IMPROVE- MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Septimus Beardmore, of No. 27, Albion Street,
Hyde Park, London, W., Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS."
Sealed the 22nd May 1860, and dated the 26th January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Septimus Beardmore at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th January 1860.
I, SEPTIMUS BEARDMORE, of No. 27, Albion Street, Hyde Park, London, W.,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," to be as follows:-
I
propose to effect an improvement in the construction of electric telegraphs
by a new method of arranging and using a voltaic couple in electrolytic
connection with the earth.
I am aware that the use of a voltaic couple has been before patented under
different forms by Bain, in his Specification dated the 27th Nov. 1843,
No., 9745;. by Highton, in his of the date 7 Aug. 1850, No. 12,959, and
by Messrs. Hoga, Piggott, & myself, in ours dated the 17 Nov. 1858,
No. 2580, and I distinctly disclaim the several means therein described of
performing the several Inventions, but my present improvement consists in,-
1st, the arrangement of the size of the plates in accordance with the
sectional diameter of the line wire, which shall also be increased in proportion
to its length.
2nd, by placing the positive metal partly in a vessel filled with mercury and

page_text: partly in sawdust, or similar vehicle, which is in electrolytic connection with
the earth.
3rd, by using as the negative element platinum, plumbago, or other good
negative in a solution of bi-chromate of potassa, or other highly oxygenated
substance, the same being in electrolytic connection with the earth.
4th, by providing a vessel containing a solution for chemically exciting the
elements of the voltaic couple in the earth, from which vessel I. cause to flow
from time to time, or continuously, a portion of the exciting fluid, and by this
means I not only keep up a uniform current of electricity, but also preserve a
good electrolytic connection with the earth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Septimus Beardmore, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SEPTIMUS
BEARDMORE, of Number 27, Albion Street, Hyde Park, London, W., Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the. Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Septimus Beardmore, Her special licence that I, the said
Septimus Beardmore, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Septimus Beardmore, 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 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Septimus Beardmore, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inventión,
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 Septimus Beardmore, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
I propose to effect an improvement in the construction and mode of
working electric telegraphs, and for this purpose I improve on the former
patented applications of a voltaic couple in the earth, by the means herein-
after described.
The application of a voltaic couple in the form of plates of dissimilar metal
in the earth to electric telegraphs, has been patented by Bain, in his patent
dated the Twenty-seventh November, One thousand eight hundred and forty-
three, Number 9745; by Highton, in his of the date Seventh August, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty, Number 12,959, and by Messrs. Hoga,
Piggott, and myself, in ours dated the Seventeenth November, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight, Number 2580; and I improve on the mode of
construction described in these Patents by securing greater power, or electro-
motive force, so as to make a current generated on this principle more useful
for telegraphs, and I, therefore, disclaim the particular methods described in
the above-mentioned Patents.
Drawing No. 1, Figure No. 1, shows the arrangement of the plates in
electrolytic connection with the earth, which I prefer to adopt for application
to electric telegraphs.
a and b represent the positive and negative elements in electrolytic connec-
tion with the earth, as herein-after described, but not in metallic connection
with each other. c and d are insulated wires connecting a and b with the
telegraphic instrument A, which has the usual key for receiving or sending a
current, and the line wire k is attached to one side of it.
This completes the arrangement at one station, and a similar arrangement
is shewn at the other telegraph station, where f, e, denote the positive and
negative elements, and g, h, the insulated wires connecting them to the
telegraphic instrument B.
The terminals of these instruments being in permanent contact with b, e,
(negative elements), the operator at A will, by the usual reverse key, make
the terminal of his instrument in contact with a (positive element) and
thereby induce voltaic action through the instrument and line wire. On the
other hand, the operator at B will, in a similar manner, reverse his terminal
from its permanent or general contact with e, to contact with f, and thus
induce voltaic action on his part. So, then, by this plan, either operator can
at pleasure induce a current to act on the instruments, or by using b and fas
the permanent terminals, a current may be kept constantly in the line, and
signals obtained by breaking the current.

page_text: In carrying out this arrangement, which I have described in order that the
application of my Invention may be clearly understood, I adopt and make
public a great improvement on the existing ill-defined rules, by which plates
of metal have been placed in the earth, and an attempt made to influence
galvanometers and telegraph instruments. It has been held by some autho-
rities, that large surfaces extending many feet square were necessary in order
to obtain good conduction through the earth and useful results; but I find
that the size of the plates is influenced by the section of wire connecting them;
and that when arranged as herein-after described, the surfaces in electrolytic
connection with the earth need only be of such a size as will generate the
amount of electricity which the wire will permit to pass.
[Two square feet of zinc and graphite connected by the copper wire of
number 14 guage; three hundred miles will generate sufficient force to
work an instrument when at that distance apart.]
I prefer that the conductor of a telegragh line should be insulated, and
increased in sectional area as it increases in length, in the usual manner, as is
well understood among telegraphists; nor does that inconvenience attend the
increase of the conductor of submarine lines when worked by a terra-voltaic
pair, which would occur when an intense current from a local battery is used.
In this latter case the surface for induction would be increased, but with a
terra-voltaic pair induction not being so great, the effect due to an increase of
surface is less manifest.
I will now describe the arrangement of the metals. I have found, in
practise, that it is desirable to acquire greater electro-motive force than that
afforded by the usual metal, zinc, and I obtain this by using metals more
positive in their character; and, of the different kinds, I prefer an alloy of
zinc and sodium arranged as shewn in Figure No. 2, where a, a, a, are plates
of the alloy; b, b, b, mercury; c, c, c, porous vessels, in which I place the
usual dilute acid.
For lines of extreme length when it becomes desirable, in a commercial
'point of view, not to have a conductor of such large size as would offer no
appreciable resistance to a pair of which this alloy is the positive element, I
use other metals still more positive, so that greater resistance is overcome
whilst the advantages derivable from this method of working telegraphs are
retained. One of these metals is sodium, and a convenient form to make it
'available is to place it in a porous jar, at the bottom of which is a little
mercury, and then to cover it with a non-oxygenous substance, such as mineral
naptha; in order to preserve the sodium from rapid oxydation, which will
otherwise take place; this cell may be placed in another porous jar, with dilute

page_text: acid in it; this latter jar being in electrolytic connection with the earth, or it
may be placed in sand saturated with dilute acid. Care must be taken at all
times that no acid comes into immediate contact with the sodium. Many
vessels may be used, and all joined up to form one plate, with wires from each
piece of sodium, connected together, as is well understood. Thus arranged,
the cells are fixed in the earth in the manner shewn in Figure No. 3, where
a, a, a, are vessels with porous bottoms b, b, b; c, c, c, mercury; d, d, d,
sodium; e, and outer porous vessel in the earth, with k, dilute acid in it; g, the
wire connecting the sodium; h, h, h, mineral naptha, protecting the surface of
the sodium.
The amalgams of ammonium and sodium will also afford great electro-motive
force, and may be used; but other metals as potassium, &c., although giving
great power, are less available, commercially, than the positive metals above
described.
For the negative element I use platinum or platinized graphite or carbon,
or plates of lead; and I place one or more pieces of them in porous cells filled
with a mixture of dilute sulphuric acid and bi-chromate of potass in the pro-
portions of one part sulphuric acid of commerce to six of water and two ounces
of bi-chromate of potass to one pint of this mixture. Other highly oxy-
genated solutions, such as the nitric acid of commerce may be used..
Figure No. 4, shews this arrangement of cells b, b, b, filled with a highly
oxygenated solution, in which are negative plates a, a, a.
I am aware that the use of a chemical agent for what has been termed
"exciting" the elements, which are in electrolytic connection with the earth,
has been before patented, but I find that many of the ordinary methods do not
give sufficient electro-motive force, and I therefore prefer to use a very highly
oxygenated solution; and I confine my claim to the use of platinized graphite
or other good negative, in a solution as above described; at the same time, if
the conductor of a telegraph line becomes uninsulated in a portion of its length
I prefer to use as the negative element, the same as that of which the con-
ductor is composed, so that no electro-motive force is generated by the exposed
portion of line wire and the negative element.
At each station I provide one or more vessels of glass or other material,. not
affected by acid, to contain solutions for supplying the different elements; and
I afford from these vessels a supply regulated by the condition of the ground
for absorbing the liquid, whereby I keep up a constant chemical action, and a
good electrolytic connection with the earth; and I have found in practice,
that this last is a most important provision, inasmuch as without it, the cells
become empty, or the sand or sawdust dry, and good electrolytic connection

page_text: with the earth no longer prevails. The vessels may vary in form and dimen-
sions according to the size of the cells to be supplied, and the local require-
ments which will also regulate the nature of the supply.
I wish it to be understood that I do not claim all these arrangements or
methods as new in themselves, but only as an adaptation of facts already known,
in order to obtain a useful result for the purpose of improving electric telegraphs
and I do not confine myself to the precise details or proportions herein-
described, nor to the exact dimensions shown on the Drawing so long as the
general character of the Invention is retained. Now, what I claim, and desire
to have protected by Letters Patent, is, the construction of electric telegraphs,
worked by means of a voltaic pair in the earth, by the application of the
following improvements, and the arrangements herein described, namely,―
1st, the mode of arranging the quantity of the positive and negative
elements in electrolytic connection with the earth, and on which chemical action
takes effect in accordance with the section of the line wire connecting them,
and without reference to the distance they may be separated from each
other.
2nd, the application to telegraphic instruments of the currents generated
by positive elements arranged in the manner, and of the properties above
described.
3rd, the application to telegraphic instruments of the currents generated
by negative elements arranged in a solution in the manner and of the pro-
perties above described.
4th, the method herein described of providing fresh supplies of fluid from a
vessel to keep up a constant chemical action, and good electrolytic connection
with the earth, as applied to the elements of a voltaic pair which are in electro-
lytic connection with the earth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Septimus Beardmore, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
SEPTIMUS BEARDMORE, C.E. (L.S.)