484 WILSON'S REefing paddle-wheels. was done in April, 1838. It is somewhat different from the above, in order not only to adjust the boards in the water, but likewise to take them out of the water altogether, which I thought would be advantageous for government steamers and others making long voyages, as they might often proceed with sails at a sufficient speed, whereas, at present, I have no doubt the dragging of the paddles through the water forms an insuperable obstacle to rapid sailing, reducing their speed most materially. Possibly some of the engineers connected with the Admiralty may have been consulted on the subject, very likely not, as I have heard nothing of it. It was wanted to adjust the boards during the motion of the vessel. I proposed to make the wheels so, that while the vessel was sailing forward the paddles could be protruded so as to counteract the effect of the vessels rising out of the water from the consumption of fuel. For I went on the assumption that the boards could be adjusted at starting to the required depth consequent on the vessels lading, and that nothing but the consumption of fuel could afterwards affect it. The best way to adjust them at starting would be to apply a pinion and winch to the wheel H, which pinion and winch could be immediately taken off. That is, if the strength of men would be adequate for the purpose; or it could be done by backing the engine. While claiming the merit to which the Society's award entitles me, I would perhaps be doing injustice to that body were I to omit mentioning, that their approval was not unconditional. I shall, as the safest way give you their remarks, but before doing so, I may premise that had the terms of their specification been more precise, they would not have had such faults of omission to state, at least I am sure I would have been more on my guard. Their remarks are are as follows (Mr. Wilson's and Mr. Rose's) "Are considered the best and most practicable, the principle in both is nearly identical, but the method of communicating with the interior of the vessel in Mr. Wilson's is so elegant and simple as to entitle it to the preference. Although the object in view is attained by both of the methods, yet both are deficient in the means of giving the requisite strength to the rims of the paddle-wheels. It is also conceived that some method is required of making fast the floats in their new place when shifted, independent of the shifting apparatus itself, because otherwise much of the strain of the floats would come on the moving mechanism. These hints are intended to direct the attention of the ingenious inventors to the circumstance that many practical points of much importance require to be attended to, before the benefit intended can be derived from the introduction of their beautiful contrivances into common use." Now it will be observed, that what has been done and before described, is rather highly praised. The method of communicating with the interior of the vessel is " so elegant and simple as to entitle it to the preference, the object in view is attained," and the "contrivance" is described as "beautiful," and the medal has been awarded me. The complaints are against what has not been done, and not to the plan of moving the boards which I have described. Now not one of the plans went one step further than mine, and the reason, I am convinced, is simply this, it was not considered necessary to meet their proposal as stated. The plans and models were made to answer what was specified, though evidently from the report not to answer all they wanted. For they wanted the wheel to be completely described, not merely a method to move the boards as they specified. Among other things they wanted that the boards should be moved to or from the centre, during the onward motion of the vessel, and not during the motion of the vessel simply, which allowed me to back the engine if I chose, (and I now suspect this was one of the main difficulties they wished to overcome), but they admitted that their specification was not so worded, as to make the want of this an objection to any of the plans. As the object which induced me to address you on this subject was, that the construction of paddle-wheels on the adjusting principle was alleged to be an invention of Mr. Hall's (and that he has taken out a patent for his method), whereas the Society of Arts here proposed in 1837, such a construction of wheel, and awarded their medal for a OXLEY'S EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING PADDLE-WHEELS. plan of one: I have not stated the plan I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 75, Broughton-street, Edinburgh, 1. OXLEY'S EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING PADDLE WHEELS, ETC. Sir,-You will allow, Sir, that however little of envy may enter into the composition of any man's mind, there is scarcely any one who, having toiled and studied in philosophical and mechanical improvements for upwards of thirty-two years without deriving any benefit therefrom, but would feel much mortification at seeing that while for want of means and friends to bring his inventions and discoveries into use, other persons who have only applied themselves to such pursuits, perhaps for a very few years, bring forward, and profit by, the very inventions which for many years he had expected would have been a great source of emolument, and have enabled him to procure a competence for old age. It is not alone the long toiling individual that suffers, but the public also are for many years deprived of the advantages they might have long before enjoyed had encouragement and the means been afforded to the earliest inventors and discoverers. These inconveniences and disappointments are chiefly imputable to the unjust and oppressive patent laws of this United Kingdom. I can see no just reason why a patent should not be granted for 71. 10s. to about ten pounds, as is done in the United States of North America. Had patents been procurable at the said reasonable price in this kingdom, I should 485 have taken out more than twenty patents for my own inventions, and we should have had steam navigation 20 years ago across the Atlantic on a far superior plan to either that adopted by the Great Western or the British Queen steam ships. Besides having invented various new plans of boilers and steam engines upwards of twenty years ago, I had also different plans of improved paddlewheels. I have enclosed you two different ones of my own invention; for if I am to be deprived of all benefit by recent competitors, I shall certainly do my best to prevent depriving me of the honor I ought to derive from my studies and experiments in this department of science. You will see, Mr. Editor, that both the plans are for moveable paddles. When I mentioned this to engineers in America and in England many years ago, they ridiculed what I proposed to do. They urged various objections against any and every kind of moveable paddle, and among others that the water would injure the pivots or centres of motion of the paddles and would soon rust away the machinery, and that it could not be kept in working order; and last, though not least, they strongly urged the same objection to moveable paddles, as Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society had done to my proposal of steam navigation nearly thirty-two years ago, by saying, "It was impossible to make the machinery strong enough for the purpose.' But it seems by the advertisement of Mr. S. Hall, on the cover of your Magazine, that that gentleman has found the means to make the machinery strong enough? And why should not I have done the same had the opportunity been allowed to me? As I know nothing of Mr. S. Hall's plans, I now hasten to send you two of my own before I shall have seen anything on this subject proceeding from or belonging to that very fortunate person! Description of Figure No. 1. A, B, C, D, the extreme rim or outer frame of the paddle-wheel. k, k, k, the inner rim or strengthener of the paddle-wheel. c, c, c, is that part of the shaft or axle of the paddle-wheel which is contained between the inner frame of the wheel next to the boat or vessel, and the corresponding outward frame of the wheel: it is a hollow cylinder of cast iron or other suitable metal, with spaces or apertures therein to admit of the racks r, r, moving freely backward and forward; it is to be cast with flanches for receiving the bolts and screws, &c. necessary for securing it firmly to the framework and radii of the wheel. p, p, are the paddles or float boards. r, r, the toothed racks whereby the paddles are drawn towards the centre of the paddle-wheel, and pushed back again towards the extremity thereof; each paddle may have two of these toothed racks. The wheel in the centre marked v, seen endways looks like a wheel, but is more properly a fluted roller, placed inside of the cylindrical part of the shaft c, c, c, and extending very nearly its whole length, it moves freely upon its pivots or centres inside of c, c, c. w, w, w, the internal and external toothed wheel. d, n, s, a sliding frame easily thrown, or out of gear. n and s, two small wheels fixed in the aforesaid sliding frame; the wheel n acts on the external teeth of w, w, w, and the wheel s, acts on the internal teeth of the wheel w, w, w. r, t, the rack that acts upon the wheels n and s. This rack has also one set of teeth that act on the centre wheel v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, refer to the eight paddles in this wheel. Note. The eight pairs of spokes of the paddle are each provided with a groove in which the paddles securely slide backward and forwards as required. In the numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8, it was not necessary to delineate the paddles and racks, for that would have created much indistinctness and confusion in the drawing, but only the spokes of the wheel. It may be proper to remark that EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING PADDLE-WHEELS. the wheels n and s are similar to the wheel v, or, a sort of fluted roller sufficiently long to act on the rack r, t, and the wheel w, w, w, both at the same mo ment. Now, by observing the foregoing description it will be easily seen that by turning the wheel, w, w, w, according as the little wheel n is brought into gear on its external teeth; or, as the little wheel s is brought into gear with the inner teeth of w, w, w, that the paddles will all be drawn towards the centre, or pushed towards the extremity thereof: and this may be effected if desired while the paddle-wheel is revolving, by having a hand lever properly fixed, so as to bring its shorter arm to bear upon the aforesaid double toothed wheel. It will also be seen that the paddles will, from the peculiar construction of the machinery, remain at whatever distance they are placed from the centre, as one part will always be kept in equilibrium with the other. We may also remark, that by fixing a small wheel at m, similar to the wheel n, and having the rack at m like the rack at r, t, double toothed, we might dispense with the wheel w, w, w, and by turning either of these wheels with a crank lever similar to the old-fashioned watch keys, cause the paddles to move towards the centre, or to recede therefrom as desired. But in the latter mode of construction it would be necessary to stop the paddle wheel while this operation was being performed. By having an opening down the middle of each paddle, its whole length or nearly so, it would tend to prevent the lifting of the water, which causes a great waste of the power of the engine where paddles of the common construction are used; and moreover, it does appear to me that eight or twelve paddles in each wheel would answer the purpose much better than three or four times the number, rendering the machinery lighter and at the same time more effectual in its operation of propelling the vessel and not lifting the water, as must be done when many paddles are in one wheel; one paddle being thoroughly immersed, one entering and another leaving the water, if the wheels be properly constructed will better economise the power of the engine than in a wheel where there are eighteen or 487 twenty float boards in the water at one time.* The drawings marked figures Nos. 2 and 3, are another plan of mine invented also by me upwards of twenty years ago for a paddle wheel whose floats enter the water, pass through it, and leave it perpendicularly. Though I never saw Mr. Morgan's, yet I believe this to be identical in principle, if not in plan, to Mr. Morgan's paddle wheel, but invented by me no doubt many years before that gentleman thought of such a thing; thus we see that it is the destiny of one man, to gain honors and fortune for doing the very thing that gains for another, much less fortunate, only ill will and ridicule. I have another example of this in my own person, for the very plan I submitted to the President of the Royal Society upwards of thirty-one years ago, is very similar to the marine steam-engine for which Messrs. Seaward and Co. claim for themselves so much honor and emolument, as I can convince you, Mr. Editor, by documents in my possession. The honorable and learned President's letter to me is dated in October, 1808, and my drawings of the plan of my first marine steam-engine therein referred to, prove their own originality, and that the paper on which they are delineated is three-and-thirty years old; so that I hope Messrs. S. or any others who have benefited so largely by steam-engines will see at once that I am not a new competitor, but rather a predecessor to them in this department of mechanical science.† Hoping that I have rendered these explanations sufficiently explicit to all your very numerous readers, I remain, Sir, Yours very respectfully, Teacher of Mathematics, &c. &c. 3, Elizabeth-place, Westminster-road, March 4, 1840. There are seldom more than four paddles in the water at one time under ordinary circumstances. -ED. M. M. Mr. Oxley's feathering paddle wheel which he imagines to be exactly like Morgan's, (which was invented and patented by Mr. Galloway) is certainly upon the same principle of construction; but it is so nearly similar to the modification pro⚫ posed by Mr. Mackintosh in vol. xxv, p. 33, of the Mech. Mag. that it would be unnecessary repetition to publish it. We should be happy to receive copies of Mr. Oxley's communication to the Royal Society upon |