IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF GYMNASTIC EXERCISES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
IN THE PERFORMANCE OF GYMNASTIC EXERCISES."-A communication from
abroad by William Hanlon, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America.
Sealed the 10th September 1870, and dated the 16th April 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th April 1870.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN
THE PERFORMANCE OF GYMNASTIC EXERCISES," to be as follows:-
The first part of the Invention has for its object to construct a
gymnastic apparatus of which the principal parts consist of parallel
bars and swings in such a manner that the distance between the bars
may be varied at pleasure, so that the performer can either rest on them

page_text: or pass freely between them without danger of striking against them,
and also to arrange the whole so that the performer may be able to
stop or start swinging at pleasure.
swings, and a single
The variation in the
The apparatus consists of parallel bars secured laterally by means of
two sets of cross bars or braces placed at suitablo distances apart and
held firmly in mid air by any suitable means. On one set of these
cross bars are arranged, two on each bar, small
trapeze is attached to each bar of the other set.
distance between the parallel bars is obtained by means of flaps or rests
hinged on to the parallel bars, the object being to allow in some feats
of one performer catching and resting on the flaps while another swings
on the trapeze and grasps him by the feet. In any feat where the
flaps are not required they can be turned over out of the way, so as to
present the entire length of the parallel bars perfectly clear. The
stopping and starting arrangement consists of two pairs of short ropes,
which are designated as stop ropes, pendent from the parallel bars and
placed about midway between the cross bars or braces which carry the
small swings and trapezes, the object of these stop ropes being to enable
the performer, while swinging, to stop and start himself quickly and
without much offort.
The second part of the Invention has for its object so to construct a
falling or safety apron to be used in connection with the above, or
similar gymnastic apparatus that its surface should present at all points
the requisite degree of elasticity and resistance, and at the same time
be easy and convenient to walk and alight upon, and also that its
construction should be so simple that it may be placed in position or
rigged up with facility. To this end an apron of cloth, canvas, or other
suitable textile fabric is employed, with which is combined cross stays,
or ribs, or slats of wood, steel, or any other suitable material placed at
short distances apart. The apron is drawn over short trestles, and is
secured to the floor or walls of the apartment by means of tension cords,
fastened to a strong bar at each end of the apron, and converging to a
common centre, where they are united to single cords and pulley blocks
in the usual way. By sewing or otherwise securing the cross stays or
slats to the apron it is rendered capable of resisting any tendency to
throw or allow the performer to slide on to the floor should he by some
mischance fall near the edges or sides of the apron.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th October 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Edward Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward
Newton, 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
"IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF GYMNASTIC
EXERCISE," being a communication to me from abroad by William
Hanlon, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, 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 Henry Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
The first part of this Invention relates to a novel apparatus for the
execution of novel gymnastic feats.

page_text: Previous to the present Invention various contrivances have been
suggested and used for the performance of feats of strength and agility.
in which the trapeze swing has been combined with parallel bars, ladders,
or their equivalents, and some of these have been adapted to the
performance of various feats by both men and boys.
The Inventor of the novel apparatus above referred to has discovered
or conceived certain new feats or acts to be accomplished by a small boy
(or more than one) in combination with one or more men, and has
invented an apparatus without the peculiarities of which these feats
cannot be performed. Although the feats or acts, especially that onc
known as the great act," are very startling or wonderful, they are
rendered practicable by using the new apparatus and all danger of injury
to the performer is avoided by the use (in connection with the apparatus)
either of a strong net properly padded and so arranged that in the
event of falling no one can be hurt in the least, or by using the
safety apron or platform which forms the subject of the second part of
the Invention.
The first part of the Invention has for its object to so construct the
apparatus that the distance between the parallel bars may be varied
readily at pleasure to suit the different feats of the performance on them,
and to so arrange the whole that the person using the swing may be
able to stop and start quickly and at pleasure.
And to these ends the Invention consists in the employment in
connection with the parallel bars of a suitable device by means of which
the space between them may be varied at pleasure, so that the performer
can either rest on the bars or pass freely between them without danger
of striking, as will be herein-after more fully explained.
This part of the Invention further consists in the employment in
combination with the trapeze of what is designated a "stop rope” or
"stop bar" whereby the performer can suddenly stop and start at pleasure.
and while in the swing.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side (or front) elevation;
and Fig. 2 a top or plan view of the apparatus; and Fig. 3 is an end view
of the same.
A, A, are two bars (which are made suitably strong and light in
appearance) arranged parallel to cach other, and firmly held in mid air
by suitable wire rods or ropes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, arranged to brace and hold
the bars in every direction securely. These bars A, A are further held

page_text: the ceiling or other
rigged, and the stay.
and fastened at their
laterally by cross. braces or bars b, b, and c, c. From the cross bars c, c,.
(which pass through the bars A, and project on cach side as shewn,),
extend upward (from each end) brace rods, which are connected at
their upper ends to shoes or plates g, g, in which is fixed a cross bar i,.
for purposes to be presently explained. From the plates g, g, extend
upward stay rods, and downward braces, the latter being coupled
securely at their lower ends to the bars A, A. The rods 5, 6, and j,
Fig. 1 are secured at their upper ends firmly to
fixture of the apartment in which the apparatus is
ropes and rods 1, 2, 3, and 4, are all drawn tight
lower ends to stationary points of the apartment. On the bars c, c, are,
arranged (two on each bar) small swings, (as seen at m, Figures 1 and 3,)
adapted to be used by the performer in the usual manner, and on each of.
the bars there is arranged a single trapeze o, in which the performer
hangs by the legs or feet in the usual way; S, S, arc stops ropes which
are pendent from the bars A, and are arranged in pairs as shown, each
pair being located about midway between the swings m and o (ncar
çach end of the bars); S*, S*, are two other stop ropes connected to the
ends of the parallel bars, and are placed diagonally behind the performer
and are strained tight so as to afford the performer a rigid holding support.
from which he can start with an impetus when he is about to swing
forward with his feet from the trapeze o, o. The location of these stop
ropes S*, S*, should be such that as the performer is swinging in the
trapeze o, either by his legs or by his feet (as illustrated at Fig. 1) he can
readily grasp them with his hands so as to suddenly stop his swinging,
and take a fresh start at his option in order that he may regulate his
time of vibration, as will be presently explained. Two hinged flaps or
rests t, t, are hinged to the bars A in such a manner that they can be
placed either in the position shewn, or be thrown or turned inwards, into.
the position illustrated by dotted lines at Figs. 2 and 3. By throwing.
over the flaps into the position shewn by colour, the space or opening.
between the bars A will be the same all along throughout their entire
extent. The object and advantage of these flaps or rests t, t, are these:-
When in the position shewn by dots one performer can hang through
resting his elbows or arms on each side on the flaps t, t, so that another
swinging up from the trapeze (head downward) can grasp the first by
the feet and carry him down with him, and so that after the act below
the one swinging in the trapeze can swing the other one up through the
opening between t₁t, (which is wide enough to permit the passage of

page_text: the body) and allow him to lodge again on the flaps on his arms. In
any feat where the flaps would be in the way they are turned over or
outward, as shewn in the Figures. For instance, in the "great act"
the boy stands erect on the cross bar i, while a man swings in one of
the trapezes o by his feet, and as the man swings upward towards the
bars and towards the centre of the apparatus the boy falls or flies
downwards, his body passing in a nearly horizontal position between the
bars A, A, and he catches hand to hand with the man, and both then
swing head to head downward and outward or toward the end of bars.
While thus swinging the man can turn the boy in the air end for end,
catching him by the feet, and can then throw him through the air to
another gymnast who is swinging from the other trapeze at the opposito
end of the bars. But to perform this feat of throwing and catching tho
boy it is necessary for each swinger (in the trapeze) after throwing the
boy to suddenly stop, guage or calculate the vibration of the other per-
former (now swinging with the boy), and swing anew at the precise
moment and with the proper velocity to bring himself in just the proper
position and time to catch the boy on his return through the air to him.
Instead of the loose stop ropes S, S, and the fixed ropes S*, S*, at each
end of the apparatus rigid bars may be fixed to the parallel bars A, A,
in the same position as the ropes shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and will
serve exactly the same purposes as the ropes S, and S*. This arrange-
ment is shewn in the detached view, Fig. 4, in which the rigid bars are
indicated by the same letters of reference as the ropes in the former
Figures. Without the stop ropes S, S*, or their equivalents to enable the
performer to quickly stop and start these feats, in which one person is
passed back and forth between the other two, could not be accomplished;
and without some means of varying the actual space between the sides
of the bars, or rather the size of the opening in the apparatus, the several
feats, in which the performer has at sometimes to catch and rest on
the apparatus and at other times pass clean through, could not be
accomplished. The flaps t, t, are so arranged that they can be instan-
taneously shipped from one position to another, and the stop ropes are so
arranged that while they are readily available at the time and for the
purposes needed they do not interfere with any of the movements or
revolutions of the performers. The flaps t, t, are padded on top to render
them comfortable rests. It will be understood that other devices may
be employed to perform the same functions as the ropes S, and S* and
laps, but these have been found simple and effective.

page_text: The peculiarity of this part of the Invention is the providing a simple
and reliable means of varying the space through which the performer
has to pass wholly or bodily at some times, and in which he has at
others to suspend and support himself, as explained, and of also pro-
viding a suitable means for the performers in the swings m, m, and o, o,
to stop and start by in their vibrations.
The second part of the Invention relates to a novel construction of
falling or safety apron to be used in connection with the horizontal bar.
or other apparatus of a gymnasium. Various contrivances have been
suggested and employed as a preventive against injury to the gymnast
(in the performance of feats upon the horizontal bar and other apparatus),
such as beds, rugs, and suspended aprons or nets, so arranged as to catch
the performer in the event of his making a slip or fall. But in all these
safety contrivances either the surface does not present at all points the
proper degree of resistance and elasticity, or they are so complex and
require so much rigging and time for placing in position as to be
objectionable, especially for stage performances. And since it is neces-
sary for the performer to walk and alight on the same surface on which
he is liable to fall if that surface be composed of such (customarily
employed) material as will form a soft cushion in falling it will be
almost impossible for a person to alight or walk upon it and maintain
his equilibrium.
The present improvement has for its object to provide a contrivance or
device to serve as a sure preventive against injury in the event of falling,
and which at the same time shall present a surface easy and convenient
to walk on and alight upon, and which shall be so simple that it can be
placed or rigged in position in an exceeding small space of time. And
to these ends the improvement consists in an apron of cloth or other
suitable textile fabric having combined with it elastic cross stays or ribs
of wood or other suitable material, the whole adapted to be held in a taut
condition below the performer or between the apparatus on which the
performance is to occur and the floor or ground, so that in the event of a
fall in any position no possible injury or discomfort can result, as will be
herein-after more fully explained.
The Invention further consists in the peculiar method herein-after
described of rigging up the elastic-safety apron, so that it can be quickly

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal
section through the improved safety apron, and Fig. 6 is a top. view.
of the same, the safety apron C is composed of cloth or canvass in
which are secured numerous cross stays or elastic slats d, d, and it is
drawn or stretched over two horses ff, and maintained in a horizontal
plane. Along the two short edges or ends. of the apron C are secured
the ends of numerous cords 1, 2, 3, and which are converged to a
common centre or drawn together at m, m, and are there all formed into
or united to single cord, which at one end of the apron is simply
secured to a fixed point (a hook or staple o) in the floor or ground, and
which at the other end is provided with suitable pulleys or blocks and
tackle, whereby it is connected to another fixed staple or holding ring, in
such manner that the apron may be drawn up to any given degree of
tension. It will be seen that in placing or adjusting the apron for use
it is only necessary to place in proper position the horses f; f, and lay
the apron Cover them and secure the cord at o to the ring or staple,.
and then make the connection at the other end pull up the apron or
draw it taut over the horses to the desired degree of tension, which will
be determined by the expert according to the character of the feats to. be.
performed and the weight of the performer or performers.
If this apparatus is intended to be used for feats on the horizontal bar
the apron с may be connected or secured to posts midway between the
ends for the purpose of sustaining it in the middle and rendering it more
rigid immediately beneath the bar on which the gymnast is performing.
At this point it is desirable to have it rigidly supported for the con-
venience of standing to get hold of the bar, and it is not material to have
it very clastic at this point, as the performer is not apt to fall imme-
diately under the bar, and if he does he cannot fall a great distance. By
sewing in or otherwise securing to the apron C the series of spring slats
or cross bars d it is rendered capable of resisting any concussion
occasioned by the performer falling near the edge or side of the apron,
and consequently the person falling will be cushioned in about the same
manner at the edge as if falling on the apron near its centre, and there
will be no danger of the apron yielding too readily near its edges, and
allowing the person who falls to slide or glance downward on to the
floor or ground and get hurt. The slats d are made of hickory or some
tough and springy wood, and they should be made so thin and clastic
and arranged so close together that a person falling on them on the face

page_text: will not feel them much, while at the same time they will contribute
sufficient strength to the apron to render it capable of withstanding all
shocks, and will not in any event break. In licu, however, of these
wooden strips or cross stays it may be found practicable to employ thin
strips of sheet metal, or springs made something after the fashion of
corset springs or whalebone, or other suitable material may be employed,
but the thin flat strips of wood are found to answer well in practice. It
may be found expedient to run in the long edges or sides of the apron
cords of some material which will not yield as much as the apron so as
to strengthen it and make the apron capable of resisting concussion to
the same extent on the extreme edges as in the middle. Of course the
stays d may be inserted in or secured to the apron C in any desirable
manner, and the apron itself may be composed of any suitable material.
It will be seen that by having numerous holding cords attached to the
ends of the apron it will be very securely or firmly held down on the
horses, and that by drawing these cords together (as shown) so that a
single rope only has to be coupled at each end to the stage fixture, the
whole arrangement is adapted to be very quickly placed or rigged up,
and that in a very secure manner. If desired, side ropes u, u, may be
stretched from short standards v, v, fixed in the horses ff, for the
purpose of preventing the performer from rolling off the apron, should he
by accident fall thereon.
In practice it is found that an apron constructed and rigged up as
above described can be placed within a foot or so of the floor, and while
it will resist all concussion by falling on it, will not offer any painful
resistance even when the performer falls face foremost and from the
greatest height.
It will be understood that an, apron or device substantially such as
that described embodies not only the necessary characteristic features of
perfect elasticity at every point and the proper spring capacity, but also
constitutes a surface upon which a person can conveniently stand, walk,
and alight, whereas in the case of any other ordinary falling bed either
the surface must (in order to prevent possibility of injury in falling) be
too yielding and soft to stand, walk, or alight on, or (in order to render
the last-named acts possible) it must be too hard. And it will be seen
that such an elastic platform or bed as above shewn and described may
be employed with great success either in the performance of feats on an
elevated apparatus or on bars placed nearer the ground.

page_text: Having described the Invention which has been communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
First. The use in combination with the parallel bars of the shifting
flaps t, t, or other equivalent means for varying the central space
between the bars, as and for the purpose herein set forth in reference to
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
I also claim the use in combination with a trapezé and the sustaining
or stationary portion of the apparatus of the stop ropes or stop bars S
and S*, or their equivalents, so arranged that by means of these ropes or
bars the person swinging by the fect can stop and rest at pleasure, as
herein set forth.
I further claim the use of the safety apron shewn at Figures 5 and 6
and composed of any suitable material, and provided with transverse
slats or stays, as and for the purpose set forth.
I also claim the combination with the apron of the supporting horses
(one at each end) and holding cords drawn together at each end and
adapted to be secured to only two stage fixtures, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.