IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR WORKING PUNKAHS OR FANS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull, of the Naval
and Military Club, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Lieutenant in Her Majesty's Sixth Regiment of Foot, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR WORKING
PUNKAHS OR FANS."
Sealed the 11th June 1869, and dated the 24th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Charles Montagu
Turnbull at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th December 1868.
I, HENRY CHARLES MONTAGU TURNBULL, of the Naval and Military
Club, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant in Her
Majesty's Sixth Regiment of Foot, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR WORKING
PUNKAHS OR FANS," to be as follows:-
The chief object of my Invention is to dispense with hand labor in the
working of punkahs or fans.
My apparatus consists of a train of wheels caused to rotate by means
of weights so as to drive a fly wheel to which the punkah or fan is

page_text: connected by cords or otherwise. The apparatus being when out of gear
wound by a crank handle or otherwise, so as to raise the weights to their
highest position, the apparatus is ready to act. As soon as the parts are
put into gear the weights begin to descend, and in so doing drive the
train of wheels and the fly wheel, and thus work the punkah. In order
to give a sudden movement or jerk to the punkah which it is desirable it
should receive at one portion of its travel, I weight the fly wheel at one
part of its periphery; when this weight in its revolution passes the
centre of gravity it temporarily increases the speed of the fly wheel,
and thus gives the necessary jerk. The fly wheel is preferably made so
as to take to pieces for convenience of packing; the punkah and the
whole apparatus can be packed into a very small space.
My Invention further consists in means of regulating the height
of punkahs as required. I lead the two ordinary suspending cords
from the ends of the punkah rod to a ring at the centre of the rod, and
I lead the steadying cords to the same ring. The four cords can thus
be readily let out or drawn in and the punkah lowered or raised as
required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 24th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CHARLES MONTAGU TURNBULL, of the Naval and Military Club,
Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Lieutenant in Her Majesty's
Sixth Regiment of Foot, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Charles Montagu
Turnbull, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Charles Montagu
Turnbull, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR MEANS FOR WORKING PUNKAHS OR FANS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull,
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 thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The chief object of my Invention is to dispense with hand labour in
the working of punkahs or fans.
My apparatus consists of a train of wheels caused to rotate by means
of weights so as to drive a fly wheel to which the punkah or fan is
connected by cords or otherwise. The apparatus being when out of
gear wound by a crank handle or otherwise, so as to raise the weights
to their highest position, the apparatus is ready to act. As soon as the
parts are put into gear the weights begin to descend, and in so doing
drive the train of wheels and the fly wheel, and thus work the punkah.
In order to give a sudden movement or jerk to the punkah which it is
desirable it should receive at one portion of its travel, I weight the fly
wheel at one part of its periphery; when this weight in its revolution
passes the centre of gravity it temporally increases the speed of the fly
wheel, and thus gives the necessary jerk. The fly wheel is preferably
made so as to take to picces for convenience of packing; the punkah,
and the whole apparatus can be packed into a very small space.
I proceed to describe my apparatus for working punkahs with
reference to the annexed Drawing, which is a perspective view of the
said apparatus.
A is the fly wheel of large relative size worked by the train of wheels
and pinions B, C, b, c. D is the weight suspended by a cord from the
barrel or axle of the wheel c, and E is the handle by which the said

page_text: cord is wound upon the axle in order to raise the weight when the
apparatus is out of gear. There may be more than one weight. F, F,
are two bars upon which the axles of the wheels and pinions are
supported, and which together with the legs G, G, G, G, form the frame
or stand of the apparatus. To one of the arms e of the fly wheel A
is attached the cord f connected to the punkah, which is not shewn in
the Drawing, and which as the fly wheel revolves draws the cord with it
and causes the motion of the punkah. To cause the sudden movement
or jerk above spoken of the fly wheel is weighted on its periphery at g,
so that the speed of the fly wheel is suddenly increased when its centre
of gravity is passed in the revolution. The legs of the apparatus are
made so as to be readily removed from the frame or bars F, F, and the
fly wheel can be taken to pieces or put together and packed in a small
space when required.
My Invention further consists in means of regulating the height of
punkals as required. I lead the two ordinary suspending cords from
the ends of the punkah rod to a ring at the centre of the rod, and I lead
the steadying cords to the same ring. The four cords can thus be
readily let out or drawn in, and the punkah lowered or raised as
required.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not limit
myself to the precise arrangement of the parts as described; but
claim,―
;
First. Working punkahs and fans by the apparatus substantially as
berein-before described, and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
And, secondly. The mode substantially as herein-before described of
suspending or regulating the height of punkahs or fans.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Charles Montagu Turnbull,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of February,
One thousand cight hundred and sixty-nine.
H. C. M. TURNBULL. (L.S.)
6th Royals.