Improvements in Water-proof or similar Garments.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water-proof or similar Garments.
I, LEONIA MABEE, a Citizen of the United States, residing at 1493, Arlington
Avenue, in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of America,
Gentlewoman, 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, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
:-
Figure 1 is an inside elevational view of my improved water proof or similar
garment, the same being opened out for the purpose of illustrating the interior
arrangement of the parts.
Figure 2 is a conventional illustration in vertical section, illustrating the
nanner in which my improved water proof garment protects a skirt.
Figure 3 is a similar view, in which the body portion of the water proof proper,
extends from the waist, down.
Figure 4 is a front elevational view, illustrating the manner in which a
woman's skirt is placed in the pocket of my improved water proof garment, and
Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view on lines 5-5 in Figures 2 and 3.
This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in means for protecting
women's clothes from mud, rain and other incidents of inclement weather. It
is well known that ordinary gossamers or water proof garments, as usually sold
on the market, consist merely of an outer cloak or covering, made in some instances
to conform to the shape of the wearer, and in other instances hanging down from
the shoulders in the form of a long cloak or cape. These gossamers, while affording
protection from rain, etc., by acting as a water shed and preventing the saturation
or dampening of the wearer's ordinary clothes, do not afford sufficient protection.
for the nether skirts, which often come in contact with the wearer's feet, or in
the event that the said nether skirts are long, they are apt to drag on the ground,
or come in contact' with projections, such as curb-stones, etc. The object of my
present invention is to provide means for protecting these nether garments, as
well as the ordinary outer garment, and to accomplish this I arrange a flap so as to
enclose the usual garments which women wear, in a pocket, said flap being then
secured to the waist of the wearer. While it is desirable in some instances, to have
the body portion and the skirt of the gossamer in one piece, as for rainy weather,
yet in cases where rain is not to be considered, and it is only desirable to protect
the nether skirts, I omit the body portion of the gossamer, as shown in Figure 3.
In the drawings, A indicates a woman's long cloak or waterproof, and B, a
water proof flap, which is secured to the lower edge a thereof, which flap forms
the inner side wall of the pocket for carrying the usual skirt or skirts C. The
upper end of flap B has attached thereto, a waist-band, through which a draw-
string D, runs, for the purpose of securing the flap to the woman's waist. Hooks,
indicated at b, and eyes indicated at 61, furnish means for fastening the side edges
of flap B together, when the flap is in position. Of course such other attaching
devices, such as buttons, can be used for this purpose. When the pocket is not

page_text: in use, it will be retained in its proper position by being secured to the waist line
of the gossamer A, through the medium of buttons a¹, which are passed through
suitable button-holes in the waist-band of the flap. When the woman's skirts are
not arranged in the pocket formed by flap B, the gossamer A, can be worn is
gossamers are usually worn, at which time the flap would be secured to the
gossamer, but when it is desired to protect the skirts from contact with the feet,
the wearer unfastens the flap from the outer garment A, and places the waist-
band of the flap around her waist under her skirts, as shown in Figure 4, when
the draw-string may be tied to secure the flap in position. The edges of the flap
are then drawn together by hooks and eyes b and b¹, after which the wearer's
skirts are permitted to fall into the pocket so formed, when the edges of the
outside gossamer skirt are drawn together and fastened. In the event that the
body portion is present on the gossamer, she can pass her arms through the usual
openings provided therefor, or, if no body portion is present, as shown in Fig. 3,
the outer garment A, is firmly secured around her waist.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The arrangement of a flap which is secured to the lower edge of a water proof
gossamer or garment, which flap is designed to be secured around the waist of the
wearer, and under her skirts, so that said skirts will be retained in a pocket formed
by the flap and by the outer water proof gossamer or garment; substantially as
described.
2. An improved water proof garment for protecting women's skirts, the same
comprising an outer water proof garment A, an inner water proof flap B, secured
to lower edge of garment A, the upper edge of which flap is provided with a waist-
band, designed to embrace the wearer's waist, so that the ordinary skirts will lie
between garment A and Hap B, and suitable means for securing the water proof
garment and flap in position; substantially as described.
Dated the 23rd day of November 1898.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London,
For the Applicant.