IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF KEYS, WEDGES, OR FASTENINGS FOR ENGINEERING PURPOSES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY BARLOW, of Leicester, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixth day of March, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Henry Barlow, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Henry Barlow, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Henry Barlow, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF KEYS, WEDGES, OR FASTENINGS FOR ENGINEERING PURPOSES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William Henry Barlow,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in.
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the.
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Henry Barlow, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof (reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
In making keys, wedges, or fastenings for engineering purposes, such as the
securing rails of railways in the chairs, the fastening of the chairs to the blocks
or sleepers, and where similar modes of fastening are required it has been
usual heretofore to employ wood or solid metal. Now, the object of my
Invention is to make keys, wedges, or fastening suitable for such like
purposes of hollow metal, so that a degree of elasticity may be obtained,
together with strength and lightness.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a railway chair with a rail fastened therein by means of a
hollow metal key, wedge, or fastening, according to my Invention. a being the
chair; 6 the rail; and c, the hollow wrought-iron wedge, key, or fastening, driven
between the rail and one of the cheeks of the chair, one portion of the hollow
key or wedge being flattened, if necessary, so as to fit the side surface of the
rail. In this case the wedge or fastening is a complete tube, welded where
the edges of the metal meet, which, I believe, to be the preferable mode,
because less thickness of metal will offer sufficient strength and elasticity; but
the welding is not absolutely necessary, as will be seen at Figure 2, where a
similar hollow wedge, key, or fastening c is used; but the edges of the metal are
not welded, but are left more or less open, and should the same not be welded it
will be desirable that the edges of the iron should butt together. In making
hollow wedges, keys, or fastenings, for fastening rails in railway chairs, and for
other engineering purposes where similar fastenings are required, I sometimes
use the hollow wedge, key, or fastening c, in a vertical position, as is shewn in
section at Figure 3; and it will be also seen, on reference to Figures 1 and 2,
that I apply hollow wedges or fastenings d to secure the chairs to the blocks
or sleepers upon which they rest.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would remark, that although I
have shewn a particular construction of railway chair and rail, such as are in
very common use, I do not confine myself thereto, as hollow metal keys,

page_text: wedges, or fastenings, according to my Invention, may be used with other con-
structions of chairs, and with other sections of rails, and such mode of fixing a
rail or other bar in its chair, or between two fixed surfaces, and of fixing the
chair to the sleeper or block, or for other engineering purposes, and will. be
found very useful; and although I have shewn the precise forms of hollow
keys, wedges, or fastenings which I have used, I do not confine myself to the
exact form so long as the keys, wedges, or fastenings used for fastening rails in
railway chairs, and fastening railway chairs to the blocks or sleepers, be of
hollow metal.
But what I claim is, the mode of making keys, wedges, or fastenings for
securing railway bars in the chairs, and securing railway chairs to the sleepers
or blocks, and for other engineering purposes, by forming them of hollow
metal, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Barlow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
WILLIAM HENRY (L.s.) BARLOW.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirty-first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid William Henry Barlow came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.