Year: 1899

page_text: HENRY TAIT, of 20, New Street, Musselburgh, in the County of Midlothian,
Papermaker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A ordinary parlour or dining-room table can be used, as taking the place of
the out-door bowling green.
The tee or jack as it is called, is placed at one end of the table and equidistant
from either side of table.
At the other end the player is provided with a light-board, the one end of
which rests on the table while the other end is held in the hand by a suitable
grip.
Near the hand grip is a receptacle for the bowl.
When the bowl is placed in position, the plaver elevates the board (at the grip
end only) to form a decline towards the table.
The receptacle is hinged and is held back in position by a spring, so that
when the board is held up, the bowl cannot get away until with the other hand
the player pushes forward the knob on the top of receptacle.
The falling forward and downward of the receptacle (working on the hinge)
releases the bowl which travels down the board and along the table at a speed
and a distance corresponding with the extent to which the board has been
elevated.
The spring, as soon as the hand is removed brings back the receptacle to its
proper position for the next player.
The bowls which may be from one inch to one and a half inch in diameter
are too small to be sent away in a satisfactory way from the hand as in the out-
door game of bowls, so that this starting board is necessary for accurate & enjoy-
able play.
The bowls have a bias side, same as the outdoor bowls.
When the player wishes to play along the right hand side of table towards
the jack, he places the bowl in receptacle with the bias side to his left and points
the starting board towards right hand side of table.
The bowl during its course gradually leaves the side of table towards which
it was directed and finds its way towards the jack.
When the player wants to play along the left side of table the bowl and start-
ing board are arranged vice versa.
The starting board besides being necessary for propelling the bowl adds, as
it were, to the length of the table, giving a longer range from the jack than
the table would provide of itself.
The starting board is from four to five inches wide at the point where the
bowl leaves receptacle and widens out gradually to twelve inches at a distance
of three feet from receptacle.
At the jack end of table, and the same width as table, a narrow box or trough
is either fixed to table or supported by legs resting on floor.

page_text: This box or trough takes the place of what is called in the out-door game
the ditch."
*
95
A bowl played with too much force falls into this ditch and is considered
off the green as in the out-door game.
64
Dated this 16th Bay of September 1899
HENRY TAIT, 20, New Street, Musselburgh, Midlothian, Papermaker, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
-
An ordinary parlour table can be used-taking the place of the out-door bowl-
ing green.
The tee, or jack as it is called is placed at the one end of table.
At the other end the player is provided with a light board, the one end of
which rests on the table, while the other end is held in the hand by a suitable
grip. Near the hand-grip is a receptacle for the bowl.
When the bowl is placed in position the player elevates the board (at the grip
end only) to form a decline towards the table.
The receptacle is hinged to the starting board and is held back in position by
a spring in the shape of a piece of elastic, behind, so that when the starting board
is held up the bowl cannot get away until, with the other hand the player pushes
forward the knob on the top of receptacle.
This forward and downward movement of the receptacle (working on its hinge)
releases the bowl which then travels down the starting board and along the
table at a speed and a distance corresponding with the extent to which the
starting board has been elevated.
The bowls which may be from one to one and a half inch in diameter, are too
small to be sent away, in a satisfactory way, from the hand, as in the outdoor
game, so that the starting board with receptacle is necessary for accurate and
enjoyable play.
The bowls which may be made of wood or other suitable material, have a bias
side same as the ordinary outdoor bowl. The bias side is marked with a disc
or otherwise to enable the player to see at a glance which is the bias side. The
discs or other marks are of different colours, to enable the players to readily
distinguish their own, and their opponents bowls.
When the player wishes to play along the right hand side of table towards
the jack or tee, he places the bowl in receptacle with bias side to his left and
points the starting board towards right hand side of table.
The bowl, during its course gradually leaves the side of table towards which
it has been directed, and finds its way towards the jack which is placed approxi-
mately equi-distant from each side of table, and at a convenient distance from
the end of table.
When a player wants to play along the left hand side of table the bowl and
starting board are arranged vice versa.
39
The starting board, besides being necessary for propelling the bowl, adds as
it were to the length of the table, giving a longer range from the jack than
the table would provide of itself.
The starting board is narrow at the end next the hand grip, and widens out

page_text: towards the other end (forming an isosceles triangle) gradually, at the rate of
about an inch for every four or five inches of length of board.
A convenient length of starting board is four feet.
The frame-work of starting board, that is the hand grip, the part under the
receptacle, and the two sides running towards the table, may be of wood or other
suitable material, and affixed to the underside of frame for the bowl to run on,
is sheet zinc or other suitable material.
The thinness of the zinc allows the bowl to leave the starting board and enter
on to the table without any perceptible bump, which would take place, if the
board should be thick.
The receptacle attached to the starting board is made of wood or other suit-
able material and is from five to six inches long and about two inches wide and
half inch thick or thereby. In the upper side is sunk a rounded groove about
three eighths of an inch deep and of a width suited to the size of bowl. There
is thus only about an eighth of an inch in thickness between the bowl and under-
side of receptacle.
The end of receptacle next to the hand is upright and this prevents the bowl
from running back towards the hand.
The top of this upright part is of a knob shape, suitable for the fingers and
thumb pushing it gently forward, when the bowl is to be delivered.
The hinge attaching the receptacle to the starting board is at the base of this
upright part. A piece of elastic which forms the spring for holding back the
receptacle in position is attached, near the top of the upright part of receptacle,
and the other end of the elastic band is attached to the starting board, nearer
the hand grip.
The elastic is semi-taut but yields when the upright part is pushed forward
and brings it back again when the hand leaves the knob.
When in this backward position the upright part of receptacle is pointing at
a slight angle towards the player, while the grooved part is pointing at a slight
angle upwards away from the player.
The bowl is laid in the shallow groove and rests against the back or upright
part of receptacle. When pushed forward the grooved part comes down towards
the starting board with the result that the bowl runs along the groove on to the
starting board.
In order to prevent the bowl from getting a drop from the groove to the start-
ing board at the point where the bowl leaves the groove, a cheek is made into
the starting board. This allows the groove to get down to the plane of the
starting board.
For the jack a boys marble is suitable; it being about the same size and
weight in relation to the small bowls as the bowling green jack is to the bowls
in the outdoor game.
At the jack end of table and same length or thereby as the width of table
a narrow box or trough made of wood or other suitable material is either fixed
to the table or supported by legs resting on the floor.
This box may be fixed by screw nails or other means permanently to any
table set apart for the purpose of the game, but a moveable box (when legs to
support it are not employed) for an ordinary table, is fixed in the following manner.
Inside the box is a roll of calico or other kind of cloth about same width as
the length of box.
One end of this roll of cloth is fastened inside the box by means of tacks or
otherwise.
The box is held against the end of table, while the cloth is unrolled along
the table top towards the other end of table, where it is drawn tight by elastic
straps or tape (fastened to the cloth) tied round the table legs.
The box secured so far, is in a sort of hanging position at the end of the table,
but with the upper edge of side of box nearest the table, flush with, or on a
level with top of table.

page_text: The other side, or back, of box which is furthest away from the table is higher
or broader, and when the box is held up to the position in which it is to be
finally fixed, the back will be higher than the top of table by an inch and a
half or thereby.
In the back of box is cut two holes or slots-one at, or near each end of box.
Through each of these slots is passed, from behind the back of box, and
towards the table, a flat piece, or strip, of wood, or other suitable material, which
may be from two to three feet long, and of a width and thickness to pass comfort-
ably through the slots in back of box. These strips of wood run parallel with
and near the sides of table, lying on table top and along the margin of each side
of the cloth. Each strip passes through a loop of tape or other suitable material,
attached to the cloth.
These strips are prevented from being pushed entirely through the slots, by
means of a peg, or pin, fixed on the end of said strips."
The back of box is then resting on the ends of these strips, keeping it away
from its hanging position; while the strips are prevented from tilting up from
table top by the loops, attached to cloth, and through which they have been
passed.
To the loop on one side is tied, or fastened by a hook, a piece of tape or elastic.
This tape is carried underneath the table, and fastened to the loop on other side
of cloth. This holds down the cloth at these points, and prevents any tendency
there may be, from the weight of the back of box, levering up the cloth from
the table.
°
The back of box being higher than the top of table prevents the bowls from
rolling beyond the box and on to the floor, and the strips of wood along the
margin of cloth prevent a badly played bowl from rolling off at the sides, at
the jack end of table.
These side pieces of wood are provided with holes and pegs for scoring the
game, similar to a cribbage board.
The box takes the place of what is called the ditch" in the outdoor game
of bowls, and the sheet of cloth, besides being the means of fastening or assist-
ing to fasten the ditch, takes the place of the turf or green."
"
A bowl played with too much strength falls into the ditch and is considered
off the green" as in the outdoor game.
The ditch" is about three inches wide by about three inches deep, but it is
only about half an inch deep while the game is in progress, and this is acquired
in the following manner.
A narrow strip of wood or other suitable material is fixed on each end of the
box or ditch, inside, and about an inch down from top of box. These form a
support for a false bottom which fits into the box. The false bottom being
about half an inch thick gives a ditch about half an inch deep.
There is therefore a space between the real, and false bottom, of box. This
space is required only for making room for storing away the cloth with other
appliances, inside the box.
On the upper side of this false bottom, at each end is fixed a narrow strip of
wood or other suitable material, same width as the false bottom viz., about three
inches, and about half an inch thick. When the false bottom is taken out (after
the game is over) it is inverted, and forms a lid for the box. These small pieces
of wood, fixed on the end are now on the underside, and, reaching the supports
inside the box (at each end) allow the lid to go into the box to the extent of
its own thickness only.
The top side of lid is then flush with top of box, but not so high as the back
of box, which is permanently higher than the other parts of box.
The lid may be prevented from falling out, when being removed with the box,
by means of hasps, or otherwise.
When the game is finished the two pieces of wood, acting as supports to the
back of box are withdrawn and the cloth unfastened from the table.

page_text: This releases the ditch or box, which is placed on the table. The false bottom
is taken out & the cloth is rolled up into the box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A starting board, as described, which can be elevated, or lowered, by the
hand, to give the bowls the impetus required, and which can be pointed in the
necessary direction to allow for bias of bowl and providing the players with
a longer "range" from the jack than the table would of itself provide.
2. A receptacle, as described, attached to the starting board, to deliver the
bowls on to starting beard with accuracy.
3. A box, as described, fitting on to end of table, to serve the purpose of the
ditch, as in the outdoor game of bowls.
4. Bowls, as described, of a small size, to perform on a parlour, dining-room or
similar table, the number of revolutions, and taking the time to travel to the
jack, approaching to a considerable extent, the number of revolutions, and time
taken, by the ordinary bowls in the length of the outdoor green; and with a
corresponding bias.
Dotad 07 dow of Tannour 1000