IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Chatterton, of Highbury Terrace, and
Willoughby Smith, of Pownall Road, Dalston, both in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES."
Scaled the 18th June 1861, and dated the 21st December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Chatterton and
Willoughby Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st December 1860.
WC, JOHN CHATTERTON, of Highbury Terrace, and WILLOUGHBY SMITH, of
Pownall Road, Dalston, both in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH CABLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of electric
telegraph cables. In the manufacture of electric telegraph cables it often
happens that the gutta percha or insulating coatings become injured in the
progress of the completing processes of making electric telegraph cables, and
that such defects are hidden for a time by reason of the insulating character
of the tar or other fluid with which the "serving" yarns are impregnated.
Now our Invention consists in saturating or coating the yarns or materials
used to "serve" or surround the insulated conductors with a conducting. fluid
such as water, in order that any defect in the insulation which may take place
may at once be detected, both when the insulated conductors are being "served"

page_text: and also when the wires or wire strands are being laid around them. The con-
ducting fluid preferred to be used to saturate the yarns used for "serving "the
insulated conductors is tar water or tan liquor, though other preparations may
be used, taking care that the fluid is a free conductor of electricity, and such
as will at once be the means of detecting, by its conducting power, any defect
in the insulating coatings of the conductors, in place of presenting a temporary
insulating coating such as that caused by tar or other saturating and pre-
servative material heretofore used with the "serving "yarns. The yarns used
for "serving" the insulated conductors may be impregnated with tar or
preservative material previous to applying the conducting fluid, care being
taken that it does not interfere with or prejudice the action of the conducting
fluid. The insulated conductor for a cable in place of being dry when passing
to a "serving" machine, is immersed in water or suitable conducting fluid,
or is moistened therewith, and passes in a moistened state to the "serving'
machine, and the "served" insulated conductor is also immersed in water or
other suitable conducting fluid, or is moistened therewith as it is passed into
the laying machine.
In order to coat and preserve the wires or wire strands of an electric
telegraph cable, the cable as it comes from the laying machine is caused to
pass through a vessel a trough containing a mixture of tar thickened to a
suitable consistency with wood or cork dust, or mineral oxides, such mixture
being used in a cold state, and the cable may then be wrapped round or
"served" with a tape or suitable bandage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John. Chatterton and Willoughby Smith in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
CHATTERTON, of Highbury Terrace, and WILLOUGHBY SMITH, of Pownall Road,
Dalston, both in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, Her special licence that we, the
said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith,

page_text: our 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 THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said, John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 we, the said John Chatterton and Willoughby
Smith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
electric telegraph cables. In the manufacture of electric telegraph cables it
often happens that the gutta percha or insulating coating become injured in
the progress of the completing processes, and that such defects are hidden for
a time by reason of the insulating character of the tar or other fluid with
which the "serving" yarns are impregnated.
Now the object of our Invention is so to conduct the process of manu-
facturing electric telegraph cables that the insulated conducting wire may
throughout the whole continuance of the manufacture of the cable be kept
under an electrical test, such as will immediately shew any defect in insulation
which may be produced during the operation.
And the Invention consists in saturating or coating the yarns or other
fibrous materials used to "serve" or surround the insulated conductors with
a conducting fluid such as water, in order that any defect in the insulation
which may occur may at once be detected, both when the insulated conductors
are being "served," and also when the wires or wire strands are being laid
around them; the insulated conductor or conductors being at the same time,
as before mentioned, kept constantly under an electrical test, that is to say,
for example, the conductor is placed in connection with one pole of a battery,
and the outer covering (whether the serving of fibre or the external pro-
tecting wire) is kept in connection with the other pole of the same battery,
and a delicate galvanometer is included in the circuit, so that should the con-

page_text: ducting wire or wires come in contact or electrical communication with the
serving or protecting wires, the galvanometer will at once give an indication
that this has occured, so that the machinery may be at once stopped, and the
damage repaired before the injured portion is worked in. The conducting
fluid preferred to be used to saturate the yarns or fibrous material used for
"serving " the insulated conductors is tar water or tan liquor, although
other preparations may be used, taking care that the fluid is a free conductor
of electricity, and such as will at once be the means of detecting by its
conducting power any defects in the insulating coatings of the conductors, in
place of presenting a temporary insulating coating such as that produced by
tar or other saturating and preservative material heretofore used with the
"serving "yarns or other material. The yarns or fibrous material used for
"serving" the insulated conductors may be impregnated with tar or pre-
servative material previous to applying the conducting fluid, care being taken
that it does not interfere with or prejudice the action of the conducting fluid;
and if tar is used, the yarn after passing through the tar should be pressed as
dry as possible, and should afterwards be thoroughly soaked in the conducting
liquid. The insulated conductor for a cable, in place of being dry when
passing to a serving machine, is by-preference immersed in water or suitable
conducting fluid, or is moistened therewith, and passes in a moistened state
to the "serving machine," and the "served" insulated conductor is also
immersed in water or other suitable conducting fluid, or is moistened therewith
as it is passed into the laying machine, so that the conducting liquid may fill
any crevices which may have been produced by injury in the insulating
coating, and (if the "serving" has been previously applied) may completely
saturate the "serving." Or, a convenient manner of carrying our Invention
into effect is to apply the serving yarn or fibrous material previously prepared,
if preferred, by tanning or otherwise in a dry state, and immediately it is
applied to pass it with the core into water, and it is afterwards kept either in
water or moist with the electrical test applied until the cable is complete.
In order to coat and preserve the external or protecting wires or wire
strands of an electric telegraph cable, the cable as it comes from the laying
machine is caused to pass through a vessel or trough containing a mixture of
tar thickened to a suitable consistency with wood or cork dust, or mineral
oxides, such mixture being used in a cold state; and the cable is then wrapped
round or "served" with a tape or suitable bandage. For this purpose the tar
is mixed with as much wood or cork dust, or mineral oxide, as it will take
without becoming too thick to adhere readily to the cable, which is run
through the mixture, the same being used cold to avoid risk of injury to the

page_text: insulating material. This mixture fills all the spaces between the exterior or
protecting wires or strands, so that when the cable is afterwards served round
with a tape or bandage no spaces will be left under the said tape or bandage.
The mixture we prefer to employ is either that of cork dust and tar, or if a
harder material and one less liable to injury from marine animals be desired,
then we prefer to employ a mixture of oxide of lead and tar.
We would remark that we are aware that telegraphic cables have before been
coated with materials suitable for preserving the protecting wires or strands,
but the coating materials heretofore employed have been applied hot, and risk
of injury to the insulating material has resulted, which is avoided by employing,
as hercin-before described, preserving materials which can be applied cold,
and the materials so applied are retained on the cable by the serving tape or
bandage. The tape or bandage we prefer to employ is of strong fabric,
such as sailcloth well saturated or coated with preservative materials or
compounds, such as marine glue.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is, the
manufacturing electric telegraph cables as herein described, the insulation
being kept constantly under an electric test, and the serving material saturated
with a conducting liquid, so that any damage to the insulation may be at
once indicated, as herein described. We also claim the preserving the
exterior protecting wires or strands, in the manner herein described.
In witness whereof, wc, the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.