IMPROVEMENTS IN DRUMS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Mitchell Rose and Richard Carte, of the Firm
of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company, of Charing Cross, in the City of
Westminster, Musical Instrument Makers, and William Pikesley, Me-
chanic, in the employ of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company aforesaid, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRUMS."
Sealed the 18th March 1860, and dated the 4th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Mitchell Rose,
Richard Carte, and William Pikesley, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th October 1859.
We, JOHN MITCHELL ROSE and RICHARD CARTE, of the Firm of Rudall, Rose,
Carte, and Company, of Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical
Instrument Makers, and WILLIAM PIXESLEY, Mechanic, in the employ of
Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRUMS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of improvements in drums relates to a novel mode of con-
structing the cases or shells of drums so that the volume of tone may be
materially increased at the same time that the weight of the instrument is
diminished. Our improvements apply to the ordinary military side drums and
bass drum, and also to cavalry and orchestral drums, usually denominated
kettle drums. The Invention is also applicable to gong drums. According to
the ordinary mode of constructing the above-mentioned kind of drums, the
drum head is usually strained over or adapted to the open end of a metal or

page_text: wooden cylinder in the case of side drums, bass drums, or gong drums, and in
the case of kettle or orchestral drums the drum head is adapted to a bowl-
shaped metal case. We have discovered that by thus adapting the drum head
to a close case, a considerable portion of the tone is confined; and our
Invention consists in dispensing, in all instances, with these close casings, and
in adapting the drum head or heads to narrow rims or rings, which are con-
nected together by solid or tubular pillars, posts, or stretchers, thereby forming
an open framework, to the ends of which the drum heads aro to be attached
in any convenient manner. In the side or bass drums the drum heads aro
connected together by screw rods or other equivalent mechanical contrivances,
which will admit of the heads being screwed up or strained, for the purpose of
tuning them, as is well understood. For cavalry or orchestral drums, or for
gong drums, one end of the tuning screws may be attached to a fixed part of
the open framing, and the other end to the drum head.
By constructing the military side and bass drums with an open framework
formed of rods or tubes, provided at or near their middle with knee or folding
joints, the stretching rods or tubes may be folded up, and the instrument
collapsed, so as to bring the drum heads near together, and thus render tho
instrument more portable than if retained at its normal size. By providing
these jointed rods with sliding tubes to slip over the joints when the rods are
extended, the said rods will have all the rigidity of solid rods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte, and William Pikesley, in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, JOHN 2
MITCHELL ROSE and RICHARD CARTE, of the Firm of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and
Company, of Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical Instrument
Makers, and WILLIAM PIKESLEY, Mechanic, in the employ of Rudall, Rose,
Carte, and Company aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
tho said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte, and William Pikesley, Her
special license that we, the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte, and 3
William Pikesley, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others

page_text: we, the said John Mitchell Roso, Richard Carte, and William Pikesley, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereaftor during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, uso, exercise, and vend, within
he United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRUMS," upon the con-
lition (amongst others) that we, the said John Mitchell Roso, Richard Carte,
and William Pikesley, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascer-
ain 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
aid Lotters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte,
and William Pikesley, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described'
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annoxed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Drums," relates to a novel mode of
constructing the cases or shells of drums, so that the volume of tone may be
materially increased at the same time that the weight of the instrument is
diminished. Our improvements apply to the ordinary military side drums and
bass drum, and also to cavalry and orchestral drums, usually denominated
kettle drums. The Invention is also applicable to gong drums. According to
ho ordinary mode of constructing the above mentioned kinds of drums, the
Jrum head is usually strained over or adapted by means of a hoop to the open
end of a metal or wooden cylinder in the case of side drums, bass drums, or
gong drums; and in the case of kettle or orchestral drums, the drum head is
adapted to a bowl-shaped metal case. We have discovered that by thus
adapting the drum head to a closo case, a considerablo portion of the tone is
confined; and our Invention consists in dispensing, in all instances, with these
close casings, and in adapting the drum head or heads to narrow rims or rings,
which are connected together by solid or tubular pillars, posts, or stretchers,
thereby forming an open framework, to the ends of which the drum heads are
to be attached in any convenient manner. In the side or bass drums the drum
beads are connected together by screw rods or other equivalent mechanical
contrivances, which will admit of the heads being screwed up or strained for
the purpose of tuning them, as is well understood. For cavalry or orchestral

page_text: drums, or for gong drums, one end of the tuning screw may be attached to a
fixed part of the open framing, and the other end to the hoop which holds
down the drum head.
By constructing the military side and bass drums with an open framework
formed of rods or tubes, provided at or near their middle with knee or folding
joints, the stretching rods or tubes may be folded up, and the instrument
collapsed, so as to bring the drum heads near together, and thus render the
instrument more portable than if retained at its normal size. By providing
these jointed rods with sliding tubes to slip over the joints when the rods are
extended, the said rods will havo all the rigidity of solid rods.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn views of a side drum, and
also of a kettle or orchestral drum, constructed according to our improvements.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a side drum, and Fig. 2, a partial side view of an
orchestral or kettle drum, part of the instrument being shown in section.
a and a' are the flesh hoops, round which the skin or head of the drum is
Inpped. The skins or heads of the drum are strained over the inner hoops b, b',
which form the body or frame of the instrument, and are connected together
by means of the pillars c, c, which may be either tubular or solid, as shewn in
the Figures. Over these inner hoops b, b', are placed the counter or bracing
hoops d, d', the inner edges of which rest on the edges of the flesh hoops a, a'.
The counter or bracing hoops d, d', are connected by the hooked rods e, e,
which are screwed at one end to receive fly nuts d', whereby the rods are
screwed up tight, and the other ends of the rods are hooked, so as to pass over
the edge of the opposite counter or bracing hoop, and therefore by screwing up
the nuts e, the bracing hoops will be brought closer together, and by forcing
down the flesh hoops a, a', the skins or heads will be tightened. The left-hand
head shewn in Fig. 1 is the snare head f, being the snare which is secured in
the usual way to an adjustable hook g, on the other side. The right-hand head
shewn in the Drawing is the batter head.
Fig. 2 represents an orchestral or kettle drum, which of course has only one!
head and flesh hoop. This hoop, with the skin or head thereon, is adapted to
one of the hoops of the body or frame 6, 6', as in the former instance, and is
braced or held down by the bracing hoop d. The two hoops of which the
frame b, b', is composed are connected together by the pillars c, c, as before,
but the bracing hoop d is held down by means of a cord e, which passes alter- 8
nately over and under pullies fattached to the bracing hoop d and the lower
hoop of the frame. Some of the pullies finstead of being attached directly
to the bracing hoop are suspended from the lower ends of screwed rods e³,
which pass through the brackets f, and are provided with fly nuts ', whereby

page_text: the rods e' may be drawn up and the cord e thereby tightened. In order to
save space in packing drums for export, or to render them more portable, the
pillars c are sometimes jointed in the middle, so as to admit of them folding, as
shown in the detached view, Fig. 8. When the jointed rods are straightened,
they may be converted into rigid ones by causing sliding tubes h to be passed
over the knuckle or joint i, as shewn in the sectional view, Fig. 4.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Drums," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would
remark, that we make no claim for the mode or modes herein set forth of
bracing the drum heads, as that forms no part of our Invention; but what we
consider to be new in the drums above described, and therefore desire to claim
as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is the mode
herein set forth of constructing the cases, shells, or frames of drums, and of
adapting the heads of drums to open frames, shells, or cases, as above described,
instead of close cases or shells as heretofore.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte, and
William Pikesley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty.

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Mitchell Rose and Richard Carte, of the Firm
of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company, of Charing Cross, in tho City of
Westminster, Musical Instrument Makers, aud William Pikesley, Me-
chanic, in the employ of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company aforesaid, for
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Mitcholl Rose,
Richard Carte, and William Pikesloy, at the Office of the Commissioners'
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 4th October 1859.
WO, JOHN MITCHELL ROSE and RICHARD CARTE, of the Firm of Rudall, Rose,
Carto, and Company, of Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical
strument Makers, and WILLIAM PIKESLEY, Mechanic, in tho employ of
Rudall, Rose, Carte, and Company aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of
tho said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DEURS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of improvements in drums relates to a novel mode of con-
structing the cases or shells of drums so that the volume of tone may be
materially increased at the same time that the weight of the instrument is
diminished. Our improvements apply to the ordinary military side drums and
bass drum, and also to cavalry and orchestral drums, usually denominated
kettle drums. The Invention is also applicable to gong drums. According to
the ordinary mode of constructing, the above-mentioned kind of drums, the
drum head is usually strained over or adapted to the open end of a metal or

page_text: wooden cylinder in the case of sido drums, bass drums, or gong drums, and in
the case of kettle or orchestral drums the drum head is adapted to a bowl-
shaped metal case. Wo have discovered that by thus adapting the drum head
i and our
to a close case, a considerablo portion of the tone is confined
Invention consists in dispensing, in all instances, with these close casings, and!
in adapting the drum head or heads to narrow rims or rings, which aro con-
nected together by solid or tubular pillars, posts, or stretchers, thereby forming
an open framowork, to the ends of which the drum heads aro to be attached
in any convenient manner. In the side or bass drums the drum heads aro
connected together by scrow rods or other equivalent mechanical contrivances,
which will admit of tho heads boing screwed up or strained, for the purpose of
tuning them, as is well understood. For cavalry or orchestral drums, or for
gong drums, one end of the tuning screws may be attached to a fixed part of
the open framing, and the other end to the drum head.
By constructing the military side and bass drums with an open framework
formed of rods or tubes, provided at or near their middle with knco or folding
joints, the stretching rods or tubes may be folded up, and the instrument
collapsed, so as to bring the drum heads near together, and thus render tho
instrument more portablo than if retained at, its normal size. By providing
theso jointed rods with sliding tubes to slip over the joints when the rods aro
extended, the said rods will have all the rigidity of solid rods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carto, and William Pikesley, in
. the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. JOHN 2
MITCHELL ROSE and RICHARD CARTE, of the Firm of Rudall, Rose, Carte, and
Company, of Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical Instrument
Makers, and WILLIAM PIKESLEY, Mechanic, in the employ of Rudall, Rosc,
Carte, and Company aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing dato the Fourth day. of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
tho said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carto, and William Pikesloy, Her
special license that we, tho said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carte, and
William Pikesloy, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such othors

page_text: as we, tho said John Mitchell Roso, Richard Carte, and William Pikesloy, our
oxecutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to timo and at all times thereaftor during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, uso, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRUMS," upon tho con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said John Mitchell Roso, Richard Carto,
and William Pikesley, by an instrument, in writing under our hands and scals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe and ascor-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to bo performed, and cause the same to be filed, in the Great Soal Patent
Offico within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of tho
said Letters Patent.
4 5
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carto,
and William Pikesloy, do horoby declare the naturo of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described'
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to tho
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Drums," telates to a novel mode of
constructing the cases or shells of drums, so that the volume of tone may be
matorially increased at the same time that the weight of the instrument is
diminished. Our improvements apply to the ordinary military side drums and
bass drum, and also to cavalry and orchestral drums, usually denominated
kettle drums. The Invention is also applicable to gong drums. According to
the ordinary mode of constructing the above mentioned kinds of drums, the
drum head is usually strained over or adapted by moans of a hoop to the open
end of a metal or wooden cylinder in the case of side drums, bass drums, or
gong drums; and in the caso of kettle or. orchestral drums, the drum head is
adaptod to a bowl-shaped metal caso. Wo have discovered that by thus
adapting the drum head to a close case; a considerable portion of the tone is
confined; and our Invention consists in dispensing, in all instances, with theso
close casings, and in adapting the drum head or heads to narrow rims or rings,
which are connected together by solid or tubular pillars, posts, or stretchers,
thereby forming an open framework, to the ends of which the drum heads aro
to be attached in any convenient manner. In the side or bass drums the drum
heads aro connected together by screw rods or other equivalent mechanical
contrivances, which will admit of the heads being screwed up or strained for
the
purpose of tuning them, as is well understood. For cavalry or orchestral

page_text: drums, or for gong drums, one end of the tuning scrow, may be attached to a
fixed part of the open framing, and the other end to the hoop which holds
down the drum head.
די
4
By constructing tho military side and bass drums with an open framowork
formed of rods or tubos, provided at or near their middlo with knee or folding
joints, the stretching rods or tubes may be folded up, and the instrument
collapsed, so as to bring the drum heads near together, and thus rendor tho
instrument more portable than if retained at its normal sizo. By providing
these jointed rods with sliding tubes to slip over the joints when the rods aro
extended; the said rods will havo all the rigidity of solid rods.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shown views of a side drum, and
also of a kettle or orchestral drum, constructed according to our improvements.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a side drum, and Fig. 2, & partial side view of an
orchestral or kettle drum, part of the instrument being shown in section.
a and a are the flesh hoops, round which the skin or head of the drum is
lapped. The skins or heads of the drum are strained over the inner hoops b, b¹,
which form the body or frame of the instrumont, and are connected together
by means of tho pillars c, c, which may be either tubular or solid, as shown in
the Figures. Over these inner hoops b, b', are placed, the counter or bracing
hoops d, d', the inner edges of which rest on the edges of the flesh hoops a, a'.
The counter or bracing hoops d, d', aro connected by the hooked rods e; e,
which are screwed at one end to receive fly nuts, whereby the rods are
scrowed up tight, and the other ends of the rods are hooked, so as to pass over
the edge of the opposite counter or bracing.hoop, and therefore by scrowing up
the nuts e¹, the bracing hoops will be brought closer together, and by forcing
down the flesh hoops a, a', the skins or heads will be tightened. The left-hand
hoad shewn in Fig. 1 is the snaro head f, being the 'share which is secured in
the usual way to an adjustable hook g, on tho other side. The right-hand head
shewn in tho Drawing is the batter head...
Fig. 2 represents an orchestral or kettle drum, which of course has only one
head and flesh hoop. This hoop, with, the skin or head thereon, is adapted to
one of the hoops of the body or frame b, 6', as in the former instance, and is
braced or held down by the bracing hoop d. The two hoops of which the
frame b, b, is composed are connected together by the pillars c, c, as before,
but the bracing hoop & is held down by means of a cord e, which passes alter-
nately over and under pullies fattached to the bracing hoop d and the lower
hoop b¹ of the frame. Some of the pullies f instead of being attached directly
to the bracing hoop are suspended from tho lower ends of screwed rods e
which pass through the brackets f, and are provided with fy nuts, whereby
'
1'

page_text: the rods may be drawn up and the cord a thereby tightened. In order to
save space in packing drums 'for export, or to render them more portable, tho
pillars c are sometimes jointed in the middle, so as to admit of them folding, os
shown in the detached view, Fig. 3. When the jointed rods are straightened,
they may be converted into rigid ones by causing sliding tubes h to be passed
over the knuckle or joint i, as shown in the sectional view, Fig. 4.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Drums," and
baving explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would
remark, that we make no claim for the modo or modes herein set forth of
bracing the drum heads, as that forms no part of our Invention; but what we
consider to be new in the drums above described, and thereforo desiro to claim
as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is the mode
herein set forth of constructing the cases, shells, or frames of drums, and of
adapting the heads of drums to open frames, shells, or cases, as above described,
instead of close cases or shells as heretofore.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Mitchell Rose, Richard Carto, and
William Pikesloy, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Fourth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred