IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS." A communication
from abroad by Ferdinando Tommasi, of Paris, France.
Sealed the 18th April 1879, and dated the 23rd October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
APPARATUS." [A communication from abroad by Ferdinando Tommasi, of Paris,
France.]
This Invention relates to important improvements in telegraphic relays, and in
the means for applying them to different systems of telegraphy, a relay according to
this Invention being formed in every case with a small magnetized bar constructed
in a peculiar manner, the displacements of which between the poles of an electro-
magnet, which is itself constructed in a peculiar manner, serve either definitively for
conventional signals, or by touching special springs to transmit the current of a local
battery to any receiving apparatus whatever, and more especially to those known as
Morse or "Hughes" receivers. The great sensitiveness of my relay permits of its
employment with advantage on all telegraphic lines, and especially on submarine
lines.
"
"
I will first describe the peculiar electro-magnet which constitutes one of the chief
features of the said Invention. This electro-magnet may be said to be composed of
two electro-magnets placed one against the other, two poles of which touch each
other, while the other two poles, although placed face to face, are separated from
each other by a certain space. There is a core formed of a single bar, and end pieces
connect this core to two other cores without interruption of contact; all these pieces
being of soft iron carefully annealed, and the magnetising helix not presenting any

page_text: interruption from one end to the other end of the cores, notwithstanding an insu
lating washer provided to allow the wire to be twisted on the first-named core in
two different directions. I thus form in reality a single electro-magnet. Between
the poles of this electro-magnet.is.arranged a magnetic_bar_placed edgewise, which
bar is designed to re-act upon the contacts of the relay. This bar is of very small
dimensions, and very short; the length should not much exceed the diameter of the
polar extremities of the electro-magnet, at the lower part of which the first-named
core is placed
It results from this arrangement that the said bar is situated entirely within the
magnetic field of the electro-magnet, which ensures the great sensitiveness of the
apparatus; it pivots on its centre, and in a normal time it is attracted into
_the_plane_of_the equatorial_line_of_the_electro-magnet by one or several fixed
magnets, the active poles of which are pointed. By placing the electro-magnet end-
wise, as I have just indicated, it acts with more energy, and it is easier to arrange
the fixed magnets.
When the current passes through the electro-magnet each of the poles of the
latter acts upon the magnetised bar at the same time by attraction and by repul-
sion, and tends to cause it to turn in one direction or the other, according to the
direction of the current though the electro-magnet; in consequence the bar, which
is between the two contacts of the relay comes against one or the other of these
contacts, and puts in action the local battery designed to operate the telegraph in
connection with the relay.
Instead of thus employing a single magnetised bar I prefer to employ two parallel
bars placed perceptibly in the axis of the electro-magnet, and each of which carries
a small tappet of aluminium, or preferably of ivory, designed to produce when the
bars are displaced in a parallel direction a shock to disengage the contacts, and
render all the movements, and consequently the transmission, more prompt.
When the said apparatus is to serve as a relay and to work with a "Hughes" or
other manipulator reversing the current, as will be hereafter explained, I prefer
that one of the two small bars above mentioned shall be made of tempered steel
magnetised and provided with an ivory pin at each extremity, and that the other
shall be simply of soft iron. This latter closes or opens the circuit of the local
battery, and produces in consequence the working of the receiving apparatus
according as the former, by means of its two pins, brings it near to or carries it
away from the spring intended to form the contact.
Having thus described the method of arranging and constructing the said relay,
I will describe the manner of using it, either directly for receiving signals, or for
transmitting them to a "Morse" or "Hughes" apparatus.
In certain cases, as for example in case of derangement of the printing apparatus
proceeding from any cause whatever, it may be useful to employ the relay itself as
a receiver. It is sufficient then to arrange upon the bar (for in this case only one
bar can be used) a small mirror fixed on a slender ring of aluminium. The appa-
ratus works then like the apparatus known as the Thompson" mirror, but
with a sensitiveness much more considerable than that of the latter apparatus, my
apparatus however, with the exception of the use of the mirror, being in no way
similar thereto.
"
When my relay serves to place a "Morse" receiving apparatus in the circuit of a
local battery, it is easy to utilise the current in two directions by employing a mani-
pulator without reversal of the current, and .comprising two keys instead of one
only for each direction of the current; in this case it will be understood that one of
the keys might be arranged so as to remain forcibly held down longer than the
other, and to transmit thus a dash instead of a dot; in this case two electro-magnets
arranged upon the same "Morse" instrument should be acted upon, the ink rollers
of which are placed side by side on the same strip of paper. These two ink rollers
are saturated, one with blue ink and the other with red ink, and I thus obtain dots
and dashes in blue and red, which arrangement will simplify and accelerate the
transmission.

page_text: It is sufficient for this result to place one of the contacts of the relay in commu-
nication with the electro-magnet which governs one of the ink rollers, and the other
contact in relation with the electro-magnet which governs the second ink roller.
The constant change of direction of the current offers great advantages, especially
by reason of its removing the condensations which may be developed in the cable.
I therefore provide special arrangements, which I apply to the well-known
"Hughes" apparatus, serving as a manipulator or transmitter, and which cause at
each key pressed in by the operator the cable, and consequently the relay, to be
traversed at first by a positive current, then by a negative current, and they may
be afterwards put in contact with the earth after having been completely separated
from the battery, and remain in that state until the moment when another key is
pressed by the operator.
"
These arrangements are carried into effect as follows, that is to say :-
It is well known that in the ordinary "Hughes" apparatus the slide carries a
lip which turns with it, and which is held up by the gudgeon corresponding to the
key actuated by the operator. This movement of the lip lifts the slide which acts
upon the rear end of a lever, which I call the reverser, the extremity of which places
itself then in contact with the line in order to start the current.
According to this Invention the lip is twice as long as an ordinary lip; it is
divided in two parts of equal length, but of unequal height. By reason of this
inequality of height of the lip, the slide when the gudgeon is actuated by the
operator rises and lifts with it the rear end of the reversing lever twice successively
and progressively. There are naurally at the anterior part of the reversing lever
two corresponding successive and progressive depressions; the first has for its object
to put this lever in contact with another lever which is in communication with the
cable, and thence to start the positive current (which is communicated to it by a
spring button), at the same time withdrawing it from contact with the earth; the
second has for its object to substitute in the cable for the above-mentioned positive
current the negative current, which is provided by a lower spring button. After-
wards the lip being no longer upheld by the gudgeon, resumes its place, as also the
reversing lever, and the lever of the line wire; this latter is then separated from the
battery, and resumes its communication with the earth.
I modify various parts of the so-called "Hughes" apparatus, as will be under-
stood from the following description
The lip on the slide is composed of two parts of unequal height. The gudgeon
rises when the operator presses upon the corresponding key, and mechanism now in
use prevents it from falling back before the lip has passed upon it entirely. The
latter meeting the gudgeon rises a certain distance, lifting at the same time the part
of the slide which lifts in its turn the rear end of the reversing lever.
A contact stud which is connected to the positive pole of the battery, and which
is pressed by a spring, remains in contact with the reversing lever, the anterior
extremity of which advances and rests upon the lever of the line wire which was
maintained in communication with the earth by a counterspring. From that time
a positive current is directed into the line wire as the communication with the earth
is broken by the same movement of the lever; but at the moment when the lower
part of the lip passes on to the gudgeon the lip rises further; it is the same with
the rear end of the reversing lever, the anterior extremity of which therefore falls
further. From that time the contact stud connected to the positive pole of the
battery, the rod of which is stopped by a nut, can no longer follow the lever,
which descends alone upon the lower contact stud similar to the first-named stud,
but connected with the negative pole of the line battery. In this movement the
reversing lever has not quitted the lever of the line wire, and the latter receives a
negative current which discharges the line in order that it may receive and transmit
the following positive emission:-As soon as the lip, and consequently the rear end
of the reversing lever have escaped from the action of the gudgeon, this lever rises
by force of a spring, and the counterspring places again the lever of the line wire

page_text: and consequently the line in communication with the earth, by completely insu-
lating it from the battery, which completes the discharge of the cable.
It results from these emissions, alternately positive and negative, that the bars
of the relay are always deflected successively in the two directions, but in the oscil-
lation towards the right hand, for example, the bar of soft iron meets the contact
point, which closes the circuit of the local battery, while at the left hand the steel
bar does not meet any contact point, consequently the current of the local battery'
sent into the receiving apparatus_is_always in the same direction, which is correct,
as it is known that in the well-known "Hughes" apparatus a positive current is
-always-transmitted,-and never a negative current.
It might happen that carth currents will for a longer or shorter period injure the
synchronism, which is the essential basis of the so-called "Hughes" apparatus.
In this case, instead of trying to re-establish the synchronism, I put it completely-
aside, and I substitute for the type wheel an ink block of the same diameter.
I
dispense at the same time with the ivory nippers which hold the paper, and I
arrange on the contrary on the receiver a carrier actuated by the clockwork of the
apparatus. I moreover place on the keyboard of the manipulator a small wooden
board kept in position by four screws, and upon which are arranged two keys which
govern by means of two rods traversing the board two keys suitably chosen of the
keyboard, which this board covers.
It will be understood that by pressing upon one of the keys it actuates a gudgeon,
as in the ordinary so-called "Hughes" apparatus, but with a different result as far
as regards the impression upon the strip of paper, for this latter coming in contact
with the ink block becomes inked instead of pressing against the type wheel, the
result being that instead of the impression of a letter there is the impression of
a dot.
The distance apart between the gudgeons governed by the two keys is cal-
culated in such a manner that when they are both depressed at the same time the
above-mentioned effect is produced twice successively, and there results therefrom
upon the strip of paper two dots close to each other, which conventionally represent
a dash.

page_text: "
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
April 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Ferdinando Tommasi, of Paris,
France.
This Invention relates to an improved form of telegraphic relay of great sensi-
tiveness applicable to all lines of telegraph, and especially to submarine lines, and
consisting of a small magnetized bar constructed in a peculiar manner, the move-
ments of which between the poles of an electro-magnet, also constructed in a peculiar
manner, serve either definitely for conventional signals, or by touching special
springs to transmit the current of a local battery to a receiving apparatus, such
as that known as the "Morse" or "Hughes" apparatus, or to any other suitable
receiver.
My improved electro-magnet is shewn in Figure 1 of the Drawing, and consists
of a core d, d, d, formed of a single bar, and connected by the end pieces c to two
other cores without interruption of contact; all these pieces are formed of soft iron
carefully annealed, and the magnetizing helix does not present any interruption
between a and b, notwithstanding the insulating washer e, the purpose of which
is simply to allow the wire to be wound upon the core d, d, d, in two different
directions. I thus form in reality a single electro-magnet having the poles a and b,
and which I prefer to place edgewise in order to render its action more powerful.
Between the poles of the said electro-magnet I arrange the magnetic bar f of very
small dimensions and very short; the length should not much exceed the diameter
of the polar extremities of the electro-magnet, at the lower part of which the part &
is placed.
The aforesaid bar is situated entirely in the magnetic field of the electro-magnet,
thereby ensuring the great sensitiveness of the apparatus; it is pivoted at its centre
or suspended by a thread, and is constantly returned to its normal position by a
fixed magnet or several fixed magnets, the active poles of which are pointed.
It will be understood that each of the poles of the electro-magnet acts upon the
magnetized bar at the same time by attraction and by repulsion, and tends to cause
it to move in one direction or the other, according to the direction of the current
through the electro-magnet, consequently the bar which is between the two con-
tacts of the relays comes against one or the other of these contacts, and puts in
action the local battery designed to operate the telegraph in connection with the
relay.
Instead of thus employing a single magnetized bar I prefer to employ two parallel
bars g, h, placed about in the axis of the electro-magnet, each of which bars carries a
small tappet i of aluminium, or preferably of ivory, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3,
designed to produce when the bars are displaced in a parallel direction a shock to
disengage the contacts, and render, the movements, and consequently the trans-
mission, more prompt.
When the said apparatus is to serve as a relay to operate in connection with a
Hughes" or other manipulator for reversing the current, as herein-after explained,
I prefer that one of the two small bars above mentioned should be of tempered
steel, magnetized and provided with an ivory pin at each extremity, as shewn in
Figure 4, and that the other bar should be formed simply of soft iron. This latter
closes or opens the circuit of the local battery, and causes in consequence the
working of the receiving apparatus, according as the former by means of its two
.

page_text: "
pins brings it near to or carries it away from the spring intended to form the
contact.
Having thus described the method of arranging and constructing the said relay,
I will describe the means of using the same, either directly for receiving signals,.or.
for transmitting them to a "Morse or "Hughes" apparatus.
"
When it is desired to use the said relay itself as a receiver I arrange upon a single
small bar fa small mirror j fixed on an aluminium ring k, as shewn in Figures 5,
6 and 7-and-which-transmits-the-signals-by-the-combination-of-its-angular-dis
placements.
When the said improved relay serves to place a "Morse" receiving apparatus in
the circuit of a local battery, it is easy to utilize the current in two directions by
employing a manipulator without reversal of the current, and permitting two keys
instead of one only for each direction; in this case one of the keys will be arranged
in such a manner as to remain forcibly held down a longer time than the other, and
to thus transmit a dash instead of a dot.
In this case they can equally well act upon two ink rollers arranged side by side
upon the same strip of paper, and thus transmit points and dashes in two different
colours, thus simplifying and accelerating the transmission.
The constant, change of the direction of the current offers great advantages,
especially by reason of its removing the condensations which may be developed in
the cable. Inasmuch however as the current always acts in one direction in the
Hughes" apparatus, I provide special arrangements by means of which at each
emission the cable, and consequently the relay, are traversed at first by a positivo
current, then by a negative current, and are afterwards put in contact with the
earth after having been completely separated from the battery, then resting in that
state until the moment when another key is actuated by the operator.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 represent the parts of the "Hughes" apparatus which are
modified by the application of my Invention; and Figure 11 shews the general
arrangement of a system of my telegraphic apparatus arranged in connection with
the well-known "Hughes" instrument actuated by my improved relay.
It will be seen by reference to the Drawing that the lip arranged upon the slide
consists of two parts of unequal height, as shewn at 7, . The pin n rises when
the operator presses the corresponding key, and mechanism similar to that hereto-
fore in use prevents the descent of the same before the lip has passed over it
entirely. The latter meeting the pin rises a certain distance, lifting at the same
time the part of the slide, which raises in its turn the rear end of the reversing
lever p.
The contact stud q, which is connected to the positive pole of the battery, and
which is pressed down by the spring r, rests in contact with the reversing lever p,
the front end of which moves into contact with the levers of the line wire, which
was maintained in communication with the earth by a counterspring t; from that
time a positive current is directed into the line wire as the communication with the
earth is broken by the same movement of the lever; but at the moment when the
part passes on to the pin the lip rises further, and consequently the rear end of
the reversing lever p is raised, and its front extremity therefore further depressed;
the contact stud q, whose rod is stopped by the screw nut v, can then no longer
follow the lever, which descends alone upon the lower contact stud tv, similar to the
upper stud, but connected to the negative pole of the line battery. In this move-
ment the reversing lever does not become disconnected from the lever of the line
wire, and the latter receives a negative current which sets free the line.
As soon as the lip, and consequently the rear end of the reversing lever, have
escaped the action of the pin, the said lever is caused to rise by the action of the
spring, and the counterspring t places the lover of the line wire, and consequently
the line, again. in communication with the earth by completely insulating it from
the battery, and completes the discharge of the cable.
It results from these emissions, alternately positive and negative, that the bars of

page_text: the relay are always deflected successively in the two directions, but in the oscilla-
tion towards the right hand, for example, the soft-iron bar meets the contact point,
which closes the circuit of the local battery, while at the left hand the steel bar does
not come in contact with any contact point, consequently the current of the local
battery transinitted to the receiving apparatus is always in the same direction, as is
necessary in the "Hughes" apparatus, in which a current is always sent in the
same direction.
In the case where the synchronism happens to be impaired from any cause,
instead of attempting to re-establish it I put it completely aside, and substitute for
the type wheel an ink roll of the same diameter; I also dispense at the same time
with the ivory nippers which hold the paper, and I arrange, on the contrary, on the
receiver a carrier actuated by the clockwork of the apparatus.
I moreover place upon the keyboard of the manipulator a small wooden board
held in position by four screws, and upon which are arranged two keys which
govern by means of two rods traversing the said board two suitable keys of the
keyboard which covers the said board.
It will be understood that by pressing upon one of these keys it actuates a pin,
as in the ordinary so-called "Hughes" apparatus, but the strip of paper coming in
contact with the ink roll, it follows that instead of the impression of a letter there
is the impression of a dot.
The distance between the pins controlled by the two keys is calculated in such a
manner that when they are both depressed in rapid succession there results there-
from upon the strip of paper two dots close to each other, which conventionally
represent a dash.
The sensitiveness of the relay above described permits the employment with
perfect safety of this method of governing the so-called "Hughes" apparatus, and
thus ensures all the advantages of a reversal of the current automatically and posi-
tively, independently of the will of the operator.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that 1 claim,
First. The improved construction and arrangement of the electro-magnet placed
edgewise, and designed to actuate the magnetized bar closing the circuit of the local
battery, as and for the purpose specified.
Second. The arrangement of the magnetized bar, either single or double, not
exceeding or exceeding slightly the diameter of the polar extremities of the electro-
magnet, and supported upon a pivot or suspended by a thread in or about in the
axis of the special electro-magnet, which acts upon it, all as above described, and as
represented in the accompanying Drawing, for the purposes specified.
Third. The arrangement of two parallel bars, both of which are magnetized, or of
which one only is magnetized, the other being formed of soft iron, as above described,
and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In the arrangement wherein two parallel bars are used, the employment
of small screws or aluminium or ivory pins in connection with one of the extremities
of the same to form tappets for giving a slight shock to facilitate the separation of
the bars from the contact points, as above described, and as illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The addition to a magnetized bar constructed according to this Invention
of a small mirror, as and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. The mechanism above described, and represented in the Drawing, for per-
mitting the reversal of currents and the discharge of the cable when my improved
relay is applied to the well-known “Hughes” apparatus, operating either by printed
letters or otherwise.
"
Seventh. The means above described for temporarily employing the "Hughes"
apparatus as a "Morse" apparatus in case the synchronism should be altered or
impaired from any cause.

page_text: Eighth. The combination of the various parts constituting my improved relay,
and for permitting its application to printing or other telegraphs, as above
described.
In witness_whereof, I, the said William-Robert-Lake,-have-hereunto-set-my-
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.