Improvements in Arrangements for Displays in Circuses, Theatres, and any other Covered or Open Places of Performance.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Arrangements for Displays in Circuses, Theatres,
and any other Covered or Open Places of Performance.
I, CARL GEORG RODECK, Engineer of Hamburg (in Germany) Hamonia
Hotel 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:-
My arrangements hereafter described offer means to produce new effects in
pantomimic displays in water-basins, consisting of
1.) Artificial rain-bows produced on water-spray-surfaces of any desired form
above a water-basin, on which spray-formations the rays of any suitable light
source placed behind the spectators will be refracted;
2.) Illusional dancing-and wandering-displays upon and in the water produced
by the act of raising and lowering glass-plates in the water basin bearing persons
in movement; and
3.) Breakers and frothy waves produced in a water-basin in pressing air, steam
and the like under a high pressure in certain directions into the water contained in
the said basin.
These arrangements are illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in the figures
of which similar parts are significated by the same letters divided only through
indices indicating the different forms or constructions of the similar parts.
The production of rain-bow-appearances (shown in Fig. 1) will be as follows:
To the basin, for which may be chosen the manege (m) of a circus, a water-
conducting pipe (p) installed in the ground (or in the air above the manege leading
to the latter) has one or more branch-pipes with very fine openings (e) arranged
so as to spray the water in any desired direction into the air of the play-house and
to cause the water-spray to become mist-like surfaces or masses of a desired form
as shown by dotted lines (o in Fig. 1).
Behind the spectator's department (*) electric reflecting lamps (v) of a great
lighting capacity are situated, which send their rays (x) in suitable angles to the
mist-like formations (o) produced as above, so that the light-rays are refracted in
various directions, thus producing rain-bow-appearances in the midst of which
persons and objects may and can be seen moving.
The branch-pipes aforesaid may be also of a vertical direction, as will be seen
in (p e) of the Fig. 1 & 2 and have mouth pieces (e', e¹¹) fixed, or rotating under
hydraulic pressure to scatter the water sprays in flat circles.
The production of illusional dancing and wandering displays upon and in the
water will be as follows:
Upon the tightening cloth (s) bedded in the basin (into which the circus-
manege m may be turned) a frame c of metal or wood, being of circular or any
other suitable form, is erected; this frame supports a vertical screw-spindle (k in
the middle of the basin as shown in Fig. 3 and 4) or screw-spindles k (as shown in
Fig. 5-7) at the bottom-ends of which a worm-wheel n is fastened, in connection
with which a worm-gear t is fastened to a shaft u lying beneath the bottom of the
place surrounding the basin.
A plateau a of thick transparent glass, constructed of one or more separated
divisions as shown in Fig. 3-7 is fastened in a suitable manner to the female-
screws of the screw-spindles k crossing the plateau-divisions.

page_text: In consequence the latter are raised or lowered when the screw-spindles are
turned by movement of the worm-gears (being in connection with their worm-
wheels as aforesaid) according to the direction of this latter movement.
The worm-shafts u may be set in motion in any wise, either by hand or by a
motorical power, in order to change the high-position of the whole plateau or of
parts or divisions of the same.
To execute illusional dancing in the water, the persons walk either on a single
part of the aforesaid plateau (as it is of course necessary when the same consists
of only one piece), or they move from division to division of the same.
Breakers and frothy waves in the water of the basin may be produced as
follows:
As shown in Fig. 8 a pipe si conducting high-pressed air or steam or another
gas-like fluid to the basin, crosses water-tight the tightening cloths and has branch-
pipes of any suitable direction and form. The latter are fitted with a great
many nozzles h to inject the pressed gas or gas-like fluid into the water, so causing
the same to froth when the said fluid is introduced periodically.
The actors moving in the rain-bow-spray, and dancing in the water of the basin,
or swimming in the frothy waves, are clothed in the usual way with waterproof
garments and carry umbrellas.
Having now particularly described and ascertained my invention and the manner
in which the same is or may be performed, I declare that I do not limit myself to
the described manner of lifting and lowering the plateau for the production of the
dance in the water, because the movements of the plateau can also be effected in
any known manner for lifting and lowering objects, but what I claim is :
Arrangements for the production of pantomimic displays in a water basin in the
open air or under roof, for instance in the manege of roofed circuses, namely:
1. That for the production of rain-bow-appearances, cousisting in the
introduction of water under pressure to project the same through fine openings of
water-pipes or fittings of the same, so directed and placed that the water sprays
mist-like in any desired form, and in a light-source situated behind the spectator-
departments, the rays of which are refracted by the mist-like water-spray;
2. That for the production of illusional dances and wandering upon and in the
water, consisting in the installation of a glass-plateau of one or more separated
divisions being raised or lowered in any suitable manner;
3. That for the production of artificial breakers and frothy waves in the water
basin, consisting in the installation of pipes conducting air or steam or another
gas-like fluid under high pressure variously directed in any form and provided
with numerous nozzles, through which the pressed gas or gas-like fluid aforesaid
escapes into the water.
Dated this 6th day of Fahma 100
CARL GEORG RODECK,
Applicant,
By his Agent,
F. H. Haase.