arms I
fixed thereto, one on each, and are made on the flat side with oblong holes, (as
shown in Fig. 1,) for the purpose of allowing rods a fixed to the sliding head b
at the back of the said wheel E fitting therein, so that when it is required to
lessen the surface of the sails this sliding head is moved forwards by mechanism,
as herein-after mentioned, and which forms a particular feature of this
Invention. On the said small arms I, and at the extreme end thereof, and to
the said sliding head bare fixed pieces of vulcanized india-rubber c, which act
as springs, or any other suitable spring may be employed. The said sliding head
is loose upon the shaft, but made to turn with it by having a key fixed on the
shaft, and fitting into a corresponding cavity in the sliding head. This sliding
head b has a groove d turned on it, in which a forked lever e fits; this lever is

page_text: bent to about right angles, and is supported by suitable bearings f fastened to
the said cap c.
A vertical rod J passes down the side of the support of the windmill, and
working in a bearing J¹, one end of which is attached to a connecting rod K,
which is connected to the crank L of the shaft, and the other to the pump rod
or other machinery to be driven. On this vertical rod J is attached a sliding.
head or boss g, which has a recess in it, and in which a forked arm'h fits; this
forked arm is attached to a rod i, with a screw cut thereon, working in suitable
guides fastened to the support of the mill, and on the end of the said rod i is
fixed a wheel k. A rod is attached to the last-mentioned sliding head or boss g,
and to one end of the forked bent lever e, so that when the sliding head or boss
is moved downwards by the revolving of the screw rod i, caused by turning the
wheel k, the forked bent lever causes the sliding head 6 on the shaft B to move
forward and present that surface of the sails to the wind as may be required,
but when the wind increases beyond that velocity for which the sails are set,
it acts upon and lessens the surface of the sails, and expands the india-rubber
or other spring c, and as soon as the wind slackens the elastic force of the
spring will move the sails back to their original position.
If it should be required to increase the speed of the mill with a velocity of
the wind beyond that which the spring in its natural state will allow, the
sliding head or boss g is elevated, which causes the forked bent lever e to move
the sliding head on the shaft inwards, so that the springs c are expanded
without moving the sails, (the small projections m fastened to the rim prevent
such movement,) thereby causing the velocity of the wind to exceed that power
for which the expanded springs are set before it shall lessen the surface of the
sails by further expanding the springs. The sliding head or boss 9 can be
elevated or depressed by a rack & pinion or levers instead of a screw.
This last-mentioned improvement of altering the surface of the sails exposed
to the wind while stationary or during their motion can be made applicable to
other windmills which are self-regulating. The usual wing M, or other known
contrivance, is attached to the mill or engine for keeping the wings or sails
facing the wind.
Other modifications of using vulcanized india-rubber or other springs can be
adopted, such as fastening the springs to the sails and to the rim, or to a head
fixed on the shaft, but the plan above mentioned we consider more complete
in its action, and therefore more fully explained. Only four sails are shown in
the Drawing, but more or less may be used, and which may be placed at any
angle.
Having thus fully described the particulars and nature of our Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what we claim
is, the application of vulcanized india-rubber, or other springs, in combination
with the machinery, for the purpose of making windmills or wind engines self-
regulating, by allowing the increased velocity of the wind to act upon and
lessen the surface of the sails, as well as for altering the surface or angle of the
sails at will, substantially in the manner as shewn, and herein fully described;
also governing the mechanism of self-regulating wind engines, by such means
as are represented in the annexed Drawings, by the rods i & 1, the sliding
boss g, and appendages.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Henry Zahn and Joseph Henry
George Wells, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this First day
of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six.
Witness,
JOHN AVERY,
32, Essex Street, Strand,
Patent Agent.
W. H. ZAHN.
(L.S.)
J. H. GEORGE WELLS. (L.S.)