The Anaconda standard., 1896-01-02
MOTORS FOR WINTER
HOrseless SleighS and Snow and Ice
Bicycles Lately Patented.
ALLINTERESTING INVENTIONS
No Need OF Putting Away Boomers
Because Snow Is on the Ground
-Sleighs Which Are propelled
by All Sor.s Of Power.
Philadelphia Times.

either a horseless sleigh or an ice and
snow bicycle.
Scores of patents have lately been |
granted by the government for vehicles
which propel themselves, or which may
be propelled over ice and snow without
the aid of horse power. Apropos OF
the reign of the bicycle and the advent
of the motorcycle, inventors in all parts
of The country are busy at work devls-
ing schemes for making both these
modern luxuries as adaptable to snow
and ice as to bare roads.
If the introduction OF the horseless
equlpage really means that our stable
animals are to be returned, sooner OF
later, to the wild state, II would ap-
pear that we must have slefghs ana
other winter vehicles for private use
able to run by other than animal
power.
One form of the horseless sleigh will
be propelled by light, compact motor,
like that driving the horseless carriage.
The drivers will be two large spurred
wheels in the rear, between the run
ners. BY turning a lever, these wheels
may be lowered or raised so as to take
greater or less hold on the ice or snow.
This seems TO he the most popular
scheme for driving sleighs by the aid
OF engines. Such a sleigh would make
fast time on the ice, and also upon a.
well hardened sleighing surface
Horses cannot be driven upon rivers or
other streams which are frozen over.
although these provisions OF nature
offer the very best sleighing.
A Wisconsin man has patented a
whole train of sleighs, to be pulled by
| a steam sleigh. Some horseless sleighs
are made with boat bottoms to provide
| against drowning in case the ice should
break. While travelling in such Vehl-
| cles, If you find yourself cutting too
much ice you may use your spur wheels
| as propellers and swim out thereby
Such sleighs may eventually supercede
| iceboats, when speed is to be obtained
| Before the perfection of the compact
| engine such craft were thought dan
| gerous, because steam equipments
| strong enough to move the weight OF
many people were too heavy to be
borne upon the surface of either ice or
| snow. The heat from their furnaces
/ also would melt the frozen surface
while passing over 1t. Compact engines
| as now made are neither heavy nor
/ do they radiate any heat to speak OF.
An odd invention is a sleigh on either
| side of which Is arranged an endless
| chain of spiked links, half OF which ~
| exposed to the ice or snow underneath
| the runner The chains are moved rap
idlv by cog wheels revolved by light
| steam engine. L.--
| Many patents, old and new, have
been granted for sleighs to he propelled
by the feet In one case pair OF pea
| ais. ike InOSe OI Il DlCyClSs TIC Az POSA
| ton beneath the seat. AS these are re-
| volved, by means of a rock-shaft they
| cause long rods, against either runner.
| TO push back and forth, like the par
| allel rods on a locomotive. Inese rous
nave fastened to them long ratchet
teeth which bite into the ice or snow
when brought backward, but Whlcn
| close up during the forward rock.
| Another old vehicle is a tobogSan
which runs upon legs a high seat is
| built upon the curved wooden pottom
and a pair of bicycle pedals are placed
| below il. When actuated by the Ieet
| these cause two long grass-hopper
| legs to kick backward and downward
| through long opening in the bottom.
| Each leg is inclined so as to take
nrm hold upon ice or snow without
lifting the craft. A sharp skate-hke
blade qointing out the pack idrags
along on the surface and serves as the
| rudder.
| Another late patent was granted Tor
| a long sled to be operated by six men.
| The body supports five seats each with
a hand lever at the side. When these
are pulled back sharp spurs arranged
, | against the runners beneath take hoiu
of the ice or snow beneath and thereby
/ push the vehicle along. The inventor
: claims that his system greatly decreas-
, es the need of power but increases the
! speed. A sixth seat in front is to be
| | occupied by the guide, who steers with
a handle ending in hook-hke place
Il A patent has been granted for anoth-
) or rowing sleigh to hold one person
l II has a boat body with keel or GEN.
trail runner, be sides a sharp runner or
either side The oars have fia'
. weights of metal at the ends which
! | touch the frozen surfact. Eacf
. | weight takes a firm hold on the ice by
5 means of points protruding from un
: | derneath.
1 A combination hobby-horse-bicycle
, Sled would be a unique Christmas pres
4 ent for one of the children. This ode
! | craft was recently patented by Mich
. igan man. 1t is an ice-velocipede mt
! | ted to a wooden horse body The PED
ais protrude on either side, so as L
: represent stirrups. AS the pedals re
! volve the horses legs made of SOM
= | elastic material, move backward AM
= forward, as though the animal were II
:, | the act of running. In the space un
| der the horse body is the driving vince
: revolved by the pedals. The edge
. this. resting upon the ice or snow, ]
y adorned with sharp points, which CAV
q IL the appearance of a circular saw
n The whole rests upon a pair or Ions
sharp runners.
MANY modern patents have bee
granted for frictianal tires, 10 De pu
| over the ordinary tires OF carriage o
bicycle wheels, thus AWARDING the nee
essity of runners in slippery weathei
n some of these outside tires are soil
s castings to be tightly locked over III
Is wheels. Others are made OF heav
Is canvas or leather studded on the QUITE
# circumference with sharp spikes. Som
il inventors believe that ordinary wheel
= ed vehicles win travel as easily on IN
d ice as upon the bare ground whe
le equipped with tires of this sort 4 ~
% |
le Late patents In ice and snow bicycle
/ are more interesting. Winter whose a
5 mosphere is more bracing than thar {
3 any other season. need no longer be ass
a ciated with Idle wheels or idle bloomer
Many late patents have been issued Y
snow and ice attachments for safetie
n one OF the most interesting Of these on
M | a.. hosidas one of the metal ures d.