AN IMPROVED TENT OR HUT FOR SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD, EMIGRANTS, TOURISTS, AND OTHER PERSONS REQUIRING A PORTABLE DWELLING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Christie, of Greenock, Scotland, for the Inven-
tion of "AN IMPROVED TENT OR HUT FOR SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD, EMIGRANTS,
TOURISTS, AND OTHER PERSONS REQUIRING A PORTABLE DWELLING."
Sealed the 13th November 1855, and dated the 15th May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Christio at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
May 1855.
I, PETER CHRISTIE, of Greenock, Scotland, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED TENT OR HUT FOR SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD,
EXIGRANTS, TOURISTS, AND OTHER PERSONS REQUIRING A PORTABLE DWELLING," to
be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to combine some of the advantages of a
permanent dwelling with the portability of a tent, and especially to provide
a comfortable sleeping place for soldiers in the field. A tent or hut constructed
according to my principle will conveniently shelter a company of soldiers, and
may be erected and taken down in a very short space of time. The frame-
work I make of wood in this manner :-The "principals "or main supports are
jointed so as to fold up into one, and when opened forming three sides of an
equilateral triangle, or nearly so. Being placed on the ground or on a raised
surface, the two jointed sides are opened, and united at the top by a pin and

page_text: at the bottom by other similar means; the ends are further secured by poles or
other attachments made fast to the earth. The flooring of the tent or hut is
raised some 18 inches, and each flooring board may be made to the size allowed
by army regulation for a soldier's bed, and being moveable is to be turned
over at night, the inner surface having a bed, blankets, &c. attached thereto,
so that in the day-time the flooring would be clear, and at night the soldiers
would only have to turn the boards over. Each board would be numbered,
and thus each soldier would easily find his own bed. The covering is to be a
waterproof material; slung up the inclined-sides of the tent or hut by means
of a rope & pulley, and the whole may be packed into a waggon which I
construct for the purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Christie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
CHRISTIB, of Greenock, Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Peter Christie, Her special licence that I, the said Peter Christie,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Peter Christie, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
TENT OR HUT FOR SOLDIERS IN THE FIELD, EMIGRANTS, TOURISTS, AND OTHER PERSONS
REQUIRING A PORTABLE DWELLING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Peter Christie, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 Peter Christie, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of my Invention of an improved tent or hut is to provide soldiers
and others with a dry and comfortablo dwelling for use in the field or else-
where. The military tents at present in use are generally admitted to be very
defective in construction and wanting in stability. The tent is supported by a
pole in the centre, which is wholly inadequate to sustain the pressure of the
canvas during stormy weather; moreover, it is impossible to keep out the rain;
in consequence, the men occupying the tent aro continually exposed to the
injurious effects of moisture arising from the damp ground. No means of
ventilation being provided in the upper part of the ordinary tent, a large per-
centage of the amount of disease affecting an army in the field is to be traced
to the practise of crowding men together in ill-ventilated tents, and allowing
them to sleep upon the damp earth. In my improved tent no poles are used,
the tent cover being supported by a rigid framework, which is easily put
together and readily taken apart; the lower part of the framework supports a
wooden flooring, made in lengths of six feet by eighteen inches wide, and
elevated eighteen inches above the ground. Each of these flooring pieces is
made to turn over, and form a bed by night; means are also provide for
ensuring a thorough ventilation of air beneath the flooring during the day, so
that the bedding may be at all times dry and fit for use. The upper part of
the tent is also made in such a manner that a current of air is continually
passing off, carrying with it the vitiated air from the lower part; by this means
the air within the tent is constantly being changed, which greatly promotes the
comfort and health of the men living therein. For hospital purposes a tent of
the foregoing description would be found of the utmost value, as it could be
warmed by a simple inexpensive arrangement of steam pipes, by which an
equable supply of pure warm air would be maintained within the tent, tending
under all circumstances to act as a remedial agent.
But in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will now describe
the same in detail, referring to the Drawings accompanying this Specification,
and to the letters and figures marked thereou.
Figure 1 represents a plan of the flooring of the tent; Figure 2 is a trans-
verse section; Figure 3, an elevation of the framework; and Figure 4, an
external elevation of the tent. a, a, a, are transverse pieces of timber, forming
the joists or supports for the flooring; they are made of sufficient depth to
cusure a thorough current of air passing beneath the flooring. The height of
the flooring from the ground may be varied, according to circumstances, but as
a general rule I have found a distance of eighteen inches to be the best. To

page_text: the cross pieces a, a, are screwed, bolted, or otherwise fastened the side pieces
or ribs b, b, forming the angular sides of the framework; these ribs rotate on
the pins or joints c, c, where they are fastened to the joists a, a, so that they
may be folded down and lie flat beside the joist when not in use. The ribs
b, b, are held in position by the top or connecting pieces d, d; these are fitted
with bolts, by which they are readily united and disconnected, the whole
framing when fastened together, as shewn by Figure 8, forming a rigid struc-
ture, requiring no external support by ropes or stays, as in tents of the ordinary
construction. The transverse pieces a, a, are placed at a distance of six feet
apart, and are held together by pieces of wood a, a, Figure 3, having a hole
made at each end of them; these lengths slip over a peg or pin fitted in each
end of the joists a, a. The flooring of the tent is formed of pieces of wood e, e,
six feet in length by eighteen inches wide, and these lengths rest upon ledges
formed for the purpose at the upper part of the transverse joists a, a. The
under side of each of these flooring pieces forms a bed for one man, and for this
purpose each piece is fitted with shallow sides for holding the bed; articles of
clothing and other things not in use may also be conveniently kept therein.
The beds are strapped or otherwise fastened to the flooring pieces, so that when.
turned over nothing shall fall out. Thus, during the day the tent presents an
unincumbered space for the use of the men; at night the flooring pieces are
taken up and their position reversed, presenting the beds ready for use; each
piece being numbered, there can be no difficulty with regard to the men
finding their beds. It will be obvious from the foregoing, that the space of
eighteen inches left between the ground and the beds will at all times allow a
thorough current of air to circulate beneath the flooring, and thus the beds will
at all times be kept dry and healthy. Another advantage of the flooring being
in short lengths is, that the tent may be set up on uneven ground without
inconvenience, as the six feet lengths may be readily adapted to an undulating
surface, which could not be done if the base of the framework were made in
long pieces. The cross section, Figure 2, will, it is presumed, convey a clear
idea of the structure of the central portion of the tent. The ends are formed of
projecting pieces f.f, enclosing triangular area ribs 9, 9, connecting the pieces
f.f. with the top pieces d,d; the spaces enclosed by the pieces f. f. may be
floored or not, or used for beds fitted upon wood, as before described, which
may be placed upon the ground, or the spaces may be used for other purposes.
Over the top or connecting pieces d, d, are fitted ridge or saddle pieces h, h, so
as to leave a space between the upper part of the framework and the saddle
pieces; these saddle pieces I prefer to make in three lengths, the piece at each
end being a fixture and the central one moveable; that is to say, cach side of

page_text: the saddle piece forms a hinged flap, which may be raised or lowered at
pleasure. By these means the ventilation of the tent is effectually secured,
for the flooring pieces e, e, are not laid close together, but have a space of
about one inch left between each, in order that a current of air may pass up
through the flooring to the upper part of the tent, and out beneath the flaps of
the saddle piece, carrying off the vitiated air. No interruption to the ventila-
tion need take place during rainy weather, as the saddle pieces considerably
overhang the sides of the tent cover, and effectually prevent the admission of
water; during stormy weather the flap to the windward side may be kept.
closed. Tho framework is put together in the following manner:-A trans-
verso piece a is laid upon its side, and the ribs unfolded and brought out to
form a triangle; the bolt of one of the connecting pieces d is passed through
the ribs, and secured by a screw; the frame is then reared in a vertical
position, and another frame, put together in like manner, is placed so that its
connecting piece rests against that of the first frame; while held in this
position, a light ladder is placed against the frame, a man ascends and slips.
the wedge of the first connecting piece into the slot of the second, and this
operation is repeated until the whole of the frames are set up. A figure of one
of the connecting pieces d is shown at Figure 8. The end pieces f.f, 9, 9, are
then set up and secured, and the side pieces a', a', are put in their places,
which binds the lower part together; the flooring is then laid, and the frame--
work is ready for the tent cover. The manner of setting up the tent cover
is very simple, and therefore requires very little time. Upon each of the
side ribs b, b, and 9, 9, is fitted a pulley i, and at the lower part a cleat ; the
covers m, forming the sides of the tent (Figures 4, 5,) are fastened at the upper.
part to pieces of wood, to which ropes n, Figure 5, are fastened at a distance
of six feet apart. These ropes are passed through the pullies i, i; a man is
stationed at each rope, and at a given word the cover is hauled up in a
moment, the ropes are made fast or belayed to the cleats k, the cover of the
opposite side is lifted in like manner, and then the ends are covered in. A
series of hooks are secured near the sides of each portion of the tent cover; a.
cord is made fast to the upper hook and passed round the hooks, as shown by
Figure 4; this fastens the cover securely together. When required, one or both
sides of the cover may be lifted up and supported by light staves or poles, thus
forming an awning or shade to protect the men from the sun or rain. When
the tent is used for hospital purposes, or where it is necessary to warm it, for
example, during severe weather, a steam pipe leading from a boiler attached.
to the cooking stove, and carried beneath the flooring, as shown by Figure 6,
answers the purpose admirably. The different parts of the tent when taken

page_text: asunder, and the beds are packed in a waggon of the form shown by Figure 9,
and when not travelling, a stable is made for the horses by fastening a long
piece of canvas to the roof of the waggon, stretching it over a light frame, and
securing it to the ground by ropes; to this are fitted canvas sides, forming a
completely enclosed stable; this arrangement is shewn by Figure 10. A
modification in the construction of the framework is shewn by Figure 7, in
which greater internal elevation is obtained by fitting the side pieces o, o, of the
framework either in a vertical position or inclining slightly outward, as shown
by the dotted lines; stay rods p, p, are fitted at each end of the flooring, or
at a less distance apart, according to the length of the tent and amount of
rigidity required.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carrying
the samo into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine
myself to the precise arrangement of the details herein-before described and
shown, as the same may be varied without departing from the Invention; but
what I claim, and desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, is,
-
Firstly, constructing a rigid and self-supporting framework for tents, in the
manner herein-before described and shewn, or any mere modification thereof.
Secondly, making the flooring of the tent to form beds when required, as
before described and shown.
Thirdly, the method of ventilating tents, as described and shown.
Fourthly, the method of covering tents, as described and shewn.
Fifthly, the waggon for conveying the different parts of the tents and the
beds, as before described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Christie, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
PETER CHRISTIE. (L.)