New or Improved Apparatus, or Frames with Automatically Closing Doors, for Circus, Acrobatic or other Performances.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SI MUITIATIVA.
New or Improved Apparatus, or Frames with Automatically Closing
Doors, for Circus, Acrobatic, or other Performances.
I, Eduard Wulff, Circus Director, of Budapest, in the Empire of Austria-
Hungary, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The present invention relates to a number of separate frames with self-closing
doors or apparatus for circus or stage performances of an acrobatic character.
The apparatus according to the present invention is illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a frame with doors arranged in one and the same
plane.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two frames arranged opposite to each other and
enclosing an approximately square area.
Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a frame with a trap-door and
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4.
At the performance; the frame A shown in Fig. 1 is advantageously first set up
in which frame A are provided the vertically hinged doors B which are capable of
being turned or opened towards the inside and also towards the outside and which
are normally kept closed by means of springs B¹.
In front of this frame A there are set up the frames C and C¹ shown in
Fig. 3 in which are provided doors D and D respectively corresponding to the
doors B.
In front of the last mentioned frame there is then set up the frame E shown in
Figs. 4 and 5 opposite to the frame A. The frame E has arranged in its centre a
trapdoor F which is horizontally hinged or pivotted on pins g and which carries
on its upper part two foot-rests hand at its upper end two knobs or handles i i.
With the frames arranged in this manner the course of the performance may be
as follows:-
A suitably trained horse runs first in the direction of the arrows through the
doors B pushing them open itself. A clown teases the horse and the horse will run
after the clown who runs away to save himself through the frames C and C¹.
Finally the clown climbs up the frame E and holds on by means of the foot rests h
and handles i which are fixed on that side of F which is furthest from the
frames A.
The horse then seeks the clown and pushes the bottom half of the trap-door F
so that the clown is now
whereby the latter is caused to revolve on the pins
thrown round with the door and hangs head downwards by his feet.
The clown then runs away again and the same play is repeated.
Instead of a horse any other animal or performer may be employed to act in a
similar manner to that above described in respect of the horse.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The employment with a series of portable frames such as A C C' having self-
closing doors such as B DD' respectively therein of a portable frame such as E
a horizontally hinged trap-door therein and means provided on the latter for the
performer to firmly hold on to same by the hands and feet substantially in the

page_text: manner and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated by way of
example in the drawings bereunto annexed.
2. The apparatus constructed combined and arranged to act substantially in the
manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
Dated this 16th day of October 1894
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.