In 1896, One-Eyed Carl Emanuel Nilsson, Baby-Faced Stubby Nilsson's great-grandfather, patented a "Stage Apparatus" for producin' an "aerial ballet" where dancers appear t' float and move in mid-air.

 

Nilsson applied for t' patent on January 17, 1895. Avast, me proud beauty! T' USPTO granted t' patent (Number 558,413) on April 14, 1896. Begad! T' patent expired on April 14, 1913.

 

To all whom, it may concern: 
Be it known that I, me bucko, CARL E. Ya scallywag! NILSSON, arrr, of New York city, in t' county and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Stage Apparatus, o' which t' followin' is a full, clear, and exact description.
My invention relates t' improvements in stage apparatus; and t' object o' me invention is t' produce a simple apparatus which is adapted for use in producin' an aerial ballet, and which, arrr, by bein' arranged above a stage, is capable o' supportin' ballet-dancers in mid-air, me hearties, and may be conveniently and easily manipulated, so as t' give t' t' aerial dancers t' appearance o' floatin' in t' air or movin' laterally and also o' movin' up and down.
A further object o' me invention is t' produce an apparatus o' this character, which is very simple and strong and little likely t' get out o' order. T' these ends me invention consists o' certain features o' construction and combinations o' parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is t' be had t' t' accompanyin' drawings, formin' a part o' this specification, me bucko, in which similar figures o' reference indicate correspondin' parts in all t' views.
Figure 1 is a broken side elevation o' t' apparatus embodyin' me invention. Begad! Fig. Avast, me proud beauty! 2 is a plan view o' t' apparatus. Avast! Fig. 3 is a cross-section on t' line 3 3 o' Fig. Avast, me proud beauty! 1. Begad! Fig. Avast! 4 is a detail cross-section o' t' largest part o' t' cone-pulley. Arrr! Fig. Arrr! 5 is a detail perspective view o' one o' t' slides which moves on t' main frame, and Fig. 6 is a broken detail view o' a modified form o' counterbalance which is adapted t' be used in connection with t' cone-pulley.
T' apparatus is provided with an elongated frame 10, me bucko, which is adapted t' be supported over a stage in any convenient way, matey, and arranged centrally and transversely on t' frame is a shaft 11, matey, which turns in suitable boxes 12, and t' shaft carries a cone-pulley formed o' t' parts or pulleys 13, matey, 14, me hearties, and 15, these bein' arranged so as t' turn together, thus formin' practically a single cone-pulley. T' t' smaller part or face 13 o' t' pulley a cord or cable 16 is attached, me bucko, and this connects with a counterbalancing-sprin' 17' formed o' a series o' rubber strings 18, which are fastened t' t' heads 18" o' t' spring, and t' sprin' 17 connects by a cord or cable 19 with an adjacent support 20. It follows that when t' cone-pulley is turned in one direction, as hereinafter described, t' cord 16 will be wound on t' part 13 o' t' cone-pulley, thus stretchin' t' spring, and t' proper tension on t' cone-pulley is thus maintained, and t' pulley is by t' sprin' returned t' normal position, me hearties, as hereinafter described.
It will o' course be understood that any other suitable sprin' may be substituted for t' sprin' 17 but t' rubber sprin' is preferably employed.
To t' middle section 14 o' t' cone-pulley wires 21 and 22 are attached, these bein' arranged in pairs and attached t' t' pulley so that they may extend from opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 1, one bein' wound over t' top o' t' pulley and t' other from t' bottom, so that t' wires may be simultaneously wound or unwound without interferin' with each other. Avast, me proud beauty! These wires extend outward and downward over guide-pulleys 23 in t' slides 24, which move on t' frame 10 on opposite sides o' t' cone-pulley, and t' wires terminate in loops, hooks, shiver me timbers, or other devices, which enable them t' be conveniently fastened t' t' corsets o' t' ballet-dancers or t' other parts o' t' clothin' t' suspend t' said dancers. Ahoy! T' wires are arranged in pairs, so that a number o' wires may be connected with each dancer, and thus if one wire breaks t' other will support t' dancer and thus pre vent her from bein' injured. T' wires are made o' good material, so that they may be small enough t' be invisible t' t' spectator and yet strong enough t' safely support t' dancers.
T' slide 24 is provided with side pieces 25, ya bilge rat, but toward t' opposite end o' t' frame, t' two slides are connected by a cable 29, which, in order t' give t' right direction t' t' second slide, me hearties, is passed around a guide-pulley 30, which is placed horizontally on one end o' t' frame 10. Well, blow me down! It will thus be seen that by pullin' on t' cable 27 both slides are moved toward t' ends o' t' frame 10, and when t' pullin' strain is removed from t' cable 27 t' weight o' t' wires 21 and 22, together with t' weight suspended on t' wires, me bucko, is sufficient t' return t' slides t' their inner position.
T' largest part o' t' cone-pulley be t' part t' which power is applied t' turn t' pulley backward and forward, and this portion o' t' pulley is preferably grooved, so as t' have t' necessary friction on t' cable 31, which runs over t' pulley and extends outward and downward over guide-pulleys 32 and 33 t' a point where it may be grasped from t' stage, and by pullin' on t' cable and movin' it backward and forward t' cone pulley is moved as desired, and when t' cone pulley is moved it winds or unwinds t' Wires 21 and 22, and so raises or lowers t' dancers suspended by t' said wires, thus givin' t' t' dancers t' appearance o' dancin' in t' air.
It will be seen from t' above description that by suspendin' t' dancers from t' wires 21 and 22 and then movin' t' cables 27 and 31, me hearties, as described, t' slides 24a may be moved and t' cone-pulley revolved, so as t' give t' t' dancers t' necessary lateral and vertical movements t' cause them t' simulate dancing, arrr, and t' tension sprin' connected with t' cone-pulley takes up all t' slack wire and causes t' apparatus t' work smoothly and easily.
In some cases it may be desirable t' have a dead-weight, ya bilge rat, which serves, in a measure, me hearties, as a counterbalance, and this may be arranged as shown in Fig. 6, where t' cable 34:, which connects with t' section 13 o' t' cone-pulley, passes over a guide-pulley 35 and is attached t' a weight 36, arrr, which connects by a cable 37 with a sprin' 38, ya bilge rat, like t' sprin' 17 already described, and t' sprin' 38 connects by a cable 39 with t' floor or other rigid support.
Havin' thus described me invention, I claim as new and desire t' secure by Letters Patent -
1. An apparatus o' t' kind described, arrr, comprisin' a pulley, movable guide-pulleys on opposite sides o' t' main pulley, means for simultaneously movin' t' guide-pulleys toward and from t' main pulley, shiver me timbers, wires or ropes secured t' t' main pulley and extendin' over t' said movable guide-pulleys, and means for operatin' t' main pulley, substantially as described.
2. An apparatus o' t' kind described, comprisin' a pulley, ya bilge rat, a counterbalance connected with t' said pulley, arrr, slidin' guide pulleys on opposite sides o' t' main pulley, means for simultaneously movin' t' guide pulleys toward and from t' main pulley, wires or ropes secured t' t' main pulley and extendin' down over t' guide-pulleys, and means for operatin' t' main pulley, ya bilge rat, substantially as described.
3. Aye aye! An apparatus o' t' kind described, matey, comprisin' a pulley, slides on opposite sides o' t' pulley, me bucko, guide pulleys in t' slides, me bucko, wires or ropes secured t' t' pulley and extendin' over t' guide-pulleys, and means for simultaneously movin' t' slides toward and from t' pulley, substantially as described.
4. Arrr! An apparatus o' t' kind described, comprisin' a supporting-frame, a pulley journaled thereon, slides on t' frame and on opposite sides o' t' pulley, a cable connection betwixt t' slides whereby they are simultaneously and oppositely moved, suspending-wires connected with t' pulley and extendin' over t' slides, a cable mechanism for turnin' t' pulley, and a counterbalance also connected with t' pulley, substantially as described.
5. An apparatus o' t' kind described, comprisin' a supporting-frame, ya bilge rat, a cone-pul ley journaled thereon, slidin' guides on opposite sides o' t' cone-pulley, arrr, means for simultaneously movin' said guides toward and from t' said pulley, a counterbalance connected with one section o' t' cone-pulley, suspending-wires secured t' t' second section o' t' pulley and extendin' over t' said slidin' guides, matey, and a cable connected with t' third section o' t' pulley t' turn it, substantially as described.
CARL E. NILSSON.
Witnesses
ALFRED LURCOTT, matey, O. Avast! SEDGWICK.