122 FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



APPARATUS ACCESSORY TO RIGGING FISHING VESSELS. 



Rowlocks — Continued. 



9. A pair of tlieso oars weigh about 5 pounds more tlian the oars, but 

 this additional weight has this advantage, that at the beginning and end 

 of the strolve it helps to lower and raise the blade owing to the peculiar 

 position of the oar. 



10. When these oars are detached from the boat, no wood or iron pro- 

 jections are left on the wale of the boat, as in ordinary rowing-gear, and 

 thus a serious inconvenience is obviated. 



These oars can be attached to and detached from the boat very quickly, 

 and they can be closed up in a couveniet form for carrying. 



These several advantages, viz, the front vietc, the increased ease and 

 speed in rowing, the raising of the bow instead of dejiressing it, the closing 

 up of the oar out of the way while on the boat, the increased facility in 

 avoiding obstacles, the diminished eifort of hand and eyes in steering, 

 the rowing without noise, the better balance and swing of the oars, have 

 commended this new gear to all who have tried it. 



This gear can Ije attached to ahnost any boat, and is especially adapted 

 to hunting, fishing, and all kinds of pleasure boating." 



"Almost any one (even if he has never rowed a boat) with an hour's 



practice can use these front view oars well ; it being much easier to learn 



to use a pair of these oars than a pair of the back view oars." (William 



Lyman.) 



28292. Frederick D. Graves's improved noiseless rowlock. Fred. D. Graves, 



Boston, Mas 3. 



"The object of this invention is to improve the construction and opera- 

 tion of the class of rowlocks in such manner as, first, to insure the proper 

 inclination of the blade of the oar, and prevent the liability of its catch- 

 ing the Avater when feathering in recovering, as well as to insure the 

 prosier i»osition of the blade of the oar when making the stroke ; secondly, 

 to enable the outer end of the oar to be raised when it is being feathered, 

 in order to prevent its contact with the water in rough weather. My 

 improved rowlock, which is composed of an inclosing ring located on a 

 pintle, and an inner ring inclosed by the ring and adapted to be partially 

 rotated therein ; the inside of the inclosing ring is provided with a groove, 

 which extends almost around it, its continuity being broken only by a 

 stop. The pintle of the rowlock is inserted in a socket attached to the 

 gunwale of the l»oat, the pintles and rowlock being adapted to turn freely 

 in the socket. From tlie foregoing it will readily be seen that an oar 

 pivoted in the inner ring is; adapted to be partially rotated, in addition to 

 its oscillating movements, so that when its stroke is comydeted it can be 

 turne<l, so as to feather the blade in the recover stroke. The stop and 

 shoulders of the inner ring are arranged in such uiutiuil relation that the 

 shoulder abuts against the stop, in feathering the oar, before the blade be- 

 comes horizontal in cross-section, so that the cross-section of the oar is 

 unecessarily inclined downward from its forward to its rear edge during 

 the feathering stroke, this inclination of the blade preventing its forward 

 edge from engaging with the water and overturning the rower, or, in 

 other words, causing him to 'catch a crab.' This limitation of the oar 

 in its rotation prevents awkwai'd accidents in feathering, and enables an 

 unskilled person to row with a considerable degree of certainty." (F. D. 

 Graves. ) 

 25098-9. Galvanized iron patent swivel rowloclv. Wilcox. Crittenden & 



[Co., [Middletown, Conn. 

 2.')09.">. (ialvani/.ed iron patent swivel rowlo(!k. " " 



