A NEW OR IMPROVED ONE-WHEELED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN GYMNASTIC PERFORMANCES UPON WIRE AND OTHER ROPES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Webb, of Aston juxta Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED ONE-WHEELED
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN GYMNASTIC PERFORMANCES UPON WIRE AND
OTHER ROPES."
Sealed the 6th July 1877, and dated the 11th January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Webb at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th January 1877.
HENRY WEBB, of Aston juxta Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. "A
NEW OR IMPROVED ONE-WHEELED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN GYMNASTIC PER-
FORMANCES UPON WIRE OR OTHER ROPES."
Bicycles and such like two-wheeled apparatus have been already employed for
the purpose of carrying persons over wire ropes in gymnastic performances, but
these carriages by reason of their having two wheels are manifestly unsafe; since
from the nature of their construction the centre of gravity cannot be preserved by
external means..
The object of this Invention is, by the means herein-after described, to obviate this
difficulty, and by the construction of a carriage or apparatus running on a single
wheel only to make due provision for the preservation of the centre of gravity, and
so to insure the safety of the gymnast or performer during his passage across the
wire rope.
My improved carriage or apparatus is substantially similar to a bicycle, except
that the smaller or hind wheel is dispensed with, the carriage consisting therefore
only of a single or driving wheel, together of course with all the usual fittings and
appliances with which an ordinary bicycle is furnished; but it has in addition
suspended from its frame on either side thereof to a suitable and equi-distant
distance a strong rod or bar, which when connected by a cross bar or bars furnishes
the means of preserving the centre of gravity to the one-wheeled carriage whilst
travelling on the wire rope.
As a modification of my Invention, a single rod or bar suspended in a direct line
with the centre of gravity of the said carriage or apparatus may be employed
instead, if preferred. This is hung or placed in position underneath the wire rope
[Price 1

page_text: upon which the said carriage is to travel, by means of a semicircular bar of metal
attached to the framework of the carriage, the said single rod or bar being attached
to the said semicircular bar of metal at the point of its centre of gravity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th July
1877.
HENRY WEBB, of Aston juxta Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. "A
NEW OR IMPROVED ONE-WHEELED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN GYMNASTIC PER-
FORMANCES UPON WIRE AND OTHER ROPES."
Bicycles and such like two-wheeled apparatus have been already employed for
the purpose of carrying persons over wire ropes in gymnastic performances, but
these carriages by reason of their having two wheels are manifestly unsafe; since
from the nature of their construction the centre of gravity cannot be preserved by
external means.
The object of this Invention is, by the means herein-after described, to obviate this
difficulty, and by the construction of a carriage or apparatus running on a single
wheel only to make due provision for the preservation of the centre of gravity, and
so to ensure the safety of the gymnast or performer during his passage across the
wire rope.
My improved carriage or apparatus is substantially similar to a bicycle, except
that the smaller or hind wheel is dispensed with, the carriage consisting therefore
only of a single or driving wheel, together of course with all the usual fittings and
appliances with which an ordinary bicycle is furnished; but it has in addition
suspended from its frame on either side thereof to a suitable and equi-distant
distance a strong rod or bar, which when connected by a cross bar or bars furnishes
the means of preserving the centre of gravity to the one-wheeled carriage whilst
travelling on the wire rope.
As a modification of my Invention, a single rod or bar suspended in a direct line
with the centre of gravity of the said carriage or apparatus may be employed
instead, if preferred. This is hung or placed in position underneath the wire rope
upon which the said carriage is to travel by means of a semicircular bar of metal
attached to the framework of the carriage, the said single rod or bar being attached
to the said semicircular bar of metal at the point of its centre of gravity.
That my Invention may be fully understood I have annexed Drawings thereof
which I now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation viewed from the rear of the carriage; Fig. 2 is a side
elevation.
Fig. 3 shews a single suspension bar to be used as an alternative instead of the
compound bar shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation shewing a compound bar arranged at right angles to the
compound bar in Fig. 1.
A is the wheel grooved circumferentially to receive the wire or other rope B;
C, C, are the cranks which have treadles constructed in the usual manner; D, D, are
two vertical side frames in which at the point E the crank shaft F revolves. The
upper ends G, G, of the said side frames support the spring H and seat I, and the
handle K. The lower ends G¹, G¹, are in Figs. 1 and 2 bents outwards as shewn;
and between them, supported by the transverse pin L, hangs the trapeze frame,
consisting of two vertical bars M, M, and two or more horizontal bars N, N.
In Figure 3 the single vertical bar O, made of bamboo or other suitable material, is
secured to the centre of a curved bar P by the two outer ends of which it is
suspended from the aforesaid pin L, the trapeze frame herein-before described
having first been removed.

page_text: In Figure 4 the side frames D are forked below as well as above the crank shaft
and the trapeze frame being attached to the lower extremities R of the side.
frame D has its horizontal bars situated in a direction parallel with the rope B
instead of at right angles therewith, as in Figs. 1 and 2.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner in which
the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that without limiting
myself to the precise details herein-before contained, as these may be varied or
modified without departing from the nature of my said Invention, I claim as the
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the
construction and use of a unicycle or one-wheeled carriage for the purpose of
traversing a wire or other rope, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Webb, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.
HENRY WEBB. (L.S.)