IMPROVEMENTS IN SPIKES, PINS, BOLTS, NAILS, AND ANALOGOUS FASTENINGS APPLICABLE FOR SECURING SPIKES, CHAIRS, AND OBED WASTENING " PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Nicholas Sanders and George Nicholas
Sanders, jun., both of No. 39, Nassau St., in New York City,
in the County and State of New York, and in the United States of
America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPIKES, PINS, BOLTS,
NAILS, AND ANALOGOUS FASTENINGS APPLICABLE FOR SECURING SPIKES, CHAIRS,
AND OBED WASTENING "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Nicholas Sanders
and George Nicholas Sanders, jun., at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th June 1873.
WC, GEORGE NICHOLAS SANDERS and GEORGE NICHOLAS SANDERS,
jun., both of No. 39, Nassau St., in New York City, in the County
and State of New York, and in the United States of America, do licreby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPIKES,
PINS, BOLTS, NAILS, AND ANALOGOUS FASTENINGS, APPLICABLE FOR SECURING SPIKES,
CHAIRS, AND OTHER FASTENINGS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a certain shoulder, neck, peninsula, and
bevel, so termed, and the modifications and combinations of these as

page_text: would be generated by projecting one side upon the other except when
the neck or shoulder is ridged or grooved.
The back of the shoulder Figure 1, f, g, h, is curved so as to press the
opposite side or hook of the head firmly against the object to be fastened.
The neck is tapered so as to bend, as shown in Figures 2, 5, 6, and 8, by
the action of the bevel when driven, and may be ridged as in Figures 11
and 11", or otherwise ridged or grooved so as to stiffon it and increase the
precision in driving.
The peninsula is designed to increase the tenacity of the spike and
other said fastenings and fix the point of the bending, and is so shaped
as to be easy of insertion and difficult of extraction, the curvature
from toj (Fig. 1) being sharp or of small radius, and from j to k
of large radius, and if a great deflection is desired the curve is made
convex to the opposite or front side, the point of inflexion being just
below j, as in Figure 1, thus forming with the bevel n, k, a concavo
convex point or extremity as shown in Figure 1, which increases the
sharpness. The bevel is curved so as to increase the deflecting force,
the curvature being greatest near the point.
The shoulder, neck, bevel and peninsula, are all curved so as to
present no obstructing or lacerating edges to the passage of the spike
or other fastening in either insertion or extraction, and so as to reduce
the metal of which the said fastenings are made to the Icast quantity
essential to make the exposed portion resist the transverse strain to
which it is subjected, and to make the imbedded portion curve and hold
firmly in the material into which it is driven by the action of the bevel
without bending before it enters the wood. The said combinations are
also designed to regulate the tenacity exactly and make it just as many
times greater than that of the ordinary fasteners, as desired, and to
render the insertion and extraction of said fasteners non-destructive
to the fibre of the material into which they are driven, so that they may
be driven, extracted, and redriven in the same hole many times without
injuring the fibre of the fasteners or of the material into which they
are driven.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Nicholas Sanders and George Nicholas
Sanders, jun., in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
NICHOLAS SANDERS and GEORGE NICHOLAS SANDERS, junior, both of
No. 39, Nassau Street, in New York City, in the County and State of
New York, and in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said George Nicholas Sanders and George
Nicholas Sanders, junior, Her special license that we, the said George
Nicholas Sanders and George Nicholas Sanders, junior, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George
Nicholas Sanders and George Nicholas Sanders, junior, 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 specified, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPIKES, PINS, BOLTS, NAILS, AND ANALOGOUS FASTENINGS, APPLICABLE FOR SECURING
SPIKES, CHAIRS, AND OTHER FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said George Nicholas Sanders and George Nicholas
Sanders, junior, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and scal
of one of us or them, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Nicholas Sanders, junior, on
behalf of myself and the said George Nicholas Sandora do horohy

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, forming a part of this Specification, that is
to say:-
Our Invention consists of a certain shoulder, neck, peninsula (or
tail), bevel, and concavity opposite the bevel so termed, and the modifi-
cations and combinations of these as applied to spikes, bolts, pins, nails,
and analogous fastenings of whatever name, adapted to be secured by
driving into wood or other material, or rather of a fastening of said
description with said features.
Referring to the Figures in the accompanying Drawing, A is the
head; a, the hook on the head; B, the upper part between the head
and shoulder; C+D, the shoulder; D+ E, the neck; and E+F, the
peninsula or tail; n, k, the bevel; j, k, the concavity opposite the
5 bevel; and k, the extremity.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10, represent the side and rear views of the
hook head railroad spike, with the complete, combination of the said
features, viz., the shoulder, neck, peninsula, bevel, and concavity
opposite..
) Figure 1 represents the side view of the spike before being driven;
Figure 2, when driven, the hook (a) holding the flange of a rail, of
which a semi-transverse section is shown. It is evident that h, j, t,
Figure 1, as indicated by the dotted line h, t, may be regarded as a
protuberence sloping very gradually downward from j to t, to offer the
5 least obstruction to the insertion of the spike, and much less gradually
upward from j to h, to offer the greatest obstruction to the extraction of
the spike that will yet permit the extraction without the tearing or
lacerating the material in which it is inserted appreciably, and f, h, j,
may be regarded as a depression sloping very gradually upward, and less
O gradually downward with the same design.)
Figures 9 and 10 are modifications of Figure 1 in the neck and
peninsula, the peninsula being smaller, the curves g, h, and h, k, forming
a cusp in Figure 9 at h; in Figure 10 the bevel is reversed and longer
and less curved. Or if the hook a. be on the opposite side the depres-

page_text: The spike shown in Figure 1 is especially adapted to securing the:
rails of railways to the cross ties or sleepers, it is driven and extracted
in the same manner as the ordinary spikes, and requires no new methods
or implements in use. The shoulder (see Figure 2) presses the head
forward against the flange, the tail increases the tenacity of hold, but is
so curved as not to tear the wood, and the bevel presses the tail back-
wards making the neck bend slightly, giving the tail a still firmer hold
and causing the whole spike to take the proper slant in the tie, the lead:

page_text: leaning forward towards the rail. Being shorter than the corresponding
common spikes, and the wood filling into the depression above the tail
it has far less splitting force. Spikes of this form all hug the rails
firmly, distribute the strain equally, and steady the track perfectly.
They take the position where it requires the most force for the rail to
dislodge them, but the least to pull them out with a spike extractor, and
by the tail's embedding itself in the most solid part of the tie just
outside of the heart they retain their original hold with the same
tenacity as long as the tie is sound, therefore causing the tie to last
several years longer; the concavo-convex point going with the grain cuts
the fibre perfectly instead of breaking it like the common spike, so that
the wood decays no sooner next the spike than elsewhere. They never
work up or jar out.
Much smaller ties may be used without danger of splitting, and the
softer woods, cypress, pine, &c., are rendered almost as durable as oak.
Ties over nine inches thick may be cut in two, making two better
ties with broad bases and ample strength. and thickness, they are better
for steel rails because they prevent the jarring which cuts out common
spikes, also for slotted flanges because they do not requiro shifting
which is necessary with common spikes, but impossible with slotted
flanges except by moving the ties. They can also be made 4 inch thick,
or one-quarter larger and stronger than common railroad spikes at the
top without danger of splitting the wood. They take the strongest
possible position, the transverse strain striking the spike obliquely
instead of at right angles, and the main upward pressure coming against
the shank instead of the head, see Figure 2, they also prevent the rails
from cutting into the ties.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed and used, we hereby declare that
what we claim as our Invention to be protected by the herein-before in

page_text: Second. Referring to Figures 12, 13, and 14, we claim the modifi-
cations G, H, I, J, K, L, and M in the form of the protuberances and
depressions in and on the side of the spike.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Nicholas Sanders, junior,
have for myself and the said George Nicholas Sanders, hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
0 Witness,
5
GEORGE NICHOLAS SANDERS, JUNIOR. (L.S.)
ARNOLD HÖRMANN,
Mechanical Engineer,
16, Murray St.,
New York City.
U. S. A.