Year: 1899

page_text: Improv
I, SAMUEL CORNWALLIS AMESBURY, F.N.C.P., of Roorkee, in the Saharanpur
District, North West Provinces, India, Brigade Surgeon, Indian Medical Service
(Retired), do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for object to provide a light and portable doolie or hammock
(hereinafter called a hammock) that can be used as a dandy, stretcher, or bed,
as may be desired.
According thereto the two ends of the hammock are provided with flexible sup-
porting devices so constructed and arranged as to permit of the hammock being
laid flat on the ground for use as a bed, and also of the hammock being raised
and suspended for use as a dandy or stretcher and assuming a more or less semi-
circular or curved shape as seen in end view or cross section but will then act
to limit the amount of such curvature and keep the sides of the hammock at a
predetermined distance apart so as to prevent them collapsing and pressing against
the person suspended in the hammock.
In one arrangement, the two ends of the hammock which may be made of any
suitable flexible material, such as netting, canvas, millerein, gunny, or dhurrie,
provided with flexible supporting devices whereby it will when suspended by
means such as hereinafter described, assume an approximately semi-oval or semi-
circular shape as seen in end view. The material of which the hammock is made
is attached to side poles, preferably of bamboo to which handles are attached for
carrving the hammock when used as a stretcher. Cross-bands of canvas are
attached to these said poles for the purpose of strengthening the material of which
the hammock proper is made and sustaining the weight of the occupant of the
hammock. The supporting devices at the ends of the hammock each comprise a
number of small blocks of wood or other material hinged together, or fastened
to a flexible strap placed under them; the blocks being so shaped for example
wedge or segment shape in end view, that when the hammock is slung they will
turn to a limited extent towards and bear against one another and so form a
curved support that will stiffen the ends of the hammock in the desired manner.
The hammock may be suspended from a carrying pole which is preferably
made in two parts adapted to be detachably fitted and fastened together, so that
when required it can be made sufficiently short to admit of its being placed inside
the hammock when the same is out of use. At suitable distances from the ends
of this carrying pole are attached bands of metal or other material provided with
hooks or eyes through which pass cords the ends of which are attached to the
side poles hereinbefore mentioned-other parts of each cord passing through
eyelets secured in the corresponding end of the hammock, the arrangement being

page_text: The ends 1 and 2 and the main or supporting part 3 of which may be made of
any suitable flexible material, such as netting, canvas, millerein, gunny, or churrie
and the part 3 is attached to side poles 4, 5 which are preferably of bamboo and
to which handles 6 are attached to enable the doolie to be carried when used
as a stretcher, Fig. 9. Cross bands 7 of canvas are attached to the side poles 4,
and pass underneath the main or supporting part 3 of the doolie for the purpose
of strengthening it and sustaining the weight of the occupant. The ends 1 and 2
are each provided with a flexible supporting device comprising a number of small
blocks 8 of wood or other material hinged together, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6
or they may be fastened to a Hexible strap placed under them; the blocks $ are
so shaped, for example with bevelled edges as shown so as to be of more or less
wedge of segment shape in end view, that, when the doolie is slung as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, they will turn to a limited extent towards and bear against one
another and so form a curved support that will stiffen the ends 1, 2 of the doolie
in such manner as to cause the main or supporting part thereof to maintain an
approximately semi-oval or semi-circular shape as seen in end view.
The doolie may be suspended from a carrying pole 9 shown separately in Fig. 7
and preferably made in two parts adapted to be detachably fitted and fastened
together, so that, when required, it can be made sufficiently short to admit of its
being placed inside the supporting part 3 when the same is out of use rolled up
for transport. At suitable distances from the ends of this carrying pole 9 are
attached bands 10 of metal or other material provided with eyes. To each eye
a hook 11 is connected and a cord 12, the ends of which are attached to eyes upon
the poles 4 and 5, is laced through said hook and through eyelets 13 secured in
the corresponding end of the doolie. Each cord 12 is passed from one end of
one of the side poles 4, 5 to the corresponding hook 11 then back to an eyelet 13
on the corresponding end of the doolie and so on until the cord has been passed
through all the eyelets 13, when the end of the cord is attached to the correspond-
ing end of the other side pole.
The doolie is held suspended off the ground, when at rest, by two pairs of
suitable props 14, one end of each prop then fitting into a cone or other suitably
shaped metal socket 15 attached to the carrying pole 9 and the other end which
may be fitted with metal ferrule or spike bearing against the ground.
When disengaged from the carrying pole 9, the supporting portion of the
doolie may be placed on the ground, and, as it then becomes flat, may be used
as a bed when not required for use it can be rolled up inside out, the end sup-
porting devices admitting of this being readily done, the props 14 and carrying
pole 9 being placed inside the rolled up supporting portion 3 of the doolie as
shown in Fig. 4.
Each portion of the divided carrying pole may have attached to the centre a
ring to which the hooks 11 on the ends of the doolie may be attached, so that
the doolie can be carried as a dandy by four men, Fig. 8. When the doolie is
carried by two men, the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 is adopted the props 14
being secured to the carrying pole 9 until it is desired to support the doolie as
shown in Fig. 1 by straps 16 fastened to the pole 9. The doolie may, if needful,
be provided with a covering or canopy that can be hung over the carrying pole 9
and over the side poles 4, so as to serve as a protection against wind and rain.
As will be obvious, the details of construction are susceptible of modification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
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1. A doolie in which the ends are provided with flexible supporting devices
arranged to permit of the doolie being laid flat on the ground for use as a bed,
and also of being raised and suspended for use as a doolie, a dandy or a stretcher
and assuming a more or less semi-circular, or curved shape as seen in end view
but will act to limit the amount of such curvature and keep the sides of the