A TELEGRAPH CABLE OR ROPE SHACKLE
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Gilmour, of Massachusetts, of the United
States of America, for the Invention of "A TELEGRAPH CABLE OR ROPE
SHACKLE."
Sealed the 19th October 1858, and dated the 22nd April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Gilmour at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd.
April 1858.
I, GEORGE GILMOUR, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "A TELEGRAPH
CABLE OR ROPE SHACKLE," and the manner in which it is to be performed or
constructed, to be fully set forth in the following Specification and the
accompanying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top view of such shackle;
Figure 2, a longitudinal and vertical section of it; Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section of the jaws, their arbor and spring; Figure 4 is a transverse section,
taken so as to show the catches of the jaws.
My Invention may be used as a means of saving a submarine telegraph in
case of its being ruptured while being laid in the sea; or such Invention may
be employed to save an anchor in case its cable should part, or it may be
employed for other useful purposes.
In the Drawings, A denotes the frame of the shackle, the same being
supplied at one end with an eye a' for suspending the apparatus from a rope.
At or within the other end of the frame is a friction drum or roller B, arranged
in the frame, and made to turn on an arbor or pin 6 connecting the two sides
c, c, of the frame; at a suitable distance from the arbor b is another arbor or
pin d, which extends through and connects the sides or parts c, c, and serves to
support one or two turning and sliding jaws or gripers C, C. These jaws turn

page_text: on the shaft and from the roller B over to two lever catches D, D, and vice
versa. Furthermore, within the jaws and encompassing the arbor or pin d is a
helical spring E, formed of two helices of wire wound in one direction from
the middle of the wire, the spring being so applied to the arbor and the jaws
or gripers, that when the jaws are drawn back toward the catches the spring
shall be contracted, and the jaws at the same time forced or moved laterally
away from one another by it. Against the inner surface of each side or
part c of the frame A is a curved cam e, so arranged and applied as to cause
the jaw next to it to be forced toward the other jaw while the jaws are being
moved toward the roller B. Each jaw may carry a small friction roller f to
work against the cam e. Within the box or body of the frame A is another
arbor g, on which two lever catches D, D, turn. The said catches are con-
nected at their lower ends by a rod h, to which, and the frame A, a smart spring
is applied, the same being arranged as seen in Figure 2. To an arm i extended
up from the rod h a rope k is attached, and led through the frame A, as
shown in Figure 2. When the catches are thrown forward, the upper arm of
each should bring up against a stop or shoulder. A wing or rudder and a
knife m may be applied to the shackle, or arranged on it, as shown in the
Drawings, the same serving to steer it while it is moved through the water.
The knife is intended to cut and separate any seaweed which might run down
on the line connecting the shackle with a vessel. If we suppose the shackle
to be suspended in the sea by a rope from a buoy, and with its jaws held back
by the catches, and a telegraph cable to run through the shackle and rest on
the roller B thereof, and if we also suppose a second line or rope to connect
the shackle with the stern of a vessel which may be engaged in laying the
telegraph cable, and a rope to connect the buoy with the vessel, so that while
the vessel may move along through the water it shall drag the buoy and the
shackle after it, and cause the latter to slip or run on the cable; and further-
more, if we suppose the tripping line of the catches of the shackle to extend
to the vessel, we shall have the apparatus or shackle in a condition to save the
cable should the latter part, or break anywhere between the shackle and the
vessel. To accomplish this, an attendant on board the vessel immediately
after the rupture occurs (which will be known by the cessation of a proper
action of the laying mechanism) should pull' on the tripping line. This will
disengage the catches from the jaws, so as to allow them to be thrown forwards
by the action of their spring. In passing forward towards the roller B, they
will be made to pass on opposite sides of the telegraph cable, and close on and
firmly grasp it, so as to connect it to the buoy. At the time or about the
time the attendant pulls on the tripping line, the other lines connecting the

page_text: buoy and the shackle with the vessel should be cast off from the latter.
Subsequently, that part of the cable which is connected by the shackle to the
buoy may be recovered, by raising it by the line connecting the shackle with
the buoy.
I do not herein claim a chain shackle, such as I have heretofore patented,
as made with a spring forked pawl or catch, to operate with a friction roller;
but what I claim is, the telegraph cable or rope shackle as constructed with
one or more jaws and mechanism to operate the same, substantially as
described.
I also claim combining either the wing or the knife m with the shackle,
in manner and for the purpose or purposes as specified.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Gilmour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
GILMOUR, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 22nd day of April, A.D. 1858, in the twenty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said George Gilmour, Her special license that I, the said George
Gilmore, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Gilmour, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of "A TELEGRAPH
CABLE OR ROPE SHACKLE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Gilmour, by and instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said George Gilmour, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which it is to be
performed, or to be constructed and made to operate, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following Specification and the accompanying
Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top view of such shackle; Figure 2, a
longitudinal and vertical section of it; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of
the jaws, their arbor and spring; Figure 4 is a transverse section, taken so
as to show the catches of the jaws.
My Invention may be used as a means of saving a submarine telegraph in
case of its being ruptured while being laid in the sea; or such Invention may
be employed to save an anchor in case its cable should part, or it may be
employed for other useful purposes.
In the Drawings A denotes the frame of the shackle, the same being
supplied at one end with an eye a, for suspending the apparatus from a rope.
At or within the other end of the frame is a friction drum or roller B arranged
in the frame, and made to turn on an arbor or pin 6 connecting the two sides
c, c, of the frame. At a suitable distance from the arbor is another arbor or
pin d, which also extends through and connects the sides or parts c, c, and
serves to support one or two sliding or turning jaws or gripers C, C. These
jaws turn on the shaft and from the roller B over to two lever catches D, D,
and vice versa. Furthermore, within the jaws and encompassing the arbor or
pin d is a helical spring E formed of two helices of wire wound in one direction
from the middle of the wire, the spring being so applied to the arbor and the
jaws or gripers, that when the jaws are drawn back toward the catches, the
spring shall be contracted and the jaws at the same time forced or moved
laterally away from one another by it.
Against the inner surface of such side or part c of the frame A is a curved
cam e, so applied and arranged as to cause the jaw next to it to be forced
toward the other jaw, while the jaws are being moved toward the roller B.
Each jaw may carry a small friction roller f to work against the cam e.
Within the box or body of the frame A is another arbor g, on which two
lever catches D, D, turn; the said catches are connected at their lower ends
by a rod h, to which and the frame A a smart spring is applied, the same being
arranged as shown in Figure 2. To an arm i extended up from the rod ha
rope k is attached, and led through the frame A, as seen in Figure 2. When
the catches are thrown forward, the upper arm of each should bring up against
a stop or shoulder. A wing or rudder and a knife m may be applied to the
shackle, or arranged on it as shown in the Drawings, the wing serving to
steer it while it is moved through the water. The knife is intended to cut
and separate any seaweed which might run down on the line connecting the
shackle with a vessel.
If we suppose the shackle to be suspended in the sea by a rope from a buoy,

page_text: and with its jaws held back by the catches, and a telegraph cable to run
through the shackle and not on the roller B thereof, and if we also suppose a
second line or rope to connect the shackle with the stern of a vessel which
may be engaged in laying the telegraph cable and a rope to connect the buoy
with the vessel, so that while the vessel may move along through the water it
shall drag the buoy and the shackle after it, and cause the latter to slip or run
on the cable; and furthermore, if we suppose the tripping line of the catches
of the shackle to extend to the vessel, we shall have the apparatus or shackle
in a condition to serve the cable should the latter part or break anywhere
between the shackle and the vessel. To accomplish this an attendant on
board the vessel, immediately after rupture occurs (which will be known by the
cessation of a proper action of the laying mechanism), should pull on the tripping
line; this will disengage the catches from the jaws so as to allow them to be
thrown forward by the action of their spring. In passing forward toward the
roller B they will be made to pass on opposite sides of the telegraph cable,
and close on and firmly grasp it so as to connect it to the buoy. At the time
or about the time the attendant pulls on the tripping line the other lines con-
necting the buoy and the shackle with the vessel should be cast off from the
latter; subsequently that part of the cable which is connected by the shackle
to the buoy may be removed by raising it by the line connecting the shackle
with the buoy.
I do not herein claim a chain shackle such as I have heretofore patented
as made with a spring-forked pawl or catch to operate with a friction roller;
but what I claim is the telegraph cable or rope shackle as constructed with
one or more jaws and mechanism to operate the same, substantially as
described.
I also claim combining either the wing 1 or the knife m, or both, with the
shackle so as to operate therewith in manner and for the purpose or purposes
as specified.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal, the
Eighteenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-eight.
GEORGE GILMOUR.
(L.S.)