AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK FOR PREVENTING SEA SICKNESS." A communica-
tion from abroad by D'Amora Pasquale, Officer of the Italian Navy, now
resident with Messieurs Capuccio and Raimondo, Place du Statut, Turio,
Italy.
".
Sealed the 2nd November 1877, and dated the 7th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th May 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK FOR PREVENTING
SEA SICKNESS." A communication from abroad by D'Amora Pasquale, Officer of
the Italian Navy, now resident with Messieurs Capuccio and Raimondo, Place du
Statut, Turin, Italy.
"
This Invention relates to an improved hammock which I term the Cardanic
elastic suspension hammock," and which is designed for the prevention of sea sickness.
All objects or articles suspended within a ship are affected by the rolling and
pitching of the same, and they are moreover affected by the motion of transfer of the
point of suspension, which motion communicates to the said articles impulses some-
times in one direction and sometimes in another, the said impulses being the more
forcible the farther the point of suspension is from the centre of oscillation of the
ship. It follows therefore that the nearer the suspended object or article is to the
said centre of oscillation the less will be the motion communicated to it. On the
other hand, in order that the suspended object or portion (which according to this
Invention is constructed to contain a passenger or passengers) may have sufficient
stability, it is necessary that its centre of gravity should be much below the point
or centre of suspension; or if it is to be near the said centre of suspension, that it
should be of considerable bulk, otherwise the persons therein would be constrained
to keep themselves perfectly motionless. These conditions, which it has not been
possible to reconcile with a suspended room or chamber, may be procured with a
smaller object, such for instance as a hammock, which is the subject of this Invention.
This Invention is therefore designed to reconcile the above-named conditions, and to
[Price Bd 1

page_text: overcome not only the motion caused by the transfer of the centre of suspension, but
also the motion produced by the propelling machinery of the ship or vessel, and to
satisfy as comfortably as possible the condition of immovability of the limbs and to
combine in the suspended apparatus simplicity, lightness, and facility of fixing up
and taking down.
The said apparatus is constructed as follows, that is to say-A solid piece of iron
1 shaped is attached to the under side of the upper deck of the ship, and on the
horizontal side of this 1 shaped piece is jointed the suspending attachment of the
hammock.
•
A suspension collar, also made of iron, is constructed with an interior frame of
circular form and an exterior frame of rectangular form. From this rectangular
frame four suspension rods are hung. The said suspension collar may be easily fixed
and taken down by means of screws. It is very strong and relatively large in order
that it may resist the impulses of transfer which may be caused by sudden move-
ments of the ship.
The said four iron rods sustain in a rigid manner a wooden frame, and they may
be easily fixed and taken away again, their lower and upper extremities being
screwed and having nuts. A second wooden frame is provided, which is not
attached rigidly to the suspension collar, but is suspended to the first-named wooden
frame by means of four bands of gutta-percha or caoutchouc passing around wooden
rollers, which are made removable; or the two frames may be united by means of
simple steel spring bands, joined together at their extremities by means of hook.
shaped rods of iron, hinged with the hook above. Iron tie pieces hold the said
spring bands, which latter may be rendered more or less elastic as required by
placing the said tie pieces nearer to or farther from the centre of the said spring
bands.
The upper wooden frame is curved on one side, and when it has been placed in
position with its curved side turned in the direction at which the person or persons
will enter the hammock, the lower wooden frame will be suspended to it, and may be
so placed as that the person or persons in lying down on the right side will not have
his face turned towards the adjacent side of the ship.
Four very fine gutta percha lines attach the hammock in a very elastic manner to
the lower or upper deck in order to prevent any jerking, and the tension of the said
lines should be regulated according to the force of the sea
In order to equalize at the feet the weight of the person reclining, and to make
the hammock as firm as possible, a counterweight is provided underneath the said
hammock, which may slide on two horizontal iron rods or bars, and be fixed at any
desired point of its course by means of two small cords, one at the head and the
other at the foot of the hammock.
Thick curtains are provided between the suspension collar and the hammock in
order that the view of the person within the said hammock may be undisturbed.
These curtains must be of thick material, as it is necessary that they should not
admit the light which might come in through shutters or air holes.
When the sea is calm, if it is desired to make use of the hammock as a bed, and
in order not to uselessly strain the aforesaid gutta percha bands, it will suffice to fix
together the upper and lower frames with four small traversing pieces of iron, with
which the said frames are provided, and to fix to the lower deck the four angles of
the hammock frame by means of four small lines or cords.
The small traversing
pieces of iron which unite the two frames may be dispensed with when the ham-
mock is suspended by the aforesaid steel springs, because in this case if it is desired
to remove all elasticity from the lower frame, all that is necessary will be to place
the aforesaid iron tie pieces at the end of their course.
The hammock is suspended simply by four principal screws to the shaped
support, which are more than sufficient to sustain at, as the weight of the whole
apparatus, including that of the person within the same, will not much exceed a
metric hundred-weight.
The said shaped support and the four suspension rods may vary in length

page_text: according to the space at disposal for the hammock; for example, in mail boats,
hospital ships, and the like, the conditions will be very different to those existing
in pleasure yachts.
Some of the mail boats at present running are so constructed that they could only
have the said hammock as an auxiliary appliance, whilst the contrary might be the
case with boats built hereafter, as the latter might be so constructed as to receive
conveniently two tiers of the said hammocks one above the other. With these two
tiers there would be no danger of impulses in contrary directions given to the two
hammocks placed one above the other, because by means of the light gutta percha
attachments the said contrary impulses will be avoided, and each of the two ham-
mocks will counteract gently and simultaneously the effects of the motion of the
ship.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
November 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. " AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK FOR PREVENTING
SEA SICKNESS." A communication from abroad by D'Amora Pasquale, Officer of
the Italian Navy, now resident with Messieurs Capuccio and Raimondo, Place du
Statut, Turin, Italy.
All articles suspended within a ship are affected by the rolling and pitching of
the same, and they are moreover affected by the translocation of the point of suspen-
sion, which translocation communicates to the said articles impulses sometimes in
one direction and sometimes in another, these impulses being the more perceptible
the farther the point of suspension is from the centre of oscillation of the ship. It
follows therefore that the nearer the suspended object or body is to the said centre
of oscillation the less will be the motion communicated to it. On the other hand,
in order that the suspended object or portion (which according to this Invention is
constructed to contain a person or persons) may have sufficient stability, it is neces-
sary that its centre of gravity should be much below the point or centre of suspen-
sion; or, if it is to be near the said centre of suspension, that it should be of
considerable bulk, otherwise the inmates or persons therein would be constrained
to keep themselves perfectly motionless. These conditions, which it has not been
possible to reconcile with a suspended room or chamber, may be obtained with a
smaller object, such for instance as a hammock, which is the subject of this Inven-
tion. This Invention is therefore designed to reconcile the above-named conditions,
and to overcome, not only the motion caused by the transfer of the centre of suspen-
sion, but also the trembling produced by the engines of the ship or vessel, and to
obtain as comfortably as possible the condition of immovability of the limbs, and to
combine in the suspended apparatus simplicity, lightness, and facility of putting up
and taking down.
The said apparatus is constructed as shewn in the accompanying Drawing, of
which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my Invention. Figure 2 shews a portion of
the same detached and modified. A solid piece D of iron 1 shaped is attached to
the under side of the upper deck of the ship, and horizontally on one side of this
1 shaped piece is jointed the suspending attachment of the hammock.
A piece which I term a "Cardanic suspension" collar, also made of iron, is con-
structed with an interior circular frame F, and an exterior rectangular frame G.
From this rectangular frame four suspension rods are hung. The said suspension
collar may be easily fixed and released for taking down by means of screws E. It
is very strong and relatively large in order that it may resist the impulses of transfer
which may be caused by sudden movements of the ship.
The four iron rods H sustain in a rigid manner an upper wooden frame L, and

page_text: they may be easily fixed and taken away again by means of their lower and upper
extremities, which for this purpose are screwed and provided with screw nuts. The
other wooden frame M of the hammock, instead of being attached rigidly to the
said suspension collar, is suspended as shewn in Figure 1 from the frame L by means
of four bands N of gutta percha or caoutchouc passing around wooden rollers which
are made removable; or the two frames may be united by means of simple steel
spring bands, as shewn in Figure 2, joined at their extremities by means of hook-
shaped rods of iron, hinged with the hook above. Iron tie pieces n may be provided
to hold the said spring bands, which latter may be rendered more or less elastic as
required by placing the said tie pieces nearer to or farther from the centre of the
said spring bands.
The upper wooden frame L is curved on one side, and when it has been placed in
position with its curved side turned to the direction in which the person or persons
will enter the hammock, the lower wooden frame M. will be suspended on it, and
may be so placed as that the occupant in lying down on the right side will not have
his face turned towards the adjacent side of the ship.
Four very fine india-rubber or gutta percha stay lines or cords B connect the
hammock in a very elastic manner to the lower or upper deck in order to prevent
any jerking, and the tension of the said lines should be regulated according to the
condition of the sea.
In order to bring into equilibrium at the foot of the hammock the weight of the
occupant thereof, and to impart to the hammock the greatest possible stability, I
provide underneath the said hammock a counterweight C, which is free to slide on
two horizontal iron rods or bars, and be fixed at any desired point of its movement
by means of two small cords, one at the head and the other at the foot of the
hammock.
Thick curtains should be provided between the suspension collar and the ham-
mock in order that the view of the occupant of the said hammock may be undisturbed.
These curtains should be of very thick material, as it is necessary that they should
not admit the light which might enter through shutters or air holes.
When the sea is calm, if it is desired to make use of my improved hammock as a
fixed bed, in order not to uselessly strain the aforesaid gutta percha cords or
bands, it will suffice to fix together the upper and lower frames L and M with four
small cross pieces of iron with which the said frames are provided, and to secure to
the lower deck the four angles of the hammock frame by means of four small lines
or cord, the said small cross pieces of iron which unite the two frames may be
dispensed with when the hammock is suspended by the aforesaid steel springs,
because in this case if it is desired to remove all elasticity from the lower frame all
that is necessary will be to place the aforesaid tie pieces n at the end of their course
or range of motion.
As shewn in the Drawing, the hammock is suspended simply by four principal
screws E to the support D. These screws are more than sufficient to sustain it, as
the weight of the whole apparatus, including that of the occupant of the hammock,
will not much exceed a metric hundred-weight.
The said support D and the four suspension rods H may vary in length according
to the space available for the apparatus. It will be obvious that in mail boats,
hospital ships and the like, the conditions will be very different to those existing in
pleasure yachts and similar craft.
Some of the mail steamers at present running are so constructed that they can
only have the said hammock arranged as an auxiliary appliance, but vessels built
hereafter might be so constructed as to receive conveniently two tiers of the said
hammocks one above the other. With these two tiers there would be no danger of
impulses in contrary directions given to the two hammocks placed one above the
other, because by means of the light india-rubber or gutta percha stays the said.
contrary impulses will be avoided, and each of the two hammocks will counteract
gently and simultaneously the effects of the motion of the ship.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my

page_text: foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim the improved apparatus consisting of the hammock and the means for
suspending the same in the manner specified and as shewn in the accompanying
Drawing, for preventing the sea sickness of the occupant or occupants of the said
hammock, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A
W. ROB. LAKE, (L.S.)