US1363078A - Propelling means for boats - Google Patents

Description

A. R. BAUER.

PROPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS.

l APPLICAUON FILED JUNE 2. 1919.

Patented Deo. 21, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@wwwa/Joao A Maga @Mm/nag A. R. BAUER.

PRUPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 19l9.

1,363,078. y Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A.-R. BAUER.

PROPELLING MEANS FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1919.

1 3 6 3,078 Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WMM/won @o A maww- UNITED STATES ASHER R. BAUER, 0F ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROPELLING- MEANS BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Intent-ed Dec. 2i, 1926.

Application filed June 2, 1919. Serial No. 301,274.A

To all whom fi't may concern.'

Be it known that I, Asi-inn R. BAUER, a citizen of the United States7 residing at Allentown, in the county of Lehigh and State' oi Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Propelling Means for Boats, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to electric propulsion of canal boats and the principal object of the invention relates to means for connecting the motor on the boat with the contact means which is carried by a track located along the canal and which acts as conductor.

The invention also relates to the details of construction of the said contact means and to the means for connecting the flexible connection from the boat to the above mentioned means with said boat.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be -had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing the complete invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the boat;

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the contact carriage;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of said carriage;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of the cable-supporting pole and its swivel;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the winch and the means for holding the same against movement;

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail showing one of the supporting uprights for the pole and the manner of mounting it on the deck of the boat.

In these views 1 indicates the boat which is provided with a propeller 2 and a motor 3 for driving the same. The cable t for carrying the circuit wires passes through an opening in the deck and over a winch 5 which is mounted on the deck. 'Ihe cable is secured to the said winch so that it may be wound thereon or unwound therefrom, as desired. A crank 6 of the winch may be held against movement by the latch member i 7. From the winch the cable passes through a hollow pole 8 and this pole has its lower end pivoted in a U-shaped bracket 9 which is swiveled to V'the deck by the bolt l0. rihe upper end of the pole carries a pulley 11 with which the cable engages to prevent friction between the cable and said pole. A track 12 is erected along the tow path or the side or the canal and this track consists of the upright posts 13 andthe upper and lower rails la carried by said post. These rails also actas conductors for the current. A carriage or contact member 14 is arranged to travel along the track. Said carriage consists of an insulated block 15 having curved recesses 16 in its corners in which are located the grooved wheels 17. The axles oi' these wheels are carried by the longitudinally-eatending metal ystrips 18l which are arranged in pairs at the upper and lower edges of the block and are suitably secured thereto. As will be seen, the upper pair of wheels engages the upper rail while the lower pair engages the lower rail.E

Ears 19 project outwardly from the strips on one side of the carriage and these ears are provided with the holes 20 which are adapted to be engaged by the pins 21. 'Ihese pins are each provided with an insulatedl handle 22 and each pin is connected with one or" the circuit wires leading to the boat. A spring 23 is secured to the strips carrying the ears and said springs are adapted to engage with the pins to hold said pins in the holes 20. lThe end of the cable l is secured to a hook 24 which is adapted to engage an eye bolt 25, one of which is located at each end of the carriage. The circuit wires lead from the end of the cable to the pins. By this means the hook 24 may be engaged with either of the eye bolts without interfering with the connection of the wires with the pins or necessitating the removal of the pins in making the change from one eye bolt to the other. Also when the boat is in operation and the carriage is being pulled along by the cable, the strain will be placed entirely upon the cable and not on the wires.

I provide means for supporting the post when the boat is in operation and such means consists of an upright 26, the upper end of which is forked to receive the post and its lower end is provided with a pin 27 which engages with any one ofi a number of sockets 28 which are arranged around the edges of the deck so that the upright may be placed in any desired position to prop- Y erly support the post.

It will thus be seen that the current will pass from one rail through the rollers and the strips of the carriage to one pin along one Wire to the motor and return through the otherwire, the second pin and the other strips and rollers to the other rail. As the boat travels along, the carriage Will be pulled along the track by the cable and the distance apart of the boat and carriage may be adjusted by means of the Winch taking up the slack in the cable or letting it out.

I may provideV a track on each side of the canal for boats going in opposite directions, or, ir desired, a single track may be used and when one boat meets another they may exchange carriages by removing the pins and hook from one carriage and placing them on the other, and proceed in different directions.

What I claim is trolley system for canal boats comprising a pair of conductor members, a distributer frame mounted on said members and consisting of a block of insulated material, metal strips connected with said block, wheels carried by said strips and engaging the conducting member, brackets secured to the strips, pins removably engaging said brackets, means for electrically connecting the pins With the actuating means of the boat and means for towing the block by the boat.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ASHER R. BAUER.

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