Improvements in Means for Propelling and Steering Boats.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1897-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1858
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Propelling and Steering Boats.
I, ADOLFF OSWALD FRITZSCHE, of Nerchan, Saxony, Germany, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
The present invention consists of a device for propelling boats as herein after
particularly described and set forth in the claims.
And in order to render the present specification more easily intelligible reference is
had to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of reference denote similar
parts throughout the several views: -
Fig. 1 is a plan of a boat provided with the device,
Fig. 2 a longitudinal section through the boat,
Fig. 3 a cross section on the line M-M of Figure 1,
Fig. 4 end elevation and longitudinal section of the operating lever in gear with the
driving gear and
Fig. 5 a similar section showing the engaging bar raised and out of engagement
with the driving gear.
Two screws a and a¹ are mounted on shafts b and b¹ running in bushings c and c¹
mounted in the stern end of the boat, said screw shafts being arranged at an angle
towards each other as shown at Figure 1. They are provided at their interior ends with
gears d d which engage bevel gears g and g¹ mounted on the shaft fon which a gear h
is also keyed, said shaft being mounted in suitable bearings at the stern end of the
boat. A second shaft i is mounted in proximity to the shaft f and carries, keyed
thereto, a gear which engages the pinion h. The shaft i further carries two gears (11
over which the forked ends of two levers m and m¹ (Figs. 4 and 5) engage, said
levers having hollow handle bars through which are passed rods p, p, the lower ends
of which engage respectively the gears and 11 when depressed and are normally held
out of contact with said gear by means of springs oo arranged at the upper ends of the
said bars. At either side of the stern end of the boat steering wings q q¹ are hinged
(Fig. 1) said wings being attached to the pivot rods rr, carrying bevel gears 8 8 to
engage the bevels a¹ 8. The latter are mounted on horizontal spindles having
cranks tt, the crank pins of which are connected by rods u u to pedals v v mounted
in proximity to the bottom of the boat. On depressing one or the other of said pedals,
the corresponding wing will be thrown out and the boat may be steered. w is the
the seat on which the operator sits and are levers having hooked ends resting on
the shaft and being pivoted to the forked ends of the lever rods m m³ said levers xx
serving to hold the rods m m¹ in engagement with the gears by engaging under
the shaft . On turning these rods on their pivots their curved ends will be
disengaged from the shaft i and the levers m m¹ may be lifted out of the mechanism.
The device operates in the following manner :-The operator sits on the seat w and
grasps both the handles m and m¹, depressing the buttons o o with the thumb, at the
moment at which the bars are alternately pulled towards the body of the operator and
releasing the said button when the bars are returned to their original position. Thus
a continuous rotary motion will be imparted to the shaft by means of the gear k and

page_text: pinion h and the bevel gears g g¹ will impart motion to the screw shafts 6 b' by means
of the bevels d d.
From the above description it will be clear that by reversing the engagement of
the rods pp, the screw propellors may be reversed, so that in case of danger the boat
may be propelled backwards.
The boat may be conveniently steered by means of the pedals v v.
When the levers x x are turned on their pivots, which act as fulcrums, the bars m m¹
will be lifted out of engagement with the gears 1 1.
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: A device for propelling boats characterised by twin screws (a and a²) mounted at
the stern end of the boat said propellors being rotated by means of gears (111) mounted
on a shaft (i) operating lever bars (m m³) for said gears, gear wheels and h, and
bevel pairs (dd and g g¹), the lever bars having mounted therein spring pressed
rods (pp) to engage the gears, the springs of said rods acting to normally hold
the same out of engagement with the said gears, substantially as described.
2: In combination with the device covered by Claim 1 the arrangement of steering
wings (q q) at either side of the boat, the pivot rods of said wings being geared by
bevel gearing (8 and 8¹) to a crank (t) baving connecting rod to pedals (vv) at the
bottom of the boat within reach of the operator substantially as described.
3-The device for propelling and steering boats substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of Santambar 1907
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.