IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING, FIXING, REPAIRING, AND REINSTATING TELEGRAPH, SIGNAL, PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Allibon and William Walsh, of No. 50,
Old Broad Street, E.C., for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING, FIXING, REPAIRING, AND REINSTATING TELEGRAPH, SIGNAL,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Allibon and
William Walsh at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th March 1871. .
We, GEORGE ALLIBON and WILLIAM WALSH, of No. 50, Old Broad
Street, E.C., do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING; FIXING, REPAIRING, AND REINSTATING TELE-
GRAPH, SIGNAL, AND OTHER POLES AND POSTS, AND APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:
Instead of employing wooden poles or posts of a length or height
sufficient to allow of their being inserted to the requisite depth in the
ground to insure the required stability and resistance to the maximuni

page_text: may be
strain to which they are likely to be subjected, we by our Invention need
only employ short poles or posts, or poles or posts of a length or height
only sufficient to reach to within about a foot or eighteen inches of the
ground line; and, by means of a cast-iron standard, which
hollow and conical, or broad at the base, tapering upwards to the
ground line, having at the upper end a socket of suitable shape and
dimensions to receive the foot of the pole or post, which may be securely
held therein by means of a wedge or wedges, the socket may, after the
insertion of the pole, be filled with bitumenous or other suitable moisture
repellent and preservative material.
For the purpose of supporting the pole or post whilst fixing it in its
proper position in the standard or socket we employ tripod shear legs,
having a hinged ring or jaw coupling at their upper ends or junction
for the purpose of grasping the pole or posts near to its upper end.
Each leg of the tripod may be lengthened or shortened at pleasure, and
by means of screws the requisite strain and adjustment can be readily
cffected.
For repairing and reinstating existing telegraph poles & posts that
have become rotten at or below the ground line, without detaching
or disturbing the wires, insulators, and other fittings or mountings
thereupon we proceed as follows:-We securely fit the jaws or hinged
ring of the tripod legs to the upper part of the pole or post, and adjust
the legs in their proper position according to the nature and form
of the ground near to the rotten or damaged posts, and having got
it and the tripod secured we then, by means of a suitable cross-cut
saw, cut off the damaged part or bottom of the pole or post; we then
dig out the ground about the foot of the pole, and withdraw and
remove the stump; we then insert a cast-iron standard, having a
socket at its upper end (as before mentioned), and proceed, as hercin-
⚫ before described, to secure the lower end of the pole or post in the
iron socket, and upon this being effected we then slacken out the
hinged ring or jaws of the tripod legs and remove them, leaving the
pole or post in a secure and firm condition without any derangement
of the wires, the insulators, or the fittings, or any interuption to the
telegraphic service.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Allibon and William Walsh in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 15th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
ALLIBON and WILLIAM WALSH, of No. 50, Old Broad Street, E.C., send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said George Allibon and William Walsh,
Her special licence that we, the said George Allibon and William Walsh,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said George Allibon and William Walsh, 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 CONSTRUCTING, FIXING,
REPAIRING, AND REINSTATING, TELEGRAPH, SIGNAL, AND OTHER POLES AND POSTS,
AND APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said George Allibon and William Walsh, our exc-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our; or
their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 George Allibon and William
Walsh, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention; and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Instead of employing wooden poles or posts of a length or height
sufficient to allow of their being inserted to the requisite depth in thè

page_text: ground to insure the required stability and resistance to the maximum
strain to which they are likely to be subjected, we by our Invention
need only employ short poles or posts, or poles or posts of a length or
height only sufficient to reach to within about a foot or eighteen inches
of the ground line, and by means of a cast-iron standard, which may be
hollow and conical, or broad at the base tapering upwards to the ground
line, having at the upper end a socket of suitable shape and dimensions
to receive the foot of the pole or post, which may be securely held
therein by means of a wedge or wedges, the socket may, after the
insertion of the pole, be filled with bituminous or other suitable moisture
repellant and preservative material.
For the purpose of supporting the pole or post whilst fixing it in its
proper position in the standard or socket we employ tripod or other
shear legs, these legs having a hinged ring or jaw coupling at their
upper ends or junction for the purpose of grasping the pole or post near
to its upper end. Each leg of the shears may be lengthened or shortened
at pleasure, and by means of screws the requisite strain and adjustment
can be readily effected.
For repairing and reinstating existing telegraph poles or posts that
have become rotten at or below the ground line without detaching or
disturbing the wires, insulators, and other fittings or mountings there-
upon we proceed as follows:-We securely fit the jaw or hinged ring of
the shear legs to the upper part of the pole or post, and adjust the legs
in their proper positions according to the nature and form of the ground
near to the rotten or damaged post, and having got it and the shears
secured we then, by means of a suitable cross-cut saw, cut off the
damaged part or bottom of the pole or post; we then dig out the ground
round about the foot of the pole and withdraw and remove the stump;
we then insert a cast-iron standard having a socket at its upper end (as
before described), and proceed, as herein-before mentioned, to secure the
lower end of the post in the iron socket, and upon this being effected
we then either lower the post by means of the screws in the legs of the
shears, or we slacken out the hinged ring or jaw of the shear legs,
and after the pole has been lowered we remove the shear legs, leaving
the pole or post in a secure and firm condition without any derangement a
of the wires, the insulators, or the fittings, and without any interruption
to the telegraphic service.

page_text: And in order that our Invention may be properly understood and
readily carried into practical effect, we have hereunto appended two
Sheets of Drawings, on which are delineated some details of the modes
or methods in which our Invention may be carried out in practice.
Fig. 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a perspective
view, partly in section, showing the application of our improvements to
the construction of telegraph lines; Fig. 2 on the same Sheet is a
corresponding view, showing the mode of applying our improvements to
the repairing and reinstating telegraph poles which have become rotten
or decayed at the lower part.
In the ordinary mode of conveying telegraphic wires over the surface
of the ground they are supported at intervals by means of poles, which
necessarily require to be imbedded in the ground to a sufficient depth to
enable them to withstand the varying lateral strains to which they are
subjected.
The first part of our Invention has reference to an improved mode of.
setting up and fixing these poles, by which means they are rendered far
more durable, and a considerable saving is effected in the quantity of.
timber employed for the purpose. In place of sinking the lower part of
the pole deep in the carth as at present practised we employ a cast-iron
standard forming a foot and socket for the reception of the lower end of
the pole.
Under one modification this standard or foot is formed as shown
at A, in Fig. 1 of Sheet 1, and more particularly in the enlarged
sectional views delineated on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
The standard is, by preference, as well as for economy of first cost,
formed of cast iron, and in order to secure the the maximum of stability
with the minimum of expenditure of material it is made in the form of
a hollow truncated cone, as shown more particularly in Figs. 1 and 6,
on Sheet 2. The standard is made with a broad solid sole plate B, from
which part the hollow cone tapers upwards towards the socket.
Vertical openings C are formed in the cone to admit of the earth being
rammed inside the foot when it is placed in the position it is to occupy.
The standard or foot at the upper part or about on a level with the
ground line may have formed upon it a strong broad flange, as shown
at D, and internally the metal here forms a bottom to the socket for
the telegraph pole to rest upon, as is clearly shown in the vertical.

page_text: sectional views Figs. 1 and 6 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings. From the
line D the standard is made of a cylindrical form, as shown at E, the
internal diameter of which is adapted to receive the pole, the rim of the
socket terminating in a strengthening ring or flange. The cylindrical
socket is pierced laterally with two or other number of holes in which
an internal screw thread is formed to receive the bolts F which screw
up against the pole or against the metal wedge picce G. This wedge is
driven in between the pole H and the standard or foot, so as to secure the
pole firmly in its place. This arrangement prevents any lateral motion
of the pole, and one or more of these wedges may be used if found
necessary.
In order to preserve more effectually that portion of the telegraph
pole which is inserted within the socket it may first be coated with tar
or other preservative solution, or the socket may be filled with melted
pitch, asphalte, or other suitable bituminous material, the same being.
poured in after the pole has been inserted and secured in its proper.
position within the socket. The lower ends of the poles may be further
preserved from decay by burning or charring the surfaces prior to
inserting them in the sockets of the standards.
For the purpose of supporting the pole or post whilst it. is being
fixed in the socket A shear legs are employed. This portion of our
Invention is shown in use on the right-hand side of the perspective view
at Fig. 2, Sheet 1, and under a modified form of arrangement on Sheet 2
of the Drawings..
In Fig. 1, Sheet 2, the tripod shear legs I are shown. Each leg of the
the tripod is shod at the bottom with a metal shoe J terminating in a
spike or point to admit of the legs being firmly secured in the ground.
The upper part of the shear legs are shown as fastened together by
means of a hinged ring or jaw coupling piece K. This coupling consists
of a cast-iron clip formed in three parts, which are hinged or otherwise
connected together and may be secured by a bolt and nut, as shown, or
in any other convenient way. The central part of the jaw coupling is
formed of a cylindrical figure to fit the upper part of the telegraph
post, and projecting radially from this part there are formed three
sockets L, as shown; these sockets receive the upper ends of the shear
legs I. With this arrangement the telegraph post may be readily
upheld and supported by the shear legs, whilst the lower end of the post

page_text: is coated with tar or other preservative coating, and may then be
casily lowered and adjusted in its place in the socket of the standard.
We prefer for the purpose of lengthening or shortening the shear legs
with facility and accuracy to suit the particular work, to construct the
legs each with an adjusting screw, as shown in Fig. 1 of Sheet 2 of
the Drawings, where at a suitable distance from the bottom of each
shear leg there is shown as fitted an adjustable right and left hand screw-
joint M. This consists of a central cylindrical part corresponding to.
the size of the shear leg. This part has a hole through its centre at N
to admit of a bar or band lever being passed through it to turn the
screw in either direction, as required. The screws O pass through the
nuts P which are fitted in the contiguous ends of the shear leg and are
tapped with internal screw threads to correspond to the screws O. In
this way when the screw joint M is turned the motion of the screws
causes the shear leg to be lengthened or contracted, and they are thus
adjusted with accuracy to the exact length required.
By means of the foregoing arrangement of shear legs the telegraph
pole or post may be raised and held in a sustained position whilst the
lower part is being prepared for insertion in the socket, and when ready
may be casily lowered into the socket of the standard A so as to be,
tightened up by the wedge piece G, as herein-before described.
The application of our Invention to the repairing and reinstating.
existing telegraph poles and posts that may have become rotten or
decayed at or below the ground line, and of doing this without detaching.
or disturbing the wires, insulators, or other fittings that may be mounted,
is shown in Fig. 2 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings. The
workmen in the first place attach the ringed jaw or coupling piece K
to the pole or post. The shear legs I are then arranged in their
proper position, so, as to secure firmly and uphold the pole or post.
The ground is then excavated around the lower part of the pole or post
until the earth is quite cleared away from the bottom of the pole. The
pole or post is then severed at the ground line or above the decayed
part by means of a suitable cross-cutting saw. The lower part of the
pole or post may then be coated with a protective material. The
standard A is then inserted in the hole dug for it and the bottom of the
pole is properly adjusted in its place in the socket of the standard. The
earth is filled in around the standard, the shear legs are removed, and

page_text: the pole or post is left reinstated, and without disarranging or otherwise
disturbing the wires or other fittings. The workmen then repeat the
operation upon other poles or posts which require resetting up.
In Fig. 1 on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings an arrangement
is shown consisting of a ring Q formed in two parts to admit of its being
readily attached to and removed from the lower end of the telegraph
pole or post. The ring is made with lugs at each side through which
a bolt and nut passes to secure it to to the pole or post, and it has also
a broad flange or rim formed on it to admit of the vertical bolts R
passing through holes formed for the purpose in the flange, and they
pass also through nuts on the under side of a flange or of a lug S
formed, when desired, on the exterior of the standard A. A screw
thread is cut on the end of each bolt. We employ this apparatus for
either withdrawing the lower end of the post from the socket or for
drawing it down into the socket, as occasion may require, and the
general arrangement of the parts may be modified in various ways
so as to render it easily applicable temporarilly to the pole or as a
fixture thereto.
In Figs. 3 and 4 of Sheet 1, and in Figs. 8 and 9 of Sheet 2, of the
accompanying Drawings we have shown two other modifications of the
form of our improved standard and socket for supporting telegraphic
poles or posts. The standards are shown as formed with four vertical
webs or ribs T extending upwards from the sole plate of the standard
to the under side of the cylindrical socket, which is formed at the top
in manner somewhat similar to the modification first herein-before
described.
By the use of the foregoing improvements the following advantages.
are obtained-In erecting new lines of telegraphs a considerable saving
in the cost of timber is effected, as by this mode of fixing the poles the
whole of the parts hitherto sunk in the ground are saved, and which a
"butt ends" form a considerable per-centage in the first cost of the
poles; secondly, by the use of the metal standards the rotting of the
poles at and below the ground line is avoided and the duration of use-
fúlness of the pole is very considerably extended; thirdly, telegraph
póles now laid aside as useless on account of the decay of the lower a
parts may be utilized and used again either for replacing old ones or
for forming entirely new lines; fourthly, the existing state of the pole

page_text: ends can always be easily ascertained at any time by the means herein-
before described, and where necessary fresh protectives may be applied;
fifthly, the reinstatement of the poles may be effected without derange-
ment or interruption of the traffic or damage to the insulators and
fittings.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the best
means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect,
we wish it to be understood that what we claim and desire to secure
under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the improve-
ments in constructing, fixing, repairing, and reinstating telegraph,
signal, and other poles and posts, and the apparatus employed therein,
as hercin-before described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Allibon, for myself and
on behalf of the said William Walsh, have hercunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
C. S. JOHNS.
GEORGE ALLIBON. (L.S.)