A New or Improved Apparatus for Performing Illusions.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Performing Illusions.
I, CARL HERTZ, 243, Kennington Road, London, S.E., Illusionist, 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 consists in means of and apparatus for performing illusions; that
is to say; securing a person on a suitable platform or rest, suspended by chains or
other suitable means by the neck, hands and feet or other convenient part or parts
of the body by means of suitable collars, ties or hasps and padlocks and enabling
the collars and hasps or such like securing devices to be instantaneously released
or secured again thus enabling the person secured to be freed or vice versa or
another person secured and instantaneously locked therein in place of the first or
previous person and so on.
For purposes of illustration of my invention I now describe the same by
reference to the annexed drawings but of course it will be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details of the locks, hasps and platform used in
combination with my releasing levers.
Fig. 1 shows plan of bottom of platform or rest shewing levers for securing and
releasing collars etc.
Fig. 2 plan of top shewing securing collars.
Fig. 3 side elevation of neck collar, padlock, and hasp.
Fig. 4 bottom view of plate shewing hasp guide for same and end of securing
and releasing lever and stop piece.
Fig. 5 side elevation of hasp shewing projection on same for coming in contact
with stop piece.
Fig. 6 side elevation of wrist hasp shewing end of lever engaging with notch in
edge of hasp.
Referring to Fig. 1 a. a. a. a releasing levers pivotted at a¹ a¹ to rocking lever b
which is in turn pivotted to the platform at 6. The ends of these levers are
pivotted and engage the holes or notch d in the hasps c as shewn in Figs. 4 and 6.
is a semi-circular piece pivotted to the platform at g¹.
Referring to Fig. 2 the collars g. g. g. g are hinged to the plates h', h2, h³, h³ at g.
These four plates are secured to the platform or rest by bolts & nuts i or other
suitable means passing through the same, except in the case of the plate h³ in
which the bolt,, does not pass through the platform, but is connected to the semi-
circular lever F at F2 & pivotted to the platform at F', and the corresponding head
of bolt I¹ is rivetted on the bottom plate making it appear as the other bolts.
jare the padlocks which secure the collars g.
k are four hooks bolted through the platform for suspending the same.
The operation of securing or releasing a person is as follows:
The present position of the levers as shewn a. a. a. a secure the hasps to which
the collars securing the neck, wrists and feet are padlocked as shewn in Figs. 2,
4 &6. The false nut and bolt is now moved in the direction of the arrow 1 thus
withdrawing the ends of the levers a a. a &f from the holes or notches d in the
hasps c, and in the case of the wrist and feet collars or ties allows the same to be
lifted until the projection on the hasp comes in contact with the stop piece secured
to the plate. The neck collar hasp being free to rise out of the plate. To again
secure the collars it is only necessary to reverse the operation.
The false bolt may be placed in any convenient position, but I prefer to place it
as shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 6 shows the arrangement of the opposite wrist hasp in which the end of

page_text: the releasing and securing lever enters a notch in the edge of the hasp instead of a
hole in the side of same. The levers a. a. a and f. run in grooves made in any
suitable part of the platform or rest and are covered by a strip or strips of wood
or such like thus rendering the mechanism invisible and appearing as if the
platform or rest was solid.
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. General arrangement and combination of the parts herein, substantially as
described and for the purpose set forth.
2. The means of and apparatus for securing and releasing the collars and hasps
or such like devices substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
3. The arrangement of the false bolt for actuating the levers for the purpose of
releasing or securing the hasps and collars substantially as described and for the
purpose set forth.
4. The construction and arrangement of the levers a. a. a and f in combination
with the parts, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
5. The construction and arrangement of the platform or rest, in conjunction
with my apparatus, thus rendering the lever mechanism invisible and making the
platform or rest appear as if it were solid substantially as described and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1890.
E. EATON,
Agent for Applicant.