IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
:
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING
VESSELS." A communication from abroad by Addison Calvin Fletcher,
of New York City, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th March 1866.
. I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PADDLE WHEELS FOR PROPELLING
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to paddle wheels with the floats of parabolic or
approximating curvilinear form. The advantage of this form of float is that it
0 enters the water with little jar or concussion and leaves the water with little
lift, and it acts with great propulsivo effect when revolving in a direction to
act upon the water with its concavo faces, but as heretofore constructed it has

page_text: failed to operate as well as desirable when revolving in the opposite direction
as is at times necessary for backing the vessel.
The object of this Invention is, firstly, to develope or obtain in the highest
degree the advantages above mentioned; and, secondly, to remedy the above-
mentioned defect. With a view to accomplish the first result, the wheel is
divided in a plane perpendicular to the axis by a partition ring of the full
depth of the floats, thus making the floats of the form of semi-parabolas, or
of a form approximating thereto, and rings or annular rims of similar depth
are applied at the sides of the wheel to enclose the floats laterally for the
purpose of preventing the water from escaping at the sides of the wheel and
the propulsive effect of the flonts from being thereby lost. The floats are
arranged in series (two or more in a series), and those of each series are
placed at different distances from the axis of the wheel, and all in each series
are connected at one end with one of the outer rings or annular rims in or
nearly in the same radial line, but so connected with the partition ring that
the inner one of the series, that is to say, the one nearest the axis, occupies a
position some distance in advance of the next one, and the latter a position
in advance of the one still further from the axis, and the several series are so
arranged on opposite sides of the partition ring that those on one side
alternate in position with those on the other side. With a view to obtain an
effective backing operation, there is applied at the back of the above-men-
tioned floats, which may be termed the "main floats," a set of floats, which
may be termed "backing floats," baving a substantially similar curvilinear
form, but a reversed curvature, and which are connected with the outer ring
or annular rim of tho wheel and with the main floats; these backing floats
also serve as braces to stiffen and strengthen the main floats.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 30
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in tho year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my 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 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 PADDLE WHEELS FOR
PROPELLING VESSELS," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 tho 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 William Edward Newton,, do hereby
declare the nature. of the said Invention,. and in what manner the same is
to be performed,. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference. being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures. marked thereon (that is to say):-.
This Invention relates to paddle wheels with the floats of parabolic-or
approximating curvilinear form. The advantage of this form of float is that it
enters the water with little jar or concussion, and leaves. the water with little
lift, and it acts with great propulsive effect when revolving in a direction to
act upon the water with its concave faces; but as heretofore constructed it has
failed to operate as well as could be desired when revolving in the opposite
direction, as at times is necessary for backing the vessel.
The object of this Invention is, firstly, to develope or obtain in the highest
degree the advantages above mentioned; and, secondly, to remedy the above-
mentioned defect. With a view to accomplish the first result, the wheel is
divided in a plane perpendicular to the axis by a partition ring of the full
depth of the floats, thus making the floats of the form of semi-parabolas, or
of a form approximating thereto, and rings or annular rims of similar depth
are applied at the sides of the wheel to enclose the floats laterally for the
purpose of preventing the water from escaping at the sides of the wheel and

page_text: the propulsive effect of the floats from being thereby lost. The floats are
arranged in series (two or more in a series), and those of each series are
placed at different distances from the axis of the wheel, and all in each series
are connected at one end with one of the outer rings or annular rims in or
nearly in the same radial line, but so connected with the partition ring that
the inner one of the series, that is to say, the one nearest the axis, occupies a
position some distance in advance of the next one, and the latter a position
in advance of the one still further from the axis. The several series are so
arranged on opposite sides of the partition ring that those on one side
alternate in position with those on the other side. With a view to obtain an
effective backing operation there is applied at the back of the above-men-.
tioned floats, which may be termed the "main floats," a set of floats, which
may be termed "backing floats," having a substantially similar curvilinear
form, but a reversed curvature, and which are connected with the outer ring
or annular rim of the wheel and with the main floats; these backing floats
also serve as braces to stiffen and strengthen the main floats.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings is a side view of a paddle wheel
constructed according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same,
with the upper part in section and the floats removed; Fig. 3 is a vertical
section of a portion of the wheel in a plane perpendicular with the axis, as
seen looking in the direction of the arrow 5; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a
portion of the same in a plane perpendicular to the axis, as indicated by the
Jino y in Fig. 3, as seen looking in the direction of the arrow 6.
A is the shaft of the wheel, and B, B, B, three hubs secured thereon, and
having secured to them by suitable arms a, a, the three rings C, C, C', the
two outer ones C, C, of which are at a distance apart, corresponding with the
intended width of the wheel, and the middle oue C¹ constituting the partition
ring is midway between C, C. The arms and rings are braced together and
to the hubs by means of braces f, f, parallel with the shaft and diagonal
braces g, g. The depth of the rings is equal to the aggregato depth of the
series of main floats D, E, F, of which there are three represented in each
series. The inner edges of the inner floats D, D, of the several series aro
even or nearly so with the inner edges of the rings C, C, C', and the outer
edges of the outer floats F, F, of the several series are even or nearly so with
the outer edges of the rings. The floats are severally of a form approximating
to a semi-parabola, and an equal number is arranged on each side of the par-
tition ring C. The ends which form the apices of the parabolas, and which
are attached to the partition ring C, are arranged in advance of the other

page_text: ends, which are attached to ono of the outer rings C, C. This arrangement
causes the curvature of the floats on one side of the partition ring to be the
reverse of that of the floats on the other side of the ring, as illustrated in
Fig. 2. The floats are severally made with flanges, the ends of which are
bolted to the rings.C, C, by. bolts c, c, and to the ring C, by bolts e, e; Figures
3 and 4 show those ends of a series of floats which are next one of the rings
C, C, attached in the same radial line drawn from the axis of the wheel;
and show the ends which are attached to the partition ring set one in advance
of another; the one F furthest from the axis of the wheel being the most in
advance in the direction of the revolution of the wheel for propelling the
vessel ahead, which is indicated by arrows 7, 7, in the several Figures. The
alternating position of the several series of floats on opposite sides of the
partition ring is shown in Fig. 2. By this alternating position of the floats
the work of propelling is distributed over a greater number of points of the
wheel and the jar and vibration is reduced. A similar effect is in some
measure produced by the arrangement of the floats of each series one in
advance of another; but there is another advantage obtained by the division
of the floats into series and arranging them in advance of each other, viz., the
reduction of tho lift by the free escape provided for the water between the floats
as compared with what there would be if a single deep float were used in place
of a series of two or more shallow floats, for as each series of floats begins
to rise from the water the space between them gradually widens and provides
for a freeer escape. G, G, are the backing floats arranged on the backs of the
main buckets D, E, F, on those sides which strike the water when tho rotation
of the wheel is reversed for backing the vessel. These floats G, G, are of
about half the length of the main floats and of a curvilinear form resembling
portion of a parabola, and are so bolted at one end (by bolts i, i,) to one of
the outer rings C, C, and at the other (by bolts j, j,) to the partition ring C¹,
that they present a curvature in a direction the reverse of that of the main
floats and present their concave faces to the water in backing, in which opera-
tion they act in concert with the portions of the convex surfaces of the main
floats nearest to the partition ring in a very effective manner.
a
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to me as
aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
First, the construction of a paddle wheel with alternating semi-parabolic or
curvilinear buckets D, E, F, arranged in a series as described.
Second, the backing buckets G, G, having a reversed curvature in com-

page_text: bination with the curvilinear main buckets D, E, F, or their equivalents, and
with the rings C, C, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane,
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)