Energy & Power

• 

  Ericsson’s Patent Model of a Cross-Compound Steam Engine – ca 1849

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 6,844 issued to John Ericsson of New York, New York on November 6, 1849. The patent was titled “Arrangement of Engine for Using Steam Expansively.” In a common engine design of the time, high pressure steam from a boiler was introduced to the engine’s cylinder for only a portion of the stroke. The steam “cut-off” valve was then closed, and the steam’s expansive force did the remainder of the work for that stroke. This saved fuel because of the reduced need for continuous high-pressure steam.

  The goal of Mr. Ericsson’s invention was to improve the ability of an engine to use the expansive force of steam for efficiency while still providing uniform power throughout the stroke of the engine. In his design the resistance applied to the piston rod by the load on the engine decreased in the exact ratio of the decreasing pressure of the steam as it expanded in the cylinder. He achieved this by using two cylinders of differing sizes and exhausting the steam from the smaller cylinder into the larger. At the same time, steam pressure was balanced on both sides of the piston of the smaller cylinder. The relative sizes of the cylinders were carefully chosen to equalize the force on the engine’s crankshaft. The patent application claimed that this equal force was maintained even with the steam expanded by a factor of over twenty. This was a significant improvement over existing designs.

  Mr. Ericsson was a prolific inventor; his inventions included many types of steam engines and associated apparatus as well as air engines. He was the designer of the USS Monitor for the North during the Civil War and designed its engine as well as numerous other marine steam engines.

  The patent model as shown in the image is constructed of wood. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model including the arrangement of the crankshafts and the steam valves and their operating mechanisms. Diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1849

  patent date

  1849-11-06

  inventor

  Ericsson, John

  ID Number

  MC.251299

  catalog number

  251299

  accession number

  48,865

  patent number

  6,844

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Benson’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine and Pump – ca 1847

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 5,185 issued to Benjamin S. Benson of Baltimore, Maryland on July 10, 1847. The patent was for an improved design for steam engines and pumps. It was a very early example of a “wobble disk” type of design, which has been used in many engine and pump designs.

  As seen in the image of the model, the engine consists of four single-acting cylinders placed around the axis of the shaft shown in the front right. A second shaft at the front left is connected to the piston rods of the cylinders via a crank arm and ball and socket joints. Ports located in the faceplate holding the cylinders admit and exhaust steam to each cylinder in turn as it rotates around the shaft axis. The angle between the two shafts causes the pistons’ lateral forces to be converted to rotational force as each piston is pushed out by the steam and then pulled back in due to atmospheric pressure.

  The third shaft seen at the rear of the model is coupled via bezel gears to the other two shafts and is used as the output shaft of the engine. Benson noted this was desirable to reduce stress on the piston rods and connecting arms. He noted that essentially the same mechanism could be used to pump fluids by applying external power to this shaft. The fluid would be pumped through the same valve mechanism as used for the engine.

  The patent model is constructed primarily of brass and steel and illustrates the important elements of Benson’s design. A full description of the operation of the engine along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1847

  patent date

  1847-07-10

  inventor

  Benson, Benjamin S.

  ID Number

  MC.309197

  catalog number

  309197

  accession number

  89,797

  patent number

  5,185

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Loper Marine Steam Engine, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to R. F. Loper, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 28, 2849, no. 6673.

  This is a nicely made working model of a 2-cylinder vertical marine engine directly connected to a 2-throw propeller shaft, upon which is mounted a 4-blade propeller. The model is complete with boiler, feed-water pump, condenser, and condenser air pump. The peculiar feature of the invention is the manner of connecting the air pump to the engine and the method of quickly converting the engine from condensing to noncondensing operation.

  The engine represented consists of a heavy bed plate shaped to fit the hull of a vessel, upon which are attached the bearing of the propeller shaft and the frame that supports the cylinders. The cylinders are double-acting are “reversed from the ordinary position of engines, the piston rod running down through the lower head and connecting by the usual connecting rod with the cranks on the shaft below.” “The valves of the engine take their motion from eccentrics on the main shaft coupled with a valve lever by proper eccentric rods. The lever is affixed to its axis by its center and is made double, so that the eccentric rod can be thrown to either end to reverse the motion or may be wholly detached.” The cur-off is worked directly from the cross head. The air pump is driven by a beam and connecting rod, which is driven by a crankpin upon a gear wheel that engages a pinion on the crankshaft. The ratio of the gears is such that the air pump performs only one stroke to two of the engine. The air pump communicates with the condenser into which the exhaust pipe opens. The escape pipe is also connected with the condenser, which, when open, allows the steam to escape without condensing.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1849

  patent date

  1849-08-28

  inventor

  Loper, R. F.

  ID Number

  ER.309198

  accession number

  89797

  catalog number

  309198

  patent number

  6,673

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Corliss’s Patent Model of a Steam Engine – ca 1849

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 6,162 issued to George H. Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island on March 10, 1849, and reissued May 18, 1851. This is considered the first variable cut-off valve gear in which the point of the cut-off is determined by the engine governor. The patent was the first issued to George H. Corliss for steam engine improvements, and the model represents the original form of the Corliss steam engine.

  The patent is based on a walking beam steam engine, and the wooden patent model shown in the image represents the major features of such an engine. The crankshaft is at the left with the steam cylinder at the right. A small fly-ball governor can be seen to the left of the central column of the model. Steam inlet and exhaust valves are located at the top and bottom of the cylinder. The control rods for the upper set of valves are visible at the top left of the cylinder.

  The main feature of Corliss’ patent dealt with the operation and timing of the steam inlet valves. He provided a method for the governor to change the timing at which the high pressure steam was cut off during the stroke of the piston. If the engine speed increased beyond the desired speed, the movement of the governor caused a set of geared racks to disengage the control rods so as to close the inlet valves earlier. This caused the speed to decrease as engine power was reduced.

  Corliss was a prolific inventor of steam technology in the middle 1800s and was the founder of the Corliss Steam Engine Company. His engines were used worldwide, and his designs were adopted by other engine manufacturers.

  The patent model is constructed of wood with some metal parts. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model including the governor, the steam valves and their operating mechanisms. Diagrams showing the complete design of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1849

  patent date

  1849-03-10

  inventor

  Corliss, George H.

  ID Number

  MC.308646

  catalog number

  308646

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  6,162

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Allen Cut-Off Valve Gear, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Horatio Allen, of New York, New York, August 29, 1848, no. 5745.

  This is an adjustable drop cut-off valve gear in which a poppet valve is raised by a lift rod but is permitted to return to its seat sooner or more rapidly than the lift rod returns.

  The model represents a poppet steam valve raised from its seat by an arm fixed at right angles to a lift rod, which works vertically and parallel to the valve stem. Upon the face of the arm is a moveable block a part of the upper surface of which is parallel to the face of the arm and a part of which is a steep curve. All the movement of the valve is transmitted to it through a roller on its stem, which rolls on the surface of this block. The block is so linked with a vibratory rod, which receives its motion from the cross head of the engine, that the block will move along the face of the lift rod arm and bring different points of its surface under the roller of the valve stem. By proper adjustment the roller will rest upon the flat part of the block and move with the lift rod as it is rising and the valve is opening, then the block moves so that the roller comes to the edge of the inclined portion and rolls down the incline permitting the valve to drop more quickly than the lift rod. The movement of the block on the arm and consequently the point of cut-off are fully adjustable.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1848

  patent date

  1848-08-29

  ID Number

  MC.308643

  catalog number

  308643

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  5,745

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Hillson’s Patent Model of a Hot-Air Furnace - ca 1848

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 5,459 issued to Robert Hillson of Albany, New York on February 29, 1848. Mr. Hillson’s patent was for an improved design for hot air furnaces. Claimed advantages included the ability to circulate hot air via horizontal pipes to rooms on the same floor as the furnace; an improved design for air tight seals for doors entering into the furnace; the use of double-walled hot air ductwork to avoid heat loss and reduce the threat of fire; a fire grate design that prevented the coal from becoming packed and clogged; and an improved mechanism for dumping the cinders from the fire grate. The overall design of the furnace was a rectangular brick box mounted on a thick brick foundation. The upper portion of the furnace had double brick walls with four inches of space between the inner and outer. This provided channels for cold air to enter the furnace and circulate from its top to bottom. The interior of the furnace was a complicated series of brickwork chambers, flues and channels that circulated the hot gases from the firepot so as to expose large areas of hot surface to heat the air. The cylindrical fire pot and hot air chamber were mounted on a brick floor above the cold air chamber at the bottom of the furnace. The fire grate design, which Hillson claimed as new, was for a circular metal grate that had a semi-hemispherical raised section in the middle and a flat grate for the remainder of the area. Hillson claimed that this shape avoided the packing and clogging of the coal. Above the hot air chamber were located two doughnut-shaped compartments through which the hot gases from the combustion chamber passed. Air to be heated was in contact with the exterior of these compartments, and Hillson claimed the design offered greater heat radiating surfaces and better heating efficiency. A key claim made by Hillson was the ability to heat rooms on the same floor as the furnace via horizontal pipes. His idea was to draw the combustion air for his furnace from the rooms being heated. This produced a pressure differential between the furnace and the rooms thereby drawing the heated air from the furnace into the rooms. A review of available advertisements and trade literature of the period did not provide any information on the commercial development of Hillson’s patent. However, Hillson remained active in heating design until shortly before his death in 1888.

  The patent model is constructed of brass, lead, and painted wood. The model illustrates the various doors, air inlets, outlets, and flues as well as many of the interior details of the patent design including the grate, hot air chamber, air circular and smoke circular. The doors on the model have details of the tongue and groove seal that Hillson claimed added air-tightness to the furnace.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1848

  patent date

  1848-02-29

  inventor

  Hillson, Robert

  ID Number

  MC.251444

  accession number

  48890

  catalog number

  251444

  patent number

  5,459

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Allen Cut-Off Valve, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to Horatio Allen, of New York, New York, April 30, 1842, no. 2597.

  This model represents a valve gear in which separate steam chests are employed for the head-end and crank-end main steam valves. The supply of steam to each of these steam chests is controlled by additional cut-off valves, the movement of which is adjustable. The inventor refers to this invention as an improvement in the valve gear patented by him August 21, 1841 (patent number 2227).

  The model shows a portion of the cylinder of a horizontal engine with only the piston rod and cross head represented. A steam chest in which are located the ports leading to the inner or main steam chests is shown in section, revealing the cut-off valves on their seats. These cut-off valves are plain flat plates connected to opposite ends of a beam, which receives a vibratory motion from the cross head of the engine. The beam and its rock shaft are picoted in a lever by which the pivot can be moved and the time of cut-of varied. This the inventor calls “cut-off with movable rock shaft.” He suggests that a similar result can be obtained by constructing the cut-off ports in a movable plate which he calls “cut-off with single adjustable seat.”

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1842

  patent date

  1842-04-30

  inventor

  Allen, Horatio

  ID Number

  MC.308640

  catalog number

  308640

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  2,597

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Stuart Perry Gas Engine Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with application for Patent no. 4800, issued October 7, 1846.

  This engine is very similar to the Perry engine of 1844 (US National Museum accession number 309253). It differs in that the cylinder is water-jacketed and the hot cooling water is used to heat the fuel retort. Ignition is effected by heated platinum exposed to or separated from the explosive mixture by a valve.

  The model shows a horizontal double-acting engine completely water-jacketed. Beside the cylinder is the retort for generating the vapors. Air is mixed with the vapor in a valve box above the retort, and valves operated by cams from a lay shaft admit the explosive mixture to passages leading to the cylinder. The gas is ignited by incandescent platinum, and combustion continues during about one-third of the stroke, the expansion of the products of combustion forcing the piston to the end of the stroke.

  To start the engine it was necessary to heat the water about the retort to generate the vapor and to heat the igniter. When running, the engine developed sufficient heat for both purposes.

  Perry designed this engine so that the water served not only to cool the cylinder but also to lubricate the piston and piston rod.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1846

  patent date

  1846-10-07

  inventor

  Perry, Stuart

  ID Number

  ER.251278

  accession number

  48865

  catalog number

  251278

  patent number

  4,800

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Patent Model, Life Boat

  Description

  Joseph Francis of New York (1801–93) made a name for himself in the 1840s and 1850s manufacturing light and sturdy corrugated-iron lifeboats and other nautical gear. This 1841 patent model shows his design for a wood or metal boat fitted with airtight copper tanks. These tanks were to be charged with gas or air to provide buoyancy and, in an emergency, would work in conjunction with several holes through the bottom of the boat. When the boat started taking on water in rough seas, the holes would be opened. That action, combined with the buoyancy of the tanks, would permit drainage.

  The well-known inventors of mid-19th-century America—Elias Howe, Cyrus McCormick, and Samuel F. B. Morse—were celebrated as national benefactors. Aspiring inventors regarded applying for a patent not just as a key step on the road to potential wealth, but as a patriotic duty—a contribution to the country’s betterment and future. Solidly within this style, Joseph Francis confidently called his buoyant boat the “great American life boat.” He declared with pride that “the model and application of the buoyant power which I now claim . . . is the best and safest for life boats and all other boats and vessels . . . it is different from and an improvement on all former invention by me and any other person . . . .”

  In fact, the 1841 patent represented by this model is but a minor alteration to his first patent, an 1839 design for a double-bottomed boat fitted with buoyant air cylinders. His second attempt simply added additional tanks to the boat’s ends and flattened the bottom of the hull to enable it “to sit upright when left by a retiring surge upon a rock bar or beach, where other modeled boats would be upset.”

  Date made

  1841

  patent date

  1841-03-26

  patentee

  Francis, Joseph

  inventor

  Francis, Joseph

  ID Number

  TR.308542

  catalog number

  308542

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  2,018

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Worthington and Baker’s Patent Model of Boiler Water Gauge – ca 1847

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 4,972 issued to Henry R. Worthington of New York, New York and William H. Baker of Williamsburgh, New York on February 20, 1847. The patent was for an improved design for a gauge to measure the level of water in a steam boiler. The inventors claimed to be the first to employ a “percussion gauge” for this purpose.

  The image of the model shows a brass cylinder which contains a loosely fitting piston. The piston is connected by an internal rod to a crank that operates the indicating arrow shown at the top of the model. Two flanges on the brass cylinder would be mounted to the side of the boiler so that the desired level of water would lie between the two. There are holes through each flange that extend into the cylinder, and these admitted steam at the top and water at the bottom.

  The term “percussion gauge” comes from the manner of operation of the gauge. The arrow pointer would be raised as high as possible and then dropped. This allowed the piston to fall until it hit the surface of the water with percussive force and stopped with the arrow indicating the level of water.

  The patent model is constructed of brass and iron. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model. A full description of the operation of the gauge along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  patent date

  1847-02-20

  inventor

  Worthington, Henry R.

  Baker, William H.

  ID Number

  MC.308652

  catalog number

  308652

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  4,972

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Maudslay and Field’s Patent Model of Marine Steam engine – ca 1842

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 2,668 issued to Joseph Maudslay and Joshua Field of Lambeth, England on June 11, 1842. The patent was for improvements to steam engines intended for use in steam ships. The type of ship envisioned for their engine was one with paddle wheels mounted on each side. This required that the shaft powering the wheels be placed relatively low in the hull. This in turn required a very compact engine to fit in the constrained vertical space.

  Maudslay and Field responded with a design which had its crankshaft located just above the top of the cylinder. Two piston rods extended upwards to a cross head above the cylinder. A single connecting rod extended downward from the cross head to the crankshaft. The images of the model show the steam cylinder at the bottom center. To its left is the slide type steam valve, and to the right is the air pump which is operated by rocker arms attached to connecting rods from the cross head.

  The inventors were owners of Maudslay, Sons and Field, a major manufacturer of steam engines located in Lambeth, England. Their marine engines were widely used by the British Admiralty. They also built the engine for the SS Great Western, one of the first paddle wheel steamers designed for the Atlantic trade.

  The patent model is constructed of steel and wood. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model. It includes a small hand crank to permit demonstration of actual operation. A section of a paddle wheel is present at the rear of the model. A full description of the operation of the engine along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1842

  patent date

  1842-06-11

  inventor

  Maudslay, Joseph

  Field, Joshua

  ID Number

  MC.251298

  catalog number

  251298

  patent number

  2,668

  accession number

  48865

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Copy of Sickels' Patent Model of a Steam Engine Cut-Off Valve

  Description

  Frederick E. Sickels, a pioneer of early steam engine development, is known for his cut-off valve. This type of valve gear provides a means of rapidly cutting off the admission of steam to the cylinder of the engine at any point in the stroke of the piston. It was widely used on the engines of the side wheel steamboats up to the beginning of the 20th century and was the forerunner of the many subsequent designs of drop cut off valve gears.

  This model is a copy of the model that was filed with his application for patent. The Sickels valve gear is generally considered to be the first successful and practical drop cut off valve. The original patent model is also in the collections and can be found using its Catalog Number MC.308650.

  date made

  1842

  patent date

  1842-05-20

  inventor

  Sickels, Frederick E.

  ID Number

  MC.180973

  catalog number

  180973

  accession number

  24427

  patent number

  2,631

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Sickels Drop Cut-Off Valve Gear, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was part of the application to the U.S. Patent Office for the patent issued to Frederick E. Sickels, of New York, New York, May 20, 1842, no. 2631.

  The Sickels valve gear is generally considered to be the first successful and practical drop cut-off. It was widely used on the engines of the side-wheel steamboats up to the beginning of the 20th century and was the forerunner of the many subsequent designs of drop cut-off valve gears. This valve gear provides a means of rapidly cutting off the admission of steam to the cylinder of the engine at any point in the stroke of the piston. It accomplishes this by tripping or disengaging the valve from the valve gear and permitting it to drop to its seat under the impulse of a spring. A plunger operating in a water chamber gradually retards the falling valve and brings it to rest without shock.

  The Sickels valve is of the conical or poppet type, working vertically with the valve stem directed upward. Motion is transmitted to the valve through a lift rod working up and down continuously parallel to the valve stem. Spring clips on the lift rod engage with the projections on the valve stem and lift and open the valve, until the clips come into contact with wedge-shaped blocks, which spread the clips and permit the valve to fall back to its closed position. The wedge-shaped disengaging block can be placed so as to cause the valve to disengage and close at any desired instant during the up or down movement of the lift rod. A spring bearing upon the top of the valve stem causes it to close rapidly, while a plunger or piston attached to the underside of the valve and working in a chamber of water retards the valve gradually and permits it to close without shock. The lift rod may be actuated by an eccentric or, as was more usually the case, by cam and follower of the “alligator” jaw or steamboat type of gear.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1842

  patent date

  1842-05-20

  ID Number

  MC.308650

  catalog number

  308650

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  2,631

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Loper's Patent Model of a Steam Engine– ca 1845

  Description

  This model was filed with the application to the U.S. Patent Office for Patent Number 4,289 issued to R.F. Loper of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1845. The patent was for a new method for allowing a single steam engine to operate two parallel crankshafts. One shaft would turn clockwise and the other would turn counterclockwise.

  This was an important feature for marine engines powering a ship with twin propellers. Having twin propellers turning in the same direction would increase the tendency for the boat to veer off course due to the torque effect of the propellers. This would require the ship's rudder to compensate, thereby reducing efficiency. With counter revolving propellers, one with right-hand pitch and the other with left-hand pitch, this adverse effect is eliminated.

  The patent model is constructed of brass, steel and wood. All of the key elements of the patent are illustrated by the model, and it was built such that the motion of the engine could be demonstrated. A full description of the operation of the engine along with complete diagrams of the patent can be found in the patent document online at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, www.uspto.gov.

  date made

  1845

  patent date

  1845-11-26

  inventor

  Loper, R. F.

  ID Number

  MC.251297

  catalog number

  251297

  patent number

  4,289

  accession number

  48865

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Morse-Vail Telegraph Key

  Description

  Alfred Vail made this key, believed to be from the first Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, as an improvement on Samuel Morse's original transmitter. Vail helped Morse develop a practical system for sending and receiving coded electrical signals over a wire, which was successfully demonstrated in 1844.

  Morse's telegraph marked the arrival of instant long-distance communication in America. The revolutionary technology excited the public imagination, inspiring predictions that the telegraph would bring about economic prosperity, national unity, and even world peace.

  Date made

  1844

  used date

  1844

  demonstrator

  Morse, Samuel Finley Breese

  Vail, Alfred

  maker

  Vail, Alfred

  Morse, Samuel Finley Breese

  ID Number

  EM.181411

  catalog number

  181411

  accession number

  31652

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Manayunk Bridge Truss, 1845

  Description

  This span that once crossed Manayunk Creek in Pennsylvania is from the first iron truss bridge built in the United States. Richard Osbourne, the British-born chief engineer for the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, designed this bridge in the 1840s, based on a cross-hatch wood truss pattern developed by the American engineer William Howe.

  P&R shops crafted this span from cast and wrought iron, assembling it without bolts or screws, much like the timber joinery found in all-wood bridges of the era.

  The railroad used the new, stronger iron bridges to speed coal trains from Schuykill Valley to Philadelphia coal yards, bypassing the less efficient canal system.

  The Smithsonian collected this span in 1942, days before it was scheduled to be melted down as wartime scrap iron.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  Date made

  1844-1845

  maker

  Reading Company

  ID Number

  MC.312552.01

  catalog number

  312552.01

  accession number

  164162

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Lighthall Half-Beam Marine Engine, Patent Model

  Description

  This model was submitted to the U.S. Patent Office with the application for the patent issued to William A. Lighthall, of Albany, New York, October 23, 1849, no. 6811.

  The model shows a combination of a horizontal cylinder with a vertical beam to which the engine’s force is applied between the fulcrum and the connecting rod to the engine crank. It permits locating the propelling machinery of a side-wheel steamboat low within the hull.

  The model is a panel representing a horizontal cylinder with piston rod connecting to a short beam pivoted at a point below the level of the cylinder. From a short distance above the point at which the piston force is applied to the beam a long connecting rod connects to the crank on the engine shaft located above the cylinder and at the middle of its length. The location of the condenser below the cylinder and the location of the air pump and the manner of operating it are shown by the model.

  Reference:

  This description comes from the 1939 Catalog of the Mechanical Collections of the Division of Engineering United States Museum Bulletin 173 by Frank A. Taylor.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1849

  patent date

  1849-10-23

  inventor

  Lighthall, William A.

  ID Number

  MC.308641

  catalog number

  308641

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  6,811

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Sunstone Capital

  Description

  Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints founded the town of Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839 and finished construction of their elaborate temple in 1846. Initially welcomed by the Illinois General Assembly, growing anti-Mormonism and the 1844 murder of leader Joseph Smith drove them to abandon the town less than three years after completing the temple.

  This celestial limestone carving was one of thirty that adorned the grand temple at Nauvoo, which was destroyed by a fire (possibly due to arson) in 1848 and tornado-force winds in 1850.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  Date made

  1846

  associated dates

  1844

  architect

  Weeks, William

  associated institution

  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  associated person

  Smith, Joseph

  maker

  Weeks, William

  ID Number

  1989.0453.01b

  catalog number

  1989.0453.01b

  accession number

  1989.0453

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  The Propeller Indiana’s “Philadelphia Wheel”

  Description

  Indiana's propeller was manufactured by Spang & Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, as stamped on one of the blades. This firm, a large iron manufacturing company centered in Pittsburgh, PA, was founded in 1828 and was one of the earliest and largest manufacturers of iron products in the United States.

  The hub of the propeller is cast iron; the blades are rolled iron. One of the intact blades is chipped and dented, suggesting a collision. Another blade is missing outside the yellow line, which marks where a large section broke loose, probably from hitting an object in the water. This piece struck the Indiana's sternpost, literally “shivered her timbers,” and started the leak that sank the ship. The blade broke off completely when the ship struck the lakebed and was found at the wreck site, buried in the sand under the stern post. It is reproduced here in fiberglass.

  The closest design is by Richard Loper of Philadelphia, who registered three propeller-related patents in 1844 and 1845 and licensed his ideas to shipbuilders Reany, Neafie & Co., also of Philadelphia. Contemporary accounts state that Loper’s design was the most popular in the Great Lakes region, and some Lakes propeller manufacturers even advertised his design as the “Philadelphia Wheel.”

  Date made

  1848

  possible patentee

  Loper, Richard

  maker

  Spang & Company

  ID Number

  1979.1030.05

  catalog number

  1979.1030.05

  accession number

  1979.1030

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

• 

  Joseph Francis Life-Car

  Description

  As maritime traffic expanded in the early 19th century, especially with the rise in passenger travel, water safety became a top priority for American shipping inventors. This life-car, patented by Joseph Francis in 1845, was one of the most successful life-preserving devices developed at the time. Buoyant and pod-shaped, the metal life-car was used to rescue shipwreck victims when the vessel was foundering near land. While standing on the beach, a person from a lifesaving station used a cannon-like gun to shoot sturdy lines out to the ship, which would then be tied to the ship’s mast. The life-car was attached to, and pulled, along these lines. Up to four people were bolted into the airtight compartment. They laid flat as they were hauled through the rough waters to the safety of the shore.

  This life-car was first used on January 12, 1850, to rescue the stranded British bark Ayrshire. The ship, most likely filled with Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, ran aground on a sand bar off the New Jersey shore at Squan Beach, now known as Manasquan. A blinding snow storm made the ocean too dangerous to launch a surfboat, the usual method of rescue, so local lifesavers decided to launch the newly installed, experimental life-car. Although never tested in an actual emergency, the Francis life-car performed as envisioned.

  Out of 166 passengers and 36 crew members on the Ayrshire, only one was lost, perhaps needlessly, in the short journey from ship to shore. A male passenger insisted on riding on top of the life-car while his family inside was hauled to safety. He could not hold on and was washed away by the surf. Over the next three years, this device rescued at least 1,400 people on the New Jersey shore alone, as well as countless amounts of valuable cargo. The original, groundbreaking life-car used in the Ayrshire wreck was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Joseph Francis in 1885.

  date made

  late 1840s

  patented

  1845

  Life-Car first used to rescue Ayrshire

  1850-01-12

  Life-Car donated to the Smithsonian Institution

  1885

  patentee

  Francis, Joseph

  ID Number

  TR.160322

  catalog number

  160322

  accession number

  16136

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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