A NEW OR IMPROVED SOLE TO BE WORN BY PEDESTRIANS TO PREVENT SLIPPING
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Lundy Duncan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th December 1872.
I, WILLIAM LUNDY DUNCAN, of Lambeth, in the County of Surroy,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "A NEW OR IMPROVED SOLE TO BE WORN BY PEDESTRIANS TO PREVENT
SLIPPING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new or improved sole to be worn by
pedestrians to prevent slipping in consequence of the roads being in a
slippery condition from frost, snow, or any other cause, and consists in
constructing such sole of a combination of felt, rope, cord, or other
suitable substance or material which will not wear smooth, and leather,
india-rubber, gutta percha, or other well known and suitable material
used for making the soles of boots, shoes, goloshes, or other covering for
the feet. By this means as there is always a rough surface to tread
upon slipping is rendered almost impossible. The felt to be used for
this purpose may be of any well known description, or may have
combined with it sand, ashes, or other similar or suitable substance
which will help to keep it rough during wear, and the rope or cord
(when such is used) may be made of either flax, hemp, cotton, or other
suitable well known substance or material, and may be used singly or
twisted into plaits or otherwise combined as found desirable. When

page_text: applied to the sole these rough substances may be fixed in strips either
transversely across the sole and heel, or lengthwise thereon in the
direction of the length of the sole, and may be either fixed on the
surface or let into grooves; or holes or apertures of any required size
and shape may be formed in the sole, and these substances fixed
therein.
Two simple forms of soles constructed according to this Invention are
as follows:-I take an ordinary sole of the shape and size required and
made either of leather, canvas, india-rubber, gutta percha, or other
suitable substance or material, and by preference rather thin, and sew
on the outer side thereof transversely across the sole (with the exception
of the instep) strips of leather and felt alternately, each of which
strips is sewn on separately, thereby imparting great flexibility to
the sole.
According to another arrangement I take an ordinary sole of the
required shape and size and made of leather, gutta percha, india-rubber,
or other suitable substance or material, and pierce the same with holes
of any desired number, size, and form, and fill these holes with the said
rough substance or material.
The soles may be worn either attached to the boot or shoe as forming
part thereof, or may be worn separately so as to be attached and
disconnected as and when required. When thus worn separately they
may either be made to fit the instep or be worn straight across from the
sole to the heel, and are attached to the boot or shoe when on the foot by
any suitable means. For example they may be provided with toe pieces
of leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material, and with a heel piece
furnished with a screw or spring to fasten into the back of the heel of
the boot after the manner of fastening on skates. Or they may be
attached by any suitable arrangement of straps or elastic bands, and if a
strap or elastic band be applied to the instep or waist of the sole it may
thus be drawn up into the instep of the boot or shoe without being
specially formed therefor. Or these soles may be attached to and form
part of ordinary goloshes.