A MACHINE, APPARATUS, OR COMBINATION OF MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
NEALE, of the City of Gloucester, Barrister-at-Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of January, in the ninth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, his heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Francis Neale, His especial licence, that I, the said Francis Neale, my exors,
adiñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Neale, my exors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A MACHINE, APPARATUS, OR
COMBINATION OF MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING VESSELS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Francis Neale, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar next and immediately after the date of the
said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Francis Neale, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, is hercin-after fully

page_text: set forth and explained, reference being had to the Drawing of my said
machinery or apparatus hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
Figure represents an elevation of such machinery or apparatus, and
Figure 2 a ground plan or bird's eye view of the same for one side of a vessel,
that on the other side exactly corresponding with it, except so far as a change
of sides produces a reversion of the position of the paddles; and in both these
Figures the same letters of reference are used to denote the same parts
as far as possible, but in some cases the upper parts in Figure 2 cover and
hide the under parts, in consequence of which the letters corresponding to such
hidden- parts are omitted. In both these Figures A, B, represents a crank,
which is fixed about midships and projects from the side of the vessel. A is
the main shaft which carries the crank upon its extreme end, and this shaft is
made to revolve by a steam engine or any other power within the vessel, and
in so revolving its end B describes the dotted circle a, b, c, Figure 1.
B C, B D E F, EG, G H, FI, CK, and D L, are a system of levers or bars
connected in the form shown in the Drawing, but moveable upon their con-
necting pivots at the several joints K, F, C, M, B, E, N, G, D, and L, in such
manner as that straight lines being drawn from center to center of each joint
shall form at all times equal parallelograms in the same plane. The axis of
the joint at B is formed of the projecting pin of the crank already mentioned,
and the axis of E is a fixed pin projecting from a block on the side of the
vessel at one of its ends, while its other may, if necessary, be made more
secure by passing through a cross or transverse horizontal bar fixed beyond
or on the outside of the said system of levers to protect them, or by an
external cock or arm, or in any other efficient manner. The pin or pivot
of E must be directly under the centre line of the main shaft A. OP, and
PQ, RS, and ST, are also bars or levers of the same length from centre to
centre as B, C; and the pivots of the joints O and R are likewise fixed points
like E, and must be firmly secured by sockets or otherwise to the side of
the vessel. All these three joints should be in the same horizontal plane, and
the distances of O and R on each side of E must likewise be equal, and also
equal to the length of the connecting bars or rods P, F, and G, S, and also
of the paddle bars Q, I, and H, T, which unite the tops and lower ends of
the levers together by the joints shown at those said letters, and which said
bars are all of similar lengths from centro to centre of their joints, which
length may be varied according to the magnitude of the vessel or the apparatus,
but the length of the first leaver B, C, connected with the crank, may be
given as a good and convenient medium. To the lower bars Q, I, and H, T,
I attach the paddles d, e, which are squares or parralelograms of wooden

page_text: plank, strengthened by iron bars, or are formed wholly of plate metal, hung
or supported from the horizontal bars f, f, f, which project from the lower
bars Q, I, and H, T, in the manner shewn in Fig. 2. These paddles,
which may be more or less in number, and varied in horizontal extent to
suit the circumstances of the case, may be immoveably fixed to the said pro-
jecting bars, but I prefer and recommend hinging them thereto, or hanging
them by iron eyes or staples to the said projecting bars, in such manner that
they will turn up as at e, Fig. 1, in one direction only, in order that they may
afford an effectual resistance to the water whilst propelling, but will shut up and
permit its passage when moving in a contrary direction; and when this con-
struction is resorted to, metal stops like g, g, Fig. 1, to maintain the paddle
in its vertical position, and restrain it from rising too far, must be adopted.
The shaded levers or bars in Fig. 1 shew the positions of the several levers
and bars when the crank A, B, is in the lowest part of its revolution, and the
unshaded lines behind show the positions of the same levers and bars
when the said crank is in its highest situation, or when the crank end B has
revolved from B to b, the perpendicular height of the several parallelograms
then becomes increased, and their horizontal breadth much diminished; and since
a straight line drawn from B to E will always be at right angles with another
drawn through I, C, E, D, H, and the crank by its rotation will cause such
line B, E, to vibrate upon the point E on each side of its perpendicular
position, so it likewise follows that the said line through I, C, E, D, H, must
in like manner change its position in respect to the horizon, and thus, altho'
the paddle bars Q, I, and H, T, will always be horizontal, and will be at the
same height or elevation, both when the crank is in its highest and its
lowest positions, yet in all the other intermediate positions of the crank one
paddle bar will be elevated, and the other will be depressed, and as the crank
revolves the centre of each paddle will describe a peculiar orbit, as nearly
indicated by the dotted lines h, h, i, i, the one bar describing the upper part
of that orbit, whilst the opposite bar describes the lower part of it, during
which time the parallel and vertical position of the paddles will be maintained,
and as one set of them Q, I, will be immersed in the water, whilst the
opposite set H, T, are raised above its surface, and vice versa, so will a
regular continuous alternating action be produced, and such a one as is well
calculated for propelling a vessel with very little agitation or disturbance to
the water. The absolute length of the levers and bars first described, and
also the throw of the crank, must depend on the size of the vessel, height of
her side, and intended velocity; but their relative length or proportion to
each other, and situation, should be such that straight lines drawn through

page_text: the centers of the levers C, M, B, and D, M, B, shall forn at B, when the
crank is at the lowest point of its rotation, an angle in no case exceeding one
hundred degrees, and when the crank is at its highest point an angle of at
least twenty degrees, about that quantity of expansion and contraction being
considered most convenient for the strength of the apparatus. It has been
mentioned before that the paddles may feather or turn up to avoid resistance
from back water, but when this is the case the apparatus will possess little
or no power to back a vessel or drive her astern; consequently, should this
be required, fixed paddles or divided paddles, with their upper parts fixed
and lower ones moveable, must be resorted to, and when these are used
great attention will be necessary, not only as to the perpendicular height or
depth of the paddles, but in the fixing of them as to their position with
respect to the water, for when the apparatus is in either of the positions
shewn at Fig. 1, that is to say, with the crank in its highest and lowest
situation, there should, as nearly as circumstances will admit of, be as much
of the paddle above as below the water line when the vessel is laden, and
the orbit formed by any paddle as it works being taken, the depth of the
paddle should be so regulated that the whole or very nearly the whole of it
should be above the water line before it begins sensibly to take its back
stroke. It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the paddle bars Q, I, and H, T, are
not straight, but are cranked or bent downwards, in order that those bars
may reach the water line, while all the other levers and joints are above it;
this cranking or bending down may be carried to any necessary and convenient
extent, its intention being merely to raise the other parts of the apparatus
above the water, and thereby to avoid the friction and resistance that would
occur if they were to pass through it; but if the several levers and bars are
made with sharp or feather edges to cut the water, this resistance will be
of little importance; indeed the apparatus will work well if wholy immersed
in the water, provided flap or expanding paddles, or such as will close to pass
through the water and expand or open against it in a contrary direction, are
made use of, and in this way the apparatus may be applied to ships of war and
many other purposes with advantage, as being out of the way of shot, and
taking very little room, because the paddles may project a certain distance
inwards towards the keel, instead of projecting wholly outwards. In
Figures 1 and 2 the apparatus is shewn as consisting of a single series of
bars and levers, which will be strong enough for small boats or vessels; but
as in this construction the strength depends principally upon the joints, great
care must be resorted to in their construction, and the pins or pivots upon
which they turn should be strong and well turned, and joined at one end by

page_text: welding, screwing, or other effectual means to the bar or lever to which they
may belong, and they should pass through and turn in thick bosses, having
thin holes accurately bored to fit the said pins or pivots to prevent lateral
shake, or else that construction of joint known to workmen by the name of a
double joint may be resorted to, as will be distinctly seen at Figure 2; but
the middle joints such as K, L, M, N, need not project to the same extent for
larger vessels. Where more power and strength is requisite the apparatus
above described may be modified and altered, as shown in the perspective
view of a portion of my said apparatus at Figure 3, in which the main shaft
and crank A and B, as well as the first levers B, C, and B, D, and the fixed
joint E, with the levers E, F, and E, G, proceeding therefrom, as well as the
short levers D, L, C, K, are all similar in form and construction to those
shown in Figure 1, but the two extreme ends of the apparatus to which the
paddles are attached, one only of which ends is shown in Figure 3, are made
double and are braced. Thus I use the frame H, T, instead of the paddle
bar before described, and I hang or support the paddles upon the cross rails or
bars ff. This paddle frame is hung or supported at its four corners on the one
end by the braced frame S', T', instead of the single bar S, T, in Figure 1, and
at the other end by the double or forked bar G', II'. The steadying beam R, S,
of Figure 1 is likewise converted into a braced frame R', S', in Figure 3,
one pivot R', R', being attached to the lower extremity of each of its sido
pieces, one of which works in the side of the vessel, and the other in a cross
bar m, m, dotted in the Figure, and extending in front or on the outside of
the machinery, and this same bar likewise assists in supporting the lower
fixed point E. A stiffening bar n extends between the two sides of the frames
R, S, and S, T, and to this the triangular or forked connecting or tye rod W is
affixed at one end, while its other is connected to G, so that this piece answers
It will thus be seen that
the purpose of the connecting bar in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is only a modification in a stronger form of the apparatus showu by
Figure 1, but does not vary from it in principle or effect. In both these
forms of the apparatus much depends on the stiffness and stability of the
steadying beam O, P, and R, S, on which accouut I recommend that it should
be formed in one piece with its pivots, as most distinctly seen in Figure 2, and
it is on this account that I recommend its axis or pivot O being long, and being
made to work in a socket in the side of the vessel, and this steadiness is
amply provided for in Figure 3 by its square form and bracing, and by its
It is almost needless to observe that the
having a pivot on each of its sides.
whole apparatus should be made of wrought iron or other sufficiently strong
and inflexible materials, and that rotary motion is to be given to the main

page_text: shaft A from a steam engine or other power within the vessel, either imme-
diately or by cogged wheels, where a variation of the speed is necessary, but
if such motion is communicated immediately from a steam engine the upper
and lower positions of the crank B should accord with the top and bottom of
the piston's stroke, because in those positions of the crank my said machinery
stands least in need of power.
Lastly, I declare, that although I have described a particular form of paddle,
which feathers or turns up from the water in its backward action, still I do
not claim that form of paddle as any part of my Invention, which I hereby
declare to consist in the peculiar combination of levers, bars, and machinery,
and the peculiar motion that they produce when operated upon by the revo-
lution of the crank, and, consequently, that fixed or shifting paddles such as
I have described, or paddles of any other description that are capable of
answering the purpose, may be applied to my said machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Neale, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twentu