IMPROVEMENTS IN SIR WILLIAM SNOW HARRIS'S LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR SHIPS, VESSELS, BUILDINGS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wood Gray, of Margaret St., Lime-
house, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIR WILLIAM SNOW
HARRIS'S LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR SHIPS, VESSELS, BUILDINGS, AND OTHER
STRUCTURES."
Sealed the 8th October 1867, and dated the 16th April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wood Gray at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th April 1867.
I, THOMAS WOOD GRAY, of Margaret St., Limehouse, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIR WILLIAM SNOW
HARRIS'S LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR SHIPS, VESSELS, BUILDINGS, AND OTHER
STRUCTURES," to be as follows:-
This Invention, improvements upon a Patent granted to Sir William Snow
Harris, dated the 20th April 1853, and numbered 957, for "Improvements
in Lightening Conductors for Ships and Vessels," consists of lightning con-
ductors for ships, vessels, buildings, and other structures. In my improvement
in the case of vessels the lightening conductor is permanently fixed from the
highest points of the mast to the sea, which whilst admitting of the free
motion of the several portions of the masts, one or the other is always in place
and ready to meet the most unexpected danger, is also independant of the

page_text: officers & crew of the ship, who will not be required to adjust or handle it
in any way to their great peril & inconvenience.
In the case of buildings & other structures, of bringing the entire building
under protection by means of a series of conductors to all or most important
points, chimney stacks, and other erections, & connected to gutters, rain-
water pipes, metal ridges & metal on roofs, & connecting the whole to one
or more main conductors led direct to the earth with branches into the
ground.
The general plan for vessels consists in the application of plates of metal in
series & in a given way to the moveable portions of the masts & to the
head of the lower or fixed mast in connection with other metallic conductors
also permanently fixed, under a given arrangement, in series along the shrouds
or lower rigging & secured to the shrouds or rigging by means of metal grip
fastenings or otherwise, & connected to the beads of the lower masts, & to
the iron hull, iron plating, or copper on bottom outside in connection with the
sea by means of metal double universal joints so as to work either way with
motion of the masts or rigging, & for the purpose of disconnecting or letting
go the conductors thereon by withdrawing the pin bolt.
In the case of iron masts the iron masheads are drilled and flat metal con-
ductors are fixed and screwed or otherwise to the iron masthead, and over the
top of the head and connected to the topmast by a metal binge. In fitting the
conductors to tripod masts, the metal conductors are brought down the tripod
and secured by metal brackets or otherwise and connected top and bottom, by
means of the universal joints.
In case of iron topmasts and wood top-gallant masts, the wood mast is fitted
as usual with flat conductors and connected to iron topmast by metal binge and
a band of metal fixed round bottom of topmast and connected to the conductors
on lower mastheads. In case of topmast and top-gallant mast being of
iron a band of metal is fixed round the bottom of topmast and connected to the
conductors on head of fixed or lower mast. The result to be attained is a
capacious permanently fixed, and continuous conductor direct to the sea that
the electrical discharge may pass off without entering into the iron of lower
masts or hull of vessel to avoid any disruption between wood and iron, which
explosive action may take place by the electric current when passing between
the one and the other, and also to avoid the risk of injuriously magnetising
the iron to the destruction of the free action of the compasses, and by means
of the joints immediately letting go the rigging and connecting again without
displacing the permanently fixed conductors.

page_text: In case of buildings or other structures, the application consists in bringing
the entire building under protection by means of a series of metal lightning
conductors fixed to all or most of the important points, chimney stacks, or
other erections, and connecting the metal gutters, rain water pipes, metal
ridges, and all metal on the roofs together by means of metal conductors, and
connecting the whole of the same to one or more main conductors led direct to
the earth with branches into the ground. High shafts or chimney stacks are
protected by means of a band of metal round top of shaft or stack and con-
nected to the main metallic conductors leading to ground. The series of
electrical conductors consists of hollow metal cylindrical tubes or half tubes,
metal plates or rods, wire or other metallic connections under any form.
The application of double universal joints, and made with pin bolts to with
draw to let go without displacing the conductors, and fixed at top and bottom;
the securing of the conductors to the rigging by means of grip or lock
fastenings; the fitting of the lower or fixed iron mastheads with metal con-
ductors; the application of metal conductors to tripod masts; the fitting of
iron topmasts or top-gallant masts with a metal conductor round the lower
parts of the masts, and connected by a metal hinge or plate to the metal con-
ductors on the lower or fixed mastheads; the application to buildings of a
series of metallic conductors to all the prominent points, chimney stacks, or
other erections, and the connecting of the same to all or most of the gutters,
metal ridges, metal pipes, and metals on the roofs, and the connecting of the
whole to the main conductors to the ground; the application of conductors
to high shafts or chimney stacks by a metal band conductor all round the top,
and connected to the main conductor to ground.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Wood Gray in the Great Seal Patent Office ou the
16th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WOOD GRAY, of 1, Margaret St., Limehouse, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Wood Gray, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Wood Gray,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Wood Gray, 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
SIR WILLIAM SNOW HARRIS'S LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR SHIPS, VESSELS,
BUILDINGS, AMD OTHER STRUCTURES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Wood Gray, 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 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 Wood Gray, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This Invention consists of lightning conductors for ships, vessels, buildings,
and other structures.
In the case of vessels the conductors are permanently fixed from the highest
points of the mast to the sea, which whilst admitting of the free motion of the
several portions of the masts, one or the other of the conductors is always in
place and ready to meet the most unexpected danger, is also independent of
the officers and crew of the ship, who will not be required to adjust or handle
it in any way to their great peril and inconvenience.
In the case of buildings and other structures of bringing the entire building
under protection by means of a series of conductors to all or most important
points, chimney stacks and other erections, and connected to gutters, rain-
water pipes, metal ridges, and metal on roofs, and connecting the whole to
one or more main conductors led direct to the earth with branches into the
ground.
The general plan for vessels consists in the application of plates of metal in
series, and in a given way to the moveable portions of the masts and to the
head of the lower or fixed mast in connection with other metallic conductors
also permanently fixed under a given arrangement in series along the shrouds
or lower rigging, and secured to the shrouds or rigging by means of metal
grip fastenings or otherwise, and connected to the heads of the lower masts,

page_text: and to the iron hull, plating, or copper on bottom outside in connection with
the sea by means of metal double universal joints so as to work either way
with the motion of the masts or rigging, and for the purpose of disconnecting
the conductors by withdrawing the pin bolt.
In the case of iron niasts the iron mastheads are drilled, and flat metal
conductors are fixed and screwed or otherwise to the iron masthead and over
the top of the head, and connected to the topmast by a metal hinge. In
fitting the conductors to tripod masts the metal conductors are brought down
the tripod and secured by metal brackets or otherwise, and connected top and
bottom by means of the universal joints.
In case of iron topmast and wood top-gallant mast, the wood mast is fitted
as usual with flat conductors and connected to iron topmast by metal hinge
and a band of metal fixed round bottom of topmast and connected to the
conductors on lower mastheads. In the case of topmast & top-gallant mast
being of iron a band of metal is fixed round the bottom of topmast and con-
nected to the conductors on head of fixed or lower mast. The result to be
attained is a capacious permanently fixed and continuous conductor direct to
the sea that the electrical discharge may pass off without entering into the
iron of lower mast or hull of vessel to avoid any disruption between wood and
iron, which explosive action may take place by the electric current when
passing between the one and the other, and also to avoid the risk of injuriously
magnetising the iron to the destruction of the free action of the compasses,
and by means of the joints immediately letting go the rigging and connecting
again without displacing the permanently fixed conductors.
In case of buildings or other structures the application consists in bringing
the entire building under protection by means of a series of metal lightning
conductors fixed to all or most of the important points, chimney stacks, or
other erections, and connecting the metal gutters, rain water pipes, metal
ridges, and all metal on the roofs together by means of metal conductors, and
connecting the whole of the same to one or more main conductors led direct
to the earth with branches into the ground. High shafts or chimney stacks
are protected by means of a band of metal round top of shaft or stack and
connected to the main metallic conductor leading to ground. The series of
electrical conductors consist of hollow metal cylindrical tubes or half tubes,
metal plates or rods, wire or other metallic connections under any form.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.

page_text: Plate No. 1. Fig. 1 shews the conductors in red lines as applied to an
iron vessel with wood top-gallant masts and wood topmasts, and with wood or
iron lower masts. Fig. 2 shews the conductors in red lines as applied to iron
vessels with tripod masts, wood top-gallant masts, and iron topmasts. Fig. 3
shews the conductors in red lines as applied to a wood vessel with wood masts
and spars; Fig. 4 shews the copper vane spindle as screwed in the masthead
or truck with a plate; Fig. 5 shews the conductors in red lines fitted to the
head of the top-gallant mast; Fig. 6 shews the conductors in red lines fitted
to a wood topmast; Figures 7 shew the conductors in red lines as fitted to
the caps and the head of lower mast in connection with the next higher mast;
Fig. 8 shews the sheave hole plate; Fig. 9 shews the copper fall-down hinge
connecting the lower and higher masts together; Fig. 10 shews heel of top-
mast fitted when of wood; Fig. 11 shews the universal joint; Fig. 12 shews
the copper band in red lines round iron topmast in connection with the fixed
conductors on lower masthead, and the tubular conductors with the universal
joint attached, all in connection; Fig. 13 shews the tubular conductors as fixed
to the shrouds or rigging with clip fastenings; Fig. 14 shews the same in
section; Fig. 15 shews the double series of flat conductors as fitted to wood
masts; Fig. 16 shews the metal clip fastening.
Plate No. 2. Fig. 17 shews in red lines the lightning conductors as applied
to a building having spires, chimney stacks, points, gutters, rain water pipes,
and metal ridges; Figures 18 and 19 shew in red lines the conductors round
the top of the chimney stacks; Fig. 20 shews in red lines the conductors as
applied to a shaft, with ground connections and band round the top; Fig. 21
shews the top of shaft with metal band conductor round, and connected to the
main conductor to ground; Fig. 22 shews the double ground flat connections
with forks to divide the electrical discharge; Fig. 23, shews the same of
tubes; Fig. 24 shews the union connections of copper tube with projecting
piece for connection in case of breakage of screw; Fig. 25 shews in red lines
the system of conductors fitted to a church tower, or tower of a building round
the inside, and connected to flag pole, and down the main conductor; Fig. 26
shews plan of same outside, and by red lines shewing the conductors as fitted
to flagstaff, and connected to main conductor going to ground.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the details herein given, nor do I
claim the parts separately; but what I claim is the general system therein

page_text: described of fitting lightning conductors to iron ships and vessels, especially as
to Figures 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16, and also the general system of pro-
tecting buildings, spires, towers, shafts, or other structures, as shewn by
Figures 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, that the whole or any part of
a building or structure may be effectually protected at all points, and so
arranged that all the important points, spires, chimney stacks, metal rain
water pipes, gutters, metal ridges, and all metal on roofs may be connected
together, and in connection with one or more main conductors to the earth,
with branches into the ground as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wood Gray, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS WOOD GRAY. (L.S.)