Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1898
I, GUSTAV WITT, of 43, Linden Allée, Hamburg-Eimsbüttel, in the Empire of
Germany, Joiner, 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 an apparatus for propelling small boats and which is
intended as a substitute for ordinary oars.
In
The oar blade, according to this new arrangement, is carried by a set of jointed
bars resembling lazy tongs and actuated by a hand lever so as to be alternately.
extended and collapsed. In this manner power is transmitted under such favourable
circumstances that with but a comparatively slight lift of the hand lever the oar
blade is caused to move a long way that is to say to accomplish a long stroke.
consequence of the oar being properly fixed and guided it can neither be twisted or
turned and the blade always grips the water with its wide side when propelling the
boat forward. When drawing the oar back, on the contrary, the position in which
the blade is brought by the lazy tongs is such as to meet with the least possible
resistance from the water and not to interfere with the steering. The motion of the
oar blade is similar to that of the webbed foot of an aquatic fowl. When being drawn
back the blade turns through an angle of 90° so as to cut the water with its edge;
and it is mounted on an axis in such a manner that it can yield when pressure is
exerted upon its back.
In the accompanying drawings, the oar is shown as applied to an ordinary boat.
Figure 1 shows the lazy tongs in their extended position or forward stroke, and Figure 2
shows their position during the return stroke.
The mechanism consists of a hand lever a fulcrummed at b below and carrying a
handle at the top. Between its two extremities is secured one end of a steering rod c
the other end of which is jointed to the sliding piece d which is guided within the slot e.
The latter as well as the sliding piece d are preferably made of box wood which causes
least friction in the water. On the outer side, the sliding piece d is connected with
one of the ends of the two articulated lozenges g, g¹, g², g³, the other end of which
is fixed. A jointed quadrangle g*, go, go, g', is connected to the two lozenges g, g¹, 9², 9³,
the whole forming a device as lazy tongs, the length of the latter depending on the
transmission of power desired. The bar g' has a tubular form wherein is inserted the rod
carrying the oar blade B. The blade B is fixed to the end of the rod by means of
a joint pin f whereon it can turn freely, while the rod can likewise turn freely within
the tubular arm of bar g². During the forward motion or stroke it bears by means
of a projection or inclined surface h against the rod, whereas during the backward
stroke it is turned in such a manner as to present its edge to the water, while the rod i
turns at the same into the tubular arm g' for the same purpose. To this end, this
rod carries at its upper extremity a projection m striking, when the blade assumes
its rearmost position, against a fixed stop piece so as to be turned thereby or if not
by hand. The oar assumes then the position shown in Figure 2. In consequence of
the blade being able to turn freely on the axis f, the said blade can readily yield
when the boat moves in a lateral direction. The whole contrivance is carried by
two bolts & secured to staples k fixed to the gunwales of the boat.

page_text: 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
An oar for boats secured to a set of jointed bars resembling lazy tongs, characterized
by the arrangement of the oar blades in the terminal tubular arm of such tongs with
the aid of a rod carrying an axis or joint f so as to allow free play to such blade which
can accordingly be turned at each rearward stroke in such a manner as to present its
edge to the water.