Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-21
GETS RID OF WHEELS.
A Chicagoans Device for Changing Motion
Without Crank Shaft-A Rowboat
Without Oars.


Fifty-ffth street Saturday afternoon
Crowds of spectators on the piers won
dered what made 1t go. All that they
could see was two men bending FORWARD
and backward, looking for all the world
like two men pumping hand car. one
sat in the stern of the small craft and
the other in the bow. What the crowd
did not see was a small machine, which
promises to make its inventor, a Chicago
man, Immensely rich, and at the same
time threatens-to revolutionize the mo-
tive power of all steam-driven vessels.
Just what this invention may accom-
plish In the world of mechanics not even
the father of it can tell 1t can be APP
piled to almost every engine or locomo-
ton, and within a few days will be a.
tached to bicycles and motorcycles Whlle
locomotives and street cars will be equip
ped with it soon. Already the principle
of this invention is used with great sue
cess in a hand drill and with different
bits; plate glass, hard wood and steel
can be bored through by simple direct
pressure.
Underlying the invention is the princi
pie known In mechanics as the wedge.
BY an ingeniuS compound ball-beaflng
friction is reduced to a minimum ana
practically no energy is wasted in lost
motion.
Five patents have been granted on this
invention already, and others have been
applied for with good prospect OF being
allowed. The inventor is John NJ. Hau-
hoff, 6553 Minerva avenue. Mr.. RauhoH
is 81 years of age, and for several years
he was employed in the machine shops
of the Illinois Central railroad. Two
years ago he began working on the In
yention, but had not money enough TO
develop it. DR.. James Saunders, former
ly of Chicago, but now of Marietta, Ca,
became interested and now is managing
Rra ham H. 1.DVeleSS also
is interested.
D. Tilden, representing a New York
syndicate; Thomas J. Rodman, patent
attorney, DR.. Saunders and Mr.. Loveiess
made practical test of the spiral as ap-
piled to navigation. The test was salts
factory to all, and there will be a confer
ence of the men who made the test. At
that time terms will be offered for the
sale of the patent rights in this country.
1t is learned that competent judges place
the value of the invention for steam craft
alone at $2,000000 for the United States,
or $5,0OO000 outright.
To apply the mechanism to steam YES
sells the spiral shaft would be laid along
the bottom of the boat. A piston-rod of
the engine would be coupled to the sleeve
in place of the cross-head, and the pro-
peller shaft, which would form an extern
sion of the spiral shaft, would receive hts
power direct from the engine. 1t is esti-
mated that its use would increase the
speed q third or half-the larger the
shaft the better. The inventor also has
provided device for reversing the pro-
peller instantly in cases of emergency
without stopping the engines. In great
steamships 1t would do away with the
compound engine, as with this appliance
there are no cranks used and no dead
centers. The present bulk and weight of
machinery could be largely diminished,
and vibration would all but disappear, 1t
is said, where the spiral shaft was used.
The inventor estimates that its use on an
ocean greyhound would reduce the time
across the Atlantic by two days.
In the small boat used as a model the
spiral shaft was feet long and four
threads or grooves were cut in the shaft,
two each way. To every 6 inches OF
stroke there was one revolution of the
small propeller Wheel and, therefore, in
the full stroke there were twelve revolu-
tons. A rope was fastened at each end
of the sleeve and a man at each rope
pulled stroke as with oars The little
boat, with two men, went over a twenty
five mile course much faster than two
men could have rowed the same boat.
Several times the craft was lifted clear
cut of the water by the force of the pro-
Ieller wheel.
Several experts saw the test and all
pronounced the thing a success. Nearly
all remarked: why didn't some one
think of that before?" It's application
TO bicycles, the inventor claims, will do
away with the sprocket wheel, cranks
and chains, and the power will be ap-
4 piled direct to the wheels. He asserts
Athat he can secure six revolutions of the
wheel, where cyclers now secure two and
one-half or three. The clutch alone can
be applied wherever a friction clutch is
used-in about 1000 different kinds of ma
chines-and the spiral shaft can be
placed to advantage on many machines
now.
1,-;1 or nj al
tools in which the spiral ball-bearing
combination is used to secured the power
are being turned out by an eastern fac
tory and it is claimed that they will do
the work of any other three tools ever
invented, combining augers, drills,
screwdrivers, wrench and saws.
Mr. Rauhoff was seen at his home. He
had little to say about the invention, al
though it has occupied the last two
years of his life. When asked how he
came to make the discovery he said:
IT started out to make stationary en-
CINE which would do away with the
cranks and the dead eenters always
found in machinery where crankS are
used / found this spiral principle was
the only thing 1 could use. | next tried
to find something that would reduce the
friction on the rollers, and after much
trouble discovered the compound ball
bearing arrangement. 1t took me long
time to get the material to try my the
Ory. The first shaft was ordered from the
Morris Twist Drill company, a Massachu-
sets firm, and it was nearly three months
before that came. 1t had only two
threads, both cut the same way. Later
had to throw that shaft away and get the
one we used in the boat This time we
had 1t made in Chicago, and after deal
of trouble getting the shaft case harden
ed it completed the first working model
and made several tests in the shop.
Then we put 1t into the boat and the test
there convinces me that the machine is
all right I can apply the principle to
railroad locomotives in the same manner.
In that case the spiral shaft would be
elongated into a line shaft under the
boiler and geared to the drivers with
lbeveled gear. It's use would abolish the
cranks and dead centers and increase the
speed at least third"
Most of Mr.. Rauhoff's work on the de-
vice has been done at his home or in a
small private workshop. He has worked
in secret, and what work was done out
side was parceled out in a half-dozen
places so that his invention would not be
stolen from him. Now that practical
test has demonstrated the correctness of
MIR. Rauhoff's plans, he still keeps the
boat covered up and allows no one to ex-
,i,,a