Improvements in Ice Boats or Apparatus for Locomotion upon Ice.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ice Boats or Apparatus for Locomotion upon Ice.
I, HUGO BALLOT of 30 Justusstrasse Reinickendorf in the Empire of Germany
Manufacturer 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 ice boats or apparatus provided with oars or propellers
for travelling upon ice and capable on the one hand of being used as a useful means
of locomotion employing the muscular strength of the rider to work the propelling
mechanism aided by skilful management of the steering gear and on the other of
enabling persons who are physically incapable of taking exercise upon ordinary
skates to enjoy skating in another form being in fact seated upon skates and
propelling themselves by means of peculiarly constructed wings or propellers' worked
with a rowing movement as hereinafter explained.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section an example
of an ice boat constructed according to this invention.
Figures 2 and 3 represent the boat in front elevation and plan respectively.
Figure 4 drawn to a larger scale illustrates the construction of the skates in side
and end elevation and in plan.
c is a metal
The boat is constructed with a horizontal curved frame a provided with a seat a¹
and supported at the front end upon a transverse swivelling bar transom a². The
seat is directly attached to a longitudinal bar or backbone a³ chamfered off at the
edges and at is a stem or front piece which being connected by a longitudinal bar að
with an upright piece a supporting the seat imparts the necessary strength or
rigidity to the frame of the boat. On the upper end of the stem or post a¹ is a
metal plate 6 screwed to the two curved side pieces of the frame a.
plate which connects the two side pieces of the frame at the rear end above the
Beat a. d d are iron brackets attached at their lower ends to the upright a being
connected at their upper ends to the frame a and provided with projections serving
to support and steady the seat a' as represented in Figure 2. Two metal plates e
are attached to the upper side of the frame a and form a support or guide for the
oars or wings A which vibrate upon a vertical axis or screwed pivot g attached to
the upright f. The plates e are provided with projections e e' acting as stops which
limit the stroke of the wings or oars.
The transom or swivel a³ is capable of turning upon a vertical axis or pivot for
the purpose of steering the boat and is provided at each end with journals a' upon
which are attached two skates h connected to a plate i of suitable form to receive
the foot of the rider and being provided with a loop or strap as represented in
Figure 4. These plates are preferably connected to the skates by means of a pin
or pivot in order to enable the feet of the rider to remain parallel with the axis
of the boat during the movement of the part a². The said part or transom a² is
connected by two chains k with a third skate pivotally attached to the rear end
of the longitudinal bar a°. These chains are crossed and are attached to a plate /
acting as a tiller and causing the skate ¹ to assist the steering by moving simul-
taneously with the skates h. In order to impart greater stability to the apparatus

page_text: the transom a is connected to the longitudinal bar or backbone a³ by means of two
straps or braces a and a screw or pivot whereby the necessary freedom of its
movements in a horizontal direction relatively to the upper frame is at the same
time provided for. The two skates h are provided at their heels with a point m
Figures 1 and 4 for retarding or stopping the boat when required.
The wings or oars a vibrate upon the screw or pivot g and are supported
vertically by the plates e upon the frame a. The said oars are also capable of
being supported by a pivoted arrangement. The oars consist of two parts as
represented in Figures 2 & 3 namely a handle or shaft n¹ and a blade n² consisting
of a frame covered with linen or other suitable material n³ Figure 2. The parts of
the oar are connected together by a hinge or pivot n' at the end of the shaft n¹ in
such a manner that the blade part n² can be swung or directed backwards as
indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3. At right angles to the backbone a³ two
small chains o are attached to the frame a being connected at their other extremities
to an extension of the blade part n² and limit the backward movement of the
latter.
In order to propel this ice boat the rider being seated upon the seat a¹ places the
swivelling bar or transom a² at right angles to the backbone and presses with his
feet upon the movable plates i attached to the skates h. The oars which are laid
against the stops el at the rear ends of the metal plates e are then grasped in each
hand at a point about half way between the frame a and the pivot g and pushed
forward to the projections or stops e¹ at the front ends of the plates e they are then
pulled back with a powerful stroke to their original position against the rear stop.
The effect of this action is as follows:
--
The oars being bent as represented by the dotted lines in Figure 3 are when
lying against the rear stops caused by the chains to assume an extended or
straightened position when they reach the front stops and by quickly pulling back
the oar the resistance of the air acting upon the blade parts n compels the skates
to slide forwards.
When it is desired to cause the boat to turn to the right or to the left the rider
in case he desires to turn to the right for example gradually pushes forward the
left foot until the transom a is placed at right angles to the line which it is desired
to travel. Turning to the left is effected in the same manner by pushing forward
the right foot. The third skate being connected to the part a² by the chains k
attached to the arms is caused to describe a corresponding curve and preserves
the balance of the apparatus. In order to reduce the speed or stop the boat the
rider simply elevates the front ends of the skates thereby causing the skates to turn
upon their journals or horizontal axis and digging the point m into the ice.
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. An ice boat or apparatus for locomotion upon ice provided with propelling
oars or wings composed of a frame n² covered with linen nor the like and attached
by a hinge n to a shaft n¹ and which by moving in one direction meets with
resistance produced by the air and is thereby enabled to propel the boat and when
moving in the other direction is deflected at an angle to the shaft n' and is thereby
caused to meet with relatively little or no resistance from the air substantially as
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. An ice boat constructed as herein before described and claimed and in which
the two front skates h are arranged to rotate upon a horizontal journal or axis a
for the purpose of retarding or arresting the motion of the boat being also arranged
to rotate upon a vertical axis for the purpose of actuating a supporting and
•steering skate h¹ and steering the boat substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 3. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting improvements in
ice boats or apparatus for locomotion upon ice substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of August 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.