US740206A - Pleasure-seeking or merrymaking device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 29', 190s'.

J. E. VoEI-s. PLEASURE SEEKINE 0E MEEEYMAKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILEDYDBG. 3,1902.

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PLEASURE SEEKING 0R MBRRMAKING DEVICE.

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Patented September 29, 1903.-

'PATENT OFFICE.

lTAMIS P. VORIS, OF ASTORIA, NEW YORK.

PLEASURE-SEEKING OR MERRYMAKING DEVICE.

SYECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 740,206, dated September 29, 1903.

Application tiled leceniber 3, 1902. Serial No. 133,655. (No model.)

To LZ-Z whom) it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. VoRIs, acitizen of the United States, residing at Astoria, Long Island, in, the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure- Seeking or Merrymaking Devices; land Ido hereby declare the following to' be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

lsuch as 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 numerals ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention novel arrangement and construction of pleasure-seeking or merrymaking device in the form ofa marine merry-go-round, comprising a tank containing water in representation of a lake, a railway-track on which run a series of trucks provided with bodies in the form of boats or other floating objects, the said trucks and the bodies supported thereon being propelled or drawn through the Water by means of a motor car or cars.

The invention has for its principal objects to provide a novel pleasure-seeking or nierrymaking device of the character hereinafter more particularly set forth; and this invention has for its further object to provide a novel marine merry-go-round in whichv the floats or boats adapted to carry passengers are safely supported upon railwaytrucks, and although the oats or boats to,

all appearances are floating upon the surface of the water there is no possible danger of upsetting and throwing the passengers in to the water. Y

Other objects of the present invention willv be clearly evident from the following detailed description of my invention. Y

W'ith the various objects ofthis inventio l in view the invention consists, primarily, in;

scribed in the following specification and has reference to af then nally embodied in the clauses of the claim which form a part of and are appended to thel present specification. Y The invention is clearly illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan View of a pleasure-seek- -ing or inerrymaking device embodying the principles of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalV section taken centrally Athrough the said device, the said section being made on an enlarged scale. Fig. -1 is a detail view of a portion of a platform and a number of gang-planks pivotally connected With saidplatform, the said view illustrating i in connection therewith one form of mechanism for raising and lowering at one andthe saine time anuinber of the said gang-planks. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse vertical section of a portion of the said platform and an end Y ,of one of the trucks and the body supported on saidtruck. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section of one formel motor-car ememployed with the present invention, and Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical sect-ion of the said motor-car.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the said hereinabove-described views to indicate corresponding parts.

In the said drawings the reference character l indicates the complete pleasure-seeking vor merrymaking device, the same comprising a platform 2, preferably circular in configuration', as herein shown, the said platform 'surrounding an artificial lake 3 and being provided with an inner 'railing 4 and an outer railing 5, both railings being of any desired construction and of any desirable heights. The said device 1 may be provided with a suitably-constructed ticket-selling station 6, and in the railing 5 there may be an entrance 7 and an exit 8. At suitable intervals the in- Fig. l0 is a detail view of A one end of a link connection between two cars.

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ner railing 4 is provided with openings, as 9, side rails 10 extending from the railing 4 directly above the surface of the water, said rails 10 being connected with vertical posts 11, as illustrated more particularly in Figs. 5

and 6, and each pair of posts 11 being connected by means of a supporting rail or rod 12. Pivotally connected with theinner edge of the platform 2 by means of suitable hinges 13 or any other known pivotal connection and at each opening 9 is a suitably-constructed gang-plank 14.v When the said gang-planks are lowered in the manner indicatedin Figs. 5 and 6, then each gang-plank rests directly upon the properly-placed supporting rail or rod 12, as illustrated. Suitable posts 15 and 16 may also be provided, these post-s carrying a roof or other covering 17. In order that all the gang-planks 14 may be raised at the same time to cause them to stand in their vertical positions, whereby the openings 9 in the inner railing 4 are closed, orto simultaneously lower all the gang-planks, each gang-plank may be provided with an eye 18 and a flexible connection 19, which passes over suitablyarranged grooved wheels 20, 21, and 22, suitably secured to the framework of the roof 17 and around a windlass 23, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 4. Thus by producing an unwinding action of said windlass all of the said gang-planks or any number of them, according to the number of windlasses employed, can be lowered, and by operating the windlass or windlasses in the opposite manner the gang-planks can be raised, as will be clearly evident. Of course it will be linderstood that the system of grooved wheels and flexible connections illustrated in said Fig. 4 is merely one arrangement of mechanism for operating the gang-planks, and any other system and arrangement of such devices or other mechanism may be employed which will serve the same purpose. Referring now to Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, it will beclearly seen that the lake 3 is formed by means o f a concrete or other suitably-constructed foundation 24, having an outer raised portion 25, on which the platform 2 is placed, and being preferably provided with a centrally-disposed raised portion 26. The cross-section of the said foundation 24 is preferably that represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and the depression formed is very shallow, so that the water .will not be very deep, thereby avoiding against any possible accident from drowning; but the said depression may be of suitable cross-section, as will be clearly evident. The depression in the said foundation 24 is filled with the water which forms the lake 3 from a suitable supply-pipe 27, having a shut-off valve 28,-and 29 is a waste-pipe, which is provided with a shutod 30 for drawing off the water when necessary. An overliow 31, connected with the said waste-pipe 29, maintains a constant level of the water. The centrally-arranged raised portion 26 maybe provided with -a pavilion the surface of the water.

32 and an organ 33, and a water-pipe 34 may lead to the roof of the pavilion. to provide a fountain, as illustrated in said Fig. 3, all ofY which greatly enhances the beauty of the device and adds to the pleasure of the passengers in the cars. Within said depression of the foundation 24 and at any desired distance from the inner marginal edgel of the raised portion 25 and the platform 2 thereon are railway-rails 35 and an intermediately-placed toothed rail 36, `substantially as illustrated. Suitably-constructed trucks or cars 37 are placed upon these rails 35, each truck being provided with a suitably-constructedA and ornamental body 38 in the formof a boat or other shape provided with seats 39. The said trucks 37 are coupled together by means of links 40, as indicated in the dotted `outline in Fig. 1, each link having an eye portion 40', by means of which it is pivotally connected with a pin or bolt 40" to the bottom of each car-body, as more particularly illustrated'in Figs. 8 and 1() of the drawings. One of the said trucks 37, as will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 8 and 9, is provided with a body 41, having an opening 42 and a surrounding boxlike device 43, in which is rotatively arranged a gearv 44. This gear 44 extends down through the said opening 42 in said body 41, and its gear-teeth are in mesh with the teeth of the said rail 36, as shown. A prirnemover 45, provided with a pinion 46, in mesh with the said gear 44, is placed in said body 41 for causing a rotary movement of said gear 44 and by this means the propulsion of all the trucks or cars 37 upon the rails 35, whereby all the bodies 38 and the body 41 have the appearance of doats riding upon The prime mover in the present case is an electric motor; but any other motive power may be used, if desired. When an electric motor is to be used,

vas in the present instance, then a pair of .a second pole 5l and a trolley52 into the other conductor 48, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. I

From an inspection of Fig. 1 it will be seen that the number of trucks and their bodies, whether for passengers or for one or more motor-cars, correspond to the n umher of openings 9 in the inner railing 4 and the movement of the motor-car in stopping can be easily controlled, so that when the trucks and their bodies are not in motion each truck and its body will remain directly in front of an opening 9. The gang-planks then being lowered in the manner hereinabove set forth passengers can safely pass into or from the said ioat-like bodies, as will be understood. When the gang-planks have been raised and the trucks and their bodies have been set in IOO motion, then all the openings 9 in the railing 4 are closed to prevent accidents by falling from the platform 2 into the water, and the 4cars beingasucient distance from the posts simple and effective contrivance for provid` ing pleasure to both old and young, and each body which is adapted to carry passengers being securely connected with its truck or car there will be no danger of upsetting the passengers into the Water, and to all intents and purposes the pleasures of sailing or floating upon the Water are obtained. The `cars may be variously ornamented and decorated and may be variously formed to represent diderent classesof boats or other objects.

I am fully aware that many changes may be made in the general arrangement of the devices and `in the combinations of their parts, as Well as in the details of the coustruction thereof, Without departing from the scope of the present invention. Hence I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements of the devices and the combinations of the parts as described in the foregoing rspecification and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, nor do I confinel myself to the exact details of the construction of any of the said parts. Having thus described my invention, what I claim is i 1. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain Water torepresent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided With openings, a gang-plank at each opening connected with the platformso that said openings Ain the railing may be opened andclosed, railway-rails beneath the Water,

trucks on said railsand a float-like body on each truck having the appearance of oating upon the surface ofthe water, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a pleasure-seeking and merry-making device, a foundationadapted to contain Water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each f opening connected with the platform so ,that said openings in the railing may be opened and closed, railwaywails beneaththe Water, trucks on said rails, a float-likebody on each truck having the appearance of floating upon the surface of the Water, a link connection between the said trucks and their bodies, and a motor-car for propelling said trucks, substantially as and for the purposes'set forth.

3. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain Water to represent a lake, aplatform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, aV gan g-plank at each .opening connected with the 'platform so that said openings in the railing may be opened and closed, railway-rails beneath the water, and a motor-car running on said rails, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

1.1.. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railingon said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening connected with the platform so that said openings in the railing may be opened and closed, railway-rails beneath the Water, a motor-car running on said rails, and other cars on said rails, all drawn by the said motor-car, said cars being provided with floatlike bodies having the appearance of oating upon the surface of the Water, substantially as and` for the purposes set forth. 5. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain Water to represent a lake, a platform surround.

Ving the said lake, a railing on said platform .provided with openings, a gang-plank at each tween said` other rails, a motor-car runningV on said rails, a motor in said car, and ay gear-y Wheel in said car driven from said motor, said -ter torepresent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing Von said platform provided With openings, a gang-plank at each and closed, railwaywails beneath the Water,

an intermediately-placed toothed rail between said other rails, a motor-car running on said rails, a motor in said car, and a gear-Wheel in said car driven from said motor, said gearwheel being in mesh with the teeth of said' toothed'rail, and other cars running on said rails, said cars being provided with float-like bodies having the appearance oflioating upon IOC device, a foundation adapted to contain Wa- .Opening connected with the platform so that said openingsin the railing may be opened IIO the surface of the Water, substantially as and Y for the purposes set forth.

7 In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, afoundation adapted to contain wa.

ter to represent a lake, a platform surroundl i ing the said lake, a railing on said platform Y.

provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening pivotally connected with said platform, means for simultaneously raising and lowering all of the said gang-planks to simul' taneously close and open all the openings in said railing, railway-rails beneath the Water, trucks on said rails, and a iioat-like body on -each truck having the appearance of floating -uponthe surface of the Watensubstantially Aas and for the purposes set forth,v

8. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device,afoundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening pivotally connected with said platform, means for simultaneously raising and lowering all of the said gang-planks to simultaneously close and open all the openings in said railing, railway-rails beneath the water, trucks on said rails, a iioat-like body on each truck having the appearance of oating upon the surface of the water, a link connection between the said trucks and their bodies, and a motor-car for propelling said trucks and their bodies, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, afoundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening pivotally connected with said platform, means for simultaneously raising and lowering all of the said gang-planks to sim ultaneously close and open all the openings in said railing, railway-rails beneath the water, and a motor-car running on said rails, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

l0. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening pivotally connected with said platform, means for simultaneously raising and lowering all of the said gang-planks to simultaneously close and open all the openings in said railing, railway-rails beneath the water, a motor-car running on said rails, and other cars on said rails, all drawn by the said Y motor-car, said oars being provided with iioatter, and an intermediately-placed toothed rail.

between said other rails, a motor-car running on said rails,a motor in said car, and a gearwheel in said car driven from said motor, said gear-wheel being in mesh with the teeth of said toothed rail, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

12. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymak-- ing device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with openings, a gang-plank at each opening pivotally connected with said platform, means for simultaneously raising and lowering all the said gang-planks to simultaneously close and open all the openings in said railing, railway-rails beneath the water, an intermediately placed toothed rail lbetween said other rails, a motor-car running on said rails, a motor in said car, and a gearwheel in said car driven from said motor, said gear-wheel being in mesh with the teeth of said toothed rail, and other cars running on said rails, said cars being provided with floatlike bodies having the appearance of oating upon the surface of the water, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

13. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a circular platform surrounding the said lake, and a railing on said platform provided with aseries of openings, and a gang-plank at each opening and each gang-plank being pivotally connected with the platform, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

14. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a circular platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with a series of openings, a gang-plank at each opening and each gangplank being pivotally connected with the platform, and means for simultaneously operating all the said gang-planks at one time, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

15. In a pleasure-seeking and merrymaking device, a foundation adapted to contain water to represent a lake, a circular platform surrounding the said lake, a railing on said platform provided with a series of openings, side rails l0 at each opening, posts l1 with which said rails 10 'are connected, a supporting-rail between said posts ll, and a gangplank at each opening pivotally connected with the platform and adapted to rest upon said supporting-rail, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of November, 1902.

JAMES P. VORIS. Witnesses:

CHARLES G. DAVIS, JAMES KILLooH.

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