IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSION AND GUIDANCE OR STEERAGE OF VELOCIPEDES AND BOATS
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Isaac Farrell at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
October 1870.
ISAAC FARRELL, of the City of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare-
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROPULSION AND
GUIDANCE OR STEERAGE OF VELOCIPEDES AND BOATS," to be as follows:-
These improvements have for their object the utilization of the weight
of the rider bearing alternately upon the seat and upon the footboard of
the velocipede, thereby actuating the cranks which are connected with
both, and consist in constructing velocipedes with a saddle bar, either
straight or curved, as desired, one end of which rests upon and is hinged.
on the carriage frame or perch of the velocipede, and the other end
secured to the bottom of the seat, which is thus fixed upon it, and
which by means of connecting rods bears upon and is attached to the
two outer cranks of the three-cranked axle of the driving wheels. Also
in constructing them with a foot lever which bears and turns upon the
same pin that forms the fulcrum of the hand lever herein-after described;
one end of this foot lever is attached by means of connecting rods to the

page_text: centre crank of the three-cranked axle, the other end is similarly
connected with the foot board, so that when the weight is thrown
alternately upon the seat and foot board a continuous motion is
-produced.
Further, they consist in the application of muscular power to
velocipedes by constructing them with a hand lever having its fulcrum
upon the carriage frame, and forked above the fulcrum so as to allow
the saddle bar to pass between the cheeks of the fork. These cheeks
pass down on both sides of the frame to the level of the axle, and at
the lower ends are connected by means of a connecting rod with the
centre crank above referred to, which centre crank is at right angles to
the other two.
-
And when these improvements are applied to the propulsion of
boats they consist in furnishing them with a hand lever having its
fulcrum at the lower end, where it is attached by a hinged or other
suitable joint to a bracket made fast to the bottom of the boat, and
attached at its upper end to a connecting rod that connects it with the
cross bar by means of which the paddles are worked, as herein-after
described. The paddles may be of any suitable length, and work
vertically. For this purpose a standard of any desired height, preferably
about 12 inches, made if desired with a T socket at the upper end, is
fixed to the gunwale of a boat in place of the rowlocks, a pin with a
similar or suitable socket on the outer end is fitted to the former, and
secured by a nut or otherwise on the inside; this pin forms the centre
upon which the paddle moves, which paddle is suspended in its place by 2
means preferably of a spud on the upper end of it, which passes up thro'
the outer socket, to which it is fitted and secured, thus allowing the
paddle to turn on its axis and feather at every stroke. A cross bar with
connecting rod at each end is provided for each pair of paddles, these
connecting rods being hooked on to the paddles in such a manner that 3
when the rower, who sits with his face to the bow of the boat, pulls this
bar towards him, as in rowing the paddle presents its flat or broad side
to the water, and when he pushes the bar from him it feathers and
presents its edge.
And these improvements for the guidance and steerage of velocipedes 3
and boats consist (when applied to velocipedes) in fitting a tube to the
vertical or hand lever of the machine, upon the top of which tube a cross

page_text: may be bent and pierced with an eye to take the reins, which eye
corresponds exactly with the pin that forms the fulcrum of both the
levers above described. Similar arms are attached to the fork of the
guide wheel, and the ends of both are connected on both sides by reins,
so that the handle has two movements, one direct, which acts' upon the
lever and actuates the centre crank, and one circular or rotary, by
means of which the guide wheel is turned to the right or left.
When the improvements are applied to the steerage of boats they
consist in fixing the handle upon a tube or socket, as described above
for the guidance of velocipedes, with arms attached to the lower end and
corresponding arms attached to the top of the rudder, and both
connected by ropes. This lever and steering apparatus may be placed
any desired part of the boat.
in
One great object of these improvements is, that a man can steer and