Artificial Cascades or Water Slides for Purposes of Outdoor Amusement.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 6th May, 1890-Accepted, 12th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Artificial Cascades or Water Slides for Purposes of Outdoor
Amusement.
I, JAMES INGLIS of No. 227 Commissioners Street in the City of Montreal,
Province of Quebec, Canada, and of Astley Bridge, Lancashire, England, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to make Artificial Cascades or Water Slides, to be
used for recreation or amusement. In carrying out the Invention an inclined plane is
constructed in the form of a water trough or chute. At the base of this inclined
water chute or trough is a water reservoir or pond, while the upper end of the chute
communicates with an upper water reservoir or tank. The water is pumped from the
lower pond or reservoir into the upper reach or reservoir by pumping apparatus or
machinery, and flows over into the chute or slide, or inclined plane water trough, into
the lower reservoir, the pumping machinery constantly circulating the water from the
lower to the upper reservoirs maintains a constant flow of water down the trough or
chute. Boats or rafts suitably constructed for sliding down the inclined chute or water
trough are used and can be adapted to carry passengers while sliding down from the
upper to the lower reservoirs.
At the foot of the inclined water chute or trough a hinged floating apron is fixed,
similar in construction to those used on the timber slides in Canada, the object being
to prevent the boats or rafts from diving too deeply into the water of the lower
reservoir. A suitable inclined plane or a lift is arranged for raising the boats or ralts
from the lower to the upper reservoirs so that they may be again brought into the
position to slide down the water chute or inclined trough.
Dated this Sixth day of August 1889.
JAMES INGLIS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Artificial Cascades or Water Slides for Purposes of Outdoor
Amusement.
I JAMES INGLIS of No. 227 Commissioners Street in the City of Montreal,
Province of Quebec Canada and of Astley Bridge, Lancashire, England, Merchant,
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 to make artificial Cascades or Water Slides to be used
for recreation or amusement.
And in order that the Invention and the manner of carrying it out may be under-
stood I append an explanatory drawing to which I shall refer hereinafter.
In carrying out the Invention an inclined water trough or chute is constructed and
at the lower end of this water trough or chute is a water reservoir or pond, while the
upper end of the trough or chute communicates with an upper water reservoir or tank.
The water is pumped or lifted in any convenient manner from the lower pond or
reservoir into the upper reach or reservoir, by pumping apparatus or machinery and
flows over into the inclined water trough or chute and down into the lower reservoir.
The pumping machinery constantly circulating the water from the lower to the upper
reservoirs maintains a constant flow of water down the trough or chute.
Boats or
rafts suitably constructed for sliding down the inclined water trough or chute are used,
and are adapted for carrying passengers when sliding down from the upper to the
lower reservoir. Arrangements are provided for raising the boats or rafts from the
Price 6d 1

page_text: lower to the upper reservoir in order that they may again slide down the inclined
water slide or chute.
Referring to the drawing Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation and Fig. 2 is a ground plan
of one arrangement of a water slide. The same reference letters refer in each to the
same parts or things. A is a water reservoir or pond constructed in any convenient
B is an upper
way, or it may be a river or canal or natural reservoir of water.
reservoir or tank built on piers or supports or constructed in any convenient manner
and at any desired level above the lower reservoir A. An inclined plane or water
trough or chute C leads from the upper reservoir B down to the lower reservoir or
pond A.
D is an apron piece hinged at one end on to the chute C and floating freely
at the other end. The object of this piece is to prevent the boats or rafts from diving
too deeply into the water when they reach the bottom of the slide or water chute.
E is a centrifugal pump of the usual construction, and is shown in the drawing as
driven by a steam engine having its cylinder F disposed directly over the central shaft
of the pump. The engine to be driven by steam from boilers which are not shown in
the drawing. G is the suction pipe of the pump E, and leads into the lower
reservoir A. H is the delivery pipe of the pump E, and leads upwards to deliver the
I is the frame of a traversing
water into the upper reach or reservoir tank B.
crane J, operated in the usual way and arranged to traverse upon the girders K. The
use of this crane is to raise the boats or rafts L, from the lower water reservoir A
into the upper water reservoir or tank B, in order that they may slide down the
inclined water slide or trough C, into the lower water reservoir A. M is a platform
or stage erected round the upper tank or reservoir B, in order to give free access to the
boats or rafts L, when they are raised up and placed in the upper tank or reservoir B
for the purpose of sliding down the trough or chute C.
In the plan Fig. 2 three delivery pipes H. H. H. are shown, to indicate that threo
pumps are arranged for lifting the water, but one pump only may be used, or more as
may be desired, and may be of any construction or type suitable for the purpose, and
need not be disposed exactly as shown in the drawing. Instead of a traversing crane J
for lifting the boats, an inclined plane, hydraulic lift or any other means may be used
for this purpose and the same for reaching the upper platform M from the ground level.
The length of the tank or reservoir B may be greater than shown in the drawing in
order to provide more room, or to give the boats more run before reaching the slide or
chute C. The slope or incline, and also the length of the slide or chute C, may be
varied as desired to suit different conditions, as will be well understood.
A water slide with a trough or chute 10 feet wide, and the water in it six inches
deep, running down at the rate of 10 miles an hour, would pass about 4400 cubic feet
of water per minute, and at 20 feet fall in vertical height, this would represent about
166 horse power net work, which is many times less than the work done by large
pumps in ordinary use for docks and other purposes, there would be no practical
difficulty therefore as regards pumping capacity for water slides of considerably
greater fall and capacity than the example above named.
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―
The constructing artificial cascades or water slides for the purpose and as herein
specified.
JAMES INGLIS.