AN IMPROVED COMPOUND OR PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR, AND MODE OF, AND APPARATUS FOR COVERING AND INSULATING WIRES OR CONDUCTORS USED FOR TELEGRAPHIC OR ELECTRICAL PURPOSES.
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Warne, John Americus Fanshawe, James
Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, all of Tottenham, in the County
of Middlesex, India-rubber Manufacturers, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED COMPOUND OR PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR, AND MODE OF, AND
APPARATUS FOR COVERING AND INSULATING WIRES OR CONDUCTORS USED FOR
TELEGRAPHIC OR ELECTRICAL PURPOSES.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Warne, John
Americus Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
12th May 1859.
We, WILLIAM WARNE, JOHN AMERICUS FANSHAWE, JAMES ARCHIBALD
JAQUES, and THOMAS GALPIN, all of Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex,
India-rubber Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED COMPOUND OR PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR, AND MODE
OF, AND APPARATUS FOR COVERING AND INSULATING WIRES OB CONDUCTORS USED
FOR TELEGRAPHIC OR ELECTRICAL PURPOSES," to be as follow..
The object of this Invention is to cover telegraphic or electric wires with
such a compound or preparation of materials as will form a more perfect
insulation of the electric conductors than has heretofore been obtained, and
which perfect insulation of the electric conductors is of the greatest impor-
tance for submarine or subterranean telegraphic purposes,
077

page_text: Our improved compound or preparation is composed of caoutchouc or gutta
percha, or the two materials combined, in combination with coal tar pitch,
bituminous or resinous substances, to which may be added animal or vegetable
oils,animal or vegetable charcoal, earthy matters, such as silicate of magnesia,
rottenstone, plumbago, the sulphates of lime, baryta, and strontia.
In carrying out our Invention, we propose to dissolve or soften the
caoutchouc or gutta percha by means of heat, either with or without the use
of suitable solvents, and then add the required proportion of coal tar pitch,
bituminous or resinous matter, which may either be separately melted or
dissolved previously to being added, or these ingredients may be mixed in a
solid state with the caoutchouc or gutta percha, and the mass of ingredients
dissolved, softened, or melted together.
The caoutchouc and bituminous, resinous, or other matters may be dis-
solved, melted, or ground up with animal or vegetable oils with the addition
of heat, the grinding operation being continued until the mass becomes
homogeneous, and the several ingredients are intimately blended together.
During this operation the earthy matters may be added, so as to become in-
timately blended with the other ingredients; and in order to harden the
compound, we sometimes find it convenient to add to the other ingredients a
suitable quantity of the solid residuum obtained after the distillation of tur-
pentine and various hydrocarbons, Rangoon tar, rosin oil, and other analogous
substances. The compound of materials having been produced in a plastic
state suitable for coating or covering the electric or telegraphic wires, the
latter are to be coated or covered therewith by causing them to be passed
through a vessel in which the plastic compound is contained, and from which
it is expressed through suitable dies through which the wire conductor issues
from the vessel. If desired, the wires may be passed two or more times
through the vessel containing the plastic materials so as to receive two or more
coats or coverings thereof. If solvents have been used to dissolve the several
ingredients, it is desirable that the coated wire, after the application of each
coating, should be passed through a warm air chamber for the purpose of
driving off or evaporating the solvent. The wires may also be coated by
being passed between grooved rollers, or by means of other well known
mechanical contrivances.
In our improved mode of covering or insulating electric wires or conductors,
we propose to employ one, two, or more cylinders heated by steam or other-
wise, and fitted with pistons to work in and out by means of screws or other
suitable contrivance, the said cylinders being connected by branches to a
chamber heated in the same manner, and having therein fitted a metal plate

page_text: or die, which shall be made to revolve by gearing or straps, or other suitable
mechanical means; a tube passes through the centre of the chamber and
plate or die, through which the wire or conductor is conducted, the object of
such tube being to warm the wire, also to keep the wire from revolving and
coming in contact with the mass of compound, the plate or die having an
orifice at a suitable distance from the wire, through which a band or strip
of the compound of any size or form may be expressed, and by causing the
plate or die to revolve, such band or strip of compound will be lapped
spirally around the wire or conductor in a heated and plastic state, and while
in this state the covered wire is to be passed through grooved rollers to
consolidate the lappings, and ensure a perfect insulation. The covered wire,
when sufficiently cool or set, is wound upon a drum, which may be made to
revolve at a suitable speed by gearing with the revolving die or otherwise.
This operation may be repeated as many times as it may be desirable to
put coatings or coverings upon the wires or conductors.
This mode of covering electric wires or conductors may also be employed
for covering such wires with gutta percha or other compounds or substances
for insulating electric conductors. The electric or telegraphic wires or con-
ductors having been coated with the insulating compound above mentioned,
we next propose to enclose the insulated conductor within an outer cover-
ing composed of some fibrous material, such as woven fabric, which must
be prepared by being payed over or saturated with a solution of some bitu-
minous or resinous, or other suitable waterproof substance or material, so
as to form an adhesive surface, on which is to be dusted a coating of
pulverized glass or flints. By passing the fabric so coated with glass
between rollers, the siliceous particles will be forced into the fabric, and
will form a vitreous non-conducting covering, with which the electric
conductor is to be covered as aforesaid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Warne, John Americus Fanshawe, James
Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
WARNE, JOHN AMERICUS FANSHAWE, JAMES ARCHIBALD JAQUES, and THOMAS
GALPIN, all of Tottenham, in the County of Middlesex, India-rubber
Manufacturers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reiga, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William Warne, John Americus Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and
Thomas Galpin, Her special license that we, the said William Warne, John
Americus Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Warne, John Americus Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and Thomas
Galpin, our 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
COMPOUND OR PREPARATION OF MATERIALS FOR AND MODE OF, AND APPARATUS FOR
COVERING AND INSULATING WIRES OR CONDUCTORS USED FOR TELEGRAPHIC OR
ELECTRICAL PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
William Warne, John Americus Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and
Thomas Galpin, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said William Warne, John Americus
Fanshawe, James Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, do hereby declare
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention of an improved compound or preparation of materials for,
and mode of, and apparatus for covering and insulating wires or conductors
used for telegraphic or electrical purposes, relates, in the first place, to the
preparation of such a composition for coating or covering telegraphic or
electric wires, as will form a more perfect insulation of the electric con-
ductor than has heretofore been obtained, and which perfect insulation of
the electric conductors is of the greatest importance for submarine or
subterranean telegraphic purposes.

page_text: Our Invention relates, secondly, to a novel mode of applying insulating
compounds or preparations to electric or telegraphic wires or conductors.
Our improved compound or preparation for covering or insulating tele-
graphic wire or conductor is composed of caoutchouc or gutta percha, or
both these materials, combined with coal tar pitch, bituminous or resinous
substances, to which are to be added animal or vegetable oils, animal or vege-
table charcoal, carthy matters, such as silicate of magnesia, rottenstone,
plumbago, the sulphates of lime, baryta, and strontia, and other earths.
In carrying out our Invention wepropose to dissolve or soften the caoutchouc
or gutta percha by means of heat, either with or without the use of suitable
solvents, and then add the required proportion of coal tar pitch, bituminous
or resinous matter, which may either be separately melted or dissolved pre-
viously to being added, or these ingredients may be added in a solid statewith
thecaoutchouc or guttapercha, and the massof ingredients dissolved, softened,
or melted together. The caoutchouc and bituminous, resinous, orother matters
may be dissolved, melted, or ground up with animal or vegetable oils with the
addition of heat. The grinding operation should be continued until the mass
becomes homogenous, and the several ingredients intimately blended. During
this operation the earthy matters may be added, so as to become intimately
blended with the other ingredients; and in order to harden the compound we
sometimes find it convenient to add totheother ingredients a suitablequantity
of the solid residuum obtained after the distillation of turpentine and various
hydrocarbons, Rangoon tar, rosin oil, and other analogous substances.
The following proportions of the several ingredients will be found to give
very satisfactory results, but we do not mean or intend to confine ourselves
rigidly to them, as they admit of variation to some extent, according to
circumstances. When no gutta percha is employed in the compound, wetake
ten pounds of caoutchouc, five pounds of coal tar pitch, and fifteen pounds of
French chalk (silicate of magnesia); these materials are put into a suitable
vessel; and brought into a plastic state by means of heat, they are then
ground and well mixed together.
When gutta percha is used with the other materials, the following pro-
portions will be found useful, viz', eight and a half pounds caoutchouc, one
and a half pounds gutta percha, five pounds coal tar pitch, five pounds of
plumbago, three pounds of oxide of lead, five pounds of silicate of maguesia.
The compound of materials having been produced in a plastic state suitable
for coating or covering the electric or telegraph wires, the latter are to be
coated or covered therewith, by causing them to be passed through a vesselin
which the plastic compound is contained, and from which it is expressed

page_text: through suitable dies through which the wire conductor issues from the vessel.
If desired, the wires may be passed two or more times through the vessel
containing the plastic materials, so as to receive two or more coverings
thereof. If solvents have been used to dissolve the several ingredients, it
is desired that the coated wire, after the application of each coating, should
be passed through a warm air chamber for the purpose of driving off or
evaporating the solvent.
In our improved mode of covering or insulating electric wires or conductors,
we propose to employ one, two, or more cylinders heated by steam or other-
wise, and fitted with pistons to work in and out by means of screws or other
suitable contrivance, the said cylinders being connected by branches to a
chamber heated in the same manner, and having therein fitted a metal plate
or die which shall be made to revolve by gearing or straps, or other suitable
mechanical means; a tube passes through the centre of the chamber and plate
or die through which the wire or conductor is conducted, the object of such
tube being to warm the wire, also to keep the wire from revolvingandcoming
in contact with the mass of compound, the plate or die having an orifice at a
suitable distance from the wire, through which a band or strip of the compound
of any size or form nay be expressed, and by causing the plate or die to
revolve, such band or strip of compound will be lapped spirally around the
wire or conductor in a heated and plastic state, and while in this state the
covered wire is to be passed through grooved rollers to consolidate the lappings
and ensure a perfect insulation. The covered wire, when sufficiently cool
or set, is wound upon a drum, which may be made to revolve at a suitable
speed by gearing with the revolving die or otherwise. This operation may
be repeated as many times as it may be desirable to put coatings or cover-
ings upon the wires or conductors.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shewn an arrangement of apparatus
for coating wires with the insulating composition.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine or apparatus complete; Fig. 2 is
a sectional end elevation of the same.
a, a, is the foundation framing of the machine, on which is placed a large
horizontal cylinder b, b, surrounded by a steam jacket, whereby the contents
of the cylinder may be kept in a heated state. A piston or plunger c is fitted
-to work in the cylinder b, which is filled with the insulating compound above
mentioned, and which is kept in a plastic state by the heat of the steam in
the jacket. A long screwed rod d is secured to the outer end of the piston or
plunger c,and the opposite end of this screwed rod passed through thescrewed
boss of a wheel e, which turus in bearings in the strong vertical standard f.

page_text: The wheel e is actuated by a snail or endless screw g mounted in bearings h
immediately below the wheel e. A band wheel or rigger i is mounted on the
shaft of the endless screw or snail g, and is driven by a band; from the driving
shaft of any motive power engine By this means a slow advancing motion
will be communicated to the piston or plunger c, and the plastic insulating
compound contained in the cylinder will be forced out therefrom into another
cylinder or chamberk, which is also heated by means of a steam jacket, or in
some other convenient manner. Across the interior of this latter chamber k
is placed or constructed another cylinder, through which passes a long tubem.
This tube is secured at one end to a disc or face plate n, and at the opposite
end to a peculiarly formed nozzle o, on which is mounted a band wheel a or
other contrivance, whereby rotatory motion can be communicated to the
nozzle o and long pipe m by means of a band p* and band wheel i*, on the
shaft of the snail or endless screw g. The nozzle o is provided at its inner
end with a disc n*, whereby, in combination with the disc n at the opposite
end of the cylinder 7, the latter is made as near as possible water-tight, so that
when pressure is imparted to the plastic compound contained in the chamber
or cylinder Z, the compound cannot escape except through a peculiarly formed
slit or opening made in the fore part of the nozzle at 1 for the purpose.
Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 and end view of the nozzle o detached, and
drawn upon an enlarged scale. The slit or opening 1, through which the
insulating composition is expressed, is cut diagonally in the face of the nozzle,
and the ends of the slit instead of being made square are cut at an angle, so
as to present an opening in the form of an elongated rhomboid. The wire to
be coated or covered with the insulating composition is inserted into the
tube m at the right-hand end, and is passed out through the central orifice
in the nozzle, as seen at w, Fig. 2. In order to cause the wire w to keep a
central position in the tube m, a removable nozzle with a central hole to
fit the naked wire is adapted to the end of the tube m, as shewn at q in
Fig. 2.
A guide pipe roller or other analogous contrivance is placed at a
convenient distance from the exit end of the tube to receive and guide the
covered wire out of the machine.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The end of the electric con-
ductor or wire w is passed through the tube m to any convenient drawing-
apparatus placed in front, whereby the wire may be drawn forward. While
the wire is being by this means passed slowly through the machine, the
piston or plunger c is driven forward by means of the gearing d, e, and g, and
the insulating compound will be thereby pressed out of the cylinder into and
through the cylinders or chambers k and l, and finally out through the slit or

page_text: opening 1 in the nozzle o, from whence it issues in the form of a narrow
ribbon or tape r. While this ribbon or tape of insulating compound is issuing
from the nozzle o, rotary motion is communicated to the latter by means of
the band wheel p, and the ribbon or tape r will consequently be lapped
regularly round the wire as it issues slowly from the nozzle o. By forming
the slit 1 in the manner above explained, the edges of the tape or ribbon r
will be bevilled off, so that when wound on to the wire, these edges will form a
scarf or overlapping joint, as shewn in Fig. 5, which is a detached view of a
partly covered electric wire or conductor, drawn on an enlarged scale, and
sbewn partly in section. If desired, the electric or telegraphic wire or con-
ductor may be passed a second and third time through the machine, so as
to receive two or more coatings of the insulating compound.
The electric or telegraphic wires or conductors having been coated with
the insulating compound above mentioned, the insulated conductor is then to
be inclosed within an outer covering composed of some fibrous material, such
as woven fabric, which must be prepared by being payed over or saturated
with a solution of some bituminous, resinous, or other suitable waterproof
substance or material, so as to form an adhesive surface, on which is to be
dusted a coating of pulverized glass or flints. The insulated conductor,
covered or coated in the manner above described, is then passed between
grooved rollers, such as those shewn in Fig. 6, and submitted to pressure,
whereby the insulating compound will be consolidated, and the silicious
particles will be forced into the covering fabric, and will thereby form a
vitreous non-conducting covering, which will still further assist in protecting
the insulation of the electric conductor. This process of coating the conductor
externally with pulverized vitreous or silicious materials may, if desired, be
repeated two or more times, so as to render the insulation more complete.
Having now described our Invention of an improved compound or prepara-
tion of materials for, and mode of, or apparatus for covering and insulating
wires or conductors used for telegraphic or electrical purposes, and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we claim as the
Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
The use for the purposes above mentioned of a compound or preparation
of caoutchouc or gutta percha, or both, in combination with bituminous or
resinous substances and earthy matters.
We also claim further, covering and insulating electric conductors by
enveloping them in a textile or other suitable covering, and coating the
same with pulverized vitreous or siliceous matters, as above set forth.
Lastly, we claim the mode above described, or any mere modification

page_text: thereof, for coating electric or telegraphic wires or conductors with insulating
compounds.
Inwitnesswhereof, we, the said William Warne,John Americus Fanshawe,
James Archibald Jaques, and Thomas Galpin, have hereunto set our
bands and seals, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.