IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMS, CONCERTINAS, ORGANS, AND OTHER SIMILAR KEYED INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Wardle Eastland Evans, Musical Instrument Maker,
of Norfolk Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMS, CONCERTINAS, ORGANS, AND OTHER SIMILAR
KEYED INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 15th February 1859, and dated the 17th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Wardle Eastland Evans
at the Offico of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th August 1858.
I, WARDLE EASTLAND EVANS, Musical Instrument Maker, of Norfolk
Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMS, CONCERTINAS, ORGANS, AND
OTHER SIMILAR KEYED INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to elicit immediate tone or sound on
touching the keys or pedals of the instrument. To effect such purpose I
employ mechanism which causes the "reed" or "tongue" to vibrate simul-
taneously with the depression of the keys or pedals. This consists of a toothed
projection attached to a rod or connecting piece actuated by the lever
which extends from the keys; the projection is so arranged that it works in a
mortice formed in the connecting piece, and an extension of it forms a lever,
the fulcrum of which passes through the connecting piece; this lever is
retained in its place by a spring. When the key or pedal is depressed the

page_text: connecting piece is moved, and the toothed projection comes in contract with a
convex projection attached to the free end of the "tongue" or "reed," which
on the spring yielding, it passes freely and sets in motion, thereby causing the
tongue or "reed" to vibrate, and consequently educing sound. The
counter motion to restore the key or pedal to its ordinary position may
consist of a spring, a weight attached to the connecting rod, or the connecting
rod may be attached to a pedal or other projection which may be actuated by
the feet.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Wardle Eastland Evans in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WARDLE
EASTLAND EVANS, late of Norfolk Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, but
now of Holles Street, Cavendish Square, in the County of Middlesex, Musical
Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Wardle Eastland Evans, Her special licence that I, the said Wardle
Eastland Evans, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Wardle Eastland Evans, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMS, CONCERTINAS, ORGANS, AND OTHER SIMILAR KEYED
INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Wardle
Eastland Evans, 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 Wardle Eastland Evans, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
(I.) The nature of the said Invention has reference to eliciting immediate
tone or sound from what are termed the free reeds of harmoniums and other
similar keyed instruments on touching the keys or pedals of the same by
mechanism hereafter described, attached to the said keys or pedals, which
mechanism is actuated solely by the hand or foot of the performer without the
intervention of any other motive force, provided that the due supply of wind
be kept up in the usual way in the instrument.
(II.) Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe in what manner the same is to be performed, wherein I
shall refer to the accompanying Drawings in manner following, that is
Fig. 1, side view of that part of the mechanism which is of my Invention,
shewing it at rest; Fig. 2, a similar view shewing the mechanism in action;
Fig. 3, plan view thereof; Fig. 4, sectional view shewing the Invention
applied to an instrument; Fig. 5, another sectional view shewing the Inven-
tion applied to an instrument. The same figures and letters of reference aro
placed upon all the same parts if seen in any of these Figures. Attached to
the free end of the reed is a tooth or projection marked A; or for small reeds,
as for the high notes, this projection may be simply a protruding piece of bristle.
In connection with this I have a lever or jack marked B, which has a mortice
therein, in which is a smaller lever C, which is provided with a tooth or pro-
jection C, such smaller lever moving on a centre, having its bearings in the jack
(B), this smaller lever being kept in position by the spring D; E, india-rubber
or wire spring for the purpose of bringing the jack back to its place after it has
been in action. By looking at Figs. 4 and 5 it will be readily understood that
when the key (1) is depressed the connecting rod (2) presses on the upper
part of the cranked lever (3) termed the "square," pushing forward the
other end thereof, and also the lever or jack (B) before described, whereby the
projection (C) is caused to act upon the projection (A) on the tongue or reed;
the palate lever, palate spring, and adjuncts being caused to act at the same
time and by the selfsame means, and thus the note is immediately produced,
provided the wind chest be duly supplied as in the ordinary movement. The
counter motion to restore the key or pedal to its ordinary position may
consist of a spring or weight attached to the connecting rod, or the connecting
rod may be attached to a pedal or projection which may be actuated by the

page_text: feet. The reed or tongue may be weighted or "toned" as required, by having
the projection A of the desired weight, as will be readily understood by the
practical man. For pedal action it will be simply necessary to arrange the
reeds vertically, and then attach a lever to the end of the pedal, to which is
attached a connecting rod proceeding to the end of the jack and to the said
lever, so that the jack may be pulled down and strike the projection tho
reverse way to what has been described with regard to keys. For concertinas
the arrangements shewn at Figs. 1 and 2 could be applied by connecting tho
jack with the stud operated upon by the performer, of course economizing the
space in applying the jack, &c.
(III.) Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the Invention the
nature and character whereof is described in the outset (marked I.) of this my
Specification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Wardle Eastland Evans, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
WARDLE EASTLAND EVANS. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed in my presence,
F. W. CAMPIN, Patent Agent,
156, Strand.