IMPROVED TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Ilsley, of Lisbon, in the Kingdom of
Portugal, Professor of Physics, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS."
Sealed the 16th August 1853, and dated the 16th June 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Isley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th June 1853.
1, JOSEPH ILSLEY, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS" to be as follows:-
The object of the present Invention is to supersede the use of the
electric or magneto-electric current for working telegraphic signals, and
to employ in place thereof a column of air, which is to be confined in a
tube or pipe extending from one station to another. To this tube or
pipe, which may be placed under ground, is to be adapted an air pump
or other suitable apparatus, whereby the column of air may be acted on,
and made to actuate a single apparatus placed at each extremity of the
tube. Motion is transmitted from the column of air in the underground
tubes to the index or pointer of the signal apparatus, either by means

page_text: of a column of mercury, as in common mercurial barometers, or by
means of a thin flexible metallic or other plate, which, by yielding when
pressure is applied thereto, by means of the column of air in the under-
ground tube, will raise or depress the said plate or column of mercury;
and this motion of the plate or mercury is communicated to the index
arm by any convenient contrivance, as in the common wheel or aneroid
barometers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Ilsley in the Great Seal Patent Office, on
the 16th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH ILSLEY, of Lisbon, in the Kingdom of Portugal, Professor of
Physics, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Ilsley, IIer special license
that I, the said Joseph Ilsley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Ilsley, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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 "IMPROVED TELEGRAPHIC
APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Isley, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Joseph Ilsley, do hereby de-
clare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of the present Invention is to supersede the use of
the electric or magneto-electric current for working telegraphic
signals, and to employ in place thereof a column of air, which is to
be confined in a tube or pipe extending from one station to another.
To this tube or pipe, which may be placed under ground, is to be
adapted an air pump, syringe, or other suitable apparatus, whereby the
column of air may be rarefied and compressed, or otherwise acted on,
and made to actuate a signal or indicating apparatus placed at each
extremity of the tube. Motion may be transinitted from the column of
air in the underground tubes to the index or pointer of the signal appa-
ratus, either by means of a column of mercury, as in common mercurial
barometers, or by means of a thin flexible metallic or other plate, or
other suitable, collapsible, or yielding medium, which, by yielding when
pressure is applied thereto, by means of the column of air in the under-
ground tube, will raise or depress or otherwise act on the said plate or
column of mercury or other yielding medium; and this motion of the
plate or mercury or other yielding medium is communicated to the
index arm by any convenient contrivance, as in the common wheel or
ancroid barometers. Or, in place of the column of air being made to
act against a thin flexible metallic plate, the pipe containing the air
may be made to communicate with a bent or curved flattened tube,
similar to those employed in Bourdon's patent barometers and steam or
pressure guages.
In order, however, that the nature and object of my Invention may
be clearly understood, I have shewn in the accompanying Drawings
two plans of carrying the same into effect. Fig. 1, is a plan view; and
Fig. 2, a vertical section of one of my improved instruments. u, u, is
a cylinder or syringe, in which works the piston b, b. This cylinder com-
municates by means of the trunk or pipe c, with a close chamber d, d,
which is provided with a strong glass cover, and in which chamber is
placed the indicating apparatus e, e, which is constructed precisely upon
the principle of the common and well known aneroid barometer.

page_text: Now, as the piston b, is drawn up in the cylinder a, the air becomes
rarefied in the chamber d, and the vacuum chamber of the aneroid
instrument is allowed to expand and move round the index or needle f
to the right or left of the zero point; when, on the contrary, the piston
is pushed down, the needle will be made to move in the opposite direc
tion, and by previously drawing in a small quantity of air through the
lateral pipe g, this air will be compressed on the descent of the piston,
and cause the needle or index on its return to pass beyond the zero
point on the dial. From this it will be seen that the needle or index
may be made to vibrate from left to right, and vice versa, by any slight
movement up and down of the piston b, b. The short branch pipe h,
Fig. 1, is for connecting a similar indicating apparatus, situated at any
required distance, with the cylinder a, of the present apparatus, by
means of a gutta percha, metal, or other pipe, placed under ground, or
protected in any convenient manner, so that by raising or depressing
the piston b, the indices of both apparatus will be made to act simulta-
neously, and produce similar signals. A whistle or other audible signal i,
is placed on the trunk for the purpose of attracting the attention of the
attendant when it is desired to transmit a signal. For this purpose the
whistle (when the instrument is not in use) should always be left open,
so that the attendant at the opposite end should (by merely raising the
piston to draw in a volume of air) be able to sound the whistle at the
opposite end by pushing down the piston and forcing the air out of the
whistle at the other end. The attention of both attendants having been
drawn by this means to the apparatus, the whistles may be closed by
means of their stop-cocks, and the operations for making the visible
signals commenced. It will of course be understood that at the
station at each end of the air pipe or tube there must be a com-
plete apparatus, such as that shewn in the Drawing, and consisting of
indicating apparatus, air cylinder, or syringe, and its appendages, so that
audible or visible signals may be sent from either end. Fig. 3, is an
clevation (some of the parts being shewn in section) of a modification
of the above, the difference in construction being confined to the indi-
cating apparatus. Instead of the trunk c, and branch air pipe com-
municating with a close chamber containing the indicating apparatus,

page_text: as in the former instance, the trunk is connected directly to one end of
the bent flattened tube j, j, which is closed at the opposite end, and is
connected by means of a link k, to a short lever 7, on the shaft m, of
the index or needle f.
Upon drawing up the piston in the air cylinder a, the bent tube j, j,
will be exhausted and collapse, and thereby push back the short lever 7,
and cause the index to move towards the right; upon condensing the
air in the bent tube j, by pushing down the piston in the cylinder a, the
bent tube j, will uncoil or tend to straighten itself, and will thereby
draw the short lever l, forward, and cause the index to move to the left;
it will therefore. be seen that by alternately raising and lowering the
pistons in the air cylinder or syringe the index f, will be made to
vibrate to and fro, and by these vibrations any signals or words may be
communicated. On the dial is an alphabet whereby this may be
effected. I would observe, that although, in order to avoid com-
plication, I have shewn a simple syringe and a piston actuated by hand,
yet I sometimes propose, when the distance between the stations is
long, to use a cylinder of much larger diameter and capacity, and to
move the piston or piston rod by means of a lever or by rack work, in
a somewhat similar manner to that now adapted to a compound or
double barrel air բառը.
Having now described my Invention of improved telegraphie appa-
ratus, and two plans which I have found by experience to act satisfac-
torily, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean or intend to
confine myself rigidly to the precise arrangement and construction of
parts herein shewn and described, as they may perhaps be varied with-
out departing from the nature and object of my Invention, nor do I intend
to claim the exclusive right to actuate a needle or pointer by means of
a fluid or liquid; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore
wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent
aforesaid, is, causing a needle or index land to move or vibrate on its
centre by means of a column of air, alternately rarefied or compressed,
or vice versa, by a piston or other suitable contrivance, such column of
air being made to act upon a thin flexible plate or diaphragın or collap-

page_text: sible tube, or other equivalent means, connected with the shaft or spindle
of the said index hand or needle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Ilsley, have hereunto set
my hand seal, the Sixteenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
J. ILSLEY. (L.S.)