AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK COT, AND MEANS FOR SUSPENDING THE SAME
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Woods, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED HAMMOCK
COT, AND MEANS FOR SUSPENDING THE SAME."
Sealed the 7th June 1867, and dated the 14th December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Woods at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1866.
I, ARTHUR WOODS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman,
dó hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
HAMMOCK COT, AND MEANS FOR SUSPENDING THE SAME," as follows:-
The present system of fixed and enclosed berths in emigrant, troop, and
other ships carrying large numbers of passengers, besides entailing considerable
cost to shipowners for removal and refitting, and being objectionable on
sanitary grounds, is attended with many inconveniences well known to ship
masters and others. In respect of a free circulation of air, cleanliness,
comfort, the prevention of sea sickness, deck accommodation, and other ad-
vantages hammocks are greatly superior. From the difficulty however of
slinging ordinary hammocks so as to make them comfortable, and of their
management generally, it has been found next to impossable to introduce them
for the use of landsmen.

page_text: The object of my Invention is to provide a suspended sleeping berth,
denominated by me the reversible hammock cot," which shall be comfortable,
easily managed, and be convenient for stowing away; this I effect by
constructing of canvas or other flexible woven fabric or material, a sleeping
berth of an oblong form with vertical or nearly vertical sides and jib ends;
the said berth is made with pockets or loops at both ends through which
stretchers of wood or other rigid material are passed transversely to keep it in
shape when in use and so as to allow the ready removal of the stretchers
when the canvas or other flexible material has to be washed or cleaned.
When desired, a rigid frame fitting inside the canvas could be used in
addition to or without the stretchers. The mattress is placed in the flexible
box-like berths, and the whole suspended by ropes or lanyards attached to the
jib ends and to the deck, or by suspenders, which latter I greatly prefer, as
herein-after described. When suspenders are employed the jib ends are
fitted with thimbles. The suspenders are made of rope or line. One of
them is provided with a hook at one end and a thimble at the other; the
hook is passed into the thimble of one jib end and the thimble on to a hook
secured to the deck. The other suspender is provided with a thimble which
is passed on to a hook in the deck and the other end rove through the
thimble of the jib and tied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Arthur Woods in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
WOODS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, ller heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Arthur Woods, Her special license that I, the said Arthur Woods, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur
Woods, 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 IMPROVED HAMMOCK COT,

page_text: AND MEANS FOR SUSPENDING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Arthur Woods, my executors or administrators, by an in-
strument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Arthur Woods, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings which accompanys
this and to the letters and figures thereon, that is to say:-
The system of fixed and enclosed berths at present in use in emigrant,.
troop, and other ships carrying large numbers of persons at low charges,
besides entailing considerable cost to shipowners for removal and refitting,
and being objectionable on sanitary grounds, is attended with many incon-
veniences well known to ship masters and others. In respect of a free
circulation of air, cleanliness, comfort, tendency to prevent sea sickness, deck
accommodation, and other advantages hammocks are greatly superior. From
the difficulty however, of slinging ordinary hammocks so as to make them
comfortable for the person, and of their management generally, it has been
next to impossible to introduce them for the use of landsmen.
.
The object of my Invention is to provide a suspended berth or place for
rest, denominated by me the reversible hammock cot, which shall be comfort-
able, easily managed, and convenient for washing and stowing away; this I
effect by constructing of canvas or other flexible woven fabric or material a
berth of an oblong form, with vertical or nearly vertical sides and jib ends,
the latter being fitted with thimbles. The said berth is made with pockets or
loops at both ends, within which stretchers of wood or other rigid material are
placed transversely to keep, when in use, the bottom or lower part distended;
these stretchers are easily removed when it is necessary to wash or clean the
flexible material. To support the weight of a person in my said hammock cot
ropes are attached along the whole of the upper edge or part. A mattress or
bed can be used in the said berth when desired, so also could a rigid frame to
fit inside, in addition to or without the stretchers. The whole of the parts
are suspended by two ropes or lanyards connected directly to the berth and
overhead to the deck, but I greatly prefer the novel arrangement of suspenders
hereafter described. The suspenders are made of rope or strong line. One
of these; one only for each end is used, is provided or fitted with a hook at

page_text: one end and a thimble at the other; the hook is passed into the thimble of
one jib end and the thimble on to a hook secured to the deck; the other:
suspender is provided or fitted with a thimble at one end, the other end being
free; the thimble is passed on to a book secured to the deck, and the free end
rove through the other jib end and tied so as to leave that end of the hammock
cot at any selected distance from the deck. The free ends of the hooks
secured to the deck point.in opposite directions.
Figure 1 represents à perspective view of my improved hammock cot
suspended in position, part of the deck of a ship being shewn; Figure 2, a
longitudinal elevation, and Figure 3 a longitudinal section, both shewing part.
of the suspenders; Figure 4 and 5, end elevations, the former with part of
one suspender, and the latter with one of the stretchers partly withdrawn. In
all these views like letters devote the same parts.
a is the bottom; b, the sides; c; the jib ends with thimbles d, d,
therein; e, the supporting ropes; f, stretchers; g represents a mattress and g¹
a pillow. Of the suspenders; h, h¹, are the ropes, h being fitted with hook i
and thimble j, h¹ being fitted with thimble k and its free end rove through d¹.
The hooks 1, 1, are secured to the deck marked m.
Sailmakers and others will be enabled to manufacture my said hammock
cot and suspenders from the description above given, as all the parts are con-
structed and act in a well-known manner. The flexible material may be.
either in one or in many pieces; in both cases stitching is employed to give it
the required shape. The ropes c must be securely attached to b; this may
be effected by open stitching or by binding within b. The pockets for the
stretchers can be made in one continuous recess, or several loops can be
formed for one side; in all cases it is desirable that the ends of the stretchers
should be within the flexible material 6 so as to keep the part a distended, but
it will be seen the cot can be reversed at any time and be equally serviceable
whichever is the outside.
Having now set forth the nature of my said Invention, and shewn bow the
same can be carried into effect on board ship, I would have it understood that
I do not confine myself to the exact details shewn, as many modifications may
be made without departing from the leading features, neither do I confine
myself to the use of my Invention on board ship only as it can be readily
used, as is obvious, in camp and elsewhere, see Fig. 6.
What I claim in hammock cots suspended from the ends and in the means
for suspending the same is,-
First, the flexible parts a, b, and c, or their equivalents, in combination with
rigid stretchers f, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Secondly, the flexible parts a, b, c, and e, or two of these, e being one of
them, in combination with the rigid stretchers f, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose set forth.
And, thirdly, I claim the suspenders h, h¹, "provided with hook i and
thimbles j, k, for supporting hammock cots as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Woods, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
In the presence of
JOHN WHITFORD,
21, Alfred Street,
Liverpool.
ARTHUR WOODS. (L.S.)