and other Boats by Manual Power.
Year: 1884

page_text: and other Boats by Manual Power.
I JAMES ADAMS of 79 St Peter Street Mile End in the County of Middlesex
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MECHANISM FOR PROPELLING SHIPS' BOATS LIFE AND OTHER BOATS BY MANUAL
POWER" to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the arrangement and application of mechanism
for actuating paddle wheels or screw propellors applied to ships' boats, life boats,
pleasure and other boats, such mechanism being so arranged as to be actuated by
the manual power of the hands alone, or feet alone, or hands and feet together of
the occupants of such boats whereby they can be easily propelled at a much greater
speed compared with the ordinary method of rowing such boats.
For pleasure or other boats propelled by paddle wheels I arrange and fix to the
boat a suitable frame of iron or other material. Across this frame I place a metal
shaft which works in ball or other bearings. This is made in two lengths and
connected together in the centre by a clutch and lever. At each end of this shaft
I fix a paddle wheel and near to the paddle wheel on one side of this shaft, I 6x
one cog band or stud wheel and upon the opposite side upon the same shaft I fix
two cog band or stud wheels. At a suitable distance below this shaft and directly
under it I fix a rotary crank shaft working in ball or other bearings, this crank has
four pedals fitted upon it which can be used by the feet of either one or two
persons. At one end of this crank I fix a cog band or stud wheel which gives
motion to the cog band or stud wheel on the shaft above on which the two wheels
are fixed so that by turning the crank it gives motion to the paddle wheels. At
each side of the frame and above it I fix two cog band or stud wheels placed one
above the other the lower one of each is connected with the cog band or stud
wheels fitted upon the paddle shaft. The upper wheels of each of these are fitted
with crank handles sufficiently large to be grasped by one or two hands and by
turning these handles by hand, motion is given to the paddle wheels in the same
manner as by turning or working the rotary crank by the feet. These wheels if
desired may be placed in the centre of the frame and fitted with a handle upon
each side which would serve the same purpose but in such case the shaft must be
made in one piece and a cog band or stud wheel fixed upon the centre.

page_text: The pleasure boats if desired can be made to work by a screw propellor in the
same manner that I adopt for propelling ships boats or life boats by hand power
which is as follows, viz, Along each side within the boat I fix a narrow frame of
iron or other material and connected together by bands and upon this frame
is placed a horizontal shaft working in ball roller or other bearings. This shaft has
fitted upon it, and near the centre, a bevil cog wheel which gears into another cog
wheel fitted on the upper end of a vertical shaft and at or near the lower end of
this vertical shaft is fitted another bevil wheel which gears into a bevil wheel fitted
on to the horizontal shaft which carries the screw propeller.
The horizontal shaft across the boat has fitted upon each side two stud or one
cog or band wheel, and upon the frame placed each side of the boat I fix a number
of stud band or cog wheels, these said wheels being fitted with crank handles long
enough to be grasped by two hands. All these cog band or stud wheels are
connected by chains bands or gear with the cog band or stud wheels fitted upon
the horizontal shaft across the boat and by turning either one or all of the handles
gives immediate motion to the screw propeller and can be worked by any number
of men up to twenty four.
The rudder is worked by a worm and wheel or by a tiller in the usual way.

page_text: and other Boats by Manual Power.
I JAMES ADAMS of 79 St Peter Street Mile End in the County of Middlesex
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MECHANISM FOR PROPELLING SHIPS BOATS LIFE AND OTHER BOATS BY MANUAL
POWER " and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention has for its object the arrangement and application of mechanism
for actuating paddle wheels or screw propellers applied to ships' boats, life boats
pleasure and other boats, such mechanism being so arranged as to be actuated by
the manual power of the hands alone, or feet alone, or hands and feet together of
the occupants of such boats whereby they can be easily propelled at a much greater
speed compared with the ordinary method of rowing such boats.
For pleasure or other boats propelled by paddle wheels I arrange and fix to the
boat a suitable frame a. a of iron or other material as represented in Figures 1. 2
and 3 Sheet 1 of the drawings annexed Across this frame I place a metal shaft b
which works in ball or other bearings. This is made in two lengths and connected
together in the centre by a clutch and lever b¹. At each end of this shaft I fix a
paddle wheel c and near to the paddle wheel on one side of this shaft, I fix one cog
(band or stud) wheel b², and upon the opposite side upon the same shaft I fix two
cog band or stud wheels b³ b. At a suitable distance below this shaft and directly.
under it I fix a rotary crank shaft d working in ball or other bearings this crank
bas four pedals. d d fitted upon it which can be used by the feet of either one or
two persons. At one end of this crank I fix a cog (band or stud) wheel d² which
gives motion to the cog (band or stud) wheel b on the shaft b above on which the
two wheels are fixed so that by turning the crank shaft d it gives motion to the
paddle wheels c. At each side of the frame a and above it I fix or mount in
suitable bearings two cog (band or stud) wheels e e¹ placed one above the other the
lower one e of each gears with the cog (band or stud) wheels 62 6 fitted upon the
paddle shaft b.
The wheels e are capable of being moved into and out of gear with the
wheels b b and e' by means of the levers f. f. carried by the frame a. The
upper wheels el e¹ of each of these are fitted with crank handles e' e sufficiently
large to be grasped by one or two hands and by turning these handles e² e by
hand, motion given to the paddle wheels c c, in the same manner as by turning or
working the rotary crank d¹ d' by the feet. These wheels if desired may be placed
in the centre of the frame and fitted with a handle upon each side which would
serve the same purpose but in such case the shaft must be made in one piece and a
cog band or stud wheel fixed upon the centre. g. g. are seats carried by the bent
arms g¹ g¹ which slide up and down in sockets fixed on the thwarts g₁ to adjust the
seats g to the height required. The seats 9 g are adjustable to and fro on the
horizontal part of the arms g¹ g' as required.

page_text: Pleasure boats if desired can be made to work by a screw propellor as repre-
sented in Figure 4 Sheet 2 in the same manner that I adapt for propelling ships
boats or life boats by hand power which is as follows, viz. Along each side within
the boat I fix a narrow frame of iron or other material and connected together by
bands and upon this frame is placed a horizontal shaft b working in ball roller or
other bearings. This shaft has fitted upon it, and near the centre a bevil cog
wheel 6 which gears into another cog wheel c¹ fitted on the upper end of a vertical
shaft c and at or near the lower end of this vertical shaft c is fitted another bevil
wheel c² which gears into a bevel wheel d¹ fitted on to the horizontal shaft & which
carries the screw propellor e.
The horizontal shaft b across the boat has fitted upon each side two stud (or one
cog) or band wheels 62 and upon the frame placed each side of the boat I fix a
number of stud band (or cog) wheels ff (two in this arrangement) these said
wheels being fitted with crank handles fi f¹ long enough to be grasped by two
hands. All these cog band or stud wheels are connected by endless chain bands g g
or gear with the cog band or stud wheels b¹ fitted upon the horizontal shaft b across
the boat and by turning either one or all of the crank handles f¹ gives immediate
motion to the screw propeller and can be worked by any number of men up to
twenty four.
Figure 5 shows a similar arrangement of mechanism for propelling a boat to that
shown in Figure 4 that shown in Figure 5 being actuated if desired by 16 men (8
on each side of the boat or 2 to each crank handle) that in Figure 4 being actuated
by 8 men (4 on each side or 2 to each crank handle). Corresponding parts in each
figure being marked with similar letters of reference.
The rudder is worked by a worm and wheel or by a tiller in the usual way.
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
The improved arrangements and combination of mechanism for propelling ships
boats, life and other boats by manual power substantially in the manner herein-
before described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings hereto
annexed.