IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS AND CHAIN CABLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Longhurst, of Ticehurst, in the County of
Sussex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS AND
CHAIN CABLES."
Sealed the 18th July 1862, and dated the 24th January 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Longhurst at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
January 1862.
I, JOHN LONGHURST, of Ticehurst, in the County of Sussex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHAINS & CHAIN CABLES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in chains and chain cables consist in the peculiar form.
and disposition of the metal constituting the links, whereby great strength is
imparted thereto; the links are not liable to collapse although there is no stud
in the body, chains and cables are therefore readily handled and easily stowed,
and afford better grip for the capstan or other bearing apparatus than usual,
they are also lighter for any given strength than chains and cables made as in.
ordinary.
The annexed Drawing represents a side view and section of chain and chain
cable links made according to my Invention. As will be observed, the link is.
of a flattened form, and presents in the middle great breadth and strength to.
resist collapse, while at the ends a large amount of metal is retained for
strength as also for wear and tear. The links are lightened by the openings a, a.

page_text: Those may be varied in form and even extended, they may also be more
numerous, but in every case I prefer to leave the stud-like piece at b, to retain
the requisite rigidity in the sides of the link to resist collapse. The form of
the link may be somewhat varied as also the sectional form of the iron of which
it is made without departing from my Invention, but I believe the form shown
to be well adapted for general purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Longhurst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd July 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LONGHURST, of Ticehurst, in the County of Sussex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Longhurst, Her special licence that I, the said John Longhurst,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Longhurst, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CHAINS AND CHAIN CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Longhurst, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 John Longhurst, 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 fol-.
lowing statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
-
My improvements in chains and chain cables consist in the peculiar form:

page_text: and disposition of the metal constituting the links, whereby great strength and
rigidity is imparted thereto; the links are not liable to collapse although
there are no studs placed in the body. From the absence of studs in the
links, chains and cables so made are readily handled and easily stowed, and by
reason of the external form afford better grip for the capstan or other heaving
apparatus than usual, they are also lighter for any given strength than chains
and cables made as in ordinary.
The annexed Drawing represents side view and section of chain and chain
cable links made according to my Invention. As will be observed the link
is of a flattened form and presents in the middle great breadth and strength to
resist collapse while at the ends a large amount of metal is retained for
strength as also for wear and tear. The links are lightened by the openings
made in the body of the links. These may be varied in form and even
extended; they may be also more numerous, but in every case I leave the
requisite rigidity in the sides of the link to resist collapse. The form of the
link may be somewhat varied, as also the sectional form of the iron of which it
is made, without departing from my Invention, but I believe the form shown
to be well adapted for general purposes.
The annexed Drawing represents at Fig. 1 a side view of the link of a
chain made according to my Invention as also sections of the adjoining links
connected thereto. In manufacturing my improved chains I first prepare
each link in four parts either by forging or stamping, making the two side
pieces of the link separate from the ends thereof, the object of which is to
dispose the grain or fibre of the iron in different directions, as indicated by
the red lines, the metal at the ends being disposed so as to give great rigidity
to those parts, while the grain or fibre at the sides of the link is so disposed
that the tension on the link will be in the direction of the length of the fibres.
The parts being so formed are welded together at or about the points marked
by the red dotted lines a, a, a, a. Instead of the iron of the end pieces
having the grain or fibre in the direction indicated by the red lines at those
parts, it may be previously crossed, that is to say, made of a piece of iron
having the grain running in different directions and transversely to each other.
The links are welded up one within the other the same as in making ordinary
chains, and as well understood. The links may have four or more openings
b, b, b, b, as seen in Fig. 1, in order to lighten them, leaving sufficient metal
in the cross section to withstand the greatest strain; Fig. 2 represents a link
made solid instead of having openings in the sides, as in Fig. 1.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be

page_text: protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the form and
manufacture of the links of chains & chain cables, substantially as herein-
before described...
11
In witness whereof, I, the said John Longhurst, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN LONGHURST. (L.S.)