Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Propelling Boats.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means and Apparatus for Propelling Boats.
I, JOSEPH ERNEST GIBBS, of 160 West. 66th Street, in the City of New
York, County and State of New York, U.S.A., Gentleman, 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 object of this invention is to provide a driving mechanism for screw propelled
boats or vessels, for which driving mechanism manual power is required; the same
being expended in a manner similar to that of rowing.
The invention consists in the improved propeller driving mechanism, its connection
with hand operated levers or oars, and in the combination and arrangement of the
various parts thereof, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully described and
finally embodied in the claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawing, in which like letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures:
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a portion of a boat, provided with my improvements,
certain portions being removed and others broken away to better illustrate the
nature of my said invention;
Fig. 2, a top plan view of Fig.
ì;
Fig. 3, an enlarged detail side elevation of the propeller operating and controlling
mechanism;
Fig. 3A, a detail end view of the operating shaft supporting bracket or frame ;
Fig. 4, a top plan view of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5, an enlarged detail view of the oar or lever and its supporting and
adjusting means, and
Fig. 6, an enlarged detail view of a certain arrangement of pulleys, used in
connection with the driving mechanism.
In said drawing a represents a portion of a boat provided with the seats ƒ, the
stuffing box 6' for the shaft b' of the propeller b, and also of the rudder c, all of
which
the usual and well known construction. To the shaft of the rudder c,
projects through and into the stern of the boat is secured the yoke c³, adapted to
be operated by the yoke lines c¹, passing over pulleys c³, c and c to the foot
lever, which latter is fulcrumed, as at within reach of the feet of the rower
occupying the seat f, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.
On the inner end of the propeller shaft is secured a beveled pinion ³,
adapted to be engaged by the beveled gear wheels 64 and 6 respectively, which
latter are secured on the vertically arranged shaft 66, having its bearings in the
bracket or frame g; said frame is secured to the bottom of the boat in any
desired manner.
On the projecting portion of the vertically arranged shaft is loosely mounted
the drum, provided with two annular grooves, as clearly shown; to the hub of
said drum is secured one end of the spring g', coiled around said hub, and having
its other end secured to a pin or stud 98, arranged on and projecting from the frame
or bracket g.
A ratchet gis also loosely mounted on the shaft 6 and is slidingly arranged
thereon by means of the key and feather gs, and is adapted to be engaged by the
spring controlled pawls go fulcrumed on the upper surface of the drum 67.
The pawls must be provided with a large engaging surface, to prevent them from

page_text: disengaging the teeth of the ratchet, when the drum is raised or lowered together
with its supporting shaft 66, when the latter is vertically shifted for the purpose of
reversing the operating of the propeller. The above is accomplished by means
of the lever g, fulcrumed as at 9 and engaging with its forked inner portion the
grooved collar g', secured on the shaft . The free end of said lever penetrates
the elongated groove 910 arranged in the frame g, and provided with notches g',
adapted to hold the said lever in its respective positions. On the drum 67 and to
each of its grooved sections is secured one end of a rope or cable e', e', coiled
around said sections in opposite directions and carried over the pulleys e, e
and e, es, which latter are substantially horizontally arranged and secured to the
sides of the boat a in any convenient manner.
From the pulley e³, the rope or cable el passes around the pulley e, which latter
is loosely mounted on a pin or axle supported in the bracket f, arranged on the
gunwale of the boat and near the seat to be occupied by the rower-hence over
the pulley e, at the end of lever e back to a pulley es, loosely arranged on the axle
of the pulley e, and thence to the eye e', projecting from the free end of the oar or
lever e, to which eye the said rope or cable e' is firmly secured. The pulley e is
fulcrumed, as at e' to the oar or lever e. Said oar is adjustably arranged, by means
of the set screw f to and within the sleeve e, the downwardly projecting shaft f³
of which is swiveled by means of the conical or spherical shaped collar f³, to the
bracket f1, secured to and projecting from the gunwale of the boat a. The swivel
motion of the shaft f³ is limited by means of the collar 4, secured to said shaft, as
clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing.
In operation, when the handles of the oars or levers e are pulled forward, the
ropes or cables el are operated, that is to say-are pulled in the direction of
the arrows in Fig. 2. The drum is thus rotated by the uncoiling of said
ropes, and through its pawl and ratchet connection operates the shaft 66, which
in turn transmits its motion through the beveled gear wheels or 6 to the
propeller shaft.
By means of the treble purchase or luff tackle, et, e and e, the rope el is
given a faster movement than that of the handles of the oars as will be manifest.
When the handles of the levers or oars e are pushed forward, the spiral spring
which during the uncoiling of the ropes or cables e¹, has been uncoiled, returns to
its normal position and carries the drum along with it, whereby the said cables
or ropes are again coiled or wound upon their respective grooved sections, as will
be manifest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim, is:
1. The combination with a boat, and the propeller shaft, of a vertically arranged
shaft, means for transmitting the motion from said vertical shaft to the propeller
shaft, a spring controlled drum loosely arranged on said vertical shaft, a ratchet
wheel slidingly mounted ou said shaft, a series of spring controlled pawls arranged
on said drum and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, a rope coiled around said
drum and secured thereto with one end, an oar or lever swiveled on said boat, and
connected with its outer end to the other end of said rope, and a luff tackle
intermediately arranged between the end of said lever or oar and the drum and
having the rope or cable passing through and over the same, all said parts being
arranged, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination with a boat and the propeller shaft, of a beveled pinion on
the inner end of said propeller shaft, a vertically arranged shait, a beveled gear
wheel on said shaft and meshing with the beveled pinion, a spring controlled drum
loosely arranged on said vertical shaft, a ratchet wheel slidingly mounted on said
shaft, a series of spring controlled pawls arranged on said drum and adapted to
engage said ratchet wheel, a rope coiled around said drum and secured thereto with
one end, an oar or lever swiveled on said boat, and connected with its outer end

page_text: to the other end of said rope, and a luff tackle intermediately arranged between
the end of said lever or oar and the drum and having the rope or cable passing
through and over the same, all said parts being arranged, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
.
3. The combination with a boat and the propeller shaft, of a spring controlled
drum, means for transmitting the motion from said spring controlled drum to the
propeller shaft, a rope coiled around said drum and secured thereto with one end,
an intermediate luff tackle having the rope or cable passing over the same, and an
oar or lever swiveled on the boat and having the other end of said rope secured to.
its outer end, all said parts being arranged, substantially as and for the purposes.
described.
4. The combination with a boat and the propeller shaft, of a vertically arranged
shaft, means for transmitting the motion from the vertical shaft to the propeller
shaft, a spring controlled drum loosely mounted on said vertical shaft, a series of
pulleys arranged on the side of the boat, an oar or lever swiveled on said boat, a
pulley carried by the outer end of said oar, two pulleys loosely mounted on an axle
supported by the boat, and a rope coiled around the drum and secured thereto with
one end, and passing over the series of pulleys and secured with its other end to
the outer end of the oar or lever, all said parts being arranged, substantially as and
for the purposes described.
5. The combination with a boat and the propeller shaft, of a vertically arranged
shaft, means for transmitting the motion from the vertical shaft to the propeller
shaft, a spring controlled drum loosely mounted on said vertical shaft, a series of
pulleys arranged on the side of the boat, an oar or lever swiveled on the said boat,
a pulley carried by the outer end of said oar, two pulleys loosely mounted on an
axle supported by the boat, a rope coiled around the drum and secured thereto.
with one end and passing over the series of pulleys and secured with its other end
to the outer end of the oar or lever, and means for reversing the motion of the
propeller shaft, all said parts being arranged, substantially as and for the purposes.
described.
Dated this 4th day of March 1807
J. P. BAYLY,
18 Fulham Place, London, W., Agent for the Applicant..