An Improved Fibrous Material and the Manufacture of same for Use in Making Brushes, Baskets, Ropes, and other Articles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application; 15th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 6th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 1st Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fibrous Material and the Manufacture of same for Use
in Making Brushes, Baskets, Ropes, and other Articles.
Partly a communication from abroad by MANOEL JOAQUIM DE SANT ANNA,
of Lagos.
P
-
I, GEORGE BROADBRIDGE of 4 Rumford Place, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
General Broker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the obtaining of a good substitute for baste or
piassava.
My correspondent has been experimenting with numerous fibres made from the
palms of his district with a view to obtaining useful products. He has sent me several
which he has formed by steeping the leaves of various palm trees in water until the
softer parts are partially decayed and then stripping the midribs or bases of the leaf
stalks or fibrous skeleton from the same by hand, and drying the same.
These fibres
are useful for making coarse cordage but are as a rule far too coarse for textile
purposes. On examining and testing these fibres, however, I have discovered that
they make an admirable substitute for piassava, being extremely tough and elastic
and sufficiently stiff for the purpose and are therefore very applicable for making
brushes and basketwork and for stout rope or cordage.
I have been unable as yet to get the exact botanical names of these palms but
they are apparently species of Raphia, one of them probably Raphia Hookeri.
Dated this 14th day of January 1890
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fibrous Material and the Manufacture of same for Use
in Making Brushes, Baskets, Ropes, and other Articles.
Partly a communication from abroad by MANOEL JOAQUIM DE SANT ANNA,
of Lagos.
I, GEORGE BROADBRIDGE of 4 Rumford Place, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
General Broker, 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 :-
This invention has for its object the obtaining of a good substitute for baste or
piassava.
My correspondent has been experimenting with numerous fibres made from the
palms of his district with a view to obtaining useful products. He has sent me
several which he has formed by steeping the leaves of various palm trees in water
until the softer parts are partially decayed and then stripping the midribs or bases
of the leaf stalks or fibrous skeleton from the same by hand, and drying the same.
These fibres are useful for making coarse cordage but are as a rule far too coarse
for textile purposes.
On examining and testing these fibres, however, I have
discovered that they make an admirable substitute for piassava, being extremely
tough and elastic and sufficiently stiff for the purpose and are therefore very applicable
for making brushes and basket-work and for stout rope or cordage.
I have been unable as yet to get the exact botanical names of all these palms
but some of them are species of Raphia, one of them Raphia Hookeri, but all or
nearly all the palins in the neighbourhood of Lagos having a central midrib, which in
17

page_text: the green state is tough and difficult to break are found suitable for this purpose. In
some cases the material is of a light colour; this 1 prefer to dye to meet the taste
of the public and make them look as near piassava as possible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An improved fibrous material and method of manufacturing the same substantially
as herein described.
Dated this 5th day of Ananst 1890
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.