Amusement apparatus.

Application filed January 18,1905. Serial No. 241,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Adam A. Welsh, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia 5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Objects of the present invention are to provide an amusement apparatus which shall be io comparatively inexpensive in construction and operation, yet capable of affording varied, attractive, and safe pleasure to its patrons; to combine in one device the pleasures of riding in the same boats or conveyances upon a 15 course or track and upon a waterway in such manner that undue splashing upon entering the water is avoided, while at the same time the boats or conveyances may be adjustably guided into the water.

To these and other ends hereinafter set forth the invention, stated in general terms, comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features, and 25 scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which—

Figure 1 is a top or plan view illustrating 30 apparatus embodying features of the invention. Fig. 2 is an elevational view illustrating the portion of the apparatus where the boats are transferred from the water to the inclined way. Fig. 3 is an elevational view 35 illustrating means for properly guiding the boats into the water. Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the forebay where the boats are delivered into the water. Fig. 5 illustrates in elevation and cross-section a safety 40 device, and Fig. 6 comprises side and front views of means for connecting the boats and conveyers.

In the drawings, 1 is a canal of generally U shape. It is arranged horizontally and con45 structed either above or below the level of the ground. It is adapted for boats to pass through it, and the boats are propelled by water which runs through the canal. The ends of the canal are connected together by a cond uit or flume 2, 50 in which there is interposed a pump 3, shown as of the centrifugal variety.

is a branch conduit which leads from the pump to the canal.

The pump 3 operates to produce a circula55 tion of water through the canal or waterway and through the conduits 2 and 4. The conduit 2 may be of any requisite cross-section and may, if desired, be covered, which is obviously advantageous.

is a U-shaped track or way mounted upon 60 suitable trestles and arranged so as to be somewhat inclined in order that the boats and conveyances may traverse it under the influence of gravity.

The ends of the U-shaped track and of the 05 U-shaped canal are alined with each other, and between their abutting ends there is.interposed an elevator or lift 6 and a declivity, so that boats or conveyances traverse the canal, for example, in the direction indicated 70 by the arrows. They are then engaged by an endless elevating-chain 8, which withdraws them at the proper speed from the canal and delivers them to the elevating-chain 9, which in its turn delivers them to the track or way 75 at the top of the trestles. Here the boats or conveyances, which are provided with appropriate wheels, traverse the track or way and descend the chute or declivity 7, again reaching the canal 1. However, at the end of the 80 declivity 7 there is an adjustable guide shown as a tongue 10, hinged at 11 and having its free end supported by an adjusting-screw 12, so that the free end of the tongue may be more or less elevated according, for example, 85 to the depth of the water in the canal and in this way caused to operate to properly deliver the boats or conveyances into the water.

The portion of the canal adjacent the foot of the declivity constitutes a forebay 13, con- 9⁰structed by outwardly inclining the walls of the canal, so that the splash which occurs when the boats alight upon the water escapes by reason of the inclined walls, and all danger of wetting the passengers is thus obviated. 95 14 is a motor shown as geared to a countershaft 15 having sprocket-and-chain connection with the shaft 16, which carries one of the sprocket-wheels that appertains to the elevator cable or chain 9. The shaft 17 is provided 100 with a sprocket-wheel that appertains to the elevator-chain 9 and also with the sprocketwheel that appertains to the elevator-chain 8. The number of teeth upon these sprocketwheels may be so arranged as to drive the 105 chains 8 and 9 at the same or at appropriately different speeds.

represents connections for driving the pump 3.

The catches 19, pivoted, as at 20, and ar- 110

801,945 ranged at appropriate intervals along the elevator by turning serve to permit the boats to ascend, but prevent their descent.

represents claws pivoted, as at 22, and 5 secured to the bottoms of the boats.

represents abutments which prevent the claws, from turning except in one direction.

is a cable or the like provided with projections 25. The cable takes into the space 26 io in the claws and the projections 25 cause the cable to draw the boats along with it up the incline. After the boats leave the cables the claws .21 are capable of turning toward the right in Fig. 6 away from the abutment 23.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modifications may be made in details without departing from the spirit thereof. Hence the invention is not limited further than the prior 20 state of the art may require; but,