Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1888
I, FRANCIS RUDALL (The Terrace) 13 Lullington Road, Anerley, Surrey, S.E.
(Electric Telegraph Engineer) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The combining suitably a spring of metal, a compressed air chamber or any elastic
material with an ordinary rigid stay, whether supplied with an adjusting screw or not
as used for telegraph & telephone poles, or posts, railway signal posts flag staffs, and
ships masts for the purpose of converting such rigid stays into elastic stays for the
protection of the pole post staff or mast against the effects of sudden hurricanes or
wind storms.
The obvious action of such elastic stay being to yield at the very first impact of the
wind instead of offering a rigid resistance whereby the snapping of the pole staff or
mast or its permanent bending over if of metal will be obviated. On the cessation of
the squall the reverse action of the spring or elastic medium will restore the pole staff
or mast to its normal position. The strength of the spring or elastic medium to be
used must correspond to the probable force which will be exerted by the wind upon
the given mass of the resisting object calculated according to well known laws
Dated this Ninth day of December 1887.
FRANCIS RUDALL.

page_text: Improvements in Stays for Telegraph Poles, Masts, and the like.
FRANCIS RUDALL (The Terrace) 13 Lullington Road Anerley London S.E. Electric
Telegraph Engineer I 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 :—
The combining suitably a spring of metal, a compressed air chamber, or any elastic
material with an ordinary rigid stay whether supplied with an adjusting screw or not,
as used for telegraph and telephone poles or posts, railway signal posts flag staffs and
ships masts—for the purpose of converting such rigid stays into elastic stays for the
protection of the pole post staff or mast against the effects of sudden hurricanes or
wind storms. The obvious action of such elastic stay being to yield at the very first
impact of the wind instead of offering a rigid resistance, whereby the snapping of the
pole staff or mast or its permanent bending over if of metal will be obviated. On the
cessation of the squall, the reverse action of the spring or clastic medium will restore
the pole or mast to its normal position. The strength of the spring or elastic medium
to be used must correspond to the probable force which will be exerted by the wind
upon the given mass of the resisting object calculated according to well known laws in
square feet. The force of a severe storm being from 17 to 24 lb. per square foot
reaching in hurricanes to 50 lb. per square foot.
The nature & principle of this my invention will be more clearly understood by
reference to the annexed sheet of drawings, showing its application with a spiral
spring.
Figure 1, is a pattern of link and adjusting screw to form part of the length of the
stay, and it will be understood that into the eye a at end of the screw a¹, is fixed that
part of the stay length which at its other extremity is fixed in the earth or to other
solid foundation, and that the other part of the stay length is at one end hooked by an
ordinary or swivel hook into the link b, at b while the other end is fixed to the pole
post staff mast or other upright piece which the stay is intended to support.
On the screw a is the spiral spring C within a tube C, shown partly in section,
and also within the tube is the nut d.
This nut can only be turned by means of a piece of iron inserted in the hole Ę and
as to reach this hole the piece of iron must pass through the hole E¹, in the tube C¹,
it is obvious that in any position of the screw a¹, at which the stay is taut, the nut d
can only be turned and enter further into the tube C¹ until the piece of iron which fits
the hole E reaches the limit of the hole E. The hole E, is purposely enlarged to the
hole E to admit of the spring ( being so far set up after the stay has been made taut
with the adjusting screw a¹. When so far compressed the spring C is of the minimum
power required, that is to say its minimum power being the minimum dangerous wind
force it will yield to, at the first impact of that wind force, but without the tube (³, or
its equivalent a workman by careless screwing up of the nut d after he had made the
stay taut by means of the adjusting screw a¹, could so far screw against and compress
the spring C as to make it solid to the first impact of the minimum dangerous wind
force.

page_text: Figure 2, is another form of link with right and left hand screws a² a². The two
parts forming the remainder of the stay length are fixed respectively to the
eyes a, a³.
The link band the nut can be turned either with a piece of iron inserted in the
hole E which must first pass through the taper enlarged hole E', or with an ordinary
spanner gripping the faces g gl. After the stay has been made taut by adjusting
screws a a, the link b & nut can only be turned with the spanner until the ledge H
on the nut and the ledge I on the link b, meet the corresponding sides of the spanner.
If the tool used be a piece of iron inserted in the hole E the link b, and nut f could
only be turned until the side J of the hole E' reached the corresponding side of the
piece of iron.
The spring C would then be set to the same minimum power as hereinbefore
described. All the other parts of the link b, are rounded to make it sufficiently
difficult to obtain a grip by other means than either a spanner gripping the faces g g¹,
or a piece of iron inserted in the hole E.
Figure 3, shows an arrangement of link with three springs. The screw a² screws
into L, the screw a¹ into M at M. The whole can be turned with a piece of iron
inserted into hole E, the screw adjustment making the stay taut, and setting the
springs to the required minimum power in the same way as hereinbefore described.
Figure 4, has a nut M into which a screws at M. By using this form of a nut a
link of the same dimensions as that shown in figure 1, will give an increased length of
screw for adjustment.
Other simple forms of adapting the spring to the same purpose readily suggest
themselves. As for instance a square, the four sides of which are formed of flat iron
bars connected by loose links at their extremities, with the spring as herein before
described fixed between two sides of the square diagonally. When this is inserted in
the stay length the spring will have a horizontal instead of a perpendicular action, and
will resist the drawing out of the square linked pieces similar to the action of the
well known lazy tongs. This apparatus can be used with or without adjusting
screws.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be used-I declare that what I
claim is:-
The insertion of a spring or other clastic medium in otherwise rigid stays for
supporting poles posts staffs masts and similar erected objects arranged and working
substantially as hereinbefore described and in part illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 21st day of August 1888.