IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tongue, of Chryssell Road, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."
Sealed the 7th March 1862, and dated the 31st December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tongue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
December 1861.
I, WILLIAM TONGUE, of Chryssell Road, Brixton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application to the purposes of covering
umbrellas and parasols of fabrics woven entirely or in part from the fibres from
the stalks or stems of one or all of the following plants, namely, the "Boehmeria
nivea," "Boehmeria puya," and other slightly different varieties of the species
"Boehmeria," order "Urticaceæ," the fibres of which are indiscriminately
known as "China grass," and "rhea fibre," the plants growing in India,
Assam, and other parts of Eastern Asia; also in the application to the
purposes of covering umbrellas and parasols of fabrics woven entirely or in
part from the fibres from the stalk or stem of any or all of the following
plants, namely, the "Urtica heterophilla," or the Neilgherry nettle, of the
order "Urticaceæ." Also the "Pederia foetida," order "Convolvulaceæ," and
the "Marsdenia tenacissima," order "Asclepiadaces," (native name jettee

page_text: fibre,) creeping or climbing plants growing in Assam and other parts of Eastern
Asia, and the Eastern Archipelago, also the "Colotrophis gigantea," order
"Asclepiadaces," growing in various parts of the Indian peninsula, the fibre
from which is known as the mudar or yercum fibre, also of the "Beaumontia
grandiflora," a tropical plant of the order "Apocynaceæ."
The fibres after having been removed from the stems or shoots of the above-
mentioned plants either by hand or by machinery must according to my
Invention be treated by the processes described in the Specification of a
Patent granted to Francis Montgomery Jennings, dated November 15th, 1852,
No. 756, and in the Specification of a Patent granted to Edward Blake dated
September 6th, 1859, No. 2036.
The above-named fibrous materials after being prepared as described in
the Specification referred to must be dressed, heckled, or combed by machinery
suited to the purpose, so as to split and thus refine the fibres, and I would
here remark that though many other descriptions of machinery are applicable
to this purpose, I prefer to employ the machinery described in the Specification
of a Patent granted to Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James Warburton, dated
the 13th day of December 1859, No. 2832. After the above-named fibrous
materials have been prepared and dressed they may be spun by worsted or
silk spinning machinery into yarns in imitation of worsted, alpaca, and silk,
and previous to spinning they may if desired be mixed in any proportion
with one another, or with any other fibre either animal or vegetable, and the
various fibres may be dyed or printed before being spun, or the same fibres
may be dyed various colors, and then before spinning mixed together or with
other fibrous materials either dyed or undyed in any desired proportion,
one or more yarns spun as above described may be twisted together with
one or more yarns spun from any other fibrous material, and if desired
the
yarns may be dyed or printed various colors before being twisted together
so as to produce "marled" or "mottled." yarn. The yarns spun as above
described may be woven into a fabric peculiarly suitable for covering umbrellas
and parasols on account of the lightness, strength, durability, and lustre of
the above mentioned fibrous materials, and in weaving such fabrics, yarns are
used for the warp and weft, or partly for the warp and partly for the weft spun
from the above mentioned fibrous materials either alone or in combination with
other fibrous materials as above described, or the warp or weft or part of the
warp or weft may be composed of yarns such as have been described, and the
weft or warp may be either of silk, wool, cotton, flax, or other known fibrous
materials either alone or in combination with one another, and dyed or bleached
as above described.

page_text: The weft and warp employed may be dyed the same or different colors
or they may be woven in the undyed state and dyed or printed in the piece
if desired, and the fabrics may be woven in jacquard or other patterns with-
out departing from the nature of my Invention, which consists in the applica-
tion to the purposes of covering umbrellas and parasols of fabrics woven from
the fibres taken from the stalks or stems of the "Urtica," or "Boehmeria
nivea," the "Urtica," or "Boehmeria puya," and other slightly different
varieties of the species "Boehmeria," these fibres being used either alone or
in combination with other fibres, and either dyed or undyed as above described;
also in the application to the purposes of covering umbrellas and parasols
of fabrics woven from the fibres taken from the stalks or shoots of the
Urtica," or "Girardenia heterophilla," or Neilgherry nettle, the "Pederia
foetida," the "Marsdenia tenacissima," the "Calotropis gigantea," and the
"Beaumontia grandiflora," the fibres last-named being used alone or in com
bination with one another or with other fibres, and either dyed or undyed as
above described. I would here remark that though according to my Invention
the fibres of the "Boehmeria nivea," and Boehmeria puya," must be treated as
above described the other fibrous materials in the application of which this
Invention consists may be treated by any other known steeping, retting, or:
boiling process, either with or without the aid of chemical solutions without
departing from the nature of my Invention.
My Invention also consists in the application of fabrics known as "warp" or
"looped" fabrics, also of " traverse warp" fabrics to the purposes of covering
umbrellas and parasols when such fabrics are composed wholly or in part of
yarns spun from the above-mentioned fibres in the manner above described
and explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM,
TONGUE, of Chryssell Road, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said William Tongue, Her special licence that I, the said William
Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Tongué, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the
condition (amongst others), that I, the said William Tongue, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument 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 William Tongue, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in the application to the purposes of covering
umbrellas and parasols of fabrics woven entirely or in part from the fibres
obtained from the stalks or stems of one or all of the following plants, namely,
the "Boehmeria nivea," "Boehmeria puya," and other slightly different varies
of the species "Boehmeria," order "Urticaceae," the fibres of which are indis-
criminately known as "China grass" and "rhea fibre," the plants growing
in India, Assam, and other parts of Eastern Asia; also in the application to
the
purposes of covering umbrellas and parasols of fabrics woven entirely or
in part from the fibres obtained from the stalks or stems of any or all of the
following plants, namely, the "Urtica heterophilla," or the "Neilgherry
nettle" of the order "Urticaceæ ;" also the "Pederia foetida," order "Con-
volvulaceæ," and the "Marsdenia tenacissima," order "Asclepiadaceae "
(native name "jettee fibre") creeping or climbing plants growing in Assam and
other parts of Eastern Asia and the Eastern Archipelago; also the "Calotropis
gigantea "order" Asclepiadacea" growing in various parts of the Indian
peninsula, the fibre from which is known as the "mudar" or "yercum
fibre; also of the "Beaumontia grandiflora," a tropical plant of the order
"Apocynaceæ."
The fibres, after having been removed from the stems or shoots by hand or
by machinery, must, according to my Invention, be treated by the processes

page_text: described in the Specification of a Patent granted to Francis Montgomery
Jennings, dated November 15th, 1852, No. 756, and in the Specification of
a Patent granted to Edward Blake, dated September 6th, 1859, No. 2036.
The above-named fibrous materials, after being prepared as described in
the Specifications referred to, must be dressed, heckled, or combed by
machinery suited to the purpose so as to split and thus refine the fibres; and
I would here remark, that though many other descriptions of machinery are
applicable to this purpose, I prefer to employ the machinery described in the
Specification of a Patent granted to Samuel Cunliffe Lister and James War-
burton, dated the 13th day of December, 1859, No. 2832. After the above-
named fibrous materials have been prepared and dressed, they may be spun
by worsted or silk spinning machinery into yarns in imitation of worsted,
alpaca, and silk, and previous to spinning they may, if desired, be mixed in
any proportion with one another, or with any other fibre, either animal or
vegetable, and the various fibres may be dyed or printed before being spun, or
the same fibres may be dyed various colours, and then before spinning mixed
together, or with other fibrous materials either dyed or undyed in any desired
proportion. One or more yarns spun as above described may be twisted
together with one or more yarns spun from any other fibrous materials, and,
if desired, the urns may be dyed or printed various colors before being twisted.
together so as to produce "marled " ог mottled yarns. The yarns spun
as above described may be woven into a fabric peculiarly suitable for covering
umbrellas and parasols on account of the lightness, strength, durability, and
lustre of the above-mentioned fibrous materials, and in weaving such fabrics
yarns are used for the warp and weft, or partly for the warp and partly for the
weft spun from the above-mentioned fibrous materials, either alone or in com-
bination with other fibrous materials, as above described, or either the warp or
the weft, or part of the warp or the weft of such fabrics may be composed of
yarns such as have been described, and either the weft or the warp of such
fabrics may be made of silk, wool, cotton, flax, or other known fibrous materials
spun either alone or in combination with one another, and dyed or bleached,
as aboved described.
The weft and warp employed in the manufacture of umbrella or parasol
fabrics, according to my Invention, may be dyed the same or. different colors,
or they may be woven in the undyed state, and dyed or printed in the piece,
if desired, and the fabrics may be woven in jacquard or other patterns,
without departing from the nature of my Invention, which consists in the
application to the purposes of covering umbrellas and parasols of fabrics
woven from the fibres taken from the stalks or stems of the "Urtica" or

page_text: "Boehmeria nivea," the "Urtica," or "Boehmeria puya," and other slightly
different varieties of the species "Boehmeria," these fibres being used either
alone or in combination with other fibres, and either dyed or undyed,, as
above described; also in the application to the purposes of covering umbrellas
and parasols of fabrics woven from the fibres taken from the stalks or shoots
of the "Urtica" or "Girardenia heterophilla," or "Neilgherry nettle," the
"Pederia foetida," the "Marsdenia tenacissima," the "Calotropis gigantea,"
and the "Beaumontia grandiflora." The fibres last named being used alone,
or in combination with one another, or with other fibres, and either dyed or
undyed, as above described, I would here remark, that though according to
my Invention the fibres of the "Boehmeria nivea " and "Boehmeria puya
must be treated as above described, the other fibrous materials, in the appli-
cation of which this Invention consists, may be treated by any other known
steeping, retting, or boiling process, either with or without the aid of chemical
solutions, without departing from the nature of my Invention.
My Invention also consists in the application of fabrics known as "warp'
or "looped" fabrics, also of "traverse warp" fabrics to the purposes of covering.
umbrellas and parasols when such fabrics are composed wholly or in part of
yarns spun from the above-mentioned fibres, in the manner above described
and explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tongue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM TONGUE. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings, W.C.