IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR USE IN GYMNASTIC AND OTHER PERFORMANCES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Oliver, of the City Road, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR USE
IN GYMNASTIC AND OTHER PERFORMANCES."
Sealed the 27th October 1871, and dated the 6th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Oliver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1871.
I, GEORGE OLIVER, of the City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
" IMPROVED,
APPARATUS FOR USE IN GYMNASTIC AND OTHER PERFORMANCES," to be as.
follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus for enabling a performer to ascend
to or descend from a considerable height from a stage or platform either
in a vertical or oblique direction, as may be required, or for personating;
a bird or other character, for instance, suspended in mid air.

page_text: The apparatus when arranged for raising the performer to a height
from the stage consists of a number of india-rubber springs permanently
attached to a fixed beam in the roof of the stage, to which springs is also
attached a fine wire rope stretched downwards in a vertical or oblique
direction, according to the direction in which the performer desires to
ascend. The lower end of this wire is connected to the stage by a trigger
hook from which it may be instantly released. The wire may be of
sufficient strength and yet fine enough to be almost invisible to the
spectators. To this wire near the upper part a cross bar is fixed to which
the springs are distended and attached. The performer takes his stand.
in front of the wire which has a ring at a convenient point to which the
performer is attached by means of a hook connected to an arrangement
of straps or harness worn by the performer. Upon the release of the
wire from the trigger hook by which it is connected to the stage, the
performer is suddenly raised by the combined force or contraction of
the springs to a support fixed or hung at a suitable height above the
stage, according to the power of the springs, and having alighted thereon
he may be then detached from the wire. Instead of attaching the
performer directly to the wire the latter may be provided with a
horizontal bar to which he may be connected. In this case the wire
is concealed behind curtains through an opening in which the end of
the bar projects, the opposite end of the bar being counterweighted
to balance the weight of the performer.
For descending a number of similar springs are combined and
attached to a ring in which they are suspended from an overhead
support. The lower ends of these springs are also connected to a ring
or its equivalent with a wire rope attached, to the other extremity of
which the performer may be suspended. Thus arranged the performer
may jump or fall from a considerable height without danger, the fall
being broken by the elasticity of the springs when distended by the
weight of the performer. Other springs may be combined end to end
with the first to make the apparatus sufficiently extensible. Means may
be provided by the use of scenery or otherwise to prevent any recoil being
visible after the descent.
If the performer desires to make repeated ascents and descents on
the same apparatus, or to be suspended in the air, the springs should
be increased in number, and instead of connecting them to a fixed

page_text: support they should be attached to a rope passing over a fixed sheave,
having a stopper to prevent it passing down beyond a certain point.
By assistants pulling on this rope the performer may be raised or
aided at the required moment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Pate n
filed by the said George Oliver in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
OLIVER, of the City Road, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George Oliver, Her special licence that I, the
said George Oliver, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Oliver, 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 FOR USE IN
GYMNASTIC AND OTHER PERFORMANCES," upon the condition (amongst others),
that I, the said George Oliver, 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 Scal Patent Office within.
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Oliver, 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

page_text: nereunto annexed and to the letters and ngures marked thereon (that is
.to say) :—
My Invention relates to apparatus for enabling a performer to ascend
to or descend from a considerable height from a stage or platform either
in a vertical or oblique direction, as may be required, or for personating
a bird, for instance, or other character suspended in mid air.
The apparatus when arranged for raising the performer to a height
from the stage consists of a number of india-rubber springs permanently
attached to a fixed beam in the roof of the stage, to which springs is
also attached a fine wire rope stretched downwards in a vertical or
oblique direction, according to the direction in which the performer
desires to ascend. The wire may be of sufficient strength and yet
fine enough to be almost invisible to the spectators. To this wire near
the upper part a cross bar is fixed to which the springs are distended
and attached, the cross bar being attached by a trigger bolt to a fixed
staging. The performer is attached to a ring at the lower part of the
wire by means of a trigger hook or bolt connected to an arrangement
of straps or harness worn by the performer. Upon the release of the
trigger bolt by which the springs are kept distended the performer
is suddenly raised or caused to shoot up by the combined force or
contraction of the springs to a support fixed or hung at a suitable height
.above the stage according to the power of the springs, and having
⚫ alighted thereon he may be then detached from the wire.
For descending a number of similar springs are combined and
attached to a ring in which they are suspended from an overhead
support. The lower ends of these springs are also connected to a ring
' or its equivalent with a wire rope attached, to the other extremity of
which the performier may be suspended. Thus arranged the performer
may jump or fall from a considerable height without danger, the fall
being broken by the elasticity of the springs, when distended by the
weight of the performer. Other springs may be combined end to end
with the first to check the apparatus which if very extensible would
recoil violently against the framework and scenery. Means (may be
provided by the use of scenery or otherwise to prevent any recoil.
being visible after the descent.
i
If the performer desires to make repeated ascents and descents on the
same annaratus or to be suspended in the air the springs should ha

page_text: increased in number, and instead of connecting them to a fixed support
they should be attached to a rope passing over a fixed sheave having
a stopper to prevent it passing down beyond a certain point. By
assistants pulling on this rope the performer may be raised or aided
3 at the required moment.
Figure 1 is a side clevation and Figure 2 a central transverse section
of the apparatus employed for suddenly lifting a performer as before
mentioned, the apparatus being represented with the springs distended
and ready for action. a is a fixed beam or joist in the roof of the
stage to which the springs 6 arc attached by means of hooks c fixed
to the beam a or to a board or plate bolted thereto. The springs
may be permanently hung from the hooks c which should be sufficiently
closed to prevent the springs falling off; d is a block suspended from
beam a by a short length of rope e which allows the beam to hang
just above a platform or staging ƒ erected across the upper part of
the stage at a distance of about eight feet below the beam a; g is a
double eyed bolt passing through block d, as shown, to the lower cyc
of which a fino steel wire rope is attached which passes through a
hole in platform fand reaches nearly down to the stage. i is a trigger
bolt passing through the other eye as shown, by which the block d
is held down when the springs are attached. This bolt works in guides
or staples attached to platform f, and is pulled by a line 2. The
spring block being fastened down by the trigger bolt, the springs b
are drawn down and attached one at a time to the hooks j on block d.
In Figure 1 only two of the springs are shown, but they would be
applied to all the hooks. The kind of spring I employ for this purpose
is the india-rubber spring known in the trade as the "accumulator,"
said springs (of which I use eighteen or twenty in combination) being
about two feet in length and three-fourths of an inch in diameter, but
these dimensions may be varied as well as the number of springs
employed, according to the weight of the performer and the height it
is desired to attain. When the trigger i is pulled the springs & contract
suddenly and raise the block d (as shown in dotted lines) and also
the performer who is attached to the end of wire has hereafter described,
the impetus thus acquired being sufficient to raise the performer to a
'

page_text: considerable height. He may alight on a fixed bar or staging erected
at a convenient height and distance in front of the vertical plane of
the apparatus, and two wires may be stretched vertically between the
stage and roof so as to be within easy reach of the performer to assist
in supporting him if necessary in his elevated position. The springs
disconnect themselves from hooks j and the block d falls as far as
the rope e will allow, ready to be attached for again distending the
springs as before.
Figure 3 shows a front and back view of a human figure to which
an arrangement of straps or harness is applied, for the purpose of
attachment to the wire h, this view being drawn to a smaller scale
than Figures 1 and 2.
Figures 4 and 5 are a front and side view respectively of the means
of connection detached and drawn full size. k is a broad leather
waist band fitting tightly to the body, and 1, l, are braces attached
thereto and passing over the shoulders as shown; m, m, are suitable
straps also attached to passing between the thighs and suitably padded.
The wire is attached at », Figure 3, by means of a spring bolt fitted in
staples attached to a strong cross strap o connecting shoulder straps 1, 1.
In Figure 4 is the pin, and q, q, are the staples, being a spring to keep
the bolt in place. By this means the performer may readily disengage
himself from wire h after his descent. The harness may be otherwisc
disposed if found desirable.
For saltatorial purposes, that is to say, for making repeated leaps to
a considerable height, the apparatus shown in vertical section in Figure 6
is employed. a is the beam or joist as before described from which
the apparatus is suspended; s is a long wooden trough or tube hung
by iron straps at its upper end from the eye of the bolt in beam a so
as to swing frcely. are the india-rubber springs similar to those
before described about eight feet in length and three (more or less as
required) in number. They are suspended within the tubes from a
ring attached to a rope u passing over a sheave u² mounted in the upper
end of the tube 8; u² is the stopper applied on the ropc. The performers
wire is attached to a ring connected to the lower ends of the springs t.
Two wires may be employed terminating in suitable handles for the
performer to hold. By alternately pulling and slackening the rope u at
cach leap, the performer may be aided if necessary; w are two or more

page_text: check springs similar to springs attached to the lower end of tube s
and connected to ring v, the only object of said tube and springs
being to prevent the too violent recoil of springs t when the performer
is detached from the apparatus after making a final descent for instance.
For descending head first one wire h only is employed, the point of
attachment may be at x, Figure 3, a spring bolt connection being em-
ployed as at n. In performing the latter feat rope network is provided
beneath the stage (or otherwise concealed from the audience) to receive
the performer, who is immediately disconnected from the spring
apparatus by drawing the spring bolt. Suitable points of attachment to
the harness may be arranged, for personating flying or similar characters.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The construction and use of the apparatus herein-before described
and shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawing substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
2ndly. The construction and use of the apparatus herein-beforc
described and shown in Figure 6 of the Drawings, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Oliver, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
the purpose specified.
2ndly. The construction and use of the apparatus herein-beforc
described and shown in Figure 6 of the Drawings, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Oliver, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.