An Improved Puzzle or Game.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Puzzle or Game.
I, ROBERT HARRISON of 30 High Street, Burton-on-Trent in the County of
Stafford, Auctioneer & Valuer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the saine has to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in & by the following statement :-
My Invention has for its object an improved puzzle or game which I have entitled
The Captains Dilemma the solving of which though difficult is attended by interest
created by the explanatory reason for the puzzle which is as follows:-A ship is
supposed to be sinking and all her boats but one have been lost, and that one
only capable of carrying twelve men while the crew number twenty four and consist
of twelve white and twelve black men and the question which arises is who shall
be saved. The captain while wishing to make it appear that all have an equal
chance intends to save the whites only, with which intention he places the men
around the deck in an apparently haphazard manner but with a system so that
when he proceeds to count round blindfolded a particular number which he has
selected shall always fall to a white man who is ordered to leave the circle and enfer
the boat.
The Puzzle or game is two fold in the first case supposing the men to be placed
in the correct position by means of a key the object is to find the man at which
to start counting so that the sixth man shall in turn fall to the lot of the whites
and in the second case without the aid of the key to so place the men that in
counting the sixth man will always be a white which is removed until all tho blacks
remain to sink with the ship and the whites have left for the boat.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practice I have appended hereunto a sheet of drawings upon which I have
illustrated upon a board the whole crew as arranged by the captain H.
Upon the board A which may be marked or shaped so as to represent the deck of a
ship are placed the white men B and black men F in the following order commencing
at three white men B¹ B and B followed by the three blacks F, F2 and Fa; three
whites B B and B two blacks F and F two whites B and B two blacks F° and F7
two whites B° and B10 one black FB one white B" three blacks F F and F¹ one
white B and one black F12.
In arranging for every sixth man to be a white it is necessary to commence
counting round in the direction of the above at F' so that the white man B' shall be
the sixth man and the one to be removed the next 6th man to be removed would then
be B followed by B³, B" B² B B B¹² B³ B¹º B³ B' which leaves the whole of the
black figures upon the deck or board.
In placing the men upon the deck the starting point may be varied and of course
the men may be considerably varied in size and form even to the extent of using
the most simple distinguishable characters in cases where cheapness is essential.
The board may be made so as to fold up and form into a box to contain the
figures or blanks and may be made of any desired shape or design. As for instance
a barracks yard where twelve soldiers having to be selected from 24 to be shot
the Officer who is anxious to save those of a certain regiment places them in position
& then orders each sixth man to be shot.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvod puzzle or game and the mode of and means for carrying the same
into effect substantially as herein set forth and shewn upon the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1889.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.