A New or Improved Water Roundabout.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 23th Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Water Roundabout.
I, RICHARD HAYWARD WOODCOCK, Junior, of the Millbrook Boat Yard,
Millbrook in the County of Hants, Boatbuilder, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to water roundabouts.
The main object of my said invention is to provide a simple roundabout for use
on rivers, lakes, and the like pieces of water.
In making a roundabout according to one form or modification of my invention
I provide a drum and mount same at its longitudinal centre upon a vertical axle
or spindle around which the drum is free to revolve horizontally.
To the bottom of the drum I attach three or more antifriction wheels or rollers
upon which the drum revolves, the rollers travelling upon a path formed upon a
fixed platform to which the vertical spindle is attached, radial arms formed of
rods or bars of any desired convenient, and equal length, are attached to the top
or sides of the drum by hinge joints, and to the outer end of these arms I attach,
-directly, or indirectly,-boats, corresponding in number to the radial arms. I
may sometimes attach the boats to each other by rods extending from the stern
of one boat to the bow of another and attach the outer ends of the radial arms
to the aforesaid connecting rods at, or about the centre of same, or I may attach
the outer end of each radial arm direct to a boat at or about the centre of the
length of the latter and still connect the boats together by means of rods or chains
if desired.
When making and fitting my apparatus according to the herein before described
methods the drum will always remain on its spindle at the same vertical height
and revolve upon its wheels on the platform around the vertical spindle and the
radial arms will adjust themselves to the varied line of flotation of the boats, due
to any rise or fall of the water, the arms hinging at the joint where attached to
the drum. Or I may sometimes arrange for the platform, upon which the drum
revolves upon its wheels, to be formed of a watertight tank, or vessel which will
rise and fall vertically with the water, the lower part of spindle upon which the
drum revolves may in this case pass through the tank and be driven into the bed
of the lake or river, or be otherwise firmly secured in place, and the tank
although free to rise or fall with the water will be prevented by a suitable
arrangement from turning upon the spindle.
According to another form or modification of my invention I may arrange for
the drum to be made hollow and water-tight and to rise and fall with the water
upon the spindle, in which arrangement it will not be necessary to provide wheels,
or a platform for the drum to revolve upon, the drum being water-tight and water-
borne simply revolves around its spindle. The boats are supplied with oars, and
following upon the occupants rowing, the apparatus is made to revolve at a greater
or less speed in proportion to the power exerted or the revolving mction of the
apparatus and consequent circular travel of the boats around a common central
axis may be effected wholly or partially by mechanical means, such, for instance,
by a screw propeller or by paddle wheels fitted in one or more of the boats and
driven by manual, steam, or other power.
Various modifications may be made in the details of the apparatus without
departing from the distinctive character of the invention.

page_text: The apparatus is more particularly adapted for still or enclosed waters and
like situations where the water is comparatively smooth, it may however be used
in tidal waters.
Dated this 26th day of May 1893.
HERBERT P. BLAKE, M.I.N.A.,
70, High Street, Southampton, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Water Roundabout.
I, RICHARD HAYWARD WOODCOCK, Junior, of the Millbrook Boat Yard,
Millbrook, in the County of Hants, Boatbuilder, 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:-
My invention relates to water roundabouts.
The main object of my said invention is to provide a simple roundabout for use
on rivers, lakes, and the like pieces of water.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation taken on the line a, a, of a water roundabout
constructed according to one form or modification of my invention.
Fig. 2. is a plan view of same on top of Fig. 1.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A. is a drum or cylinder and B, a fixed platform, all constructed of any suitable
material, the drum A, is mounted on a vertical spindle C, suitably secured at the
bottom to the top of the platform B, the said spindle passes through the centre of
the drum, and the latter is free to revolve around the spindle; to the bottom of
the said drum I attach three or more anti-friction wheels or rollers C¹, C¹, upon
which the drum revolves, the rollers travelling upon a path formed, or fixed upon
the top of the platform B; D, D, are radial arms of equal length which are
attached at one end to the top or side of the drum by hinge joints G, G, and to the
outer ends of these arms I attach-directly or indirectly- boats E, E, corresponding
in number to the radial arms. I have shewn in the drawings four arins, and boats
but any convenient number of same may be provided.
I attach the boats to each other by means of rods F, F, or their equivalent,
extending from the stern of one boat to the bow of another, and I may attach the
outer ends of the radial arms to the connecting rods F, F, at, or about the centre
of their length, or to the boats at or about the centre of the length of same, in
either case the attachment will be in the form of a hinge joint G¹, G¹, and the
boats will be connected together by the rods F, F, or their equivalent.
When making and fitting my apparatus, according to the herein before described
methods, the drum A, will always remain on its spindle C, at the same vertical
height and revolve upon the wheels C₁, C', on the platform B, around the spindle
and the radial arms will adjust themselves to the varying line of flotation of the
boats due to any slight rise and fall of the water, the arms hinging at their
joints G, G¹.
Various modifications may be made in the details of my invention without
departing from the distinctive character of same, for instance, when the rise and
fall of the water is considerable I may arrange for the platform, upon which the
drum revolves upon its wheels C¹, C', to be formed of a water-tight tank or vessel
which will rise and fall vertically with the water and boats, in which case the lower
part of spindle upon which the drum revolves will pass through the tank at its
vertical centre, a water-tight opening being provided in same to take the spindle,
the latter will be driven into the bed of the lake or river, or be otherwise secured
in place and the said tank although free to rise and fall with the water will be

page_text: prevented by suitable means from turning upon its spindle. In this arrangement
the drum A, will revolve upon the top of the tank around the upper part of
spindle and the other parts of the apparatus will be fitted and work in similar
manner as herein before first described; according to another form or modification
of my invention I may sometimes arrange for the drum A, to be made hollow and
water-tight and to rise and fall with the water upon a fixed spindle, in this arrange-
ment it will not be necessary to provide wheels or a platform for the drum to
revolve upon, the latter being water-tight and water-borne will simply revolve
around its spindle with the boats.
The action of the whole is as follows:-
The boats are supplied with oars and upon the occupants rowing, the roundabout
notion of the drum and boats follows. It is obvious however that the roundabout
motion may be effected wholly or partially by mechanical means such for instance
by a screw propeller or by paddle wheels-fitted on one or more of the boats-
driven by manual, steam or other power; or the boats may be made to revolve by
means of rotating the drum by mechanical means actuated by manual, steam or
other power.
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 :-
A new or improved water roundabout, comprising a series of boats E, E,
attached to each other and directly or indirectly-by radial arms D, D, to a
drum A, which is free to revolve with the boats in manner substantially as herein-
before described and with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the other
devices comprised in my invention all arranged, constructed, and combined, and
operating as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1894.
RICHARD HAYWARD WOODCOCK, JUNIOR.
Herbert P. Blake, M.I.N.A.,
70, High Street, Southampton, Agent for the Applicant.