IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Allan, of Adelphi Terrace, in the
City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES."
Sealed the 2nd August 1853, and dated the 8th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Allan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th February 1853.
I, THOMAS ALLAN, of Adelphi Terrace, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in placing the protecting wires of a sub-
marine telegraph rope in such manner, that the longitudinal strain
shall fall entirely on the wires, whether placed interiorly or exteriorly.
In constructing my telegraphic ropes, I take, for example, four iron
wires and three gutta percha covered wires, additionally covered with
tape, tar, and sand, and I twist these all together, having one of the
iron wires in the centre. The whole of this rope is then served

page_text: round like a harp string with a flat galvanized wire, to protect it
from friction. In this case the interior iron wires do not need to be
galvanized, as the exterior galvanized wire will preserve them from
oxidation; and therefore the full strength of the iron, which is greatly
reduced by galvanizing, will be preserved. If a slight rope be re-
quired, smaller wires may be used, and the gutta percha covered wires
may be without the tape protection, in which case it would be better
to envelope the rope with a serving of tape, or hemp, and tar, before
serving the exterior galvanized wire round it. The wires used may
I
drawn in a triangular form so as to form rounder hollow spaces to allow
of the round gutta percha wires fitting more closely. The construc-
tion of rope which I prefer to adopt as being strongest, and least
expensive, is made without the exterior serving of small wire, and
with the longitudinal wires arranged and twisted thus:-Three No. 1,
wires, with a No. 2, in the centre, which may or may not be galvan-
ized; three gutta percha wires served with tape, tar, and sand, with
six No. 12, galvanized wires placed outside and lying in the angles
formed between the iron and gutta percha wires; and all twisted
together so as to render the entire rope sufficiently flexible for the
purposes of immersion. Another mode consists in forming the
longitudinal wires into links, of a yard long or thereabouts, which
are to be linked to a pair of semi-circular cross pieces of iron,
between which a hempen rope containing the insulated conductors is
made to pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Thomas Allan in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS ALLAN, of Adelphi Terrace, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Allan, Her
special licence that I, the said Thomas Allan, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas.
Allan, 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 terin 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Allan, by!
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly.
describé 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 Thomas Allan, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings:
annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists in protecting insulated telegraph wires
chiefly for submarine purposes, by means of iron wires so formed
into a rope or twist round a central iron wire core as to leave room
between the spiral twists of such wires round the core for the recep-
tion of the insulated telegraph wire.
I prefer to use a small iron wire, say of No. 2, gauge, for the core,
with three larger wires, say of No. 1, gauge, for the spiral twists round
the same, with three wires insulated by gutta percha laid between
the iron spiral wires, which are further protected by smaller wires,
say six iron wires of No. 10, or No. 12, gauge, and if found necessary
by a strip or strips of iron, or by several smaller gauged wires
placed over the same, and filling up the spaces to form a circle, or
nearly so, with the larger spiral protecting wires. These several

page_text: parts are then formed into a rope by such machines as are now ordi-
narily employed for such purposes.
In a rope thus formed the longitudinal strain and crushing effect
will be borne entirely by the protecting wires, while the insulated
telegraph wires will be fully protected from strain and other injury.
..In the drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn this arrangement.
as applied to a rope for submarine telegraph. Figure 1, is an end-
view, and Figure 2, side view. A, is the interior core; B, B, B, the
three larger wires which are twisted spirally round the core A;
and C, C, C, the telegraph wires insulated by gutta percha, and
laid between the iron spiral wires. Figures 3, and 4, are similar
views of a portion of rope further protected by smaller wires D, D,
as herein-before explained.
I do not limit myself to the precise number or size of wires
herein-before described, as the same may be varied according to
circumstances.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same may best be performed, I declare
that I claim the protecting of insulated telegraph wires by means of
iron wires so formed into a rope around a central iron wire core, as
to leave spaces between the spiral twists of such wires round the.
core for the reception of the insulated telegraph wires with or with-
out smaller wires, or bands of metal exterior thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Allan, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of August,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
THOMAS ALLAN. (L.S.)