AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING SEAT
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Perry Tewksbury, of Boston, in the
State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING SEAT."
Sealed the 21st January 1853; and dated the 19th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Perry
Tewksbury at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 19th November 1852.
I; GEORGE PERRY- TEWKSBURY, of Boston, in the State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of the said. Invention of "AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING SEAT "
to be as follows (that is to say):
It consists of a combination of two circular or other proper shaped
heads, boards, or pieces of metal, or other suitable material, an air-
tight, hollow, cylindrical, or other proper shaped vessel (placed
between such boards or pieces, and with its two ends respectively
in contact with, or near to them), and a series of holding or grasping
rods or bars, made to extend from one to the other of such heads
or boards, and outside of the said vessel.

page_text: It further consists of such a contrivance, applied to, and under a
common chair, in combination with the making the seat of the
chair to turn upwards on hinges, and to have an air-tight vessel
affixed to its underside.
An article so made, when thrown over-board, or into the water,
has great buoyant power, and can not only be used as a seat on
ship-board, but for the preservation of life in case of accident to a
vessel at sea.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said George Perry Tewksbury in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE PERRY TEWKSBURY, of Boston, in the State of Massachu-
setts, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November
A. D. 1852, in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Perry Tewksbury, Her special license that I, the said
George Perry Tewksbury, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Perry Tewksbury,
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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and such other dominions
or possessions of Her said Majesty as therein mentioned, my
Invention of "AN IMPROVED LIFE-PRESERVING SEAT," upon condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Perry Tewksbury, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and cause the same to be filed

page_text: in the place and within the time as expressed in the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Perry Tewksbury, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in the following specification, and the accompanying drawings,
letters, figures, and references thereof.
The nature of my Invention consists of a combination of two
circular or other proper shaped heads, boards, or pieces of metal, or
other suitable material, in an air-tight hollow, cylindrical, or other
proper shaped vessel (placed between such boards or pieces, and
with its two ends respectively in contact with or near to them) and
a series of holding or grasping rods, or bars, made to extend from
one to the other of such heads or boards, and outside of the said
vessel.
It further consists of such a contrivance, aplied to and under a
common chair, in combination with making the seat of the chair to
turn upwards on hinges, and to have an air-tight vessel affixed to
its under side.
.
An article so made, when thrown overboard, or into the water,
has great buoyant power, and can not only be used as a seat
on ship-board, but for the preservation of life in case of accident to
a.vessel at sea.
Of the said Drawings, Figure 1, denotes a side clevation, Figure 2,
a vertical and central section, and Figure 3, a horizontal section, of
my said life-preserving seat. Figures 4, and 5, are side and front
views of a chair fitted with an air-vessel applied to its scat, and
another between its legs.
In the said Drawings, A, represents the seat of the chair, which
is composed of a circular or other proper shaped piece of wood, or
other proper material. B, is another, or like piece of wood, or other
material, connected with the piece A, by three, or any other suitable
number of bars C, C, of iron, or other proper substance,--iron rods
being generally preferred by me.
D, is an air-tight hollow vessel, formed of two conic frustra a, b,

page_text: arranged as seen in the Drawings. This vessel. is to be made of
thin sheet metal, and to have its two ends respectively sunk into
the two heads, A, B. I give to the vessel D, the above form, not
only for the purposes of strength, but to afford room between it and
the rods C, C, for one or more persons to grasp the rods, or for the
fixing of timbers, spars, or other matters, to the bars by ropes.
The head B, not only serves to protect. the lower end of the
vessel D, from injury; but it serves, by its weight, to prevent the
chair, or seat, from being overturned during the motions of a vessel.
As common seats are made, their centers of gravity are elevated so
high above the lower ends of. their legs, as to cause the chairs. to be
readily overset. Thus it will be seen that my improved seat..has
great and very important advantages over the life-preserving seat;
made like an ordinary stool, with a seat and legs, and an air-vessel
applied to the underside of the seat.
My improved life-preserving seat. admits of the use of an air-vessel
of nearly double the capacity of that which can with advantage be
applied to the .common-legged stool; for, in order, to protect.the
bottom of the air-vessel of the latter from injury, it becomes neces
sary to make such vessel quite short, or only about one-half the
length of one of the legs. The protection to the air-vessel afforded
by the head B, enables me to construct it much longer, or of greater
capacity than it could otherwise be made and used in practice. The
improved seat presents advantages of laying on the water with the
rods C, C, in a horizontal position, whereby persons can better
sustain themselves by it on the water, than by the stool with legs.
In Figures 4, and 5, A2, denotes my life-preserver seat, made as
above described, and applied below the seat and between the legs of a
chair E. The seat C¹ of the chair is hinged to the chair-frame,. so
as to be capable of being turned up against the back D, as seen by
dotted lines in Figure 4; there being an air-tight vessel B, affixed
to the underside of the seat, and so as to be turned up with it.
This arrangement admits of a common chair being used to ad-
vantage as a life-preserving seat.
I claim the said improved life-preserving seat, as made of a combi

page_text: nation of the seat A, the head or block B, the air-tight vessel D,
and the connecting rods, or grasping-bars C, applied together, and
used substantially in manner and for the purpose as specified.
I also claim the combination of the air-tight vessels, or con-
trivances with the chair made with its seat to turn upwards against
its back; the whole being substantially as specified.
In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my hand and seal, this
Tenth day of February, A. D. 1853.
Declared at Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, this Tenth
day of February, A. D. 1853,
Before me,
(L.S.)
WILLIAM ELLIOTT,
H.B.M.'s V. Consul.