Iε- PROVEMENTS IN MATTRESSES.”
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Neelin Torrence, of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, United States of America, but at present of 47, Lincoln's
Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Iε-
PROVEMENTS IN MATTRESSES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Neclin Torrence
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th July 1874.
I, GEORGE NEELIN TORRENCE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, but at present of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MATTRESSES," to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to a new or improved mattress, intended
principally for use at sea, and available as a life or treasuro preserving
apparatus.
:

page_text: According to one modification of this Invention I form the body or
central portion of the mattress of any ordinary material, placing at each
end and confined within the ordinary cover a pillow or other shaped
receptaclo containing cork in any convenient shape. The cover being
placed over the whole the appearance of the complete mattress is of 6
the ordinary nature.
According to another modification the mattress is made in a series of
sections or tubes, cach section or tube being filled with cork in any
convenient form.
In all cases I propose the mattresses to bo fitted with bands or belts 1
so as to render them readily available for the purpose of enabling tho
person to be attached to them when the mattress is used for life
preserving. Articles of valuo may also be readily attached to the
mattresses by means of these bands or belts.
°
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Neelin Torrence in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 29th January 1875.
:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
NEELIN TORRENCE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America, but at present of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Neelin Torrence, Her special license
that I, the said George Neeliu Torrence, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Neelin Torrence, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho ;
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 “IMPROVEMENTS”.

page_text: IN MATTRESSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Neelin Torrence, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
!
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said George Neelin Torrence, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to

page_text: Figure 1 represents a plan of a mattress constructed in accordance
with my Invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of same; and
Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views showing modifications of mattresses
made according to my Invention.
My Invention, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, consists in constructing
a mattress with the centre part a filled with hair, straw, or other sub-
stances of which mattresses are commonly composed; while the two
extremities. are formed by end pieces & filled with cork, either cut for
the purpose, or shavings, parings, &c. (leavings of cork cutting establish-
ments) may be used; these end pieces I prefer to form by making 1
cases of ticking or other suitable fabric, and filling them with cork, and
then introducing them into the general ticking or other fabric c which
encases the whole of the material forming the mattress.
:
In the construction of the mattress as herein-before described care
must be taken to so arrange the filling of cork with that of hair or other 1
material used that when the whole is tufted it will form one level or.
equally thick mattress throughout. When using this mattress one cork
end will come under the head of the person lying upon it, the intervening
pillows and the like rendering the hardness of the cork immaterial. As
no portion of the body except the feet and ankles of the user come in 2
contact with the cork portion at the other end of the mattress its
hardness causes little if any discomfort, while a soft and easy centro is
formed for the heavy part of the body. In tufting the mattress a strap d.
extending all round it is secured thereto, such strap being placed.
centrally and longitudinally, as shewn in Figure 1, or two or more straps
may be provided running longitudinally; two transverse straps e also
attached by the tufting will be provided, as shown. The loose parts of
the straps between each tuft will form handles for the purpose of
enabling the person to hold on to the mattress when the latter is used
as a life preserver, consequently the tufts should have sufficiently strong g
attachment to withstand any strain that may be applied to them for this
purpose.
In the modification shewn in Figure 3 the same arrangement is
carried out, with the exception only that instead of the centre being
filled with hair it is filled with cork in a similar manner to the ends. 8
For this purpose the ticking forming the cover of the mattress may be
provided with transverse divisions, sewn or otherwise attached in their