AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING MATTRESS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn,
in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING MATTRESS."-A communication from
abroad by Louis Bauhoefer, of Philadelphia, in the United States of
America.
Sealed the 4th December 1860, and dated the 15th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th June 1860.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING MATTRESS," (a communication to
me from abroad, by Louis Bauhoefer, of Philadelphia, in the United States of
America), to be as follows:-
This improved life-preserving mattress is constructed as follows:-Within
an oblong frame of sufficient length and breadth to fit the ordinary sleeping
berths of a vessel, (the frame being composed of thin light but strong laths,
firmly secured at the corners), is placed a mattress of cork cuttings or shavings,
which are confined at the ends and sides by an inner frame, and at the top

page_text: and bottom by a strong network, which is wrapped entirely round the inner
frame, the network being covered by oiled canvas or other waterproof mate-
rial, and the whole being secured by longitudinal and transverse ropes or
bands, drawn perfectly tight, and securely tied on the outside of the frame.
To these ropes or bands, four other ropes or bands are connected, and to the
latter are attached four cork floats, the size and form of each float being such
that they may be easily packed out of the way under the mattress when the
latter is placed in a berth.
The outer frame which projects above and below the mattress, not only
prevents damage to the latter when it is thrown overboard for service as a
life-preserver, but forms a bulwark on the latter.
Pockets or other suitable attachments for the storing of water or provisions
may be readily secured to the frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George, Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Davies, 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
"AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING MATTRESS," being a communication to me from
abroad, by Louis Bauhoefer, of Philadelphia, in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, 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

page_text: 5
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 George Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
This improved life-preserving mattress is constructed as follows:-Within
an oblong frame of sufficient length and breadth to fit the ordinary sleeping
berths of a vessel, (the frame being composed of thin, light, but strong laths,
firmly secured at the corners), is placed a mattress of cork cuttings or shavings,
which are confined at the ends and sides by an inner frame, and at the top
and bottom by a strong network, which is wrapped entirely round the inner
frame, the network being covered by oiled canvas or other waterproof mate-
rial, and the whole being secured by longitudinal and transverse ropes or
bands, drawn perfectly tight, and securely tied on the outside of the frame.
To these ropes or bands, four other ropes or bands are connected, and to the
latter are attached four cork floats, the size and form of each float being such
that they may be easily packed out of the way under the mattress when the
latter is placed in a berth.
The outer frame which projects above and below the mattress, not only
prevents damage to the latter when it is thrown overboard for service as a
life-preserver, but forms a bulwark on the latter.
Pockets or other suitable attachments for the storing of water or provisions,
may be readily secured to the frame.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "An Improved
Life-preserving Mattress," I will proceed to describe more in detail the
manner in which the same is to be, or may be performed or carried into
practical effect. And in order that the same may be clearly understood, I have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of illustrative Drawings, and have marked the same
with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof, that is to say :-
Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved life-preserving mattress, with part
of the cover and network removed; Figure 2 a transverse section shewing
the method of packing the same for stowage; Figure 3 a side view;
Figure 4 a transverse sectional view, drawn to an enlarged scale. Similar
letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

page_text: A is an oblong frame of sufficient length and breadth to fit the ordinary
sleeping berths of a vessel, the frame being composed of thin, light, but
strong laths or "slats" firmly secured at the corners. Within the frame is
placed the mattress B, composed of cork cuttings or shavings, which are con-
fined at the ends and sides by an inner frame C, and at the top and bottom by
a strong network m, which is wrapped entirely round the inner frame, this
network being covered by oiled canvas, or other equivalent water-proof mate-
rial n, which is also wrapped around the frame. The mattress thus con-
structed fits snugly within the outer frame A, and is confined to the latter in
the following manner:-In the opposite sides of the outer frame are two or
more holes a, a, Figure 4, level or thereabouts with the upper surface of the
mattress, and in the opposite ends of the frame.are two similar holes a' simi-
larly situated. In the sides and ends of the frame, and immediately below the
above-mentioned holes are others b, b, situated on a level or thereabouts with the
lower surface of the mattress. One, two, or more transverse ropes c, c, are
passed through the holes in the sides of the outer frame A over and under
the mattress, and are drawn perfectly tight, and securely tied on the outside of
the frame. In a similar manner longitudinal ropes f, f, are passed through
the holes in the ends of the frame, and under and over the mattress, the said
ropes being drawn tight, and properly secured. Another rope or ropes, h
passes entirely round the frame, and occupies a position midway between
the upper and lower edge of the same, this rope being secured to the trans-
verse and longitudinal ropes e and f, at the eight points marked a and a¹,
where metal rings or hooks may be attached to the ropes. At the four points
al, and to the ropes which meet and are connected together at these points,
are attached the ropes j, j, each having at its outer end a cork float D, the
size of these floats being such that they may be made to occupy an out of the
way position beneath the mattress when the latter is placed in a berth as
seen in Figure 2.
It will be seen without further description that the cork mattress is effec-
tually confined in the frame A by the above-described system of ropes, and
that the cork cuttings or shavings are retained in a compact mass by the
strong network m, additional security being afforded by the oiled canvas, or
other equivalent waterproof covering, which also prevents the access of water
to the interior of the mattress. In addition to their service as a means of
securing the cork mattress within the frame, the ropes afford a ready means
of seizing the apparatus as well as of attaching any number of them together,
and thereby forming a raft. The floats D, D, have a two-fold object, first,
they tend to maintain the mattress steady when in the water, and, secondly,

page_text: they are readily seized by those who have jumped overboard.
Pockets or
other suitable attachments for the storing of water and provisions, may be
readily secured to the frame.
Having now fully described the nature and object of the said Invention for
"An Improved Life-preserving Mattress," together with the manner in which
the same is to be, or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would
remark in conclusion, that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by
the said Louis Bauhoefer,-
Firstly, the outer frame A, and the inner frame C, with its network cover m,
the additional cover n of oiled canvass or other equivalent water-proof material,
and the packing of cork cuttings or shavings, the whole being bound together
by any convenient number of transverse and longitudinal ropes or bands, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes specified.'
And, secondly, in combination with the above, I claim the floats D of such
a form and size, that they can occupy a position under the mattress, and
within the frame when out of use as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
GEORGE DAVIES.
(L.S.)