A BATHING MACHINE EITHER FIXED OR MOVEABLE, THAT MAY BE USED AS A HOT OR COLD BATH, IN SALT OR FRESH WATER, AND IN ALL WEATHERS, CALCULATED FOR THE BETTER ACCOMODATION OF INVALIDS AND TIMID PERSONS, AND TO REMOVE THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY ACCIDENTS FROM ROUGH WEATHER OR INEXPERI- ENCED GUIDES; TOGETHER WITH SUCH A COCK TO THE BOILER AS WILL PREVENT ANY WASTE OF HOT WATER, A STOP TO THE DOOR TO GUARD AGAINST THE MISCHIEFS THAT PREQUENTLY HAPPEN FROM THE WIND SHUTTING THEM WITH VIOLENCE, AND A SCRAPER TO THE OUTER DOOR NECESSARY TO KEEP THE INTERIOR PARTS OF THE BATH PERFECTLY FREE FROM DIRT, AND TO REMEDY THE MANY INCONVENIENCES WHICH HAVE ARISEN FROM THE SCRAPERS AT PRESENT IN USE
Year: 1794

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FERRYMAN, of West Drayton, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Thir-
teenth day of May last past, gave and granted unto me, the said Robert
Ferryman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Majesty's special
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, for me, the said Robert
Ferryman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by
myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said Robert Ferryman, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with (not exceeding the number
of five), and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term of years therein expressed, to make, use, exercise, and vend my
Invention of "A BATHING MACHINE EITHER FIXED OR MOVEABLE, THAT MAY BE
USED AS A HOT OR COLD BATH, IN SALT OR FRESH WATER, AND IN ALL WEATHERS,
CALCULATED FOR THE BETTER ACCOMODATION OF INVALIDS AND TIMID PERSONS, AND
TO REMOVE THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY ACCIDENTS FROM ROUGH WEATHER OR INEXPERI-
ENCED GUIDES; TOGETHER WITH SUCH A COCK TO THE BOILER AS WILL PREVENT ANY
WASTE OF HOT WATER, A STOP TO THE DOOR TO GUARD AGAINST THE MISCHIEFS
THAT PREQUENTLY HAPPEN FROM THE WIND SHUTTING THEM WITH VIOLENCE, AND
A SCRAPER TO THE OUTER DOOR NECESSARY TO KEEP THE INTERIOR PARTS OF THE
BATH PERFECTLY FREE FROM DIRT, AND TO REMEDY THE MANY INCONVENIENCES WHICH
HAVE ARISEN FROM THE SCRAPERS AT PRESENT IN USE," within that part of His
Kingdom of Great Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of

page_text: Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Robert Ferryman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should in my or
their discretions seem meet, to have, hold, and enjoy the said licence, power,
privilege, and advantage to me, the said Robert Ferryman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for the term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete
and ended, according to the Statute in that case made and provided; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if I, the said Robert
Ferryman, should not particularly describo and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an in-
strument in writing under ny hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before con-
tained to the contrary notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Ferryman, in pursuance of
the said proviso in the said Letters Patent contained, do hereby describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, as follows, that is to say :-
The inconvenience of baths and bathing machines, and the serious difficulties
and dangers to which invalids and timid bathers have for ages been exposed;
these, and the solicitations of many good friends, have induced me to construct
a machine, which I hope will remedy the evils complained of, and be found
pleasant and useful either as a hot or a cold bath in fresh or salt water. It
is unpleasant and confessedly very injurious to persons not in the habit of
bathing to go slowly inch by inch into the water, and it is painful and un-
safe for weak persons and cripples to be borne in the arms of others down
wet and slippery steps, and to depend wholly on the strength and attention of
wearied guides.
No 1, in the annexed Drawing, is a section of a bath either fixed over a
spring or a reserved water, or on wheels to be drawn in and out with a
horso or a rope.
A is a domed skylight, supported by four hollow columns
B, B, B, B; C, part of the floor mado to sink; 1), D, railing of about six
feet high, enclosing three sides of the sinking floor C; E, E, E, E, four ropes,
or iron rods and chains, one of which is fastued to cach corner of the sinking
floor C at F, F, F, F, passing through the columns B, B, B, B, over the
pullies G, G, G, G, G, G, to the large roller H; 1 is a large wheel with
teeth and a catch J, fixed on the end of the roller H; K, a scale fastened, by

page_text: a rope or chain to the roller II, to receive a weight or counterbalance near the
weight of the sinking floor and the person or persons bathing, in order to
ease the labour of the attendant; L is a ladder fastened at one end to the
floor by hinges (this is better seen in the sunk floor M), the other end rising
and falling with the sinking floor; this, when down forms a fence to the
fourth side of the sinking floor, and affords an opportunity to the person
bathing to go in and out as in a common bath if so enclosed; N, a seat.for
one or more persons. The person or persons bathing are seated on this seat.
The attendant puts a proper weight into the balance scale K, then takes off
the catch J, and by turning the wheel I, lets out the ropes or chains
E, E, E, E, and lowers the floor C with the bathers to a. sufficient depth
into the water, and, by turning the wheel the contrary way raises the floor
gently up again. By this it impossible that the timid bather can avoid being
covered with water, it is impossible that the invalid can be inconvenienced,
and it is impossible that any accident can arise from sudden cramps, violent
seas, or carelessness, and sometimes wantonness in the person bathing, for
however untoward the circumstances may be, while the attendant does his
duty at the wheel, he can always raise the bathers safe out of the water into
the room.
To convert this into a hot bath: O is a boiler; P, a pump to fill
the boiler from the sea or reservoir; Q. a large vessel made water-tight, and
moving freely in a groove under the floor of the bathing room. When it is
wanted as a hot bath the vessel Q, by a roller, is brought under the sinking
floor C; the hot water is let out of the boiler O by means of a cock R into the
vessel Q. S is another cock to let in cold water, and by means of a thermo-
meter the water is brought to that degree of heat which the physician pre-
scribes. The person to be bathed is then let down into the vessel Q, in tho
same manner as before described into the cold water. As the other parts
in this small scale cannot well be shewn in their proper places, I shall describe
them separately. In certain delicate cases, great exactness may be required
in the degree of heat; it is not only necessary that the attendant is enabled to
give that degree with the greatest facility and precision, but care is to be
taken that it suffers no material change during the time of bathing. For
which purpose I have made two new cocks. No. 2 is a cock intended
to be fixed to the boiler b, b, b, the opening through which the liquor flows;
c, a plug nicely ground into the narrow part of the opening b, b, b; d, a
hollow pin on which the plug moves freely, which pin is supported in the
internal part of the cock by the rising part e, e; f, a pin turning freely; 9, a
projecting part from the side of the pin f; h, a lever fitted on the end of the
pin f; when this lever is raised it turns the pin f, and the projecting part g

page_text: No. 4 in the
presses against the bottom of the plug c, and raises it so that the water flows
freely. When the lever h is loased the plug c falls by its own weight into
its place, and the flowing of water is stopt. No. 3 is another cock placed
in the large vessel Q, to admit at pleasure the cold water. b, b, b, the opening
through which the liquor flows; c, c, c, a plug nicely ground into the narrow
part d; e, a screw at the end of the projecting part of the plug c, c, c, working
in the box or female screw f; when this is turned back by means of a key or
a lever on the squaro at g, it forces back the large part of the plug into the
wide part of the opening b, b, b, and the liquor flows. When the plug is
turned forward it draws the plug into the narrow part d, and the flowing
is securely stopt. Experience must show which of these two cocks ought to
be preferred; they will both perhaps be found useful for their different purposes.
It certainly is very necessary that the floor whereon delicate constitutions aro
to tread barefooted should be kept as neat and as free from mire as possible.
The scrapers and brushes in common use are very inadequate to their intended
purpose; I have therefore invented a new kind of scraper, which will bo
less objectionable than those now in use and much more useful.
annexed Drawing is a section of a scraper and its movements.
B, a drawer; C, an opening on the upper side of the box;
exactly fitting the opening C, working on two centres; E, a scraper; F, a
brush fixed on the flap D, and moving with it; G, a pinion wheel fitted on the
back centre of the flap D; H, a rack working in the pinion wheel G; I, a
lover jointed at the upper end of the bar of the rack at J, moving in a centre
at K; L, a knob; M, an upright bar of iron or piece of wood to support
the lever I. When a person scrapes or brushes his shoes on
something is always wanted to rest the hand and stay the body.
rested on the knob L brings down that end of the lever which raises the bar
and rack H, which, working in the pinion wheel G, brings up the scraper and
brush E and F. When the shoes are scraped and made clean, by raising the
end of the lever the rack is forced down, and the brush and scraper, with
the dirt scraped from the shoes, turned down into the drawer, and all is clean
and smooth on the top. These principles, by a small alteration in the mode
of fixing, may be adapted to any situation.
A is a box;
D, a flap
his feet, a
The hand
That nothing may be wanting which can possibly contribute to the perfection
of this bathing machine, and the accomodation of the sick and feeble, I have
endeavoured to guard against the unpleasant alarm that is sometimes occasioned
by the noise and jarr arising from the violent shutting of the door by wind
or other means. No. 5 is a door moving on hinges as in the common way,
or on centres a and b. B is a common mortico lock, to which are added two

page_text: movement c and d; e is a bar moving freely in the front edge of the door,
and jointed at f to another bar g, laid in a groove in the bottom of the door
moving on a centre at h, with a part at the end i turned downward and
coming through the bottom plate; J is a semicircular plate laid in the floor,
with holes at small distances from each other to admit the projecting end of
the bar i. When the day bolt is drawn back by turning the knob, as in the
usual way, it forces back the upper end of the movement d, the lower end
of which raises the hind end of the movement c, and forces downward the
fore end, which pressing on the end of the bar e, forces it downward, which
raises the hind end of the lower bar i out of one of the holes in the circular
plate J, when the door moves freely; but so soon as the hand is taken from
the knob the day bolt returns to its place, and the projecting end of the lower
bar i drops into one of the holes in the semicircular plate J, and the door is
securely stayed in the state it is in at the time the hand is taken from the
knob.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Ferryman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.
ROBT (L.S.) FERRYMAN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of June, in the
year above mentioned, the aforesaid Robert Ferryman came before our Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the saine Twelfth day of July, in the year above written.