Improved Rattan Cane, Bamboo, or Basket-work Vehicles, Wheeled and Portable, including Indian Doolies, Toujons, Ambulances, Vehicles for Army or Hospital Work and Transport of Sick, Wounded, Passengers, or others.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Rattan Cane, Bamboo, or Basket-work Vehicles, Wheeled
and Portable, including Indian Doolies, Toujons, Ambulances,
Vehicles for Army or Hospital Work and Transport of Sick,
Wounded, Passengers, or others.
I, CHARLES POWELL, Indian Civil Service, Madras, Retired Pensioner, of 75,
Wiltshire Road, Brixton, present address, c/o Messrs. Wm. Hutchinson & Coy.,
Trafalgar Buildings, Charing Cross, W.C., do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
-
Rattan cane bamboo or basket work vehicles made either entirely of any of the
before named materials or of any combination of them or with or without con-
junction with any other suitable material such as steel, wire, metal, wood or the
like, constructed, so as to be hung by any suitable material as india rubber, rope,
hide, leather, metal, rattan, cane or the like, from between their bearings i.e.
from between the poles or frames for supporting them. To be either propelled or
drawn on wheels or to be carried, by men or animals, and constructed with or
without the aid of ordinary steel springs or the like for breaking concussion
whether arising from the resistance of wheels or from carriage by men or animals.
Dated this 18th day of June 1898.
Improved Rattan Cane, Bamboo, or Basket-work Vehicles, Wheeled
and Portable, including Indian Doolies, Toujons, Ambulances,
Vehicles for Army or Hospital Work and Transport of Sick,
Wounded, Passengers, or others.
I, CHARLES POWELL, Indian Civil Service, Madras, Retired Pensioner, of 75,
Wiltshire Road, Brixton, present address, c/o Messrs. Wm. Hutchinson & Coy.,
Trafalgar Buildings, Charing Cross, W.C., do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement: -
These vehicles can be made of either or any of the materials indicated in the
Provisional Specification No. 13673 A.D. 1898 June 20th, alone, or combined
and with or without the addition of any other suitable material, also of numerous.
designs and workmanship according to requirements,--a general description of
construction principles and novelty of adaptation of the material and the vehicles
Price I

page_text: is therefore given and the way to make a difficult example of the vehicles
described in detail, as being the best for demonstration viz. The Indian Army
Dooly or Ambulance made to be either a portable or wheeled vehicle and to pack
in a bag for any transport. Fig. 1, shows the Indian Army dooly as portable
by 2 men. Fig. 2, shows the same packed for carriage on an Indian coolie's head.
Fig. 3, (elevation) shows the same on 2 wheels secured at one end to the poles for
wheeling by one man. Fig. 4, shows the axle and wooden frame by which 2
wheels are secured to the poles or to the body if required. Fig. 5, shows the
stretcher (detachable) to be hung inside the body of dooly on which the occupant
lies on a mattress or the like.
A body of the indicated make of any suitable design for the purpose intended
is made. For protection from sun or weather the frame for a covering is made of
any of the materials indicated bent or otherwise and covered with cloth, mat or
any suitable material. The whole or part of this top is made removeable, move-
able, folding or fixed and is secured to the body accordingly by string, leather,
or other suitable means or by metal or other sockets, clamps, screws or the like
or may be formed from parts of the body itself. If to be packed the whole or
part of this top is made to fold or pack on or within the body of the vehicle.
WHEELED VEHICLES.
Almost any design may be made from a child's perambulator, draft vehicle for
horses or other animals, or a tram or rail car, or for any motive power-Various
portable vehicles may be converted to wheeled and vice versa-c.g. A pair or pairs
of wheels may be secured to any suitable part of the body by an axle or axles fitted
either below, through, above, or at either end of the body, a man between the
poles, or 2 men, one at either end run along with it, with the poles in the hands.
A pair of wheels is secured to the poles before or behind the body of the vehicle,
a man at the other end with the poles in his hand runs along with it. (Fig. 3.).
The wheels may also be secured by short axles of wood or metal fitted to the
sides or poles of the portable vehicles and not made the full length between wheels.
Cycle wheels may also be fitted to the poles to be ridden and the vehicle thus
propelled, either by a motor or mounted man or men, the saddles being raised
on frames secured to the poles in any suitable way. The wheels thus ridden or
driven may be of any suitable size, geared or otherwise. In the case of single
wheels between the poles a pair of wheels is required to support the body secured
to it in any suitable position. Removal of wheels and attachments makes the
vehicle portable again.
Packed in a bag or otherwise a portable vehicle is easily placed on wheels in
various ways with or without the pole or poles.
THE METHOD OF HANGING OR SECURING THE VEHICLE SO AS TO REDUCE
CONCUSSION.
PORTABLE VEHICLES.
The pole or poles are long and elastic. The material and make of the vehicle
is also elastic. The material and method of using it, for hanging the vehicle,
bed, seats or the like is also elastic. The pole or poles are secured to the vehicle
in such a position and manner by rope, india rubber, hide leather or the like so
as to make the most of their elasticity and that of the vehicle. The stretcher, bed,
seat or the like for occupant to lie flat, or recline, or sit on, according to design of
vehicle, may be either a permanent part or separate and removable: If the latter
it is also hung in the vehicle body by any such indicated material in such a manner
as to have free horizontal or vertical play without touching the sides or ends of
the vehicle; concussion from any cause is thus reduced or broken before it reaches

page_text: bamboos are placed on the top of these, 1 in the centre and 1 at either side of the
arches and firmly tied to each arch, where they cross them. Short cross pieces of
bamboo or wood are also tied across the end arches. This top frame is now rigid.
Over it is placed a light mat, and over that a cloth covering made and fitted to
protect the whole vehicle from weather, and to allow the occupant easy ingress
and egress.
ATTACHMENTS FOR POLES. (Fig. 1.)
Cane or other suitable rings (d) are made for the poles to run freely through.
These are secured to the side or end bamboos of the frame or body in any suitable
position or number required, by cord, leather, cane or other suitable material.
POLES OR POLE. (Figs. 1 & 3.)
2 bamboo poles from 10 to 15 feet long of suitable size are run through the
rings either inside or outside the arches of the top, and lashed to the rings if
necessary by cord or the like. The men at either end, one or two as required, litt
the poles and carry by placing them on their shoulders or by grasping them in
their hands.
1 pole if used is of similar length and size of bamboo. It is run through the
top of the vehicle about 6 inches from the top of the arches in the centre of them,
on the short cross pieces of the 2 end arches, or in any suitable central position.
This single pole is then secured to the vehicle by means of 2 pair of bamboos.
Each pair is placed in any suitable position at the sides or end of vehicles to
which each bamboo end of either pair is lashed or secured in any suitable way.
The other ends of each of the pairs are crossed and lashed together so as to form
a support for the pole under the centre of the top, or in any suitable central
position. The body may also be hung by means of rope or other suitable material
to the pole instead of bamboos in a similar way, the pole being supported on the
short cross pieces of the end arches of the top, of which there may be more than
one on each arch.
Weight of the whole vehicle and poles thus about 35 lbs.
FEET OR SUPPORTS. (Fig. 1)
Of various kinds, wooden, metal, bamboo, or combinations, are fitted to the
sides or ends of the vehicle in suitable positions, and tied, bolted, clamped, or other-
wise secured in various ways; or the vehicle may be raised from the ground when
placed on it sufficiently by short or long tripods of any suitable material, or the
like, placed under the pole or poles; or small wheels and axles of any suitable
kind attached in any suitable position to the body of the vehicle, or to the stretcher
(when used separately) may be substituted for feet and be made removeable or not.
TO PACK FOR TRANSPORT. (Fig. 2.)
The bamboo arches and entire top, cover rings and pole attachments and also
feet, or the like, are all unfastened, removed and placed on the top of the stretcher
or mattress in the centre of the vehicle body into which they all easily fit: They
are then all secured there by passing a cord over them from side to side of the
vehicle. The whole is then placed in a sack or bag made to fit loosely, the mouth
of which laces up and a convenient compact package is thus formed about 78
inches long, 32 broad, and 8 deep.
TO PLACE ON WHEELS PACKED. (Fig. 4.)
A suitable metal or wood axle is clamped or secured to an oblong wood, metal,
or bamboo frame or two side pieces of either about 2 feet long, and of sufficient
width (about 32 inches) to take the package between a pair of wheels secured to
tho axle.

page_text: This frame or side pieces is secured to the body of the vehicle by cord, or any
other suitable way, and the packed vehicle may then be wheeled by one man
with or without the pole or poles.
ON WHEELS OCCUPIED. (Fig. 3.)
The dooly is placed on the axle frame or side pieces (the wheels having been
attached) so that the lower bamboos of the body rest exactly on it, in the centre,
or any suitable part of the vehicle, which is tied or otherwise secured to the axle
frame or side pieces, or the same frame or side pieces may be secured to the poles
before or behind the vehicle body, and the axle and wheels then be fixed so that one
man at the other end between the poles may wheel the vehicle.
Various modifications of this vehicle can be made on the same principles, and
the stretcher may be detached and carried alone by means of the same kind of
attachments fitted with a top, feet, or the like, in similar fashion, and also placed
on wheels secured to it, or to the poles, for draft or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
Novelty in the construction and adaptation of vehicles made of the material in
dicated for various purposes and particularly in the method of hanging the bodies
from or between the pole, poles, frames, bearings or supports as well as the
stretcher, bed, seat, seats or the like in such a way as to break or reduce concus-
sion from any cause without the use of ordinary carriage springs of any kind
though these may be used in conjunction if desired.
Dated this Twents third dort of Wahm1900