IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WORKING ALL STAGE SCENERY IN THEATRES
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter Edwin at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th January
1865.
I, WALTER EDWIN, 7A, New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, W., do
5 hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
WORKING ALL STAGE SCENERY IN THEATRES," to be as follows:-

page_text: uncertain method of working scenery by the introduction of a system at
once simple and perfect. All framed scenes have hitherto been worked in
grooves fitted top and bottom, the scene resting on the stage, and being kept
in an upright position within the grooves. When the scenes are required
to be worked backwards or forwards the top grooves are raised or lowered,
necessitating the employment of four men to each pair of flats or scenes.
In the new method grooves are only used as the upper part of the scenes,
and are arranged on wooden rails which run parallel from one side of the flys
on the top of the theatre to the other, and are supported in the centre from
the roof of the building. The grooves run on the parallel rails by means of
small wheels, and have weights attached to one end, which are connected with
a line running through a block, and so arranged as to pull the scenes off the
stage as soon as the force which drew them on is removed. In the centre of
the parallel rails a large drum or wheel is placed, and beyond it a smaller one,
the relation in size depending upon the distance the scenes have to traverse.
The grooves are connected to the large drum in such a manner by lines that
one revolution causes the two halves of the scene on opposite sides of the
stage to come together. The revolution of the large drum is effected by the
lever (G), to which is affixed the line which passes round the smaller
wheel (E).
To illustrate the plan of working, it may be assumed that the half flats are
required to move through a space of twelve feet in order to meet, in which
case the large wheel will be twelve feet in circumference, and the small one
three feet. By pulling back the lever (G) three feet, that quantity of line is
taken off the small wheel, which is thus caused to revolve once; the large
wheel attached to it is also, by the same action, made to perform.one
revolution, and takes on twelve feet of line from each direction, bringing the
grooves in which the scenes are fixed from each side to meet in the centre.
The movements throughout are smooth and regular, and only one man is
required for the working instead of four.
When the scenes-are required to be taken off, it is only necessary to put
back the lever, the side weights then come into action, and the scenes glide
easily back again.
The wings or small scenes are worked in precisely the same manner, except
that the wheels are smaller in proportion to the less distance to be traversed.
A long roller is attached at the back of the flys, to which by means of short
lines the levers of all the wings may be connected, thus enabling one man to
bring on or take off twelve or sixteen wings at the same moment. The scenes
are kept in their positions when brought together by slots in the centre of the

page_text: stage, into which a small wheel, fixed on one half of the scene by a sliding
axis, drops. The Invention is calculated to save 10%. per week in the working
of scenery in a large theatre, and it can be fitted up at a small cost. The
same system can be carried out by means of a windlass fixed in the flys,
without the large drum or the weights which pull the scenes off being required.
This is less expensive, but it is not so convenient in working as the method
first explained.