AN IMPROVED GYMNASTIC ADDIRITT
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred William Turner, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Machine Maker, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED GYMNASTIC
ADDIRITT
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred William Turner at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th October 1881.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Machine Maker. "AN IMPROVED GYMNASTIC APPARATUS."
My Invention relates to an improved gymnastic apparatus, which may be
advantageously used for exercising the muscles or simply for the purposes of
amusement, the said apparatus being equally applicable for the use of children or
adults.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a strong pillar or column,
preferably of metal, which is supported by four or more feet, forming a firm and
secure base. The said pillar may be octagonal, bexagonal, square, or of other
desired form, and is hollow, and at the upper part thereof there is a socket
designed to receive the lower end of a pole or rod, to the upper end of which
ropes are secured, which are designed to be pulled by the persons using the said
apparatus. Openings are provided in the said pillar to admit beams, which are
designed to oscillate as hereinafter described, and the number of such openings
will depend upon the form of the said pillar. If the pillar is of octagonal shape
in transverse section I provide eight of such openings, that is to say, there is an
opening near the top of the pillar upon one side or face thereof, and there is a
corresponding opening in the side or face which is exactly opposite. Three other
pairs of openings are arranged in an exactly similar manner below, each pair being
lower than the preceding one, and each opening being in a different side or face of
the octagon. Through each pair of openings thus provided I pass a strong beam
or bar, which is pivoted to the pillar or column in such a manner that it will
freely oscillate on the pivot as its centre. It will therefore be seen that there
are four oscillating beams arranged one below the other, each one of which will
oscillate in a different vertical plane to either of the others, each one being
1021

page_text: free to oscillate without interference with the others. If the column is of
hexagonal form there will be three beams, and if square there will be two. Below
each beam and parallel therewith I provide a rod, which is also pivoted within
the column, and is at its two ends connected with the beam, as hereinafter
described, so that in the oscillating movements the beam and the rod will work
together.
At each end of each beam I provide a platform made of metal or other suitable
material, and designed to have secured thereto a chair, a saddle, a cage, the figure
of an animal, such as a horse, or any other device or article suitable to be occupied
by persons using the said apparatus. Two hangers extend from the lower part of
the platform and pass over the beam and the rod, both of these parts being
pivotted to the said hangers in such a manner that when the beam and bar
oscillate upon their centres the surface of the platform will always be kept in
the same horizontal plane whatever may be the inclination of the beam and
rod.
In some cases the lower part of the column, that is to say, the part below the
lowest beam, may be formed into a round shank, which will fit into a socket
provided in the base, so that the apparatus will then be capable of rotating.
The upper face of each platform is provided with projections or apertures
coinciding with apertures or projections in or upon the chairs or other articles
designed to be placed thereon, so that these articles may be securely fastened with
a capability of removal. The connecting devices are so made and arranged that
the chair or other article may be secured at different parts of the platforms, so
that the former may be fixed at varying distances from the centre of oscillation
in order that persons not of the same weight may be made to balance each
other.
It will be obvious that I may if desirable provide the column with one beam
only, and the said column may be so made that it can be readily adapted to a
wooden support of cheap construction for use in nurseries and the like.
It is also obvious that I may arrange a considerable number of the beams,
parallel rods, and platforms side by side, the beams and rods being secured upon
the edge of a plank or bar placed at right angles to the beams and rods, and
supported by strong wooden or other legs. This arrangement would be specially
applicable for use in public gardens or other places of amusement.
Each beam is designed to be used by two persons, one at each end, or there may
be several persons at each end. The chairs or other articles desired to be used
having been selected are secured to the platforms at such distances as will cause
the person or persons at one end to balance the person or persons at the other
end;
then these persons can impart the desired "see-saw or oscillating motion
by pulling upon the aforesaid ropes, or by pushing with their feet upon the
ground.
19
The said apparatus may be constructed of metal or of wood, or of both these
substances combined, and the parts may be of any suitable dimensions according
to circumstances.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred William Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th April 1882.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Machine Maker. "AN IMPROVED GYMNASTIC APPARATUS."
My Invention relates to an improved gymnastic apparatus, which may be
advantageously used for exercising the muscles, or simply for the purposes of
amusement, the said apparatus being equally applicable for the use of both children
and adults.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shown various constructions of apparatus
embodying my Invention. I will first proceed to describe my improved apparatus
as illustrated in elevation in Figure 1 of the Drawings. In this apparatus a repre-
sents a strong pillar or column, preferably of metal, which is supported by four or
more fect or extensions, forming a firm and secure base. The said pillar may bo
cylindrical in shape, as shown, or octagonal, hexagonal, square, or of any other
desired form, and is preferably made hollow. At the upper part of the said pillar
or column a there is a socket al, which is designed to receive the lower end or
shank b¹ of a pole, column, or rod b. The formation of this socket is clearly illus-
trated in section and on an enlarged scale in Figure 2 of the Drawings, and the
construction of the lower end of the said pillar and the shank upon the lower end
of the same is clearly illustrated in sectional elevation in Figure 3 of the Drawings.
To the upper end of the said post b ropes are secured, which are designed to be
pulled by the persons using the apparatus.
c represents a beam or bar, preferably of wood, which is adapted to oscillato
upon a pivot c' in the lower end of the column b, and may be held stationary by
means of a pin which passes through the hole d in the face of the said column, and
through a hole e' in a plate e, that is shewn detached and drawn to an enlarged
scale in Figure 4. When the beam is held stationary by the said pin d, a person
about to ride or use the apparatus can mount the saddle or get into the chair or
cage fixed upon the self levelling platforms f. The aforesaid bolt can then be
withdrawn, leaving the beam free to be oscillated into the positions shown in
dotted lines in Figure 1. and e³, Figure 4, represont holes through which the
pin may be passed, so as to hold the beam c in either of the positions shown in
dotted lines, to allow ladies or gentlemen to seat themselves upon the machine with
case and comfort.
The casting forming the main portion of each self-levelling platform is forked
at its lower end, as shown in end view in Figure 5, to receive a picce or block 9 of
india-rubber. This piece of india-rubber is designed to prevent the noise which
would otherwise occur if the persons using the apparatus permitted the forked end
of the platform to strike the floor or ground whereon the apparatus is mounted.
The centre bearing for the aforesaid beam c is shown in section on an enlarged
scale in Figure 6. This bearing is passed through a hole bored in the boam at its
centre, and a plate is then fixed at the rear, as shown at h¹. The shape of this
plate, as well as that of the flange of the bearing at the front side of the beam, is
the same as that shown in Figure 4.
In the connection of the aforesaid self-levelling platform to the beam c I
preferably employ a bearing of the form shown in section and side view in
Figures 7 and 8.
Below the beam cand parallel therowith I provide a rod i, which is pivoted in

page_text: the column at 2, and is connected at its two ends with the aforesaid self-
levelling platforms by a screw-bolt f*, as most clearly shewn in Figure 5. The
said rod i will therefore move with the beam in its oscillating movements upon the
pivot c'.
Instead of mounting a chair or cage upon the aforesaid platforms f, as above
described, I may mount thereon a saddle or the figure of an animal, such as a horse,
or any other device suitable to be occupied by persons using the said apparatus.
The hangers oxtending from the lower part of the platform embrace the bean c
and rod i, and are pivotted to the said beam and rod, as above described, so that
when the same oscillate upon the centres c', ', the surface of the platform ƒ will
always be in a horizontal plane, whatever may be the inclination of the said beam
and rod.
When the lower part of the column b is provided with a shank b', adapted to fit
into the socket a¹ provided in the base, as above described, the aforesaid platforms
and the beams or rods supporting the same may be rotated around the axis of the
base a.
In Figure 9 I have shown in sectional elevation one method of securing a horse's
body to the upper face of the platform f. For this purpose place a square
headed bolt at both ends of the said platform, and arrange upon each bolt and
between the head thereof and the upper surface of the platform a spring 7, which
constantly tends to force the head of the bolt upward or away from the said upper
surface of the platform, so that it is in the proper position to pass into a groove j¹
in the part j, and by engaging with the plate m on the under surface of the same
hold the said part j in position whilst permitting its longitudinal adjustment. The
upper portion of the platform is made shorter than the horse's body, so that the
latter may be adjusted nearer to or farther from the central column of the apparatus
or centre of oscillation of the beams, in order to balance persons of different
weight. A chair or cage bottom may be secured in a similar manner to the
aforesaid platform.
Figure 10 is an elevation of portions of an apparatus designed for children's use;
and
Figure 11 is a plan of the wooden top of the stand of the same.
Figure 12 is an elevation of a part of the column or post of the said
apparatus.
An
In this apparatus the post or round piece of iron b fits easily into a hole n¹
formed in the wooden table n of the form shown in Figure 11. The said post has
two small projecting pieces 6* which fit into the holes n, n², in the table n.
ordinary bolt is passed through a flange on the post b, and through the table n, and
a washer is placed upon the said bolt, and the whole of the parts secured together
by tightening up the nut o. By this construction I am enabled to produce a chicap,
compact, and rigid apparatus.
The beams and platforms, and their accompanying mechanism for this apparatus,
are not shown in the Drawings, as they are substantially the same as those shown
in Figure 1 of tho Drawings.
In some cases I may arrange a considerable number of the beams c, parallel rods i,
and platforms side by side, the said beams and rods being secured upon the edgo
of a plank or bar placed at right angles to the beams and rods, and supported by
strong wooden or other legs. This arrangement is specially applicable for use in
public gardens or other places of amusement.
Figure 13 represents in plan a machine chiefly designed for use at fairs. In
this apparatus the motion will be somewhat similar to steeple-chasing, wooden
horses being fixed on the self-levelling platforms and a circular motion given to
the column carrying the beams by means of ordinary bevel gearing.
In this
apparatus the riders in leaping up will be carried around at the same time. The
column shown in this Figure has eighteen sides, through which are passed nine
beams and nine connecting rods similar to the connecting rods i.
Figure 14 represents the column with two beams c in position. The lowermost

page_text: beam is fixed about three feet from the floor. The top beam is so cranked that it
will rise and fall about the same distance as the said bottom beam. The
intermediate beams must be cranked in a similar manner to the top beam..
each crank being shortened as the last or lowermost beam is approached. By
thus forming the beams with cranked portions, all the riders may be arranged
to travel about the same distance upward and downward.
Figures 15 and 16 represent in plan and elevation an arrangement of devices
applicable for use when the beams, in addition to their oscillating movements, have
imparted to them a rotary movement. In striding a horse placed on a self-
levelling platform f, such as that represented at Figure 1, the rider would face the
pole band have one leg on each side of the beam c. When however a circular
motion is given to the said beams it is necessary that the rider should sit with his
horse's head in a different direction to that of the horse upon which the person at
the other end of the same beam is seated, and towards the back of the person on
the next beam. In such a case, instead of having one leg on each side of the
beam b, he must have both legs on the side I, Figure 13, of the beam, and must
have plenty of space to enable him to keep his feet clear on the self-levelling
platform, centro pins, and other parts. For this purpose I provide an extra
movable plate o, Figures 15 and 16. The self-levelling platform shown in these
Figures is provided with a slot ; p represents a thumb-screw which can be
screwed into the aforesaid plate o. This plate can therefore be moved in the
direction of the arrow, Figure 13, to balance the riders sented at the two ends of
each beam in the apparatus. As the plate o is made the same width as the
self-levelling platform f, the horse, chair, or other appliance may be arranged in
either direction, that is to say, when the apparatus is arranged as represented in
Figure 1 with a horse on both ends, presuming that the riders desire to vary the
exercise and to receive a circular motion as well as an up and down motion, all
that is necessary is to slacken the nuts k, draw the horses off, and take up the looso
plate with the thumb-screw in, and fix it as represented in Figure 16; then to
place the square headed pins into the holes o', o, in the plate o, and finally slide
on the horses and adjust or balance themselves by the manipulation of the
thumb-screw p.
In Figure Í I have shown one beam only, but it will be readily understood that
I may use two or more beams in some of the machines of different lengths without
being cranked, for instance, one beam may be arranged to have, say, two feet rise
and fall, and another four feet rise and fall, and so on.
"
Each of the beams c is particularly designed to be used by two persons, one at
each end, although more than ono person may if desired be seated at each end.
The chairs or other devices designed to be used having been selected, are secured
to the platforms at such distances from the centre of oscillation of the beams as to
cause the person or persons at one end to balance the person or persons at the
other end of each beam; then these persons can impart the desired" see-saw ог
oscillatory motion by pulling upon the aforesaid ropes or by pushing with their
feet upon the ground. My improved apparatus may be constructed of metal, or of
wood, or of both these substances combined, and the parts may be of any suitable
dimensions according to the particular circumstances under which they are to be
employed.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. In a gymnastic apparatus, the combination with one or more movable
beams of self-levelling platforms for the purpose specified.
Second. In a gymnastic apparatus, the combination of the base a, the column b,
the beams c, the rods i, and the self-levelling platforms f, substantially as above
set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. A gymnastic apparatus consisting of the parts constructed, combined, and
operating, substantially as set forth with reference to Figures 1 to 9 of the
Drawings.

page_text: Fourth. The modifications of my Invention, substantially as set forth with
reference to Figures 10 to 12, Figures 13 and 14, and Figures 15 and 16 of the
Drawings, for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred William Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth of April, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER. (L.S.)