A New Game or Puzzle.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
CUMT LEIE SIECIFICATION.
A New Game or Puzzle.
I, CHARLES EDWARD ORLOFF HAGER, of Hagersville, in the County of
Holdinand and Province of Ontario, Canada, Postmaster, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a game which I call "The Pilgrim's
Progress to be played by one or more persons, in which a certain amount of
practice and skill is required to cause the ball or marble employed, (representing
the pilgrim), to roll into the desired goal (representing heaven).
In the drawing accompanying this Specification, A represents the board upon
which the game is played, this board having a raised ledge, B, all around it, to
prevent the ball from running off. C is a slight cavity (repentance), in the board
from which the ball starts on its pilgrimage. D is another cavity slightly raised,
and called "the rock" into which cavity the ball should run from C. E is a raised
portion called "the bank of faith," having a curved edge on the side nearest "the
rock." The ball after leaving "the rock" strikes against this bank E, and the
object of the player is then to cause the ball to travel down the straight and narrow
path F, to the goal G. This path F, is made slightly raised and rounded, forming
the segment of a circle in vertical cross section, so as to enhance the difficulty of
rolling the ball in a straight line along its surface. It will be seen that this
rounded surface gives the ball a tendency to roll off at the sides, into the "by-ways
of sin," which are here represented by passages H, formed between the raised
portions I and I. These passages H, are formed on both sides of the narrow
path F, and run into a passage-way, called "the road to repentance," designated
by the letter J, on the one side, and into the "broad road of sin," K, on the
other side.
The by-ways H, descend slightly away from the narrow path F, and are
provided with sharp declevities L L' rendering it impracticable for the ball to
return to the narrow path after passing over these declevities. The goal G,
(heaven), is reached by travelling down the narrow path, F, and is the ultimatum
of the game. This goal consists of a slightly raised cavity.
The road to repentance "J, which is entered from "the by-ways of sin" H, on
one side of the narrow path F, is formed between raised portions I¹³, and the raised
ledge B. This road J, leads round the back of the "bank of faith" E, and the ball
should roll in this direction, and return to cavity C, (repentance), from whence a
fresh start can be made.
The broad road K, is hollowed out through its entire length, being deeper at one
end than at the other. The deepest end is provided with a sunken cavity M,
representing "death in sin." The ball passing over the declevities L' into the
broad road K, will naturally tend to roll right down into the cavity M, and some
skill is required to prevent it from rolling in that direction. The object of the
game is to prevent the ball from rolling into cavity M, and instead to cause it
to roll back into cavity C, from whence a fresh start can be made.
Two or
more balls should be used in this game, and when a ball falls into the cavity M,
it is considered to be out of the game. The winning ball is the one which is
successful in getting into the cavity G first.
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 :-
1. In a game or puzzle a board provided with cavities, passage-ways, sunken and

page_text: raised parts, and a raised ledge surrounding the whole, substantially as and for the
purposes described and shown.
2. In a game board the cavities C, D, (, and M, raised portions E, I, and II,
rounded narrow path-way F, sunken broad road K, side passages H, with
declevities L and Li, passage-way J, and raised ledge B, as described and shown.
Dated this 28th day of September 1891.
F. W. BARKER;
Applicant's Agent.