IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GYMNASTIC EXERCISING APPARATUS KNOWN AS 'GIANT STRIDES
Year: 1884

page_text: I FREDERIC WILLIAM GIEBELER of Oxford House, Wilbury Road, West Brighton
in the County of Sussex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GYMNASTIC EXERCISING
APPARATUS KNOWN AS 'GIANT STRIDES'" and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Giant strides have hitherto been generally constructed with a metal upright
fixed to the top of the centre wooden post and with upper and lower wrought iron
collars connected together by bent rods which have eyes to which are attached the
hooks for the usual ropes; the lower collar rests upon a seat on the top of the post
and above the upper collar is a hood fixed to the top of the metal upright by a nut.
The two collars with their connecting rods and suspended ropes are the revolving
parts, all the rest being fixed. Now this construction is weak, it loads to
considerable friction, and it renders it necessary to oil the parts almost daily
because the oil soon escapes.
The object of my Invention is to construct giant strides so that their strength
shall be increased, friction in working them diminished, and necessity for frequent
oiling avoided. For these purposes I construct them as shewn in vertical section
in Figure 1 of the annexed drawings. To the top of the wooden post A. I fix a
ferrule B and a socket C strengthened by ribs D. The socket C receives a steel
spindle E to the upper part of which is fixed a cast iron hood F. To this hood F are
fixed by means of nuts G the hooks H for the ordinary ropes. To the top of the
hood F is fixed a wooden pinnacle I which however, being merely to give a finished
appearance to the apparatus, may be dispensed with. In the socket C is a
chamber K for oil which is supplied through the opening L. It will readily be
seen that a giant stride thus constructed will be very strong, that there will be
very little friction the only rubbing part being the spindle E in the socket C, and
that the oil will seldom require to be renewed as it is not liable to escape from the
chamber K Figure 2 is a plan of the stride. 1 is the steel spindle, 2 the inside of
socket, 3 the outline of the top of hood, 4 the outer circumference of the socket,
5 the outline of the shoulder at top of hood, 6 the outline of the pinnacle, 7 and 8
the inside and outside circumferences of the ferrule, 9 the circumference of the
hood, 10, 10, 10 the strengthening ribs.

page_text: When the giant stride is supported by means of an overhead beam instead of by
a central post I construct it as shown in vertical section in Figure 3. To the
underside of the beam A which has wrought iron supports B I fix the steel
spindle E by means of a screw and nut M. Upon the spindle I place the cast iron
hood F to which the hooks H are fixed as in Figure 1. I support the hood at
bottom by a steel cup N which is screwed on the spindle E and locked by a nut O.
P is a washer between the cup and the nut. K is a chamber for reducing the
frictional contact between the hood and the spindle; it may or may not be supplied
with oil by the opening L. Oil is supplied to the cup N.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. Constructing giant strides substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings.
2. Constructing giant strides substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to Figure 3 of the annexed Drawings.
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