Bergstrom is one of my favorites of early rowingbikes.
It already has a cable drive on a Snek or fusee and it even has an energy storage in a spring that bursts out during the freewheeling stroke.
It will not have worked properly in this design; but the idea is great ; certainly that early in 1898!!!!!

For anyone interested in the energy storage idea; Harm den Hollander made a very clever one that works!