IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William George Crossley, of the Town of Cambridge,
Dentist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES."
Sealed the 18th October 1867, and dated the 20th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William George Crossley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th April 1867.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE CROSSLEY, of the Town of Cambridge, Dentist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
VELOCIPEDES," to be as follows: -
The object of this Invention is the construction of a velocipede which will
travel both on land and water. For this purpose the body of the velocipede
is made in the form of a boat and fitted with light wheels of the kind
ordinarily used for velocipedes. The fore end of the velocipede is fitted with
a pair of wheels having a locking action, as in ordinary carriages. the turning
being given by a hand wheel or lever from above. Towards the after part the
velocipede is furnished on each side with a slotted curved bar in which the
bearings of the hind axle take. When the velocipede is to be used on land
the bearings are firmly held in position at the bottom part of the slots, and
when it is to be used on water as a boat the bearings are released and forced
up to the top of the slots, where they are again fixed; this is done so that only
the bottom part of the wheels shall be in the water, and allow of their acting

page_text: as paddle wheels. The hind wheels are so constructed that blades to serve as
floats may be attached thereto permanently or otherwise. The axles of the
hind wheels have cranks of the ordinary shape connected by links to treadles
worked by the feet of the persons seated therein. When the boat is on the
water and the crank is shifted to the top of the slots longer links may be
employed the slots are made water-tight by flexible slides. The hind wheels
are fitted with ratchet gear to enable either wheel to be released when turn-
ing. When the velocipede is to be used on water for any length of time, the
fore wheels may be taken off. the axle turned a quarter round and a blade
fitted to serve as a rudder, or a rudder may be fitted to the vertical shaft
which supports the front axle.
The chief features of the Invention are, the arrangement for shifting the
hind wheels so that they can be used as driving wheels on land or paddle
wheels on water, and the fitting of floats, blades, or paddles to the hind wheels
of velocinedes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William George Crossley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, WILLIAM
GEORGE CROSSLEY. of the Town of Cambridge, Dentist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William George Crossley. Her special licence that L. the said William George
Crossley. my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said William George Crossley, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed. should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise. and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man. an
an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VILOCIPEDES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William George Crossley, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention.
and in what manner the same was to be performed. and cause the same to be

page_text: nied me Great Seal Patent Once wi SIA
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William George Crossley, do hereby
declare the nature of my said lavention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof. reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is the construction of a velocipede which will
travel both on land and water. For this purpose the body of the velocipede
is made in the form of a boat, or is provided with a pontoon at each side
outside the driving wheels, and which can be inflated at pleasure. The driving
wheels may be of the kind ordinarily used for velocipedes. The other end of
the velocipede is fitted with a wheel or pair of wheels having a locking action,
as in ordinary carriages, the turning being given by a hand wheel or lever
from above or in connection with the hand driving lever. Towards the part
of the velocipede adjoining the driving wheels it is furnished on each side
with a slotted curved bar in which the bearings of the driving axle take.
When the velocipede is to be used on land the bearings are firmly held in
position at the bottom part of the slots, and when it is to be used in water as
a boat the bearings are released and forced up to the top of the slots, where
they are again fixed. this is done so that only the bottom part of the wheels
shall be in the water, and allow of their acting as paddle wheels. The
driving wheels are so constructed that blades to serve as floats may be
attached thereto permanently or otherwise. The axles of these wheels have
cranks of the ordinary shape connected by links to treadles worked by the
feet of the persons standing or seated therein. When the boat is on the
water and the crank is shifted to the top of the slots longer links may be
employed. The slots are made water-tight by flexible slides. The driving
wheels are fitted with ratchet gear to enable either wheel to be released when
turning. When the velocipede is to be used on water for any length of time
the steering wheel or wheels may be taken off and a blade fitted to serve as
a rudder, or a rudder may be fitted to the vertical shaft which supports the
axle of the steering wheels.
My Invention will be fully understood by the annexed Drawings and follow-
ing description:
Figure is a side elevation. Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 3 a side elevation,
with the side of the boat removed, of a velocipede constructed according to
my Invention. A is the body of the velocipede made in the form of a boat;
B. B, are driving wheels, the spokes of which I prefer to make of wire

page_text: screwed into the felloes. and at their other end let through the
hub and drawn tight by small nuts; C, C, are a pair of wheels having a
locking action, as in ordinary carriages, the turning being given by a hand
wheel D fitted to the vertical shaft E of these wheels; F is a slotted curved
bar at each side of the velocipede to receive the bearings G. G, of the axle or
shaft H. When the velocipede is to be used on land the bearings G are
firmly held at the bottom of the slots F, and when it is to be used on water
the bearings are released and forced up to the top of the slots, when they are
again fixed; this is done so that as before stated only the bottom part of the
wheels B, B, shall be in the water, and allow of their acting as paddle wheels;
the position of these wheels when raised is indicated by dois in Figures 1
and 3. The dotted line I represents the water line: K, K, are blades or floats
attached to the wheels B. B. to enable them to act as paddle wheels; these
blades may be permanently attached or not, and are preferably fitted to every
second or fourth spoke. L. L. are cranks on the shaft connected by
links M to the treadles N. N; when the velocipede is on the water and the
cranks and wheels shifted up longer links, shewn at O, O. Figure 3, may be
employed. The slots F are made water-tight by flexible slides; the
bearings G which fit into the slots are formed on bars P. P. which I call
compensating bars; it is by these bars that the wheels B, B. and cranks are
shifted up and down as required, but I do not limit myself to this mode of
shifting the wheels and cranks. The bars P, P. are held in the desired
position by catches or otherwise: the ends of these bars next the wheels C, C.
work on the shaft Q to which the treadles N are jointed the shaft Q is held
in supports R; S is a box filled with india-rubber to act as a spring and to
keep the bearing of the shaft E water-tight: T. T, are lever handles connected
to the cranks L. L. by rods or links U. U. The joints connecting the rods U
to the lever handles T are fitted with thumb screws so that the position of
these joints may be changed to lengthen and shorten the stroke at pleasure.
Two or more handles may be used according to the size of the
velocipede, and the number of ireadles may also be two or more. In applying
my arrangement of velocipede to an ordinary boat. I prefer to attach the crank
shaft H to the top of the gunwale to avoid cutting slots in the side of the
boat. and employ the cranks, treadles, paddle wheels, and lever handles as
before explained. For small boats like outriggers I fix the bearings of the
cranked shaft to a jointed support at each side of the gunwale; these supports
are held down to the gunwale when travelling on roads, and lifted up for
travelling on water. The person seated therein turns the cranks with his
hands, while his feet work treadles placed where the feet ordinarily come

page_text: in small boats, and these ireadles are connected to the cranks by rods or
links.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, constructing velocipedes substantially as herein-before described so
that they will travel both on land and water, as required.
Second, the arrangement substantially as herein-before described for shift-
ing the driving wheels of velocipedes so that they may be conveniently situated
for use on land or on water, as required.
Third, constructing the driving wheels of velocipedes with floats, blades, or
paddles, or so that floats, blades, or paddles may be attached thereto, as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William George Crossley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM GEORGE CROSSLEY. (...)