AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BROOMS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
BROOMS." A communication from abroad by William H. Towers, of the
City of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 12th February 1861, and dated the 15th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1860.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
5 in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF BROOMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of brooms principally used in the house-
hold, and consists in forming the broom of broom-corn and strips of cane or
› reeds, so intermingled and combined as to cause the latter through its superior
stiffness and elasticity to give a corresponding character to the combined mass,
thus rendering the broom both effective in sweeping and durable.
The broom-corn and strips of cane and reeds may be equally and pro-.
miscuously mixed together, and laid around and fastened to the handle in the

page_text: same manner that the broom-corn is ordinarily attached thereto; but the
method preferred by the Inventor is first to spread a bunch of the strips of
cane or reeds around the lower end of the handle or back of the broom, and
secure them thereto by a binding wire. The cane or reeds thus secured is
next surrounded with a course of broom-corn, which is secured in place by
continuing the winding of the same wire around its upper end. Outside this
layer or course of broom-corn, and on opposite sides of the handle, are bunched
bodies of corn-broom and strips of cane or reeds intermingled, slight portions
of the combined mass being extended equally around the two remaining sides.
These bunches are in turn secured over the previously secured courses or
layers by means of the binding wire before mentioned. Around this course is
equally laid a course of broom-corn secured in like manner to the broom
handle; after this the broom is flattened so as to bring the bunches of broom-
corn at the edges, and the whole mass of materials is secured together in this
flattened state by a cord intertwined and fastened through it in the usual
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me.
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein 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 Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BROOMS," being a communi-
cation from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should

page_text: 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
3
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates.
to that class of brooms principally used in the household, and consists in
forming the broom of broom-corn and strips of cane or reeds, so intermingled
and combined as to cause the latter through its superior stiffness and elasticity
to give a corresponding character to the combined mass, thus rendering the
broom both effective in sweeping and durable.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the improved
broom; and Fig. 2 is a view of the under face of the same.
$
i
The broom-corn and strips of cane and reeds may be equally and pro-
miscuously mixed together, and laid around and fastened to the handle in this
state in the same manner that the broom-corn is ordinarily attached thereto;
but the method preferred, as being the best one, of combining and securing the
two together and to the handle is, first to spread a bunch of the strips of cane or
reeds A around the lower end of the handle B, and secure them thereto by means
of a binding wire C. The cane strips or reeds are overlaid, or more properly
speaking, surrounded with a course of broom-corn, which is secured in place
by continuing the winding of the same wire around its upper end. Outside
this layer or course of broom-corn, and on opposite sides of the handle, are
bunched bodies of corn-broom and strips of cane or reeds, intermingled, slight
portions of the combined mass being extended equally around the two re-
maining sides. These bunches are in turn secured over the previously secured
courses or layers by means of the binding wire C before mentioned. Around
this course is equally laid a course of broom-corn, secured at its upper end to
the handle above the upper ends of the bodies of broom-corn or reeds inter-
mingled, by the wire being tightly wound and fastened around it. After this
the broom is flattened so as to bring the bunches of broom-corn at the edges,
and the whole mass of materials is secured together in this flattened state by a
cord intertwined and fastened through it in the usual manner.
In sweeping with this broom it will be found that instead of the lower
portion only yielding on an abrupt and short curve, as with brooms formed

page_text: exclusively of broom-corn, through the increased flexibility at this portion over
the upper and stouter portions,. the stiff and thoroughly intermingled strips of
cane or reeds will yield almost equally.from the point where fastened to the
lower end in the form of a segment of a circle, and will sustain and retain the
broom-corn intermingled with. and. surrounding them in the same state, and
when raised from the floor or surface that is being swept will cause the whole
mass to regain its original position. This Invention will therefore serve to
give such a degree of stiffness and elasticity to brooms as will ensure their
efficient action.
In order to more clearly define the relative positions of the broom-corn and
strips of cane or reeds in the Drawing, the former is represented in red lines
and dots, and the latter in black lines and dots.
Having now described the nature of this Invention of "An Improvement
in the Construction of Brooms," as communicated to me from abroad, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim forming
brooms of broom-corn and strips of cane or reeds in the manner and for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)