IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Highton, M.A., of Putney, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPHS."
Scaled the 20th June 1873, and dated the 8th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Highton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th January 1873.
I, HENRY HIGHTON, M.A., of Putney, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to prevent the destruction or injury
of the gold leaf by strong atmospheric or carth currents when tele-
graphing according to the system described in the Specification of
the Patent granted to me, and dated the 1st day of January 1872,
No. 4.
Another object of my Invention is to render the signalling more

page_text: strong earth current, or other current produced in the line wire, will
destroy the leaf. To prevent this I pass the line wire round an
induction coil, and allow all the currents which pass along the line
to traverse that wire only, while the gold leaf instrument is placed
in connection with a secondary wire on the same coil, so that it is only
effected by the induced currents.
I obtain great rapidity by the use, in combination with the gold leaf
indicator, of currents of different intensities. The use of different
intensitics is hardly practicable with indicators which have an appre-
ciable weight and consequent swing, but the weight of the gold leaf
being practically inappreciable it gives a dead beat and allows of signals
of three different degrees of intensity being read with facility.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Highton in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 8th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
HIGHTON, M.A., of Putney, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Highton, Her
special license that I, the said Henry Highton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Highton,
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 United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Highton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument 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

page_text: calendar mOHTUS REXt and immediately after ՆԵՂԵՆՆԵ Ս ՆԱԵ ԱԱ ԼԵՄՆԵ
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Highton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to prevent the destruction or injury
of the gold leaf by strong atmospheric or carth currents when tele-
graphing according to the system described in the Specification of
the Patent granted to me and dated the 1st day of January 1872,
No. 4.
Another object of my Invention is to render the signalling more
rapid. I find that when a powerful magnetic field is employed a
strong carth current or other current produced in the line wires will
destroy the leaf. To prevent this I pass the line wire round an
induction coil, and allow all the currents which pass along the line
to traverse that wire only, while the gold leaf instrument is placed
in connection with a secondary wire on the same coil, so that it is only
affected by the induced currents; thus, however powerful the earth
or atmospheric currents may be they only affect the gold leaf when the
changes are sudden.
I obtain great rapidity by the use, in combination with the gold leaf
indicator, of currents of different intensities. The use of different
intensities is hardly practicable with indicators which have an appre-
ciable weight and consequent swing, but the weight of the gold leaf
being practically inappreciable it gives a dead beat and allows of signals
of three different degrees of intensity being read with facility.
The methods by which this may be effected will be obvious to all
persons practically acquainted with the working of electric telegraphs,
and will vary according to the nature of the sending instruments used.
In order to illustrate by one example the method by which this is
effected, I will take the case of the ordinary well-known double key
instrument for. sending either positive or negative currents along the
line wire. I take two of these instruments and connect the line
terminal of one with the earth terminal of the other. The battery
terminals of one are in connection with a more powerful battery than

page_text: those of the other; thus, when one instrument is used stronger signals
are sent than when the other is used.
The annexed Drawing will clearly shew the method in which the
connections are made; in a similar way with three sets of keys three
currents of different intensity may be used.
It would be impossible in any limited space to describe fully the
exact method in which the connections must be made in the many
similar instruments in use; nor is it necessary, as the method of doing it
will be obvious to every practical electrician.
5
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Highton, have hereunto set 1
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.