THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, To all to whom these Presents shall come. Whereas Daniel Dod, a citizen of the United States, hath alleged, that he has invented a new and useful improvement in the application of the steam engine to boats, mills, &c. which improvement, he states, has not been known or used before his application; hath made oath, that he does verily believe, that he is the true inventor or discoverer of the said improvement; hath paid into the treasury of the United States the sum of thirty dollars, delivered a receipt for the same, and presented a petition to the Secretary of State, signifying a desire of obtaining an exclusive property in the said improvement, and praying, that a patent may be granted for that purpose. These are, therefore, to grant according to law, to the said Daniel Dod, his heirs, administrators, or assigns, for the term of fourteen years, from the twelfth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and twelve, the full and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, using, and vending to others to be used, the said improvement; a description whereof is given in the words of the said Daniel Dod himself, in the schedule hereto annexed, and is made a part of these presents. In testimony whereof, I have caused these letters to be made patent, and the seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed. L. S. Given under my hand, at the City of Washington, this twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the thirty-sixth. JAMES MADISON, By the President, JAMES MONROE, City of Washington, To wit: I do hereby certify, that the foregoing Letters Patent, were delivered to me on the twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twelve, to be examined: That I have examined the same, and find them conformable to law; and I do hereby return the same to the Secretary of State, within fif teen days from the date aforesaid, to wit, on this twelfth day of The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent, and making part of the same, containing a description in the words of the said. Daniel Dod himself, of his mode of applying the steam engine to boats, mills, &c. Specification. I employ two lever beams of equal or unequal length as I find most convenient. Each lever beam is hung on a pivot, in such a way as to admit of a free vibratory inotion. The pivot of the one lever beam is placed higher than the pivot of the other lever beam, a distance of from one twenty-fourth part to one twelfth part of the sum of the length of both lever beams. These lever beams are so hung, that they will both move in the same vertical plane, and the inner end of the upper lever beam must be directly over the inner end of the lower lever beam. The inner ends of these two lever beams must be connected together by means of a strong iron link, made in the following mauner, viz: A strong flat iron bar has a hole made through each end. The distance between these holes must be equal to the distance which the pivot of the upper lever beam is higher than the pivot of the lower lever beam. There must also be an intermediate hole through this flat bar, exactly in a right line with the two end holes. This intermediate hole must be made in such a point as to divide the space between the two end holes, in proportion to the inner arms of the lever beams. There must be two such bars precisely alike, which must be connected together, (at a distance from each other, equal to the thickness of the lever beam,) by putting a strong bolt through the holes at one end of the bars, and another bolt through the intermediate holes; these bars, thus connected, are called the link of the parallel lever. On each side of the inner arm of the lower lever beam, must be fastened a strong iron bar, which must project a little distance beyond the end of the lever beam. The bolt in the end of the link of the parallel lever must be firmly fastened to the end of the upper lever beams, and the other end of the side pieces of the link must be connected to the end of the flat iron bars which project out at the end of the lower lever beam. When the two inner ends of the lever beams are thus connected together, the connecting link must stand nearly in a perpendicular xxiv position, and the length of the link from the intermediate hole to the upper hole, must bear the same proportion to the length from the same intermediate hole to the lower hole, that the inner arm of the lower lever beam bears to the inner arm of the upper lever beam. The top of the piston rod must be connected to the bolt in the intermediate hole in the link, and the cylinder must be placed perpendicularly under the same. Thus the two lever beams are made to move in concert, and by the usual contrivance of pitmans and cranks, (or sun and planet wheels,) at the outer ends of the lever beams, double sets of mill works or machinery of any kind may be put in motion. My mode of applying this invention to the navigation of a boat, is as follows: I place two propelling wheels as near the bow of the boat as convenience will admit. The arbors of these two wheels are placed in the same right line, and the inner ends of the arbors approach near together in the middle of the boat. One crank attached to the end of both arbors, and one pitman from the end of the lever beam, put both wheels in motion, Then two other propelling wheels are placed so far abaft of the forward wheels, that the distance shall be equal to the sum of the length of the two lever beams. The arbors of these two abaft wheels, also are placed in a right line with each other, and the inner ends of the arbors approach near together, and a crank is connected with the ends of both arbors, similar to the forward wheels. Then a pitman from the end of the other lever beam will drive both wheels together. In this way, without a cog-wheel or toothed sector of any kind, I employ one steam engine in a boat to drive four propelling wheels, by which means I am enabled to avail myself of a large proportion of propellers, without making my wheels so wide as to project out an inconvenient distance beyond the sides of the boat. The foregoing method of driving double sets of machinery with one steam engine, and the contrivance of applying four propelling wheels to a boat, I claim as my invention and exclusive right. DANIEL DOD. (Witnesses,) AARON OGDEN, GEORGE BARBER. XXV. K. To the Honorable James Monroe, Secretary of State, of the United States of America. The Petition of Robert Fulton, of the State of New-York, a Citîzen of the United States RESPECTFULLY SHEWETH That he is the proprietor of two patents, for navigating by the power of Steam, on the principles, and by the means set forth in the said patents, to which he herein begs leave to refer. That the said patents contemplate the propelling of one single boat, by the steam engine and machinery therein contained, and fixed conformably to certain principles, proportions, and combinations, invented, discovered, or combined by him, which principles, proportions, and combinations, however varied in detail, experience has now proved to be certainly and invariably productive of the intended effect. That in the prosecution of his experiments on the navigation by steam on the largest scale, he has made further discoveries and produced further inventions, extending to an incalculable degree, the benefits of his original discovery and invention, of the effectual and practical method of navigation by steam, for which he now prays, that a patent may be granted to him according to law. These inventions consist principally in the combination and connection of several boats, constructed and connected in a manner so as to be propelled or drawn forward by one boat, containing a steam engine with the machinery necessary to the propelling such steam-boat. This invention, consisting essentially in the separation of the steam-engine and of the boat containing the same, from the boat or boats which carry the passengers and cargo, without, however, its being necessary to exclude from the boat carrying the steam-engine, some part of the passengers and cargo. By which invention, the weight being distributed over a surface of water, which may be indefinitely increased, the draft of the water necessary to carry the same may be indefinitely diminished, while at the same time, all the inconveniences, expense, and liability to warp, which attend one boat of very large dimensions and great length, are avoided. The best manner of executing which invention, will be more fully described in the specification And your petitioner shall as in duty bound ever pray, &c. &c. For and on behalf of Robert Fulton, B. HENRY LATROBE, his Attorney. Washington, May 24th, 1813. To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting: I certify, that the annexed is a true copy of a petition for a patent, for a mode of propelling several boats by one boat, containing a steam-engine; filed in the patent office, the 11th day of June, A. D. 1813, by B. Henry Latrobe, Attorney for Robert Fulton. L. S. In faith whereof, I, James Monroe, Secretary for the JAS. MONROE. ing bly of ve an an ins sa wl in of to st m d an sa a sa M L. In the case of interfering applications for patents to the Secretary of State, of the United States, between Robert Fulton, of the city, county, and state of New-York, on the one part, and John L. Sullivan, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the other part. The subscribers having been appointed arbitrators in pursuance of the statute law of the United States, in such case provided in the case aforesaid, viz:--James Hillhouse having been chosen by the Honorable James Monroc, Secretary of State, of the United States; Eli Whitney having been chosen by the said Robert Fulton, and Theodore Dwight having been chosen by the said John L. Sullivan, as will appear by the powers given to the said arbitrators severally, which are hereunto annexed, to hear, determine, and award on the aforementioned interfering applications, the same being for the inventions and discoveries mentioned and contained in the papers hereunto annexed; and the time and place of meet |