Untitled record

Application filed August 17, 1895, Serial No, 559,576. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Charles A. Idler, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic City, in the county of Atla ntic and State 5 of New Jersey, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Pleasure-Lakes and Sliding-Courses and Conveyers Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to pleasurei o courses for summer and other resorts of a character in which an artificial lake is employed in conjunction with a slide or slides adapted for cars, boats, or similar conveyers, which are arranged so as to be precipitated by gravity 15 into the lake from the slide or slides, and so as to ride the body of water, as it were, by a skip action over the same, and the cars, boats, or other conveyers elevated over the course or courses to the summit of the incline 20 or inclines by suitable lifting mechanism for another trip, furnishing thereby exhilarating amusement for not only the young, but also the old; and in such connection it relates particularly to the general construction and ar25 rangement of the course or courses, whereby those participating in the sport by gravity may be precipitated into and over the body of water from the incline or inclines and returned to the summit of the incline or in30 clines by lifting mechanism without change of conveyer or boats, if desired, for another trip.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a comparatively simple, exhilarating, 35 as well as healthful pleasure-course for summer or other resorts, combining as to the sport somewhat the pleasure incident to tobogganing, as well as boating, and employing gravity in the descent of the appliance along the in40 cline into and over the body of water by skip action and manual or other propulsion of the appliance to the home-point, or for the elevation of said appliance by a lifting mechanism to the summit of the incline for another trip. 45 My invention, stated in general terms, consists of a pleasure-lake and slide-course and conveyers therefor, constructed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which—

Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a pleasure 55 double course and conveyers adapted to be employed in connection therewith embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of that portion of the course adapted by a lifting mechanism to permit of 60 the elevation of cars to the summit of the structure, the lake connected with the course, the ticket-office on one side, and the entrance to the conveyers and exit from the same. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of a single- 65 course structure, showing the lake with its canal near the home-point, the boats or cars in their travel therethrough, as indicated by the arrows, after descent into the said lake by gravity from the incline or chute, and 70 which by manual or other propulsion are adapted to be brought to the home-point through the canal of the lake for elevation again or for the discharge of passengers, and showing also the mechanism for lifting or 75 elevating the boats or cars to the summit of the structure for another trip. Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the structure, showing the incline, a boat or car, and elevating means with its actuating mechanism con- 80 trolled by an engine or other prime mover. Fig. 5 is a top or plan view of the turn-table at the summit of the structure of Figs. 1 and 2 and the actuating mechanism therefor controlled by an engine or other motor. Fig. 6 85 is an end elevational view of a car or boat with its friction rolls or travelers on the respective sides adapted to engage boards of the chutes projecting upward therefrom, the provisions on the bottom for gripping the 90 hooks or sprockets of the cable or chain, and the side-handles for the occupants of the boat or car or similar conveyer. Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of the cable, and in section of the bottom of a car or boat, showing how 95 the hooks or pawls of the cable engage therewith for elevating the same to .the summit of the structure. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a boat or car on the line x x of Fig. 7, showing the gripping device connected 100 with an endless cable for elevating the passenger-conveyer to the summit of the struct2

548,256 ure. Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of an undulating-chute of the structure of either Figs. 1 or 3, and Fig. 10 is a side elevational view in detail of the clutch-operating mech5 anism for controlling the positions of the turn-table.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the stilted inclined superstructure of iron, wood, or other material provided with channeled io undulating chutes a and a', as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 9. These chutes flare, preferably, outward at the base a? in different directions, as illustrated in Fig. 1, into an artificially-formed lake or body of water B, pro15 vided with a surrounding dike or railing b, for example as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 9 of the drawings. On the respective sides of the incline structure A, illustrated in Fig. 1, are endless sprocketed or hook cables G 2o for engaging the bottom of a car, boat or other preferred passenger-conveyer D, so as to permit of the elevation of the same, either loaded or empty, to the summit A' of the inclined structure, whereat is located a rotat25 able turn-table E for conveying each boat, or ear D to the channeled chute a or a’ of the structure A, through which undulating chute the boat or car is precipitated by gravity into and over the body of water or artificial lake 30 B by a skip action without wetting those participating in the sport.

At the base A² of the inclined structure, on one or both sides thereof, is or are arranged ticket-offices F and passage-ways f and 35 leading to and from the boats or cars D. Adjacent to the starting or loading point and between the surrounding wall of the lake or body of water B and located therein is a partition or canal H, through which canal the boats, 40 by an attendant in charge of each, are propelled by means of oars or other means to the discharging-point A³ of the lake or into a position where those participating in the sport, without alighting from the boat or car D, may 45 again make another trip after elevation by the endless hooked or sprocketed cable G to the rotatable turn-table E, whereon and whereby the boat or car is caused to quickly assume such a position as to be permitted to 50 descend by gravity through either the channeled undulating chute a or a' into and over the lake B, and thence by manual propulsion of the attendant in charge to the home-point A⁸ for another trip.

Each boat or car D is provided on the sides with traveler friction-rolls cl and d', contacting with the walls of the channeled chutes a or a', as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. On the bottom of each boat or car D, about the center 60 of the same, is set in a rack or the like d² for engaging the prongs, hooks, or sprockets g of the endless cable G, as fully illustrated in Figs. 4, 7, and 8, so as to permit of the safe elevation of each ear along the inclined struct65 ure A to the summit A' thereof. Each car or boat may be provided with means for preventing retrograde movement thereof in the 1 event of the cable failing through any cause to engage the racks of the car or boat.

I is an engine or other prime mover for aetu- 70 ating the endless cable G by means of pulleys i, mounted on shafts i’ and i², pulleys i³, crossbelts i\ and pulleys i⁵ of the shaft i⁹, which latter is driven by the engine I, and the turntable E, actuated by means of pulleys j and 75 j' and a belt j², under the control of said prime mover I through clutches k and k', fixed and movable on the shaft k², the movable clutch member k' being provided with forked bellcrank levers k³, one of which is provided with 80 an operating-haudle k⁴ for permitting of the intermittent operation, as required, of the turn-table E to transfer each boat or car D as it is elevated to the summit A' of the structure, onto the gravity-chute a or a' for con- 85 ducting the boat or car into the lake B.

It may be here remarked that the arrangement of the pulleys and belts for actuating the endless cable continuously is such as that, by the operation of the clutch hand-lever k³, 90 as above explained, the turn-table E may be manipulated to shift or transfer each of the boats or ears elevated to a gravity course of the structure.

The structure of Fig. 3 differs from that of 95 Fig. 1 in that the latter is a single structure, while the former is a double structure, both as to the gravity descent of the passengerconveyers, as well as to the elevation of the cars or boats to the summit of the structure. 100 It will be manifestly obvious that as to details of the means for elevating the cars, whether by cable or sprocketed conveyers, as well as to the structure of the boats or cars, modifications may be made without departing 105 from the spirit or scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of all the parts of the structure or of the appliances illustrated and hereinbe- no fore explained; but