Improvements in Bow-facing Oars.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov,, 1898-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bow-facing Oars.
We, JOHN STEELE, of 332, Front Street, Machinist, ANTON OLSON, of 457,
Robert Street, Horse Shoer, and PETER NELSON LINDQUIST, of 1034, Dayton
Avenue, Horse Shoer, all of the City of St. Paul, in the State of Minnesota, United
States of America, 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::
-
Our invention relates to improvements in boat oars, and the objects of the in-
vention are, first to provide an improved bow-facing oar, enabling a person to
look in the direction he is rowing the boat; second, to provide a bow-facing oar
in which all the parts work with great ease and still without rattling; third, to
provide a bow-facing oar in which the wear of the parts may easily be taken up
or adjusted; fourth, to provide a bow-facing oar of such construction that its
speed and power may be increased toward either end of its stroke in either direc-
tion; fifth, to provide a bow-facing oar that may be very easily attached to and
detached from the boat, almost in an instant.
These, and other objects we attain by the novel construction and arrangement
of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1, is a top or plan view of the oar attached to a portion of a boat.
Fig. 2, is a side view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is an enlarged detail view of the plate secured to the boat as a seat for
securing the oar to, and the part pivotted thereto.
Fig. 4, is an enlarged top view of the main mechanism, with the top plate
removed.
Fig. 5, is a further improvement of the parts seen in Fig. 4.
Fig. 6, is a detail view of the pivot or pin securing the oar to the boat.
Fig. 7, is a substantially central, enlarged sectional view, on the line a a, in
Fig. 1.
Referring to the various parts in the drawing by reference numerals, 8, is an
elongated angle-plate, forming the seat or supporting base of the device; its
horizontal flange 9, may be bolted or screwed to the strip or moulding 10, by the
bolts or screws 11, or where the moulding is too narrow for this, the bolts may
be passed horizontally as 12, through the vertical flange, 13, of the plate. To the
lugs 14, of said base plate is pivoted by the pin 15, the frame plate 16, upon
which is secured by the screws 17, the cap plate 18, provided with the two lugs
or posts 19, holding the two plates the proper distance apart.
Between the elongated plates 16, and 18, are pivotally secured the two inter-
geared, toothed segments or mutilated gear wheels 20, and 20%, provided with
the sockets 21, in one of which is secured the blade section 22, and in the other
the handle section 23, of the oar. The pivots 24, on which said segments swing,
may have their heads countersunk into the segments, as in Fig. 2, or into the
cap plate, as at 50, in Fig. 7; in either case the cap plate covers the top ends of
DQ1

page_text: the pivots and prevents them from working out off their proper position, while
still allowing them to turn so as not to wear flat or oval.
From the under side of each of the sockets 21, projects an arm 25, carrying an
anti-friction roller 26, which rolls upon the shelf-like segment or recess 27, pro-
jecting from the plate 16. These arms 25, are, especially for large oars, made
adjustable by being secured to the sockets with screws, as at 28, in Fig. 7, so
that when the arm or roller wears the arm may be adjusted, by filing off from a
chipping strip (not shown) at the inner side of the flat end of the arm, or by
putting a lining between its other end and the socket. The top plate 18, is
provided with a central, upwardly projecting pocket 29, housing two rollers 30,
(see Fig. 7) which bear upon the segments 20, 20, and keep them from frictional
contact with the top plate, the same as the rollers 26, keep the segments from
frictional contact with the lower plate 16. The bolt 31, on which the rollers 30
revolve, is passed through vertically slotted holes 32, in the sides and in the
central wall 33, of the pocket, so that when it wears it may be adjusted downward
by_the screw 34, touching with its point at the middle of the bolt.
In Figs. 3, and 6, will be seen that the pin 15, is provided with a spring
catch 35, secured at 36, and plying in the slot 37, of the pin, takes a firm hold
of one of the lips 14, so that the pin cannot possibly work out, while at the same
time it may be touched on the side of the point 38, so as to disappear sidewise
into the pin, which may thus be removed in an instant, when the oars are to be
removed from the boat or exchanged from side to side, as below explained. 39,
is a light chain or cord securing the pin to the oar, so that it will always be
handy, and not left in the base plate where children might remove and lose it.
In Fig. 5, a special construction of the segments 20, 20, is shown in that the
segments or gears are eccentric and turned each with its large radius toward the
small radius of the other, so that when the operator makes an even motion with
the handles of the oar, the blade will move in one direction with an increased and
in the other direction with a decreased speed. The three advantages gained by
this arrangement will be best understood and appreciated by oarsmen who have
used oars for various kinds of rowing. In the first place, the speed of light
boats and boats in general, increases toward the end of the stroke of the oar in
the water, and consequently calls for a speedier motion of the operator's body into
a leaning position, from which it takes so much more exertion to return, as not
only the weight but also the increased momentum of the body must be overcome.
The leaning of the body ought, therefore, to be reduced as much as possible and
the motion of the body ought to decrease toward the returning point, or greatest
incline; and these two advantages it is obvious that we gain for ordinary rowing,
The third advantage is, that in towing vessels, logs or other floats, which is quite
frequently done by row boats, the oars may readily be exchanged to the opposite
sides of the boat, and will then move slowly through the water toward the end of
the stroke at the time the tow-line is stretched and almost arrest motion of the
boat; and when the oars are lifted from the water and the sinking tow-line
retracts the boat at an increasing speed, the oars will move forward very quickly
and take a new hold in the water, before the boat has got well started on its
rearward motion, which motion, if allowed to go on a few moments produces a
momentum of the boats and its occupants, sufficient to waste half or more of the
oarsman's power to overcome it.
From the above description it will be seen that we provide a simple, durable,
adjustable, almost frictionless bow-facing oar, in which power and speed may be
increased or decreased toward either end of the stroke; all without having the
operator look in the opposite direction to that in which he is rowing, as is the
regular old style of rowing.
As already above indicated, for light boats, or boats using sails mostly, and very
little the oars, the friction rollers 26, and 30, may be omitted, and the frame
plate 16, will then be as in Fig. 3, without the recesses 27, and the upper or top
plate 18, will then be without the pocket 29.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. In a bow-facing oar, the combination of an angle-plate-shaped support
adapted to be secured to the side and top of the gunwale of the boat, the tilting
frame plate 16, pivotted thereto by a pin having an interlocking, easily operated
spring catch holding it in place; the intermeshing heads 20, and 20%, pivoted
with headed pivots upon said frame plate, and having the sockets 21, with the
handle section and frame section of the oar secured therein; the cap or top
plate 18, covering the heads of the pivots, the posts 19, located beyond the gears
and holding the plates 16, and 18, apart, and bolts or screws about central with
the posts, securing the plates firmly together, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. In a bow-facing oar, the combination of a base plate adapted to be secured
to the boat, a tilting frame pivotally secured thereto, a pair of intermeshing
mutilated gears or segments pivoted in the frame and having each a socket; the
handle section and blade section of the oar secured in the sockets, and anti-
friction rollers supporting the oar sections, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. In a bow-facing oar, the combination of a base plate adapted to be secured
to the boat, a tilting frame pivotally secured thereto, a pair of intermeshing gears
or segments pivoted in the frame and having each a socket; the handle section
and blade section of the oar secured in the sockets, and anti-friction rollers
supporting the oar sections near the outer edges of the frame and holding down
the segments or gears near their intermeshing point, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
4. In a bow-facing oar, the combination of a base plate adapted to be secured
to the boat, a tilting frame supported thereby, a pair of intermeshing gears or
segments pivotally mounted in the frame, and having each a socket; the handle
section and blade section of the oar secured in the sockets; said intermeshing gears
being eccentric and turned each with its largest radius toward the smallest radius
of the other gear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a bow-facing oar, the combination of a base plate adapted to be secured
to the boat, a tilting frame supported thereby, a pair of intermeshing segments
or gears pivotally mounted in the frame and having each a socket; the handle
section and blade section of the oar secured in the sockets, and anti-friction rollers
supporting the oar sections near the outer edges of the frame and holding down
the segments or gears near their intermeshing point, said intermeshing gears
being eccentric and turned each with its largest radius toward the smallest radius
of the other gear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In a bow-facing oar, the combination with a base plate adapted to be secured
to the boat, a tilting frame supported thereby, a pair of intermeshing segments
or gears pivotally mounted in the frame and having each a socket; the handle
section and blade section of the oar secured in the sockets and adjustable, anti-
friction rollers supporting the oar sections near the outer edges of the frame, and
holding down the intermeshing edges of the segments or gears, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicants.