Schilling Canal Boat Propulsion System, Patent Model

Schilling, Cornelius · 1871

In 1870, Cornelius Schilling patented the use of an oscillating single-bladed paddle to propel vessels "with ease and facility." The next year he thought better of his inefficient idea. In a new patent application, he disclaimed everything in his first attempt and proposed instead the arrangement of multiple paddles seen in this model. This model accompanied his application for an “improvement in propulsion of canal boats” that received patent number 119,792 on October 10, 1871. The patent claimed that the paddles "are so arranged that they alternate with each other, one set being in action while the other is carried back through the air, and thereby a continuous action of the propeller is produced."