Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 21st Dec.. 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
I FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street in the City of London,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
In playing the game of hockey a ball is driven by the forcible swinging stroke of a
club or stick having a bent end and this club is held toward the thinner straight end
by the hands of the user.
The clubs as now constructed are liable to fracture below where they are so held
owing to the absence of sufficient elasticity in the part of the handle. To remedy
this defect I splice the handle of my improved hockey club or stick using generally
such an elastic material for the upper portion of the handle, as cane wholly or in part
so as to impart a springiness thereto under the strain of a blow. The parts of the
combined handle I bind with string or other encasing material adapted not only to
aid the uniting of the parts but also to facilitate better holding of the implement.
For instance say the club is of ash wood I cut a fork therein, into which I insert the
wedged end of a cane handle, cementing the two together and binding.
Or, I cut or form a fork in both the club end portion and in the handle portion the
lines of the sides of the one crossing the other and into the space centrally left
I fill in and cement a double ended wedge piece binding the whole into a strong
handle.
Or, I remove a central slice of the handle and insert and cement therein a layer of
cane and then string the handle.
Or, I remove the wood of the handle at the sides say inclining inwards to an
apex or imaginary apex at or about the top of the handle, and I make up the substan-
tially parallel sides of the finished handle by cementing on plates of cane and
stringing.
Or, in place of a central interioral layer of cane two or other number of inserted
splices may be used to increase the elasticity and the direction of splicing may intersect
each other at right angles that is to say the layers may cross from edge to edge and
side to side, or the splicing may be made up of combinations of the preceding
arrangements so long as a strong elastic handle is secured.
+1 1005
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant,

page_text: 1 FREDERICK HENRY AYRES of 111 Aldersgate Street in the City of London,
Manufacturer 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:-
In playing the game of hockey a ball is driven by the forcible swinging stroke of
a club or stick having a bent end and this club is held toward the thinner straight end
by the hands of the user. The clubs as now constructed are liable to fracture below
where they are so held owing to the absence of sufficient elasticity in the part of the
handle.
To remedy this defect I splice the handle of my improved hockey club or stick
using generally such an elastic material for the upper portion of the handle, as cane
wholly or in part so as to impart a springiness thereto under the strain of a blow.
The parts of the combined handle I bind with string or other encasing material
adapted not only to aid the uniting of the parts but also to facilitate better holding of
the implement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 respectively shew rear face and edge views of a hockey club with
single splice handle, say, the club end part a is of ash wood, having a fork a' cut
therein into which is inserted the wedge shaped end of a cane handle & cement
being applied between the abutting parts of club and handle before the two are
closely pressed together and retained until hard and fast. c is the string or like binding
applied over the splice and for a certain. portion of the length of the handle to facilitate
better hold of the implement.
Figures 3 and 4 shew by corresponding views a modification of the form of splice,
a fork a¹ being cut in the club end part a and another fork b¹ in the handle and as
will be seen the lines of the one part cross those of the other and into the
space centrally is filled and cemented in the double wedge ended piece d and the
addition of the stringing c binds the whole into a strong and sufficiently elastic
handle.
Figures 5 and 6 by like views shew a further modification wherein the splice is a
central parallel sided slot a¹ in the club a obtained by removing a central slice of the
handle a into which cane e is fitted and cemented, stringing c being carried down over
the splice.
Figures 7 and 8 by like views shew another modification of splice obtained by
removing the wood of the handle at the sides a², as inclining inwards to an apex or
imaginary apex at or about or beyond the top of the handle a and I make up the sides
substantially to parallelism in the finished handle by adding the cane pieces b², 63 and
binding by the stringing c.
Figures 9 and 10 shew corresponding views of a modification of figures 6 and 7
in which two slices of the handle are slotted out and two portions of cane filling e, e
inserted and cemented and the stringing applied over the whole.

page_text: Figures 11 and 12 shew by like views another modification which is substantially
an embodiment of the forms of splice shewn in the previous figures 1 and 6, in one
handle a being the club portion 66 being side pieces and 6 the central piece or pieces.
of cane and c the stringing thereon..
The slotted spaces may be formed as in either Figure 5 or 9 and fitted with cane in
other direction and then other slots at right angles thereto. may pass therethrough and
be fitted with cane-and all cemented into one solid mass and stringing applied"
over..
By this intersection of the direction of splicing that is to say the crossing of the
layers from edge to edge and side to side great strength is obtained..
Combination of the foregoing forms of splicing may be employed in great
variety.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The splicing of hockey club handles with cane or other suitably elastic material
substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth. .