IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PAYING OUT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES, ROPES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS.PATENT to William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley,
all of Bluepits, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PAYING OUT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
CABLES, ROPES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES."
Sealed the 25th September 1858, and dated the 26th March 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Moxon, John
Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 26th March 1858.
We, WILLIAM MOXON, JOHN CLAYTON, and SAMUEL FEARNLEY, all of Blue-
pits, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature,
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PAYING OUT
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES, ROPES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists in certain arrangements of machinery whereby a
given tension is maintained constantly on the cable or rope being payed out,
I
and whereby, should the tension become greater than the cable is calculated
to bear, the strain itself so acts upon the machinery as to release the breaks
and allow the cable to run out freely; as soon as the extra tension is removed

page_text: the apparatus brings the breaks into action, and the paying out takes place as
before.
The breaks, in the form of straps or hooks, are suspended by fixed rods or
bars from the short arms of two levers; a shaft serves as the fulcrum for the
two levers, and this shaft is supported in bearings in a suitable frame. The
long arms of the levers are made in the form of loops, and these loops receive
a shaft or roller which is capable of running to and fro therein. Upon the
roller is keyed a pulley, over which the cable to be paid out is passed. The
extremities of the roller or shaft carry other pulleys, one on each end, and
weights are connected directly to the roller or shaft or to the pulleys by chains
or cords in such manner that upon the roller or shaft travelling in the loops
towards the short arms of the levers the cords or chains carrying the weights
become wound round the roller or the pulleys, whereby the strain exerted by
the weights is maintained upon the cable; should, however, the strain exerted
by the cable itself overcome that of the weights, then the roller or shaft is
drawn so far towards the fulcrum that the leverage exerted by the tension
of the cable becomes gradually diminished, thereby gradually releasing the
breaks until they are altogether freed from the break shaft. Although we
prefer to use weights, yet springs may be substituted for them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th September 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
MOXON, JOHN CLAYTON, and SAMUEL FEARNLEY, all of Bluepits, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley, Her special
licence that we, the said William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel Fearnley, our executors, admi-
nistrators, 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

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR PAYING OUT ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH CABLES, ROPES, AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said William Moxon, John Clayton, and Samuel
Fearnley, or one of us, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Moxon, John Clayton, and
Samuel Fearnley, 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 thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists in certain arrangements of machinery whereby a
given tension is maintained constantly on the cable or rope being payed out,
and whereby, should the tension become greater than the cable is calculated
to bear, the strain itself so acts upon the machinery as to release the breaks
and allow the cable to run out freely; as soon as the extra tension is removed
the apparatus brings the breaks into action, and the paying out takes place
as before.
The breaks, in the form of straps or hooks, are suspended by fixed rods or
bars from the short arms of two levers; a shaft serves as the fulcrum for the
two levers, and this shaft is supported in bearings in a suitable frame. The
long arms of the levers are or may be made in the form of loops, and these
arms receive a shaft or roller which is capable of running to and fro thereon;
upon the roller is a pulley, over which the cable to be payed out is passed.
The extremities of the roller or shaft carry other pulleys, one on each end, and
weights are connected directly to the roller or shaft or to the pulleys by chains
or cords in such manner that upon the roller or shaft travelling on the arms
towards the short arms of the levers, the cords or chains carrying the weights
become wound round the roller or the pulleys, whereby the strain exerted by
the weights is maintained upon the cable; should, however, the strain exerted
by the cable itself overcome that of the weights, then the roller or shaft is
drawn so far towards the fulcrum that the leverage exerted by the tension
of the cable becomes gradually diminished, thereby gradually releasing the
breaks until they are altogether freed from the break shaft.
prefer to use weights yet springs may be substituted for them.
Although we

page_text: In the Drawing hereunto annexed we have represented a method of
carrying our Invention into effect. A, A¹, are the two opposite ends of the
cable passing round the paying-out drums B, B', several times, and thence to
the pulley C, which runs loose on the shaft D in the centre between the parts
of the frame; to this shaft is attached the regulator for the breaks. The
smaller pulley E on the said shaft traversing between the levers F and F has
attached to it two bands or chains, one on each side of the frame; one end of
the band or chain is secured to the pulley E and the other end G is attached
to the lever F. H is an eccentric attached to the shaft D, to which eccentric
is connected a chain or band c which passes to the opposite end of the
machine around the guide pulley I, and to which end is hung the weight J.
K and K are the break drums, keyed on the same shaft as B and B¹; L
and L' are the breaks, one end of which is attached to the brackets M and M';
the other end of the break straps are attached to the connecting rods N, N,
the said rods being connected. at their opposite ends to the cross link O, the
centre rod P passing through the short end of the levers F and F¹ which
move on.a pin or stud attached to the frame end Q. After the weights J
have been placed at the end of the chains to give to the cable a certain
amount of strain, should any irregularity in the strain of the cable take place
the regulator acts instantly; the pulley C on the shaft D rises and carries
with it the pulley E, which travels between the levers F and F¹, and also the
eccentric H, which is likewise attached to the shaft D, and has the chain and
weights connected to it, all moving upwards simultaneously. The weights J
draw against the lever F¹, and at the opposite end of that lever is attached the
connecting rods N, N, which are connected to the breaks, so that a given
friction is put on the breaks; should the friction be too great the shaft D
travels nearer the fulcrum of the lever F and thus diminishes the strain
on the breaks. As the shaft D is rising the angle of the cable becomes less,
"consequently causing more strain to be exerted on the cable; but to avoid the
extra strain we place the excentric H on the shaft D, so that as it rises
upwards it also moves partially round, and the chain to which the weights J
are attached is, also brought to a less diameter on the eccentric, so as to act
as an equilibrium to the varying angles of the cable..
Instead of the weights J before described; which would be very liable to
prove objectionable in a rough sea, we sometimes apply springs, in other cases
we retain the weights, but cause them to work in suitable guides.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim the construction
of machinery for paying out electric telegraph cables, ropes, and other like

page_text: articles, essentially as herein-before described, in respect to those parts only
which effect the regulation of the varying strains upon the cables, ropes, or
other like articles.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clayton, on behalf of myself and
the said William Moxon and Samuel Fearnley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
JOHN CLAYTON. (L.S.)