US17192A - Improvement in boats for duck-shooting - Google Patents

Description

, low floating 4d] 'UNITEII) STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBER'I BoGLE, or Rooky HALL, MARYLAND.

IHVIPROVEMENT IN BOATS FOR' DUCK-SHOOTING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 17,192, dated May 5, 1857.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT BoGLE, of Rock Hall, in 'the county of Kent and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Deep-SunkenBats or Batteries for Trailing and Shooting Ducks and other Water-Fowls; and I do hereby dec lare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a y part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of the boat or 4battery as fitted for use. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the same; vertical cross-section, partially broken away.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several figures, denote like parts of the contrivance in all Aof them.

The nature of my invention relates to a boat or battery for trailing and shooting duck and other water-fowl, in which the gunner is secreted, as well as the boat, and protectedV from the surrounding water, while he can propel the boat toward the game by his feet and legs 'protruding through the bottom thereof into gum-elastic or other ilexi ble water-proof leggins, as will be explained.

Io enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents a hull of a boat, of suicient buoyancy to float with the gunner and his equipments. 0n top of this hull is fixed a platform, B, which is about flush with the top of thepboat and iioats on thesurface of the water, and may be painted to imitate the color thereof, and on this platform may be arranged the decoys C C C C, which are made to represent the particular water-fowl which is being hunted or trailed for. Tear the stern of the hull A are made two openings through the bottom of said hull, to the under side of which are fastened, so as to make.

water-tight joints, leggins D D, into which the gunner places his legs and feet, while his body is in an inclined though comfortable posture within the hull, as seen in Fig. 2.

Over the top of the hull A is placed or stretched a piece of rubber or other waterproof cloth, a,having an opening-longitudiand Fig. 3 represents al` nally through its center, and underneath the cloth a and the opening in it a second piecek of similar water-proof material, c, which shields theopeni'ng in the upper covering, a, so that the user from the inside, when he de sires to see his progress toward the game, can push the inner cloth to one side and raise his head through the opening in the upper one. When he withdraws his head, the elasticity of the cloth causes it to return and again close up the opening, and thus no water can enter the hull. Around the gunwale of the boat or hull A, and on the platform B, close thereto, may be laid and fastened a strip of lead, e, which serves as ballast and also as a drip-piece to break and turn backany water that may flow over said platform; but it is found in practice that the platform will rise with the wave or ripple of the water, so thatv very little of it passes on or over said platform.A If found desirable, an air buoy or chamber may be placed under the platform and around the 'top of the hull, so that the depth at which the battery shall float when in use may be regulated at pleasure.

The gunner may propel the boat toward the game by his feet alone, or, as a simple and cheap` arrangement of auxiliary propeller, two paddles or blades, E E, may be suspended from the bottom of the boat by rods or chains f f, and to these rods may be connected a 'stirrup, z', through which the feet may pass and rest on an arm or projection, fn, on the blades, so that said blades may be worked by the feet. Other propelling-instruments may be used and worked by the feet through a treadle; but these would involve some permanent fixtures underneath they boat, which would prevent its free use in shallow Water. I do not therefore specify any particular form or manner of propulsion other than by the legs and feet of the gunner protruding through the bottom of the boat and into leggins secured to the boat and over said openings to keep out the water.y I

As additional security against the waves, and in more exposed positions, wings may be hinged to the sides and ends of the platform, made of light material which will float on the water and, rising them from flowing onto or over the platform; and to carry olf any Water that may flow over,

with the Waves, prevent mannegfhvereivn u l Having thus' fully described `the natue 'and object of my 4invention,wh'afjs I claim therein v i v 1 as nemend desiretnseeureby LettersPatent, Witnesses: l v A v if1` ,THos.H.-UPP1;RMAN,

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