James Lowe (inventor)

His propeller was first practically used in the steamship Wizard in 1837 for testing and prior to Lowe's patent application, and then in Rattler and Phœnix.

[2] On 16 December 1844 Lowe brought an action in the Court of Queen's Bench against Penn & Co., engineers at Greenwich, for infringement of the patent.

Lowe spent his wife's fortune of about £3000 on his experiments, reduced himself to poverty, and never succeeded in obtaining any compensation for the use of his invention.

[1] Lowe died on 12 October 1866 when a wagon ran him over in the Blackfriars Road, London, killing him.

He was the inventor of the segments of the screw propeller, in use since 1838; and his life, though unobtrusive, was not without great benefit to his country'.