AN IMPROVE= MENT IN TENT POLES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Marsden, of Kingsland Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Ventilation Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVE=
MENT IN TENT POLES."
Sealed the 18th September 1855, and dated the 20th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Marsden at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
March 1855.
I, CHARLES MARSDEN, of Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Ventilation Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, for
"AN IMPROVEMENT. IN TENT POLES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in forming tent poles hollow, and in perforating the
sides or circumference thereof, or otherwise making apertures therein, to any.
extent that may be required, whereby ventilation will be afforded to the inside
of the tent. Where necessary. I provide the means of closing temporarily 60
much or so many of the apertures as may not be requisite to afford the.
amount of ventilation desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Marsden in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
MARSDEN, of Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex, Ventilation
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles Marsden, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Marsden, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Marsden, 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 Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN TENT POLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Marsden, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should 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 Charles Marsden, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in forming tent poles hollow, and in perforating the
sides or circumference thereof, or otherwise making apertures therein, to any
extent that may be required, whereby ventilation will be afforded to the inside
of the tent. Where necessary I provide the means of closing temporarily
so much or so many of the apertures as may not be requisite to afford the
amount of ventilation desired. In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have
shewn the methods which I adopt for carrying my Invention into effect.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a tent fitted with my improved venti-
lating pole Figure 2 is a section of the upper portion of the tent; and
Figure 3, a view of the tent pole detached. A, A, is the tent pole, and B the

page_text: canvas of the tent, which is secured to the pole by means of the blocks a, b,
passed over and fitting tightly upon the ventilating tube C on the top of the
tent pole. The block a is fixed to the tube C by brackets c, c, while the block
bis secured to the top of the tent by means of the cord d, or any other
equivalent means. Or, instead of the block b, I sew into and round the hole
in the top of the tent a ring of cord or metal, or other suitable material. The
tube C is perforated with a number of holes, and is secured in its place upon
the tent pole by means of the hoops or bands e, e, and bolts and nuts f, f.
Should the upper part of the tent pole be found too small in adapting this
method of ventilation to existing tents, I fasten the tube C by means of
wedges driven in between the tube C and the upper part of the tent pole. D
is a block or plug which is driven into the end of the tube C, and E is a cap
or cover of canvas or other suitable material, which is attached to the top of
the tent pole by first passing it over the top of the block D, and then if
necessary binding it round with cords or wire. The lower part of this cover
is kept distended, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, by four or more rods g,g, one
end of each of which is let into one of the perforations of the tube C, the
opposite ends of the rods being passed through the cover, and secured as repre-
sented in Figure 2. This cover is further held in its place by the cords h, h,
which are either sewn on or tied to the tent, as shown in Figure 1. By means
of this cover all wet is prevented from entering the perforations in the tube,
and through them into the inside of the tent, at the same time the vitiated
air has a free escape from the interior of the tent. The tent pole may also
be formed out of a metal tube, and the perforations may be carried down to
within a short distance from the ground if thought desirable. To regulate
the exit of the vitiated air I make use of a shield, which is capable of being
adjusted higher up or lower down upon the tube C, in order to lessen or
increase the number of perforations within the tent. Figure 4 represents a
section of the upper portion of a tent in which two or more thicknesses of
canvas or other material are used, in which case it is requisite to employ an
additional block a and bracket c for each thickness of material composing the
tent. F is a bracket or stand for the arms, a plan of which is separately
shewn in Figure 5. This bracket is secured to the tent pole by means of
bolts and nuts, or by screws passed through the band i; or this band may be
formed in the manner represented in Figure 6, and fastened by a bolt and
nut j, to allow of the bracket being raised or lowered upon the tent pole.
Figure 7 represents a portion of a horizontal or ridge pole of a tent fitted
with a ventilator similar to that represented in Figure 1. The horizontal
tube G is formed with an opening in its under side, which communicates

page_text: with the vertical perforated tube C for carrying off the vitiated air from the
inside of the 'tent. Several of these ventilators inay, if desired; be placed
along the ridge pole of the tent. For marquees, where it is necessary to use
a horizontal ridge pole between the two vertical poles forming the two ends
of the tent, I screw into each end of the horizontal pole a metal ring k similar
to that shewn in Figure 8. These rings pass over the perforated metal tube
on the top of each of the vertical poles, and rest upon 'the top of the block a.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is, forming
tent poles hollow, or in adapting thereto metal tubes, and in perforating the
sides. or circumference thereof, or otherwise making apertures therein, to any
extent that may be required, whereby ventilation will be afforded to the
inside of the tent. I also claim the method of covering the upper part of
the tube by means of a cap for preventing the entrance of wet; and also the
method of regulating the amount of ventilation required, all as herein-before
described, and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Marsden, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
CHAS MARSDEN. (L.S.)