THE APPLICATION OF A NEW MATERIAL OR MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS AND BRUSHES IN GENERAL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STREET SCAVENGERS' AND OTHER BROOMS AND BRUSHES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Poitiers, of No. 12, Malden Terrace,
Haverstock Hill, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"THE APPLICATION OF A NEW MATERIAL OR MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF BROOMS AND BRUSHES IN GENERAL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND FOR
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF STREET SCAVENGERS' AND OTHER
BROOMS AND BRUSHES."
Sealed the 1st November 1856, and dated the 29th August 1856.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edward Poitiers at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 29th August 1856, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
POITIERS, of No. 12, Malden Terrace, Haverstock Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS, I am in possession of an Invention for "THE APPLICATION OF A
NEW MATERIAL OR MATERIALS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BROOMS AND BRUSHES IN
GENERAL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AND FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF STREET SCAVENGERS' AND OTHER BROOMS AND BRUSHES," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn declaration that
I verily believe myself to be the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Poitiers, do hereby declare that
the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully describes
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed (that is to say):-

page_text: The material, the application of which constitutes my Invention, and which
is new in the manufacture of brooms and brushes, is to be obtained from the
leaflets of various members of the palm tribe, such as the "cocoa-nut palm,"
and the "grugu palm," and several "arecas" also, and to these my Invention
may be said to especially refer; from the leaflets of the "rung" or "worung
palm," several "arecas" of similar, if not identical, physical conformation; and
from the leaflets of the "elais guiniensis," or common palm oil tree, which
latter named palms are to be obtained in vast quantities in and throughout
tropical Africa.
This material is the rib or spine running through the centre of the leaflet
of the palms above mentioned, and forming at its base the footstalk, by which
the leaflet is attached to the leaf stem.
This spine or rib may be readily detached from the leaflet by the thumb
nail, or by any suitable instrument, and is from eighteen inches to three feet in
length, and varying from the thickness of a small goose quill at the base or
thicker end down to the size of an ordinary bristle, and is highly suitable to the
manufacture of brushes, more especially of the coarser descriptions, and is a
valuable substitute for whalebone or cane in the manufacture of flue brushes,
and for the materials now in use for making coarse brooms, &c.
The finer ends tapering to the end of the leaflet are suitable for the manu-
facture of finer brooms and brushes, and the fibres disposed in the structure of
the leaflet of the elais, parallel to its rib, are suitable to the manufacture of soft
brushes, such as hat and velvet brushes.
The ribs or spines may also be manufactured into baskets of various sorts,
and may be used as a substitute for whalebone and cane in the manufacture of
riding whips.
My Invention as to the "new material" relates to the before-mentioned
material, viz., the portion or portions of the leaflet of certain palms, and may
be taken to mean their sole and unmixed application for the purposes set forth,
applying them in the manner usual in brush-making.
My Invention as to "improvements in brushes" refers to the admixture of
the new material with those now in use, or hereafter to be applied for this or
similar uses, whether to give support and greater stability to weaker materials,
or to lessen the cost of the brush or broom; and furthermore, where the bases or
thicker ends of the ribs are used, a manner of applying them, by which the use
of wire, pitch, or any fastening or fixture will be rendered in many, if not all
cases, unnecessary; and this mode of applying them is as follows:-
The material being of a tapering nature from one end to the other, and more
suddenly so near the base or point of attachment, the holes made in the

page_text: "stock" of the brush for their reception may be larger on the upper side than
that on the under side of the stock of the brush, in equal ratio with the taper of
the material.
The stock, in this manner of applying the material, should consist of two
portions, viz., the under or true stock perforated to receive the material, with
openings right through the holes or openings, to be tapering from the upper to
the lower side, and the upper or "back" to the stock of a size corresponding
to the perforated portion, but not perforated itself. The tapering material
being taken in suitable quantities to the size of the hobs may be drawn through
until they jamb, when a sharp blow on their thicker ends will wedge them in
the holes, care having been taken to arrange these ribs of the palm leaflet with
all their thicker ends together, which thicker ends must be in the stock, the
thinner being the working portion of the brush. The upper ends may be
cut off level with the top of the perforated half of the stock; the other portion,
or "back," which will receive the handle, may then be nailed or screwed on, or
otherwise fastened to the portion containing the ribs of palm, and will retain
them in their holes. This will allow the stock to be refilled when necessary.
And I claim as altogether new the use of the spines or mid ribs of the
leaflets of the palms solely by themselves, or admixed with other materials, to
the purpose of being fitted into wooden or other stocks for brush-making
generally and for whip making; and if the applying tapering brush materials
by forcing or drawing them into suitably tapering holes be not new with
respect to materials hitherto in use, I claim this manner of applying the rib of
the palm leaflet, in addition to a claim of entire novelty of the use of the
material, however it may be applied.
The rib material being especially a substitute for "piesava," or monkey bark,
and such other brush materials, it is not necessary to set forth the ordinary
manner of applying them. I claim the sole right to make, use, and vend brushes
made wholly or in part of the materials herein set forth as new, whether
applied in the usual way, or in that herein particularised.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Poitiers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
EDWARD POITIERS. (L.s.)