Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 9th Apr:, 1894-Accepted, 12th May, 1894
I GEORGE HENRY WILDSMITH of 37 Spencer Place Leeds in the County of
York Cloth Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
My invention refers to that class of toy or game, in which balls are manipulated
by agitating the toy so as to cause the balls starting from one position or positions
to take up a new previously determined position or positions.
A toy constructed in accordance with my invention comprises a series of
preferably ten balls coloured black and designated "the ten little niggers," and a
suitable ground preferably a rectangular piece of stamped or embossed millboard.
At one end of the board a series of adjoining & connected depressions are formed,
this end being designated the "slavery" end of the board. A corresponding series
of adjoining and connected depressions, connected or not, are provided at the
opposite end of the board, designated the "liberty "end. The two series of
depressions are connected by a sinuous depressed path, preferably considerably
wider than the diameter of the balls, the path passing alternately from side to side
of the board. At suitable positions preferably at the sides of the board are
provided deeper depressions or pockets, so placed that unless the toy is carefully.
manipulated, there is considerable risk of the balls falling into these pockets, in
which case the balls so falling in are considered retaken or dead. The board is
embossed at or close to these pockets to represent wild animals, rivers, swamps or
other risks to escaping niggers. The board on the side of the path may be
embossed to represent hills or other features of a landscape, and the whole is
suitably marked and coloured.
The board may be formed with a slightly raised edge and provided with a lid,
or the board may be placed in a shallow box having a lid for packing. A glass lid
or covering may be provided if desired.
Dated this 5th day of August 1893
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Toy or Game.
I GEORGE HENRY WILDSMITH of 37 Spencer Place Leeds in the County of
York Cloth Merchant 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 refers to that class of toy or game in which balls are manipulated
by agitating the toy with the intention of causing the balls starting from one
position or positions to take up a new previously determined position or positions.
A toy constructed in accordance with my invention comprises a series of ten balls
or turrett figures designated "the ten little niggers." A most favourable shape is
that shewn in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings i.e. approximately hemispherical
or conical with a short knob on the top, and the bottom or base flat or very slightly
curved. A suitable ground preferably a rectangular piece of stamped or embossed
millboard or cardboard, or such provided with depressions and ridges formed by

page_text: punching or cutting the former and glueing or otherwise fixing in suitable places
an additional thickness or thicknesses of cardboard of suitable shape or shapes.
This last arrangement, for the sake of illustration, is shewn in the accompanying
drawings, of which Fig. 1. is a plan, and Fig. 2. a longitudinal section on
line A. B. C. D. E. F. of Fig. 1.
At one end of the board a long depression or recess a, or a series of recesses or
depressions as indicated by dotted lines are formed, and this end of the board is
designated the "slavery" end. A somewhat similar recess or depression, or series
of recesses or depressions, are provided at the opposite end, which is designated
the liberty or freedom end. These end depressions may be suitably formed by
embossing or by making the toy of a shallow cardboard box b, in which fitted a
piece of cardboard c just equal in width to the internal width of the box, but which
in length is shorter by the width of the freedom recess or depression. The slavery
recess is formed by attaching an extra thickness of cardboard g.
The slavery and liberty ends of the board communicate by means of sinuous or
irregular paths, (which may be merely the flat parts between the pieces 9 and the
pockets d. The latter constitute deeper depressions in the board, and are so placed
that unless the toy is very carefully agitated or manipulated there is considerable
risk of the niggers falling into these pockets, in which case they are considered as
retaken or dead. The board is embossed or printed at or close to these pockets to
represent wild animals, rivers, swamps, or other risks to the escaping niggers; and
may be embossed or printed on the sides of the path to represent hills, forests or
other features of a landscape, and the whole suitably coloured or marked. In the
form shewn in the drawings, the pockets d are formed by punching circular holes
in the cardboard, and the hills are formed by glueing or otherwise affixing additional
pieces of cardboard g of suitable size and shape on the top of the board c.
Instead of forming the ground of cardboard as above described it may be formed
or modelled in wood, paper pulp, plaster of Paris, clay or the like..
The game may be played so as to obtain a maximum number of points for
example 100, say 10 for each nigger reaching the freedom end in safety, and
deducting various values for each nigger falling into one or other of the pockets d,
deducting a larger value the nearer the niggers are caught to the slavery end of
the board.
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 :-
A toy or game consisting of a set of balls or turrett figures denominated
niggers" and a card or other board having a "slavery" recess or depression
(or recesses or depressions) at the one end and a liberty recess or depression (or
recesses or depressions) at the other end with a wide path or passage (or paths or
passages) giving communication between the two ends and formed as a depression
or flat between parts of the board raised by embossing or otherwise, and with
holes or pockets formed in the said paths or passages so placed that there is
considerable risk of said niggers falling into the same during the manipulation
or agitation of the toy in endeavouring to transfer the "niggers" from the slavery
to the freedom end of the board.
Dated this 30th day of March 1894.
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
2, East Parade, Leeds, Agent for Applicant.