CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND FITTING OF TENTS AND MARQUEES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Turner, of Northfleet, in the County of Kent,
for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND
FITTING OF TENTS AND MARQUEES."
Sealed the 12th October 1855, and dated the 13th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Turner at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
April 1855.
I, GEORGE TURNER, of Northfleet, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
AND FITTING OF TENTS AND MARQUEES" to be as follows:-
The uprights or supports for tents and marquees according to my Invention
consist of pipes or tubes, each supported by three or more legs. A fire-place
or cooking apparatus may be either slung, fixed, or fitted below or under the
tubular upright or support, so that the support or upright may act as a
chimney; or the fire-place may form the base of the upright or support, and
thus dispense with the legs. The guys or stays are of wire or other rope, or of
chain and rope, fixed to the uprights or supports by means of collars with eyes
or otherwise; the said guys or stays to extend in an inclined direction to the
ground, or to other uprights or supports stayed in like manner, and the guys

page_text: or stays are to be fixed by dogs or pegs driven into the ground. For the
covering for tents or marquees, I prefer to use patent metallic canvas (or
other waterproof coating), either with or without an interlining of felt or
woollen cloth, or canvas with dry hair felt between it and the outer water-
proof coating, or ordinary canvas lined with felt, or with canvas with an
intermediate or filling of dry hair felt. I prefer in all cases that two or three
thicknesses of canvas or materials in contact should be used and made up as
one into a tent or marquee.
In order to obtain sleeping accommodation, hammocks or cots made of
canvas or other material are suspended or slung to the uprights or supports
and to the guys, the uprights or supports and guys being arranged suitably for
having the hammocks or cots suspended therefrom. To obtain ventilation,
apertures are left in the top parts of the coverings immediately round the
uprights or supports, and hoods or bonnets (made of metal or any other
material, are fitted to and slide on the uprights or supports immediately over
the apertures, so that the outlet may be increased or diminished at pleasure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TURNER, of Northfleet, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Turner, Her special licence that I, the said George Turner, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION AND FITTING OF TENTS AND MARQUEES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Turner, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Turner, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say):
=
The uprights or supports for tents and marquees according to my Invention
consist of pipes or tubes, each supported by three or more legs. A fire-place
or cooking apparatus may be either slung, fixed, or fitted below or under the
tubular upright or support, so that the support or upright may act as a
chimney; or the fire-place may form the base of the upright or support, and
thus dispense with the legs. The guys or stays are of wire or other rope,
or of chain and rope, fixed to the uprights or supports by means of collars
with eyes or otherwise; the said guys or stays to extend in an inclined
direction to the ground, or to other uprights or supports stayed in like manner,
and the guys or stays are to be fixed by dogs or pegs driven into the ground.
For the covering for tents or marquees, I prefer to use patent metallic canvas
(or other waterproof coating), either with or without an interlining of felt or
woollen cloth, or canvas with dry hair felt between it and the outer waterproof
coating, or ordinary canvas lined with felt, or with canvas with an intermediate
or filling of dry hair felt. I prefer in all cases that two or three thicknesses
of canvas or materials in contact should be used and made up as one into a
tent or marquee.
In order to obtain sleeping accommodation, hammocks or cots made of
canvas or other material are suspended or slung to the uprights or supports
and to the guys, the uprights or supports and guys being arranged suitably for
having the hammocks or cots suspended therefrom. To obtain ventilation,
apertures are left in the top parts of the coverings immediately round the
uprights or supports, and hoods or bonnets (made of metal or any other
material) are fitted to and slide on the uprights or supports immediately over
the apertures, so that the outlet may be increased or diminished at pleasure.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 show a tent, in elevation and plan, constructed according to
parts of my Invention, and arranged suitably for suspending cots therein, parts

page_text: other parts may be more clearly shown in the Drawing. In this arrangement
the central support a is a tube, which may be in one or several pieces readily
capable of being put together. This tube a is supported by three legs a¹, a², a³,
which may if desired be spread out into fcet, or pointed, so as to enter the
ground. A stay is fitted between them at the bottom, to keep them from
expanding, and prevent their sinking too far into the ground. 6 is a stove
fixed to the legs, and carried thereby in such manner that the upright a
becomes the chimney of the fire-place, as well as the central or other support
of the tent. It is not, however, essential to my Invention that the central
support a should be in connection with a fire-place, as it would be a means of
ventilation without a fire-place, provided its lower end does not proceed to the
ground and the tube is opened from end to end; neither is it essential to
my Invention that the fire-place should be such as is shewn, or that it should
bo carried by legs, as the form of the fire-place may be varied. It may either
become the base of the upright a, or the fire-place may be on one side of the
upright a, and be connected with it by a suitable flue. The upper part of
the tube a is to be either left open, as shown, or it may have a cowl on the
top. On the top part of the upright a is formed or fixed a conical hood or
cover, and the canvas or covering of the tent is attached to the pillar or
upright a in such manner as to leave an open space for ventilation at the upper
part of the tent, the cap or cone c covering the opening to prevent the ingress
of rain, and yet allowing heated air from the interior of the tent to pass away
in that direction. The covering of the tent, whether simple canvas, or of any
of the suitable waterproof fabrics now made, is to be connected with the
upright a by means of the ropes or cords d, d, which may be of wire or other-
wise, the ends having hooks or eyes to attach them to a collar e around the
upper end of the upright a, such collar baving holes or eyes to receive the
hooks or ends of the wire or other cords or ropes d, d. The other ends of
the ropes or cords are fixed to the ground by any suitable dogs or pins, those
shewn at Figure 3 being such as 1 recommend and prefer. In suspending
cots and hammocks I employ rods f, f, one end of each of which is fastened to
the upright a by a hook or suitable catch, entering a hole in a projecting
collar g fixed on the upright a. The other end of each such rods is connected
to the ropes d by suitable connections. In suspending cots to these rods, I
prefer that each cot should be suspended to two of the rods, or they may be
suspended wholly by one rod, whilst in suspending hammocks thereto I prefer
that the two ends of a hammock should be suspended to the two ends of a rod;
or the hammock or cot may be slung without a rod, provided the ropes are
supported by a strut or spar leading from the junction of the hammock with

page_text: the rope in an inclined direction to the ground, or otherwise, so that the
hammocks will be suspended radially or otherwise in a tent; and I prefer that
the rods ff, should be so connected to the ropes or cords d, that when the
cots are out of use they may be raised out of the way by a cord, as is shown
in Figure 4, where another tent is shown, partly in section; and at Figure 5,
where the tent is shewn in plan, partly in section. In this arrangement,
however, the central upright is not a tube, but the arrangement shown in these
two Figures is equally applicable when a tube is employed. Figure 6 shows
a plan on an enlarged scale of the means preferred for attaching the canvas or
covering fabric to the upright a, so as on one hand to get a thorough ventila-
tion through the top of a tent, and at the same time so to connect the parts
that any heat of the pipe or tube a may not be transmitted to the canvas or
covering to produce injury thereto; the arrangement, however, may be varied.
Figure 7 shows on a larger scale the apparatus used at the top of a tent. In
applying my Invention to marquees, any one or more of the principals or
uprights a may be tubular, and may have a stove or fire-place in connection
therewith. Figure 8 shows two uprights of a marquee, one being a tube, the
other being of wood, the ridge rope or stay running between being supported
by two struts or rods to prevent its sinking in the middle by the weight of
the cover.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
25 Witness,
WILLIAM BAKER.
GEORGE TURNER. (L.S.)