New or Improved Rowing Apparatus for Sanitary and Training Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Rowing Apparatus for Sanitary and Training
Purposes.
I, LEOPOLD EWER, Doctor of Medicine, Physician and Proprietor of an Institute
for sanitary gymnastics and massage, of 61 Friedrichstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The apparatus heretofore employed, especially in sanitary gymnastics, for imitating
the bodily movements attendant on rowing on the water attain their purpose but
very imperfectly, their deficient construction precluding a true imitation of such
movements.
This drawback is obviated by the improved apparatus allowing not only the said
movements to be most perfectly and accurately produced, but also the resistance
of the water connected with real rowing to be represented in a very convenient
manner.
Referring to the accompanying drawing:
Fig. 1 represents the mounted apparatus as applied to a race boat (the two extremities
of which are omitted in the drawing).
Fig. 2 shows on an enlarged scale the air tube employed, with piston etc.
It is understood that the improved apparatus may be placed into any suitable frame,
the shape of a boat not being required therefor.
The oars are revolvably secured in ball-and-socket-joints e provided on the
outriggers which are attached to the boat or other frame. Each oar has shifted
onto it a ring e displaceable to both sides to allow of an increase or diminution of the
leverage and secured by introducing a bolt into one of a suitable number of holes.
provided in the oar.
The said ring is fitted with a pivot g to which is secured the ball-and-socket-joint /
for the piston rod i by means of a hinge y movable about a bolt. This hinge and
ball-and-socket-joint Day be replaced by a ring into which the piston rod is fitted,
the extremity of the latter being in this case also ring-shaped as shown in Fig. 1 on the
right. This arrangement serves to give the oars d simultaneously with the forward
and backward movement also an axial movement corresponding to the twist or
feathering of the oars as performed in actual rowing during the intervals between the
strokes.

page_text: To the piston rod i are secured the pistons which slide to-and-fro in the tubes
when moving the oars as shown by Fig 2. The tubes are provided with slits m, the
cross section of which can be increased or diminished by means of correspondingly
slitted rings n displaceable thereon, a scale o and indicator p allowing the two oars to
be uniformly adjusted. The spiral spring Fig. 2 serves to return the piston k after
each forward movement into its normal position. The tubes are movable in ball-
and-socket-joints secured to the frame t. s is a seat as usually employed in race boats
an adjustable footboard, likewise of known construction.
and
The improved apparatus works as follows:
On pulling the oars d the pistons & move forward thus creating a partial vacuum
behind them in the tubes 7. The resistance produced thereby can be determined, and
rendered like that to be overcome in the water, by more or less discovering the slit m.
The spiral spring g tends to assist this resistance on the oars being moved forward, and
to overcome it on their return-movement, thereby automatically pressing the pistonsk,
and therewith the oars d, back into their original position, there being, as in actual
rowing, no resistance.
The air contained in the front part of the tubes escapes according to requirement
during the forward movement of the pistons through the holes into which a
manometer may be screwed for the purpose of measuring the force to be applied or the
resistance to be overcome.
It is obvious that the ball-and-socket joints c, h and a together with the hinge g¹ or
ring allow of an accurate execution of the movements connected with actual rowing
on the water, while the resistance above referred to, produced by pulling the oars,
serves as a most perfect substitute for the resistance of the water. The apparatus
therefore is most convenient not only for sanitary purposes but also for sportsmen as a
suitable means for practice.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A rowing apparatus consisting of oars d lodged in ball-joints con outriggers b
and connected by displaceable rings e, hinges gl (or rings g²) and ball-bearings with
the rods of the pistons & sliding in the tubes 1, and spiral springs g, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. In the rowing apparatus referred to in Claim 1, the ball-and-socket-joints h (or
the ring as a substitute therefor) connected to the displaceable rings e by means of
a hinge to admit of the feathering of the oars, substantially as illustrated and
described.
3. In the apparatus referred to in Claim 1, the combination of the oars & with piston
rods and pistons & sliding in the air tubes substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4. In the apparatus referred to in Claim 1, the arrangement of the slit m with slide
ring n on the tube substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In the apparatus referred to in Claim 1, the arrangement of the spiral springs y
in the tubes 7, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. In the apparatus referred to in Claim 1, the arrangement of the laterally
displaceable ring e for the adjustment of the leverage, substantially as illustrated and
described.
Dated this 11th day of September 1888