A NEW OR IMPROVED SUIT OR DRESS AND FITTINGS FOR SAVING LIFE IN WATER.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Benjamin Stoner, of No. 12, Buckingham
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED SUIT OR DRESS AND FITTINGS FOR SAVING LIFE IN
WATER.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Benjamin Stoner
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd March 1871.
I, JOHN BENJAMIN STONER, of No. 12, Buckingham Street, Strand, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED SUIT OR DRESS AND FITTINGS FOR SAVING
LIFE IN WATER," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is the saving of life in the event of
shipwreck or other disaster at sea or on other waters.
propose to carry out my
The means by which I
Invention are, firstly,
an india-rubber suit of clothing made large enough to cover the person
except the face and hands, with all his ordinary clothing on, the cuffs
being made of pure india-rubber. A cap or hood is attached to the back

page_text: and upper part of the said suit for covering the whole of the head and
neck except the face, having a border of light pure india-rubber fitting
closely under the chin and over the forehead. The upper opening of the
suit is gathered and secured in a semicircular clamp or clasp so arranged,
constructed, and attached to the suit, that it can be adjusted and closed
at once and with ease without previous practice, or the said opening may
be closed by means of a draw string. To the neck of the suit at the
back I attach an air case or pillow made of india-rubber, into which air
can be blown by the wearer when he requires to rest while in the
water.
Secondly. In order to secure sufficient buoyancy to float the person
I make an external jacket of cork or of air-tight tin or other tubes.
When made of tin they can be made large enough to carry a supply of
water for the use of the wearer during several days. In all cases the
jacket is made in two parts, which are united when on with two buckles
and straps, before and behind, by which means the jacket can be adapted
to persons of various sizes. This jacket has a strap or cord fixed on each
side under the arms, which reaches to the ankle of the wearer. The
lower ends of these straps have rings or weights of lead or other metal
attached to them of sufficient weight to maintain the wearer in an
upright position. These metal weights are so formed as to fit loosely
around or partially around the ankle, and are covered with canvass or
other suitable material, and are secured behind by straps and buckles.
The jacket is kept in its position by suspenders or shoulder straps made
of saddle girthing or other suitable material. By this means the strain
of the weights is put upon the shoulders of the wearer when out of the
water, but immediately on entering the water the whole of the strain is
transferred to the jacket, thereby entirely relieving the wearer of all the
inconvenience arising therefrom.
Jackets or buoys thus made can be used for saving life in cases of
emergency without the india-rubber suit; they can also be worn whilst
bathing with or without a bathing dress.
Attached to the jacket by any suitablo means I provide a floating
hollow buoy, the inside of which is divided into two compartments, the
lower one for a store of fresh water and the upper one for provisions,
day and night signals, or other requisites.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Benjamin Stoner in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BENJAMIN STONER, of No. 12, Buckingham Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Benjamin Stoner, Her special licence
that I, the said John Benjamin Stoner, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Benjamin Stoner, 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 lawfully might make, use, excrcise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED
SUIT OR DRESS AND FITTINGS FOR SAVING LIFE IN WATER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Benjamin Stoner, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar mouths next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Benjamin Stoner, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of my Invention is the saving of life in the event of
shipwreck or other disasters at sea or on other waters.
The means by which I propose to carry out my said Invention are as
follows:-
Firstly. I provide an entire suit, dress, or covering of india-rubber
cloth made large enough to cover the person loosely except the hands
and face, with all his ordinary clothing on, except hat and boots; the cuffs

page_text: of the said suit or covering being made of pure india-rubber. A cap or
hood is attached to the back and upper part of the suit for covering the
whole of the head and neck except the face, which cap or hood has a
border of light or thin pure india-rubber fitting closely under the chin
and over the forehead. The suit is made with an opening in its upper
part large enough to enable the wearer to get therein; when the suit
and hood are properly adjusted the said opening is gathered and secured
in front a little below the chin by means of a semicircular clamp or
clasp; or it may be closed by a draw-string, as shown in the Drawing.
At the back of the neck of the suit I attach an air-tight india-rubber
cloth case or pillow, which can be inflated by the wearer at pleasure
when he requires to lic on the water to rest or sleep.
Secondly. In order to give sufficient buoyancy to the person so that
he may have the free use of his arms out of the water I provide an
external jacket made of cork, or air-tight tin, india-rubber, or other
tubes; when made of tin or other metal they can be formed large enough
to carry several days' supply of fresh water. I propose to make tho
jacket in two parts, which are united when on with two buckles and
straps before and behind, so that the jacket can be adapted to persons of
different sizes; or it can be made in one to fit the person, as shewn in
the accompanying Drawing. Attached to this jacket by buckles are two
straps, one on each side, reaching or extending to the ankles of the
wearer, to each of which straps is secured a U-shaped weight of lead or
other metal sufficiently licavy to maintain the wearer in an upright
position; these weights are so formed as to fit loosely around or partially
around the ankle; they are covered with canvas or other suitable
material, and are secured by straps and buckles. The jacket is kept in
its position by suspenders or shoulder straps made of saddle girthing or
other suitable material, and by stirrup straps attached to the U-shaped
weights and passing under the wearer's feet. By this arrangement the
strain of the said weights is put upon the shoulders of the wearer when
out of the water, but immediately on entering the water the whole of
the strain is transferred to the jacket, and the jacket is prevented from
rising and pressing upwards against the arms of the wearer by the
stirrup straps and their connections previously described.
Jackets or buoys thus made can be used for saving life in cases of
emergency without the india-rubber suit; they can also be worn while
bathing with or without a bathing dress.

page_text: Attached to the jacket by a cord some twenty feet long (more or less)
is a floating hollow buoy, the inside of which is divided into two com-
partments, the lower one for a store of fresh water, and the upper one
for provisions, day and night signals, or other requisites. Or, for greater
convenience of carriage when not in use I provide an air-tight india-
rubber buoy, as shown in the accompanying Drawing, and herein-after
described.
Fig. 1 shows a man equip'd with my apparatus as he would appear
when afloat; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the floating buoy with its
flag or signal staff; Fig. 3 is a horizontal or plan view of the same;
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a water-tight bag for carrying provisions,
night signals, &c.; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 6 is a bag
for carrying fresh water; Fig. 7 is a full-size sectional view of that
portion of the signal staff which is under water when in use; Fig. 8 is
an elevation of a tubular jacket; Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through
the centre of the same; Fig. 10 is a full-size plan view of the U-shaped
weight and its accessories; Fig. 11 is a section of the same on the
line A, B, Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is an elevation of the air-tight pillow; and
Fig. 13 is a cross section of the same on the line C, D, Fig. 12. The
following reference applies to each Figure where the same index letters
appear:
a shews the india-rubber cuffs of the sleeves of the suit; a¹ is the
hood; and a, the india-rubber border of the same; 6 shews the opening
of the suit as closed by a draw-string; c is the air-tight pillow when
inflated and in the position it would take when the man was lying on
the water; c' is an india-rubber tube for inflating the said pillow, having
an air valve at its outer end; & are hand paddles, made of thin board or
other light material, to be used in propelling the person through the
water; they are attached to the suit by the cords №. e is a jacket
formed of twelve seperate and distinct air-tight india-rubber tubes, each
cased in strong canvas and secured to. a lining of canvas e'. Each of
these tubes is fitted with an air valve e'. The jacket is secured around
the wearer by straps and buckles e³. The strap and buckle e* secures

page_text: are the straps connecting the
are short straps attached to
the canvas lining around the wearer.
U-shaped weights with the jacket;
the straps and to the weights for steadying the latter; are the
stirrup straps. The metal weights are made large enough to allow of a
space of half an inch (more or less) between the inner face of the
weights and the ankle (as shown); and to prevent the said weights
striking against the ankle or leg when walking or moving in the water
they are encased in strong canvas cases or bags g, to which, on one side
of the ankle at g', a strap and buckle g² are fixed, which strap passes
round the front of the anklo inside the said canvas bag, and through it
on the opposite side of the ankle; it is then passed across the back of
the leg and buckled closely, thereby securing the canvas bag in place;
and also, through or by means of the latter, the metal weight is laterally
suspended, and therefore cannot strike the leg of the wearer in either
case. hare the shoulder straps or suspenders of the jacket; i is an
air-tight india-rubber buoy encased in a canvas covering i¹, and attached
to the jacket by the cord ; and form the lower or metal portions
of the signal staff, and act as ballasting therefor; is the upper or
above water portions of the said signal staff; is the flag or day signal;
are holes through the central portion of the canvas for the purpose
of allowing water to pass freely through; are stay straps attached to
the canvas covering i', and to the same canvas at the outer edges of the
washers j'; are metal rings fixed to the canvas covering on the buoy i
for the purpose of attaching water, provision, signal, and other bags
thereto that may be required; aro rings fixed near the upper end of
the lower section of the signal staff for the purpose of attaching the
free ends of the said provision and signal bags; " is the air valve
through which the buoy i is inflated; ; is a hollow nut tapered to
receive the lower part of the staff ; jare washers under the nut j,
between which the canvas covering is socured; is a projection of
tapped to fit the nut j, into which it is screwed, and thereby secures the
signal staff to the centre of the said canvas covering of the buoy i. The
ballasting portions or sections and is of the signal staff are constructed
on the telescopic plan, as shewn closed in Fig. 7 for convenience in
carrying. When fixed in place and the buoy is floated the tube slides
down until the upper end, which is contracted as shown, meets and
rests upon the expanded lower end of ³, as shewn at j. is a water-
tight bag for carrying provisions, day and night signals, and other
necessarics, which bag is closed by a draw-string '; ' is an air-tight