AN IMPROVED MEANS OF NAVIGATING THE WATER BY SHIPS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Stephens Brown, of No. 2, Alexandrian
Lodge, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surry, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MEANS OF NAVIGATING THE
WATER BY SHIPS."
Sealed the 16th February 1853, and dated the 2nd October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Stephens
Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd October 1852.
I, DAVID STEPHENS BROWN, of 2, Alexandrian Lodge, Old Kent
Road, Surry, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MEANS OF NAVIGATING THE WATER BY SHIPS" to be as
follows, namely:-
Sustaining vessels on the surface of the water when in motion by
an upward pressure resulting from such motion, or from other motion
or action, instead of allowing the vessel to be sustained in the water by
the upward pressure obtained by simple immersion only. The object
being to lift the hull of the vessel when in motion to the surface of

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Stephens Brown in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 2nd April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
DAVID STEPHENS BROWN, of Number 2, Alexandrian Lodge, Old Kent
Road, in the County of Surry, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said David Stephens Brown, Her special
licence that I, the said David Stephens Brown, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said David Stephens
Brown, 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 AN IMPROVED MEANS OF NAVIGATING THE WATER BY
SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David
Stephens Brown, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 I, the said David Stephens Brown, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, with the aid of the Drawings therein referred
to (that is to say):

page_text: It consists in sustaining the hulls of ships on the surface of the water
when in motion by an upward pressure resulting from such motion, or
from other motion or action, instead of allowing such hulls to be sus-
tained in the water by the upward pressure obtained from simple
immersion only, the object being to lift the hulls of ships to the surface
of the water, or nearly so, with a view to remove or diminish the
resistance which they encounter at the bows from the water when in
motion, and which I accomplish as follows-First, by balancing the
ship in the water in such a manner that her .bottom which is flat (or
slightly curved, or angular, as hereafter described) shall form an inclined
plane to the surface of the water, and when the ship is in motion the
upper or forward end of such bottom shall be on a level with or above
the surface of the water, and the lower or after end thereof slightly
immersed, as represented by Figure (1,) in the two copies of the
Drawings which accompany this Specification, and which is a side ele-
vation of the hull of a ship so inclined in the water, and supposed to be
in motion, (a.) being the said bottom, and the dotted line (,) the surface
of the water. When the ship is in this position, and moving in the
direction of the arrow (c), her bottom will encounter from the water
an upward pressure in amount depending upon the velocity and the
angle of the plane, independent of the upward pressure obtained by
simple immersion, and which will be sufficient to sustain the ship on
the surface of the water, or nearly so. The red line (y,) in this figure
shows the water line of the ship when not in motion; the after end of
the bottom is represented by it as being considerably more immersed
than when the ship is in motion; but it is advisable, although not abso-
lutely necessary, that the forward end should still be on a level with
or above the surface of the water, as also shown by such red line; for
motion communicated to the ship by means of paddle wheels, in the
usual manner, suspended from the upper part of the hull, as shown by
the paddle wheel (d), will have a tendency to elevate the after part of
such hull, thereby bringing the ship more into the horizontal position,
and her whole hull nearly to the surface of the water. The ship may
be thus inclined by ballasting her more aft than forward, or by placing
the centre on which the propelling agent acts at a point below her

page_text: bottom, (as, for example, at the lower end of the beam (e); the other end
of which beam is affixed to the hull of the ship,) or by any other means;
or such as may be hereafter described. I do not claim the exclusive
right of inclining the hulls of ships in the water, but when it is done for
the purpose of creating an additional pressure under the ship's bottom
when in motion, with a view of elevating the hull to the surface of the
water, or nearly so, in order to remove the resistance at the bows, by
means of which a much greater velocity can be attained on the water
than has hitherto been accomplished. The said bottom is to be extended
beyond the limits of the sides of the ship, as represented by Figure (2).
which is a stern end elevation of the ship (a), being the extended bottom;
and (f) the said sides; and if such extension of the bottom be greater
at the fore part of the ship, or confined entirely to such part, it will,
when the ship is in motion, assist in maintaining her hull in the required
inclined position. In like manner the said bottom is to be extended
beyond the limits of the stern, as represented by Figure (1), or the sides
when parallel to each other are to be extended beyond the limits of the
bottom, as represented by Figure (2), (ff) being the said extended
sides, and (a,) the said bottom. The parts of the bottom of the ship
which extend beyond the sides, as shown by Figure (2), have hinges
or joints at the points (k, k,) thereby rendering them moveable, and
which will admit of their being brought into the vertical position, and
thus occupy
less space when the ship has to pass through a lock or a
dock gate. An additional bottom may be suspended by means of
pillars below the other, as represented by Figure (3), (1, 1) being the
said pillars, and (a, 2,) such additional bottom suspended, and at a
sufficient depth in the water as not to be affected by the waves, and
when such additional bottom is used the other bottom and the rest of
the hull of the ship may be elevated entirely out of the water, as also
represented by this Figure; the dotted line () indicating the surface of
the water; and if such additional bottom be made lighter, and placed
over the hull of the ship instead of under it, it would then assist in
maintaining such hull on the surface of the water by being acted upon
by the air instead of the water when the ship is in motion, and inclined
as aforesaid, and the best time for thus using it is when she is going

page_text: against the wind. As Figures (1, 2, and 3,) are elevations of the hulls
of ships, the edges only of their respective bottoms are visible. The
ship may be sustained on the surface of the water by means of other
motion or action, namely, by forcing air, water, or any other fluid down-
wards through holes made in her bottom; to accomplish this she should
have a double bottom, the under one being perforated, as represented
by Figure (4), (,) being such double bottom. The fluid may thus be
forced out by means of a pump worked by a steam engine or otherwise,
and the best manner of doing so is not to force it out in one continuous
stream, but by a quick succession of jets, with a very short interval
between each jet; and if such fluid, instead of being ejected down
perpendicularly, be forced out in a slanting direction, by connecting the
said holes with tubes so arranged, it may be used for propelling as well
as sustaining the ship, as shown by the hole (,) connected with the
tube (s). The tube (g,) serves to connect the space (a.) between the
two bottoms with the said pump. The hull of the ship may also be
sustained on the surface of the water by the revolutions of horizontal
screws or wheels similar to those used for propelling ships, as represented
by Figure (5), (h, h,) being such screws or wheels attached to the
under part of her hull. Also by the pressure downwards against the
water of one or more horizontal plane surfaces, as represented by Figure
(6), (i, i) being the said planes (the edges of which only are seen)
attached to the hull of the ship, and the dotted line (b,) shows the surface
of the water which they may be pressed against without completely
immersing them, but when they are pressed down so far as to be im-
mersed in the water they should be provided with numerous small
valves opening downwards, in order that the upward movement of such
planes may offer less resistance than the downward one, and for the
same reason the upward ought to be slower than the downward move-
ment; and instead of their surfaces being quite flat, they may be curved
or angular, the curve or angle being upwards. A reciprocating motion
be given to such planes by connecting the part (j) with the piston
rod of a steam engine, or otherwise. If any of these three latter means
of sustaining the hulls of ships on the surface of the water be confined
to the fore part of such ship, or be made to act there with greater force
may

page_text: than at the after part, they will have the effect of inclining the hull, and
may be used for that purpose instead of ballast, when it may be
desirable to make use of the inclined plane to so elevate the hull of the
ship, in conjunction with one or more of the three other contrivances
herein described for doing so. Motion may be given to the ship by
means of one or more pairs of paddle wheels, the floats of which should
extend lower than the bottom of the ship, as shown by Figure (1), the
shaft or axle of which has movable bearings to allow of its being
lowered down as the ship continues to rise in the water. (m,) Figure 1,
represents such a bearing, consisting of a beam to one end of which the
shaft of the paddle wheel is suspended, and the other end of such beam
is attached to the pillar (n,) by means of the pivot (o,) on which it
revolves, thus allowing the paddle wheels to be raised & lowered without
getting out of gear, or the arms of the paddle wheels may be clastic,
with double floats attached to them. Figure 9, represents such an
elastic arm beit by the re-action of the water and having a double
float (p, p) which enables it to act notwithstanding that it is bent. The
point (7) represents the axle or shaft of the paddle. Also by one or
more screws acting on the water or the air driven by steam or any
other power, or the ship may be drawn by a rope to which horses are
attached, or even kites or balloons, or by sails, or any other means;
and when steam is used as a propelling power the pipes which conduct
the steam away from the cylinders of the engine may be extended along
the lower or outer side of the bottom of the ship, where they would be
in contact with the water, which would have the effect of condensing the
steam contained therein, and thus add to the power. The said pipes
are also intended to form part of the frainework or skeleton of the
ship. The best manner of communicating such motion is by a quick
succession of impulses, with a very short interval between each impulse,
but it may also be done continuously.
As the depth of the ship is less in proportion to her other dimensions
than is the case with ships as they are at present constructed, particn-
larly at the fore part, in some cases when she is intended to be sustained
on the water by means of the inclined plane, as will be seen by reference
to Figure (1), the hull is to be strengthened by one or more false sides

page_text: or walls parallel to the other sides, running the whole length of the
ship, of the same or greater elevation than the true sides. When the
stern is square, as shewn by Figure (2), the ship is to be steered by
two rudders, one of which being attached to each of the after ends of
her sides, but when such sides approach each other, and form an angle
at the stern, one rudder will be sufficient, and in either case the rudders
or rudder may extend lower than the bottom of the ship. Figures 7,
and 8, are end elevations of the hulls of ships having their bottoms
angular and curved, which should only be done when the sides are
parallel, (a) (a) (a,) (a,) being such bottoms, and the dotted line (b,)
represents the surface of the water. Figure (10,) is a bird's eye view
of the ship adapted to the principle of the inclined plane, made in
different proportions to Figure (1), and the parts (t, t,) are those parts
of the bottom which extend beyond the limits of the sides, and the part
(u,) is that part of the bottom which extends beyond the limits of the
stern. When made of metal, the bottom of the ship is to be polished
or enamelled, to diminish the friction of the water.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Stephens Brown, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.