US464408A - Propelling and steering boats - Google Patents

Description

c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN VESLY WILLIAMS, OF PORTSMOUTH, ASSIGNOR ONE-HALF TO f ALFONSO MERCER, OF BRAMBLETON, VIRGINIA.

PROPELLING AND STEERING-BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 464,408, aerea Deeember I, 1891.

Application tiled April 8, 1891. Serial No. 38v8,132. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN WEsLY WILLIAMS, of Portsmouth, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling and Steering Boats; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to'which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements i-n devices for propelling and steering boats.

The obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved simple, cheap, and durable device which can be applied to any boat and can be easily operated for propelling andsteering the same and which combines in oneapparavtus propelling and steering means.

The further object is to provide a screwpropeller and hand-operating means therefor which can be easily and quickly applied to or detached from a boat.

y These objects are accomplished by, and this invention consists in, certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the stern of a boat having the present invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the driving and steering mechanism. Fig. 3 is an end view of the gearing for continuously rotating the drive-shaft. Fig. 4 is a section of said gearing.

-In the accompanying drawings, @indicates the stern of the boat, having the rudder-post b.

c are the bearings, formed by horizontal eyes, loops, or any other suitable means secured to and projecting horizontally from the outer edge of the rudder-post.

(l indicates the strong straight tubular framel or post, preferably constructed of metal andof the length to extend, preferably, above the rudder-post of the boat, open at its upper and lower ends, and at its upper end 5o provided with bifurcated frame e, comprising two vertical sides, and at its lower end provided with the strong heavy right-angle piece f, extending horizontally and rearwardly from the lower end of the tubular post and then downwardly at or substantially at right angles, and at its lower end provided with horizontal bearing g'. The propeller-shaft 7L is mounted in and projecting through this bearing g, and at its outer end is provided with the suitable screw-propeller t', rigidly mounted thereto, with its hub bearing against outer side of said angle pieceor arm and at its inner end provided with the small beveled pinion j, with itsv hub bearing against inner side of said angle piece or arm. A vertical drive-shaft j extends through and is mounted in the tubular post and on its lower end is providedwith a bevel or gear la, meshing with said beveled pinion on the propeller-shaft, and on its upper end is provided with a beveled pinion Z, located in thelower portion of the bifurcated frame on the upper end ot' the tubular post,

the hubs of the beveled gearing on the opposite ends of said vertical drive-shaft preventing vertical play of said drive-shaft in the tubular post. A horizontal shaft n extends through and is mounted in the bifurcated frame on the upper end of the tubular post and the pair of facing beveled gears o p are in a frame on said horizontal shaft meshing with said beveled pinion on the upper end of the vertical drive-shaft. 'Ihe gears 0 p have rigid with their inner ends ratchet-wheels q r, respectively, having their teeth facing in opposite directions.

The combined operating lever and tiller t is provided with the handle at its outer end e and at its opposite end is loosely mounted on the said horizontal shaft n snugly betweenthe same are oppositely arranged, so that IOO when the operating-lever is swung one pawl will engage and rotate its ratchet wheel, while the other pawl will loosely run over its ratchet-wheel. The ratchet-wheel rotated will rotate its beveled gear, which will rotate the drive-shaft and propeller .in a direction to force the boat forward. When the operating-lever is moved in the opposite direction', the said last-mentioned pawl will rotate its ratchet-wheel and gear in the direction opposite to the other ratchet-wheel and gear, and will thereby continue to rotate the drive-shaft and screw in the same direction, as the two opposite beveled gears are on and engage' oppoF site sides-of the pinion'on the upper end of the drive-shaft and consequently drive it in the same direction. also constitutes the tiller is of sufficient length to extend' into the stern of the boat, so that it can be easily swung up and down or laterally by the person located therein.

The tubular post on the edge opposite the angle-arm supporting the propeller-shaft is provided with suitable journals or hooks w, to enter bearings or eyes on therudder-post, so that these journals can lbe dropped into said horizontal bearings, allowing the tubular post and propeller to swing laterally freely, so as to direct the propeller to any suitable angle, so as to steer the boat. The upper clevi-s of the tubular post is preferably provided with a spring-bolt y, to detachably secure the elevis to the bearing-eye of the rudi der-post. By this means the operating-lever extending above stern of the boat can be swung laterally at any suitable angle while being operated up and down, thereby moving the propeller laterally, so as to steer the boat in the desired direction.

It is obvious that any suitable means can be employed for securing this device to the boat to freely swing laterally, and I do not limit myself to the peculiar hinging or connecting means herein shown, as this is simply the ordinary manner of mounting a` rudder to the rudder-post.

The great utility and extreme simplicity of this invention are obvious. It can be applied easily and quickly to any boat of similar size, and can be easily operated to propel and steer the boat Without the use of the rudder. Of course, any power can be employed to rotate drive-shaft.

The invention can be manufactured and sold separately and applied to any boatand can be easily and quickly detached therefrom, when it is desired to employan ordinary rudder or other propelling means.

It is obvious that various changes might b made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope o'f my inven. tion.

Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the peculiar construction herein set forth; but

What I claim is 1. A propelling mechanism for boats, comprising the tubular post having angle-arm The operating-lever which at its lower end, the short propeller-shaft mounted in said angle-arm, a propeller on one end thereof, the shaft extending through said post having a gear on its lower end meshing with said propeller-shaft gear, a gear on its opposite end, and gearing carried by the upper end of the post to continuously rotate said shaft inl the same direction.

2. In the propelling or steering mechanism, the combination of vertical post provided with means to hinge the same to the stern of a boat, the horizontal propeller-shaft supported from the lower end of said post, a driveshaft extending through the post, gearing conv necti-ng said drive-shaft and propeller-shaft, the opposite beveled gears in the frame at the upper end of said post engaging opposite sides to said shaft-gearing, said beveled gears provided with the opposite ratchetz-wheels', and

Athe lever having opposite" pawls tol engage said opposite ratchet-wheels and thereby rotate said beveled gears in opposite directions and continuously rotate. the drivess'haft in the same direction.'

3. The combination, with the boat, of the propelli'ngand steering mechanism hinged to the stern thereof and comprising a vertical drive-shaft and support therefor hinged tothe boat, the propeller'and its shaft' carried by said support7 and pawl-and-ratchet mechanism carri'ed by the upper end of said support to continuously rot-ate said drive-shaft in the same direction, and a lever extending from the stern of the boat to operate said p'awl-andratchet mechanism and to control the lateral swing of the propelling and steeringmec'hanism. l

4. A propelling andV steering device consisting of the vertical tubularV post provided with exterior means for mountingV such post to swing laterally at the stern of a boat, thehori'- zontal' propeller-shaft mounted at and` carried by the lower end of such post and provided with theprlopeller, the vertical; shaft extending through and mounted in such post-, gearing connecting such vertical shaft' and the propeller-shaft, gearing carried by the upper end of such post to rotate such shaft, and

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and actuate the gearing, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the vertical tubular post,

means for hinging theA same to a boat, theshort horizontal propeller-shaft carriedy by lower end of said post and provided with propeller, the vertical shaft extending through and carried by suchpost and connected by gearing to rotate the propeller shaft, the swinging lever extending laterally from and carried by the upper end of such post, and gearing connectingr said lever and vertical shaft and arranged to rotate said shaft by thevertical swing of such lever, the angle of the propeller being directed by the lateral swing of such lever, substantially as described.

6. In combination, a boat, the vertical tubular post having lateral journals removably vmounted at the stern of the boat, so that said In testimony that I claim the foregoing as post can swing horizont-ally, the propeller and. my own I aix my signature in presence of two its shaft carried by lower end of post, the Witnesses.

shaft extending through post and geared to J Ol-IN WESLY WILLIAMS. i 5 rotate propeller, and the lever carried by up- Witnesses: Y

per end of post to swing the same horizontally JNO. W. IIAPPER,

and geared to rotate said shaft. G. F. EDWARDS.

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