Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 12th Aug., 1887.
I, GEORGE JAMES BICKNELL of Melrose in the County of Middlesex and State of
Massachusetts Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to that class of matting known as India matting, and has for
its object to produce à matting of greater body and one which will be capable of
withstanding greater wear, than the matting of this class now in use.
Matting of the kind referred to and as now commonly made, has its weft composed
of strands of a kind of grass indigenous in India, while its warp is made of hemp or
other analogous fibre.
To produce a matting capable of withstanding increased wear over that now
commonly made, I purpose in accordance with my invention, to make each weft
consist of two strands of grass of the kind referred to twisted together, and when so
formed the weft will be woven in the usual manner with the warp.
My invention consists essentially of a matting having a warp of hemp or other
analogous, material and a weft of strands of grass twisted together, all, or substantially
all, of the said strands being of a length equal substantially to the width of the
matting, as will be hereinafter set forth.
My invention also consists of a matting having a warp of hemp or other analogous
material, and a weft composed of two twisted strands, only, of grass in each of the
strands of the filling of the matting, substantially as will be set forth.
Figure 1 shows a detached weft strand or thread formed in accordance with my
invention.
Figure 2 a top or surface view of a piece of matting made in accordance with my
invention, and
Figure 3 a side view of Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Figure 1 a single weft as composed of
two separate and distinct strands of grass a, b, of the kind referred to, the said strands
being twisted together to form a single strand or thread.

page_text: The weft thus composed of two single strands twisted into one, is woven in any
usual or ordinary manner with the warp strands or threads which may be of hemp
or other analogous fibre.
It will be seen on reference to Figure 3, that each weft strand, above and below
the warp, presents a double amount of wearing surface, that is, two single strands
twisted together, so that the wear upon the matting is not confined to one strand as a,
but is borne equally by both the strands. a; b, of the twisted weft.
It has been demonstrated by experience that a matting made as above described
will endure wear a considerable longer time than when the weft is composed of single
strands.
By having the strands a, b, of different colors or shades of color, a matting of
varied design and pleasing appearance may be produced.
It is necessary in order that the matting made according to my invention should
have a smooth and attractive appearance that the long India or China grass should be
used so that each strand thereof will be of sufficient length to extend from one
edge to the other of the matting, otherwise the projecting ends of the strands would
give the matting an unsightly appearance and would render it so rough that it could
not be properly swept.
While it may be difficult, practically, to avoid using some strands which, when
twisted, will be of less length than the width of the matting, very few such short
strands will be used and they will be entirely excluded so far as it is possible to do so
practically.
-
Each twisted strand of the weft of filling will preferably consist of only two
strands of the grass, as shown in the drawings, although with very fine grass or very
heavy matting a greater number of the strands of grass may enter into each of the
twisted strands composing the weft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a matting having a warp of hemp or other
analogous material, and a weft of strands of grass twisted together, all or sub-
stantially all, of the said strands being of a lengthe equal substantially to the width of
the matting, as set forth.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a matting having a warp of hemp or other
analogous material, and a weft composed of two twisted strands, only, of grass in
each of the strands of the filling of the matting, substantially as set forth.
13LL
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.