A PARABOLICAL OR BELL-SHAPED OR OTHER SHAPED CAMP m AD Dorn CENTRE SUP OR
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Godfrey Rhodes, now of Ship Street Barracks, in the
City of Dublin, Captain in Her Majesty's 94th Regiment of Foot, for
the Invention of "A PARABOLICAL OR BELL-SHAPED OR OTHER SHAPED CAMP
m
AD Dorn "
Sealed the 5th March 1858, and dated the 14th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Godfrey Rhodes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
October 1857.
I, GODFREY RHODES, now of Ship Street Barracks, in the City of Dublin,
Captain in Her Majesty's 94th Regiment of Foot, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A PARABOLICAL OR BELL-SHAPED OR OTHER
SHAPED CAMP OR FIELD TENT WITHOUT ANY CENTRE SUPPORT OR POLE," to be as
follows:-
A framework is made of a number of pliable ribs or laths of wood, iron, or other
suitable material, which are fastened together at top either by being placed in
sockets or holes made in a circular or other shaped head piece of wood or iron
or other suitable material, and from which they project round, or they may be
otherwise joined at top either with or without the use of the centre head piece.
The other or ground ends of these ribs or laths are passed through a band or
strap made of double twisted rope or other fastening placed near the ground,
and they may be arranged in a circular or other convenient form, to suit the
shape of the head piece; the lower ends of these ribs or laths are inserted a

page_text: few inches into the earth, and thus complete the skeleton or framework of
the tent. The bottom band is pegged to the ground by crooked tent pegs of
wood, iron, or other suitable material, and the canvass covering of the tent is
placed over this framework, and is fastened to the bottom band by means of
ropes, straps, or loops of leather or other suitable material, which are looped
on or passed round the bottom band or rope, and are fastened, hooked, or
buckled back to the canvass inside. The tent can thus very readily and most
handily be formed for small tents of a parabolical or bell shape, but the
principle of construction can easily be adapted to other shapes, or be made
of any length, in which case the ends can be closed up by applying a half
section of the parabolical or bell-shaped field tent. A storm or security
rope can be fastened inside to loops or hooks fixed in the head piece, and
brought perpendicularly or otherwise to the ground or bottom land, and
there secured by an iron or other hooked peg. Ventilation is provided for
by an opening or openings through the head piece or otherwise, as will be
easily understood.
The entrance to the tent is through a semicircular or parabolical, bell-
shaped or other conveniently shaped opening, covered by a curtain or
curtains.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Godfrey Rhodes in the, Great Seal, Patent Office on the
14th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; GODFREY
RHODES, now of Ship Street Barracks, in the City of Dublin, Captain in Her
Majesty's 94th Regiment of Foot, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by: Her -Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our/Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did,, for Herself,, Her heirs and successors, give and grant,unto,.me,
the said Godfrey, Rhodes, Her, special license that, I, the said Godfrey, Rhodes,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or, such, others.cas I; the said
Godfrey Rhodes, 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, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A PARABOLICAL OR

page_text: BELL-SHAPED OR OTHER'SHAPED CAMP OR FIELD TENT WITHOUT ANY CENTRE SUPPORT
OR POLE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Godfrey
Rhodes, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
_ NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Godfrey Rhodes, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to construct military and other tents
that shall present the advantages of great portability and lightness, while at
the same time they afford increased facilities for pitching, and effectual
protection for their occupants against the weather. To this end, instead
of using as is now customary, the objectionable contrivance of a central
pole or poles, to take the strain of the tension ropes over which the
canvas is stretched, I construct a framework of pliable ribs or laths com-
posed of wood, iron, or other suitable flexible material, the upper ends of
which are inserted into sockets made in a circular or other shaped head
piece of wood or metal, and are capable of being readily removed there-
from, while the other or ground ends of the ribs or laths are passed through
loops made in an endless band or strap, composed by preference of double-
twisted rope. A parabolic or other curvilinear formed frame is thus made
capable of receiving and supporting a suitably shaped canvas covering, which
when placed over the frame is secured thereto, and the ground band being
pinned to the ground, the tent is held securely in place.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn my Invention as applied to
three forms of tents, and in all these it will be seen that the same principle of
construction is embodied.
Sheet I. exhibits in several views a guard tent made according to my Inven-
tion. Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 shew the tent in perspective in elevation and
vertical section and plan view; Figures 5 and 6 shew the head piece formed
with radial sockets to receive the upper ends of the ribs or laths a, a, (Figures
3 and 4), and Figures 7, 8, and 9 shew the ground rope which binds the ribs
together at their lower ends, and thus imparts strength and tenacity to the
framework of the tent. These latter Figures also serve to explain the niode
of pinning or holding down the rope to the ground. The ground or binding

page_text: rope, it will be seen, is composed of two cords b, c, which are twisted together
and in such a manner as to form loops in the rope at equal distances apart for
the insertion therein of the ribs or laths a, forming the framework of the tent.
The lower ends of the ribs are pointed to facilitate their entrance into the
ground, and the further to secure the tent in position, the binding rope is
pegged to the ground by tent pegs or hooked and barbed pins d, d, set
at suitable distances along the rope, as shewn best in the plan view, Fig. 4.
When the framework is thus secured the canvas covering of the tent is
placed over the framework, and is fastened to the ground band or binding
rope by means of straps (as shewn at Fig. 8), which are passed round the
band or rope and are buckled back to the canvas inside. The canvas covering
will be most conveniently made by connecting gores of the material together
by sewing or otherwise, and the material is made waterproof by any of the
well-known methods.
The entrance to the tent is through a semicircular, parabolical, or other shaped
opening made in the canvas covering, and for this opening I provide a curtain
or curtains which may be rolled up when not in use and made fast, as shewn
at Fig. 2; or the curtain may be held extended by props, as shewn at Fig. 1,
and thus afford protection from the sun or rain without interfering with the
free ventilation of the tent. For the ventilation of the tent, when the curtain
is let down, an opening is made through the head piece, which may be covered
with a ventilator cap to prevent a down draught or the admission of rain.
From the above description it will be understood that the construction of the
tent is very simple, and that its erection may be effected in a very short space
of time. And with respect to its compactness for travelling it will be under-
stood that as the parts are all detachable they may be laid very closely together;
thus the ribs may be laid side by side and the canvas covering lapped round
them, the head piece and the holding down pins being also placed within the
roll. The tent will thus form a package like that shewn at Fig. 10, and being
laced or strapped up in a canvas covering, as shewn at Fig. 11, will be ready
for transport to any part of the world.
..In Sheet II. of the Drawings I have shewn my Invention as adapted to the
construction of a curvilinear field tent, and as the above description applies
equally to this arrangement, I have employed the same reference figures and
letters to denote corresponding parts in the two Sheets. In the sectional
elevation Fig. 3, Sheet II., I have shewn the manner of introducing a storm
rope, which may be applied in case of a hurricane to insure greater stability
to the tent; this Figure also shews the canvas covering provided at its edge
with both an outside and an inside skirting, which when spread out upon the

page_text: ground will prevent the wind getting under the covering into the tent. The
inside portion of the skirting is detachable, and when the tent is pitched it is
laid out on the ground and hooked up to the canvas covering on the same hooks
that receive the straps which connect the convas covering with the ground
rope. This inside skirting piece will admit of the soldiers placing their knap-
sacks or any other articles upon it whose weight will greatly tend to secure
the canvas or tent covering from being blown off during stormy weather.
Sheet III. shews in several views a curvilinear hospital tent, the opposite
ends of which are composed of semicircular frames constructed on the principle
above described, the same being connected together by a ridge pole, which is
supported its ends being screwed into the heads of the semicircular frames.
This ridge pole is provided along its length at equal distances apart with brass
or galvanized sheet iron socket pieces to receive ribs which form the side
framing of the tent. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tent; Figure 2, an end
view; Fig. 3, a vertical cross section; and Fig. 4, a plan view; Figures 5
and 6 shew the head pieces formed with radial sockets round one half of their
periphery, and having a tapped hole to receive the ends of the ridge pole ;
Figures 7, 8, and 9 shew the ground band or binding rope which is con-
structed as already described, and made fast to the ground in the manner
above explained; Figures 10 and 11 shew the ridge pole fitted with metallic
socket pieces, each of which receives the upper ends of a pair of ribs forming
a portion of the side framing. These socket pieces I fit with a hook as shewn
to carry a storm rope which can be pinned to the ground when required to be
used in the inside of the tent. And also storm ropes on the exterior may be
used by throwing a rope across the ridge pole, having brass eyelet holes passing
over iron or brass pins projecting about six inches above the line of ridge pole;
these pins are formed by a continuation of the screw that secures the rib
sockets to the ridge pole, having a hook or ring beneath for lantern or inner
storm rope; the hook also affords convenience for supporting a lantern or
other article required to be suspended. For the convenience of transport I
prefer to form this pole in several lengths and to fit them together by means
of tapped socket pieces, as shewn at Fig. 10. The efficient ventilation of the
tent is to be provided for in the manner above explained, and by leaving other
openings in the canvas covering.
It will now be understood that tents of any required capacity may be readily
constructed on the principle of my Invention, the length being increased or
diminished by simply adding to or taking from the length of the ridge pole
and the number of ribs employed, without detracting in any respect from the
stability of the structure.

page_text: Having.now set forth the nature of my Invention, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I would remark that I do not limit, myself to
the adoption of any particular figure in the construction, of my improved tents,
as their sectional shape-and-ground plan may be varied to suit varieties of
tastes or requirements; but what I claim under the above in part recited
Letters Patent is, employing in the construction of tents a framework com-
posed of ribs or supports secured together at their extremities in the manner
and for the purpose; above described..
In witness whereof, I, the said Godfrey Rhodes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane..
G. RHODES, (L.S.)
Capt., 94th Regt.