NEW INVENTED LADDER
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
COLLINS, of the Parish of Saint Swithin, in the City of London, Warehouseman;
do send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Tenth day of August, in the fiftieth year of His reign, did give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Collins, my exors, adñors, and assigns, His
special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Collins, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, during the term of years therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my "NEW INVENTED LADDER;"
in which Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Thomas Collins, under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Collins, do hereby declare that my said Invention is a ladder consisting
of different parts or ladders joined together so as to form one. safe and perfect

page_text: ladder, and the parts may be made in such lengths and number of parts joined
together as may form the longest ladder that may be desired, or generally
useful as to stowage, portability, or elevation.
The Figure marked A in the Drawing hereon, shews two of these lengths
joined together, and forming a ladder about sixteen feet long. I have made
joints of various kinds, some having long sockets, as in the figure above
mentioned, and some with short sockets, which only embrace the extremities of
the joints, each having their different qualities, the first being the strongest, but
the latter being the lightest and cheapest. B, B, describes one of the joints
viewed edgways, with the parts asunder, to shew how they are made to fit each
other before they are inserted in the sockets; C, C represent the same joints
viewed flatways; and D, D, two different ways of making the ends of these
joints, one with a bird's mouth only, and the other with a bird's mouth and
clutch, each of which is both simple and strong; the upper piece of these
joints exhibits also the nature of the ketch which is intended to secure the
iron step, as herein-after mentioned. E represents part of a side, with the
joints put together, and the ends thereof embraced by short sockets; on this
also is represented the head of the bolt or iron step. F represents the iron
bolt drawn to a larger scale, which, when passed through the middle of the
joints, effectually fastens them together, and at the same time forms one of the
steps; the end near the head is formed square, to prevent its turning under the
foot. This bolt may be attached to the side by a small chain, to prevent its being
lost, of which, however, there is little probability, for whenever the ladder is
taken asunder, the bolt will of course be returned to its place, and will then
form the lower step of a distinct ladder. In order to prevent this bolt from
slipping out when the ladders are joined, there is a simple spring, as before
mentioned and described in letter C. The bolt having a taper or pointed end,
lifts up the spring in passing through the small iron plate, and the spring then
falls into a groove made to receive it, or it may be fastened by a pin in the
common way. G shews a plan or rather horizontal section of one of the
sockets, the part shadowed dark shewing the end of the joint to which the
socket is permanently fixed, and the light part that which is open to receive
the corresponding part of the joint. The bolts and sockets may be made of
iron, copper, or other strong material, but in general iron would be preferred, as
strongest and cheapest; and as the whole will be painted, and most likely kept
so, there will be no injury from corrosion.
It may be proper to mention, tho' I do not claim it as my Invention, that
the application of small wheels in the uppermost lengths of these ladders would
be found exceedingly useful in accelerating the raising of the whole ladder,