Improvements in Transit Apparatus for Recreative or other Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 26th Feb., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Transit Apparatus for Recreative or other
Purposes.
We, JOSEPH THOMAS ANDREWS, of Gracechurch Buildings, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, and WILLIAM FARISH BEATTIE, of 97, Manchester Road, Cubitts
Town, Poplar, in the County of London, Draper, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to transit apparatus for recreative or other purposes of
the kind in which pivotted levers, mounted at the terminals of the course to be
traversed are combined with a wire or wires constituting a transit way and connect-
ing the levers so as to cause them to co-act the levers being operated so as to incline
the connecting wire or wires in either direction meaus being used to keep the wire
or wires taut and a transit device or vehicle being provided to roll or slide along the
transit way so constituted....
The improvements according to this invention are designed to render the
apparatus more particularly adapted for use in cases where it is desired that the
transit way shall be at a considerable elevation or distance above the ground and
the said improvements are mainly designed to avoid the anchoring to the ground
of the lower course of the wire connecting the levers and serving to keep the transit
way taut which latter however cannot conveniently be done by such means as
have hitherto been used when the levers are of considerable length or when the
transit way is situated at a considerable elevation or distance above the ground.
According to this invention the ends of the levers to which the lower course of the
wire is attached are directly connected by means of such wire extending from the
end of the one lever to the end of the other lever, in lieu of engaging it inter-
mediately of such levers with ballasted tightening devices as hitherto used and
further the upper course of the wire or transit way is kept taut by opposing pulls
constantly exerted at the ends thereof one pull being exerted by the winch engine
or other operating device at the operating station acting on the lever at such station
which engine or device is so arranged and connected to such lever as to pull on and
raise it to the desired extent in the one direction or while still keeping the pull-
thereon and when the winch or engine is reversed to allow the lever to be reversed
to the desired extent by the device acting on the lever at the other station but
always so as to hold it short of its maximum reversal by the said device at the other
station which latter device consists of a suspended counterweight which is so
arranged and connected to the lever at its station as to raise it to the desired extent
when the winch or engine at the operative station is reversed and so as to hold it.
at the desired position short of its maximum extent of movement when the winch.
or engine at the operative station is actuated.
By such improved arrangements we dispense with the inconvenience of the
ballasting device and with the running along the ground of the lower course of

page_text: the wire and the long length of the wire then necessary and we can raise such
lower course of wire to an overhead position out of the way.
Dated this 24th day of March 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Transit Apparatus for Recreative or other
Purposes.
We, JOSEPH THOMAS ANDREWS, of Gracechurch Buildings, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer, and WILLIAM FARISH BEATTIE, of 97, Manchester Road, Cubitts
Town, Poplar, in the County of London, Draper, 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:—
This invention relates to transit apparatus for recreative or other purposes of
the kind in which pivotted levers, mounted at the terminals of the course to be
traversed are combined with a wire or wires constituting a transit way and connect-
ing the levers so as to cause them to co-act the levers being operated so as to incline
the connecting wire or wires in either direction means being used to keep the wire
or wires taut and a transit device or vehicle being provided to roll or slide along the
transit way so constituted.
The improvements according to. this invention are designed to render the
apparatus inore particularly adapted for use in cases where it is desired that the
transit way shall be at a considerable elevation or distance above the ground and
the said improvements are mainly designed to avoid the anchoring to the ground
of the lower course of the wire connecting the levers and serving to keep the transit
way taut which latter however cannot conveniently be done by such means as
have hitherto been used when the levers are of considerable length or when the
transit way is situated at a considerable elevation or distance above the ground.
According to this, invention the ends of the levers to which the lower course of the
wire engages or is attached are directly connected by means of such wire extending
from the end of the one lever to the end of the other lever in lieu of engaging it inter-
mediately of such levers with ballasted tightening devices as hitherto used and
further the upper course of the wire or transit way is kept taut by opposing pulls
constantly exerted at the ends thereof one pull being exerted by the winch engine
or other operating device at the operating station acting on the lever at such station
which engine or device is so arranged and connected to such lever as to pull on and
raise it to the desired extent in the one direction or while still keeping the pull
thereon and when the winch or engine is reversed to allow the lever to be reversed
to the desired extent by the device acting on the lever at the other station but
always so as to hold it short of its maximum reversal: by the said device at the other
station which latter device consists of a suspended counterweight which is so
arranged and connected to the lever at its station as to raise it to the desired extent
when the winch or engine at the operative station is reversed and so as to hold it
at the desired position short of its maximum extent of movement when the winch
or engine at the operative station is actuated.
By such improved arrangements we dispense with the inconvenience of the
ballasting device and with the running along the ground of the lower course of
the wire and the long length of the wire then necessary and we can raise such
lower course of wire to an overhead position out of the way.
The accompanying drawing illustrates in side elevation a transit apparatus con-

page_text: structed according to this invention the two ends of the apparatus being shewn out
of line one with the other so as to obviate the necessity of drawing the apparatus
to too small a scale. A A² are standards or frames erected one at each end of the
course to be traversed. To each standard or frame is pivotted a lever B B2 to the
ends of which the transit ropes or wires CC, may be connected or as shewn in
the drawing the ends of the levers are provided with pulleys c² round which the
ropes or wires pass and the ends of the said ropes or wires con-
nected at a a², to the standards A A². To one end of the lever B is
connected one end of a rope D connected to the drum of a winch or windlass E
the other end of the said rope being connected to one end of the lever B2 whilst the
other end of the lever B³ is connected by a rope F to a counterweight F which tends
to maintain the lever B2 in a vertical position suitable stops being provided on the
frame A against which the lever can come into contact to prevent it from vibrating
through a greater angle than necessary. By means of the winch or windlass E
and rope D the levers B B are co-operated to alter their angular position and conse-
quently alter the degree and direction of inclination of the transit ropes or wires CC
and at the same time in combination with the counterweight F maintain the said
ropes or wires taut.
HH2 represent cars suspended from the axles of wheels I I³
arranged to run on the ropes or wires CC the said cars travelling from the higher
ends to the lower ends of the said ropes or wires with greater or less speed according
to the degree of inclination thereof. The cars are provided with suitable brake
mechanism to retard and stop their progress at the end of their journey.
By means of the windlass or winch E the positions of the levers B B2 can be
reversed from that shewn in the drawing so that the inclination of the rope C will
be downwards from the standard A² to the standard A. and the inclination of the
rope C² be downward from the standard A to the standard A². This apparatus is
applicable for recreative purposes and also for various useful purposes, such for
example as for conveying passengers or materials from one place to another for
instance across roadways, canals or rivers and is specially useful in military ex-
peditions in mountainous countries as the frames or standards could be readily fixed
on the opposite sides of a ravine or of a river, so that the men and war materials
could be carried across with facility.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
--
1. In transit apparatus for recreative or useful purposes, the combination with
ropes or wires constituting a transit way, of pivotted levers connected to, or engaged
by, the transit ropes or wires, means for co-operating the levers so as to incline the
repes or wires in either direction, and means for keeping the transit ropes or wires
taut without the necessity for anchoring to the ground, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting transit apparatus for
recreative or useful purposes, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 24th day of December 1897.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.