Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/463

 Fashioned Ice-Skate

by that part of the runner which be- comes active. The in\entor beUeves that a steady forward movement is nev- er given during a single stroke of the skate. A glance at Fig. 3 shows this.

Another German invention is the com- bined ice and roller skate illustrated in Fig. 4. The inventor has attempted to reduce the friction common to roller skates by employing balls or spheres, in- stead of wheels. These are attached to the skate by means of bolts, which may be removed to adjust the ice blade.

A skate which may be used with equal facility on ice or snow is shown in Fig. 5. Runners are secured to each side of the blade by means of a bolt, which per- mits of the runners being lowered flush with the blade when it is desired to trav- el over snow through which the single blade would sink. This skate has the advantage of being equipped with clamps which will permit the skate being se- cured to any type shoe.

An ingenious invention patented sev- eral years ago is an ice skate which has two rollers mounted on each side of the blade. These are so affixed that when it is desired to skate upon the ice, the rollers are fastened out of the way of the blade, and are ready at any moment to be swung down so that they will lift the ice blade from the ground (Fig. 6).

Another combination ice and roller skate is illustrated in Fig. 7. This skate is unusual in having five rollers attached to the blades when the skate is to be used away from the ice. The ice blade is made in two parts, and the rollers are held between the sections by means of a bolt, which is also used to draw the blades tightly together when the skate is to be used on the ice. Both sections of the blade are slightly beveled, and when drawn together, form a "hollow ground" blade, which is said to be very desirable.

Roller or ice skates which may be equipped with brakes is the subject of the patent shown in Fig. 8. Braces are projected from each side of the skate and fastened to a leather band which is adjusted to fit the limbs. By means of a ratchet, the brakes are operated by swinging the braces forward or back.

���An ice-skate which can also be used as a roller skate

���435

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