IMPROVEMENTS IN SOLDIERS' BELTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS TO FACILITATE THE CARRYING OF KNAPSACKS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEREMIAH
CAMPION, of Somers Place, Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Hor present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of Decem-
ber, One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jeremiah Campion, my exors, aditiors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Jeremiah Campion, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jeremiah Campion,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SOLDIERS'
BELTS, AND IMPROVEMENTS TO FACILITATE THE CARRYING OF KNAPSACKS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Jeremiah Champion,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Jeremiah Campion, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
This Invention consists of a novel arrangement of belts, in combination with
straps and apparatus. Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the apparatus
complete. The other Figures show detailed views, in all which the same letters
of reference are used to indicate the same parts, a being the main belt or strap
which passes round the body, and is made fast by means of the instruments b,
the nature of which is clearly shown in the Drawing; c, c, are the shoulder
straps, which are affixed at the back of the main belt or strap, and each of the
straps c, c, is also attached to the belt or strap a in front of the person wearing
it by means of a slide d, a hook to the buckle e taking into an eye at the
upper part of the slided, as shewn; and the buckle will attach itself to any part
of the strap c by having suitable holes at intervals in each of the straps c, c.
Supposing it is desired to fasten a knapsack by the apparatus shown, the
straps c, c, would pass through short straps or suitable parts attached to the
knapsack, and the ends of the straps c, c, would be brought over and attached.
to the belt a by the parts described; and in order to prevent the straps c moving
off the shoulders, I prefer that short straps should be fixed (at both ends) to
the shoulder of the coat, suitable for the straps e to pass under. This arrange-
ment is peculiar, by reason of the weight being borne on the shoulders, the
chest being relieved; and it is this principle that constitutes the novelty of my
Invention. It will be evident that the apparatus (consisting of the belt or strap
a, the straps c, c, and parts for attaching and adjusting the position of the parts,
may be used) for carrying other articles, such as a sword, a shot or powder case,
or other article, having a suitable hook, buckle, or swivel, &c., to attach them
to the belt a, or other articles may be attached to the straps c, c, in a similar
manner to that described in respect to a knapsack.
Another improvement consists in having two bent springs for aiding in
carrying a knapsack, one for each shoulder. The springs are bent over, so as
to come to the front of the person, and rest fairly on each shoulder; the under
surface of the bends are to be padded, and the whole is to be covered with
leather or other material; the part of cach spring which comes to the back of
the person is to descend sufficiently low to come to the bottom of a knapsack,
and then the springs are bent outwards, so as to pass under the knapsack and
form a shelf or bracket for receiving the knapsack thereon, there being a piece

page_text: of leather affixed to the under side of the knapsack, between which and the
knapsack the bent parts z, Figure 2, are received, in order to retain the knap-
sack in its place, and to give stiffness and strength to the lower parts of the
springs where they bend outwards, I rivet another piece of similar spring
thercon; one of these springs is to be placed on each shoulder, and there is to
be a back strap connecting the two springs, by which the springs are prevented
separating when on the shoulders. This will be understood by reference to
Figure 2, where the two springs are shown connected by the back strap, which
passes through straps of leather attached to the back of the knapsack.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not claim
the various details separately, nor do I confine myself thereto, so long as the
peculiar character of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is, the mode
of constructing belts, combined with the straps c, c, and parts for attaching
and adjusteing, as herein described; and I also clain the mode of arranging
apparatus shown at Figure 2, for carrying knapsacks.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeremiah Campion, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of Junc, in the
year of our Lord 1847, the aforesaid Jeremiah Campion came before our said
Ladly the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.