IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES APPLICABLE FOR USE ON LAND OR WATER
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abraham Pengelly and Reuben Day both of Highbridge
in the County of Somerset for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES
APPLICABLE FOR USE ON LAND OR WATER"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abraham Pengelly and
Reuben Day at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March
1882.
ABRAHAM PENGELLY and REUBEN DAY both of Highbridge in the County of
Somerset "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES APPLICABLE FOR USE ON LAND OR
WATER,
"
According to our invention we construct velocipedes in such manner that one,
two, three or four parsons or even more may ride at one and the same time or
separately upon the same vehicle and at the same time so that each person may sit
and ride as on an ordinary bicycle when used on land while there is no friction in
any part of the machine beyond that on the bearings of the axles, while the
machine is light, easily driven and not cumbersome, and by the addition of
appliances as bereafter described the same machine can be used on water.
We employ two or more series of central wheels separated or divided sideways
from one another to give stability to the machine in combination with a front
wheel and a back wheel. The front wheel is the main driving wheel and the
crank of this may be provided with toothed wheels having a sun and planet motion
or with a crown wheel with smaller wheel in the interior keyed to the axle or with
other suitable appliance or appliances for increasing the power of the crank or
cranks The front wheel of the machine is provided with a backbone for carrying
the seat of the rider and for keeping the wheel in an upright position; the lower
end of the backbone is connected to the cross axle or rod carrying the two central
wheels and in such manner that the said backbone can be connected or disconnected
with facility from the axis of the two middle wheels by nuts or other convenient
means.
There is a rod connecting the two handles of the middle wheels to keep the
machine rigid. The forks of the two central wheels extend preferably down below

page_text: the central axis which latter may be made jointed telescopic or otherwise so that
they may be reduced or increased in length according to circumstances and in order
that the machine may be contracted or expanded as required. The hind wheel is
provided with a rod on each side of same connecting the hind wheel fork and the
central wheels axis. There are rods extending from the lower ends of forks to the
under side of saddle seats to support same or to tend to do so; a covering or
coverings is or are or may be fitted above the wheels supported by rods extending
from the forks or other part to protect the rider or riders from the action of the
sun or rain.
We prefer to construct the machine with driving and back wheel and with two
central wheels but we do not limit ourselves to this number as more central wheels
or series of central wheels might be used as well as more than one leading or
steering and hind wheel or wheel. Each rider sits on a seat over a wheel as on a
bicycle. A brake is or may be fitted to each wheel. Provision is made for the
bind wheel to be lifted clear of the ground when no one is riding or it may be easily
disconnected from the machine.
Although we prefer to make all the wheels of this combined machine of the
same height yet this is not an essential feature in the Invention, and they can be
removed at any time to suit tall or short riders.
Our invention when applied to velocipedes for use on the water consists in the
application to such machines as those before described of supports of sufficient
buoyancy to keep the wheels with the riders clear of the water; the wheels are
driven as fly wheels attached to paddle wheels screws or other convenient
propellers.
The buoyant supports are connected by rods to the forks of the fly wheels and
they are separated and maintained at the required distance apart by cross bars.
These appliances for supporting the velocipedes in the water are attached or
detached at pleasure according to circumstances.
Each wheel should be fitted with driving gear and the position of the propellers
may be varied for example they may be at the sides or rear (and the motion may
be obtained directly or indirectly from the treadle or treadles or by the intervention
of tooth wheel gearing or otherwise. The saddle support should extend down to
the supporting mediums. The driving may be effected by belt rope or endless
chain passing round wheels or the driving may be accomplished direct from the
treadle by rod attached to treadle loosely and connected to the propelling wheel.
Rudders may be applied to each wheel. The above mode of propulsion may be
applied to what we may call velocipede boats, one on each side thereof the supports
aforesaid forming carrying places or boats.
The floats or supporting structures are made advantageously of some elastic
material india-rubber for example, which may be inflated when necessary and for
convenience of stowage the structure can be easily collapsed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Abraham Pengelly and Reuben Day in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd September 1882.
ABRAHAM PENGELLY and REUBEN DAY both of Highbridge in the County of
Somerset "IMPROVEMENTS IN VELOCIPEDES APPLICABLE FOR USE ON LAND OR
WATER
"
According to our Invention we construct velocipedes in such manner that one,
two, three or four persons or even more may ride at one and the same time or
separately upon the same vehicle and at the same time so that each person may
sit and ride as an ordinary bicycle when used on land while there is no friction in
any part of the machine beyond that on the bearings of the axles while the machine
is light, easily driven and not cumbersome and by the addition of appliances as
hereafter described the same machine can be used, on water.
We employ two or more series of central wheels separated or divided sideways
from one another to give stability to the machine in combination with a front
wheel and a back wheel The front wheel is the main driving wheel and the
crank of this may be provided with toothed wheels having a sun and planet
motion or with a crown wheel with smaller wheel in the interior keyed to the axle
or with other suitable appliance or appliances for increasing the power of the crank
or cranks. The front wheel of the machine is provided with a back bone for
carrying the seat of the rider and for keeping the wheel in an upright position;
the lower end of the back bone is connected to the cross axle or rod carrying the
two central wheels and in such manner that the said backbone can be connected
or disconnected with facility from the axis of the two middle wheels by nuts or
other convenient means.
There is a rod connecting the two handles of the middle wheels to keep the
machine rigid.
The forks of the two central wheels extend preferably down below the central
axis which latter may be made jointed telescopic or otherwise so that they may be
reduced or increased in length according to circumstances and in order that the
machine may be contracted or expanded as required. The hind wheel is provided
with a rod on each side of same connecting the hind wheel fork and the central
wheels axis. There are rods extending from the lower ends of forks to the under-
side of saddle seats to support same or to tend to do so; a covering or coverings is
or are or may be fitted above the wheels supported by rods extending from the
forks or other part to protect the rider or riders from the action of the sun or rain.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of a velocipede made
according to one arrangement of our Invention with one of the side wheels
removed in order to illustrate the Invention more clearly Figure 2 is a front
elevation of the same machine. Figure 3 is a plan and Figure 4 is a perspective
view of the complete machine. Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in
all these figures.
a is the front or guiding wheel of the machine; b is the backbone to same; o is
the cross axle or rod which carries the forks d d for the side wheels; ee are the
side or middle wheels, h, h, are the backbones for same; fis the back wheel and gg
are the trailing wheels carried by the backbones h, h¹; à, i are the rods connecting
the hind wheel fork and the central wheels.
We prefer to construct the machine with driving and back wheel and with two
central wheels but we do no not limit ourselves to this number as more central
wheels or series of central wheels might be used as well as more than one leading

page_text: or steering and hind wheel or wheels or the small wheels g g may be dispensed
with and the support for the rider fixed in the same manner as shown on the hind
wheelf. Each rider sits on a seat kkkk over a wheel as on a bicycle A brake
is or may be fitted to each wheel Provision is made for the hind wheel to be
lifted clear of the ground when no one is riding or it may be easily disconnected 5
from the machine.
Although we prefer to make all the wheels of this combined machine of the
same height yet this is not an essential feature in the Invention and they can be
removed at any time to suit tall or short riders.
Our invention when applied to Velocipedes for use on the water consists in the .1
application to such machines as those before described of supports of sufficient
buoyancy to keep the wheels with the riders clear of the water; the wheels are
driven as fly wheels attached to paddle wheels screws or other convenient
propellers.
The buoyant supports are connected by rods to the forks of the fly wheels and 1
they are separated and maintained at the required distance apart by cross bars
These appliances for supporting the velocipedes in the water are attached or
detached at pleasure according to circumstances. Each wheel should be fitted
with driving gear and the position of the propellers may be varied, for example
they may be at the sides or rear and the motion may be obtained directly or
indirectly from the treadle or treadles or by the intervention of tooth wheel
gearing or otherwise
The saddle support should extend down to the supporting mediums.
The driving may be effected by belt rope or endless chain passing round wheels
or the driving may be accomplished direct from the treadle by rod attached to
treadle loosely and connected to the propelling wheel. Rudders may be applied to
each wheel. The above mode of propulsion may be applied to what we may call
Velocipede boats, one on each side thereof the supports aforesaid forming carrying
places or boats.
The floats or supporting structures are made advantageously of some elastic
material India rubber for example which may be inflated when necessary and for
convenience of stowage the structure can be easily collapsed
Figure 5 is a side elevation. Figure 6 is a plan Figure 7 is an end elevation
partly in section and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a water velocipede
constructed in the manner before described are the two structures or supports
here shown in the form of a fish although any other suitable form may be, if
desired adopted; m m are the bars or rods connecting the two structures 61
together; n n are the standards or rods secured to the bars m m and supporting
the velocipede as shown, oo are grooved pulleys which may be fixed in any
convenient manner on the axle of the velocipede either inside or outside the treadle
crank round which cords pass to the pulleys p p on one of the bars m; qq are the
propellers which are in this case shown as paddle wheels; as the wheel of the
velosipede is revolved in the ordinary way by the treadles rotary motion is
imparted by means of the pulleys oo and p p and the cords to the paddles g g and
thus the whole structure or apparatus is propelled through the water; are the
rudders to be operated by the hands or feet of the occupant of the seat of the
velocipede.
"
Figure 9 shows in front elevation partly in section another arrangement for
In this case we have shown the
propelling a similar structure or apparatus
propeller q as a screw; the single pulleys o and p are only shown for communi-
cating motion to bevil wheels 8 8 on the shaft of which latter the screw q is
mounted Other well known means of communicating motion to the propellers
may be adopted, or any other convenient means of propulsion may be used.
Figure 10 shows an arrangement whereby the motion is communicated through
friction gearing; t is the friction wheel in contact with the driving wheel of the
velocipede the motion from the friction wheel being transmitted to the propeller or
propellers in any convenient way

page_text: Figure 11 shows another arrangement where the motion is communicated to the
wheelt by means of a cord or band passing round the velocipede wheel the motion
from the wheel t being transmitted in any convenient manner
Machines or apparatus constructed in the manner before described that is the
velocipede and the floating structure are attachable and detachable from one
another in such manner that the velocipede itself may run on an ordinary road
and when required it may be attached to the floating structures before described or
to one or other of them.
In like manner the multiple machine before described with reference to Figures 1,
2, 3 and 4 may be fitted with floating structures similar to those last described
For travelling the floating appliances can be collapsed and packed with the other
apparatus into comparatively small compass and then carried if desired by the
velocipede and when the latter is then required to be used on the water the floating
structures are unpacked and quickly applied.
Of course the floating apparatus and velocipede may be made rigid and not
capable of being detached from one another Sometimes instead of a Bicycle or a
combination of bicycle velocipedes being used we combine with our floating
structure & Tricycle Velocipede in which case the wheels would act as fly wheels.
Having now described the nature of our said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our improvements in
Velocipedes applicable for use on land or water.
First: The general construction arrangement and combination of velocipedes
capable of carrying one or several persons at one and the same time or separately
all substantially as and in the manner set forth with reference to Figures 1, 2, 8
5 and 4 of the accompanying drawings together with any modifications thereof.
0
Second-The combination of velocipedes and floating structures or appliances
constructed arranged and operating substantially in manner and for the purposes
set forth.
In witness whereof we the said Abraham Pengelly and Reuben Day have
hereunto set our hands and seals this Twentieth day of September in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty two.