Improvements in Water Motors.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Motors.
I, HEZEKIAH BROWN, of Brownsville in the County of Chautauqua, and State of
Kansas, United States of America 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 relates to an apparatus for utilizing the force of currents and streams
for operating an undershot wheel fixed upon a floating frame or boat, and it consists
of certain improvements in such a wheel in combination with said float and adjustable
wings as hereinafter described whereby the power so obtained can be used to
actuate any suitable mechanism that may be connected therewith.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section; Fig. 3 a front view partly in
section and Fig. 4 a detail.
Referring to the drawings, A is a frame or float in which the wheel B is
niounted.
The open head of the float designed to face the current, is provided with wires
or rods C, arranged at suitable distances apart to prevent the entrance of logs or
other obstructions to the wheel and with a sliding gate D to shut off the current
when it is desired to stop the wheel. The slot t through which the gate is passed
is cut on a bevel so as to hold the gate in an inclined direction against the current
and whereby the gate is made adjustable at any height to regulate the speed of the
wheel.
The force of the current pressing against the gate will also aid in holding the gate
at the desired position.
FF are current boards or sweeps hinged to the sides of the head of the float.
The sides of the float at that point are bevelled inwardly as shown at a¹ a¹ to permit
the sweeps to swing inwardly across the front of the float. The sweeps are each
provided with an attachment G which are adapted to receive cords or ropes by which
the same can be held in any desired position by securing the ropes to the shore. As
shown these attachments G are made of wire bent into a loop g, at their ends to
receive the cord, rope or chain, but it is apparent of course, that other forms of
attachment may be adopted.
The sweeps can be brought together in front or one sweep be placed across the
current to stop the access of the same to the wheel. The sweeps are also so hinged
that they can be swung back against the sides of the float to let logs or other debris
be carried by.
The wheel B consists of a double casing H H'. H' is an inner water tight cylinder
formed by having its solid heads joined to the outer casing H at a distance inside
the outer casing. Between the heads of the outer casing H and the heads of the
inner casing, spaces or chambers I I are formed at each end of the wheel.
LL are the floats of the wheel hinged to the outer casing H at m. They are
flat and when closed lie flat against the wheel. They are connected to rods P. The
rods P secured at one end to the float are passed through slots o in the outer casing H
and then into a chamber I, and at that end simply turned so as to engage with the
wall of the chamber and to prevent them from falling out. It will be seen that these
rods are free to move through the slots o when the floats fall, which the latter do by
gravity as the wheel revolves.
R is a cover by which the top of the wheel is protected and water prevented from
flowing onto the wheel when the same is submerged or partly submerged..

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is:
--
The wheel B consisting of a double casing H H', the latter forming an inner air-
tight cylinder, with chambers I at the ends of the wheel formed between the heads
of the inner and outer casing and the floats said outer casing provided with slots o,
the freely moving rods P extending into said chambers and to which the floats are
secured, in coinbination with a frame to support the same substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of October 1889
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.