Improvements in Electric Conduits, and Conductors therefor
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1894-Accepted, 15th Sept., 1894
1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Conduits, and Conductors therefor
We, JOHN WASHINGTON EISENHUTH, and RUDOLPH HERMAN Gentlemen
and EMILIE MARIE HERMAN, Lady, of 324 Pine Street, San Francisco, County
of San Francisco, State of California, United States of America do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to improvements in underground systems for electric
railways and the objects of the invention are, first, to provide a conduit in which
the loss of the current from leakage will be reduced to the minimum; second, to so
form said conduit that all dirt, water, etc. falling into the same will be carried off
therefrom; third, to provide a conduit in which the positive and negative wires or
conductors may be very near together without any danger of short circuiting
between them, fourth, to provide an improved trolley wire or conductor wherein the
greater part of the current shall be carried in an insulated conductor and only a
small portion of the current, that required for immediate use, shall be exposed.
We accomplish these objects by the devices described in the following
Specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which latter,
Fig. 1. represents a central vertical section through a conduit embodying our
invention.
Fig. 2. represents a transverse vertical section through the same,
Fig. 3. represents a detail top plan view of the conduit plates containing the
man hole which permits access to the interior of the conduit ;
Fig. 4. represents a detail side elevation of the flat hollow trolley bar;
Fig. 5. represents an end elevation of the same,
Fig. 6. represents a top plan view of said bar,
Fig. 7. represents a detail end elevation of the insulated trolley connecting
arm,
Fig. 8. represents a side elevation of the same,
Fig. 9. represents an end elevation of the conduit securing holder or fastener,
Fig. 10. represents a side elevation of the same,
Fig. 11. represents a transverse vertical section through the road bed showing
the conduit in place between the rails and also the drain system and pump for
removing the water from the conduit,
Fig. 12. represents a detail perspective view of the compensating joint for joining
the glass plates,
Fig. 13. is a top plan view of a portion of our modified principal conductor,
Fig. 14. is a vertical sectional view of the same, also showing one of the supports
and a portion of our auxiliary conductor,
Fig. 15. is a cross section of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 16. is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 17. is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 18. is a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 14 and,
Figs. 19 and 20 represent detail top plan views of the conductor supporting
brackets and joints.
A in the drawings represents the tie or sleeper, and upon these sleepers, at
suitable distances apart for supporting the conducting wires H, H', are mounted
metallic chairs D. These chairs have concave segmental seats d supported on
standards d¹ and so arranged as to receive the segmental plates E, which, when
secured in said seats, form a cylindrical conduit open at top and bottom. Other

page_text: segmental plates E' are attached to the tops of the plates E and extend so as to
form the edge of the conduit slot e. Other segmental plates E2 join the edges of
the segmental seats and the plates E. All the faces of these plates which come in
contact with each other are coated with insulating material, asbestos, or other
suitable material and all the bolts securing said plates together are surrounded by
insulated sleeves and have their heads and locking nuts provided with insulated
washers so that all of said plates are entirely insulated from each other.
.
Two parallel arms d rise from the centre of each chair and extend up between
the lower edges of the segmental seats d and are adapted to receive and hold glass
partitions when cemented therein so as to divide the conduit into two semi-circular
chambers. Insulating blocks G, G' are secured in said segmental seats, one on
each side of said glass partitions, and these blocks are adapted to support the
conducting wires H and H¹ and the feed wires and h', the latter passing through
passages cut in said blocks and the former mounted on top of said blocks by means
of the holders or fastening devices I through which said conductors pass. These
holders I as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are provided with extensions as i, which are
adapted to enter recesses cut in the tops of the blocks G, G¹ and be secured in said
blocks by keys which pass through said blocks and said extensions.
In our modified form of conductor or trolley wire, as shown in Fig. 14, the
general conducting wires H, H₁ are supported upon the brackets L' secured to
the blocks G. G', by means of the collars or joints F¹ and the slotted studs H.
The studs may screw into the collars, as shown, or may be attached in any other
suitable way. The studs are securely held in the brackets by the tapered keys 1.
Between these collars the conductors are covered by the insulation E3 and this is
covered by the sectional tubing D', the sections of which extend from one joint or
collar to the next. The trolleys move upon these tubes and get their electricity
therefrom. These tubular sections may be attached directly to the collars F', or
may be insulated therefrom at one end by the packing G' as shown. The tubes D'
and collars F' are preferably formed of some material of low conductivity, while
the wires H, H' should be of the greatest possible conductivity. By this means,
the greater part of the current will be confined to the main wires and only such as
is needed for immediate use, as for the trolleys, will flow into the exterior tubes.
Thus the loss of the entire current or serious accidents, as from short circuiting,
will be practically impossible.
Upon long lines it may be found better not to carry the entire current in the
wires H, H, and on heavy grades, it may even be found advisable to slightly
increase the voltage. In all such cases, we employ auxiliary conductors h, h
passing through the blocks G, G' and provided with a continuous insulation C',
and where it is found desirable to employ the current.therefrom, a small strip of
metal K' is inserted through the insulation, as shown, and wrapped around the end
of the tapered key I. The brackets L' are of course, composed of insulating
material. The current will then pass from the auxiliary conductors h, h¹ to the
joints F and thence to the tubular sections D', and may if desired be kept entirely
from the main conductors H, H' by means of an insulated packing B'.
The auxiliary conductors may be employed to feed several smaller circuits, each
similar to the above, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.
The tubes D' should be preferably composed of some material which is not only
a poor conductor of electricity but also has good wearing properties. For this
purpose we prefer an alloy of from 3 to 3 copper and the remainder bronze, the
main conducting wire preferably being of copper.
The edges of the glass plates forming the partition F are connected together by
lead joints, and at short distances, expansion joints are introduced in said partition
to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the glass because of the changes
in the weather.
The chairs are not placed on every tie or sleeper but only at intervals and near
enough together to adequately support the conductors and prevent their sagging
too much because of the pressure of the trolley thereon.

page_text: It will be seen by reference to Fig. 11. that any water falling through the slot
into the conduit will be carried off in drain pipes J which discharge into cistern J¹
or a sewer. If there are no sewers that can be utilized, then the discharge must
be into the cistern. The water is removed from the cistern by an ordinary pump
operated by an electric motor K which draws its operating current from the feed
wires and the conduit is always kept free from water. The sleepers are of course
set at a sufficient distance below the surface of the ground to bring the top of the
conduit on a level with the said surface, and the rails are mounted on chairs
attached to the sleepers to bring them on a level with the top of the conduit.
The trelley is composed of a trolley supporting bar L adapted to be attached to
the bottom of the car and passed through the narrow slot of the conduit, and
provided with two conducting wire passages 1, 1 one for the positive and one for
the negative wire or conductor. This bar is formed at its lower end, as shown in
Figs. 4 and 5 with a horizontal passage extending at right angles to the vertical
passage. The central portion of the lower end of said bar is cut away to form a
recess as at to receive the heads or nuts of the bolts N which secure the trolley
arms M to.the bar L.
"'
These trolley arms are formed as shown in Fig. 8. of an angular arm provided
with eyes m, m' at each end, but arranged so that the passages forming said eyes
extend at right angles to each other. This angular arm is provided with a nose m³
which assists in supporting concave segmental shields n' which are secured to said
trolley arms by bolts. The eyes m of the trolley arms are slipped over their
respective bolts and secured in position by the nuts on the ends of the said bolts;
insulating sleeves and washers being interposed between said bolts and parts
through which they pass. The conductors in the trolley are then secured to their
respective bolts, said conductors being insulated from the passages through which
they run. The trolleys proper are formed by securing bolts o carrying wheels o²,
in the eyes m, m'. The wheels o' are so grooved that when placed in position on
each side of the eyes m¹ they form semi-circular grooves that exactly fit over the
respective conductors on each side of the glass partition.
By means of the glass partition, short circuiting is absolutely prevented between
the circuit wires.
The compensating joint as shown in Fig. 12. is composed of four clamping
jaws, s, & and s¹, s¹ connected together by a snake like or zig zag web of some soft
metal as S.
The ends of the glass plates are secured in said clamp jaws by means of bolts
which pass through insulating hard rubber sleeves. The parts s, sand S are all
coated with insulated paint or other insulating composition so that they will not
make breaks in the insulated partition formed by said glass plates. The part S
being made of soft metal will allow the glass plates to expand and contract by
the zig zag portion of said part S opening or closing as the case may be.
It will be noted that the plates forming the slot through which the trolley bar
passes are insulated from the remainder of the conduit so that if the wires that are
enclosed in said trolley bar should by any accident come in contact with said plates
the circuit would not be short circuited as it otherwise would be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination of supporting
chairs, an insulated conduit mounted thereon, an insulating partition dividing said
conduit, conducting wires mounted on each side of said partition in said conduit but
insulated therefrom and u trolley adapted to engage said conducting wires,
substantially as described.
'
2. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination of supporting
5 chairs, a conduit mounted thereon and consisting of an inner and an outer shell,
:

page_text: the inner shell being insulated from the outer, and an insulating dividing partition
in said conduit, insulating blocks mounted on said conduit, conducting wires
mounted on said blocks and on each side of said partition and a trolley adapted to
straddle said partition and engage the respective conducting wires, substantially as
described.
3. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination of supporting
chairs, an insulated conduit mounted thereon, an insulating partition dividing said
conduit, conducting wires mounted on each side of said partition in said conduit
but insulated therefrom, a trolley adapted to engage said conducting wires, drain
pipes connected to said conduit, a cistern into which said pipes discharge, a pump
for removing the water from said cistern and a motor fed from the said conduit and
actuating said pump, substantially as described.
4. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination of supporting
chairs, an insulated conduit mounted thereon, an insulating partition dividing said
conduit, conducting wires mounted on each side of said partition but insulated
therefrom and a trolley adapted to engage said conducting wires and consisting of
a trolley bar having conducting wire passages and provided with two pivoted
trolley arms carrying trolleys and trolley shields respectively; said arms being
adapted to lie on each side of said insulated partition, so that said trolleys carried
thereby may engage their respective conducting wires, substantially as described.
5. In a conduit for underground systems the combination of separable plates
forming said conduit and the side walls of the slot for the passage of the trolley
bar, and insulating material between said plates whereby the plates forming said
slot are insulated from the remainder of the conduit, substantially as described.
6. In an underground system for electric railways, the combination of a conduit
having an insulated partition and conducting wires on each side thereof and
compensating joints introduced in said partition to allow of its expansion and
contraction, substantially as described.
7. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a conductor of low
resistance and a series of tubular conductors having permanent electrical connection
therewith.
8. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor and a
series of short tubular conductors surrounding the main conductor and having
permanent electrical connection therewith.
9. An electric conductor for trolleys etc., comprising a main conductor and a
series of short tubular conductors surrounding the main conductor and having
permanent electrical connection therewith.
10. An electric conductor for trolleys etc., comprising a main conductor and a
series of short tubular conductors surrounding the main conductor and having
permanent electrical connection therewith but being partially insulated therefrom.
11. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor of low
resistance and a series of short tubular conductors each having permanent electrical
connection therewith.
12. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, a
surrounding insulation and a series of short tubular conductors surrounding this,
with the main conductor.
13. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, a
series of short tubular conductors surrounding this, and a series of collars or joint
. pieces supporting the tubular conductors.
14. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, a
series of collars thereon, a series of short tubular conductors surrounding the
main conductor and each connected at one end to a collar and insulated at the
other end.
15. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, a
series of collars thereon, sections of tubular conductors supported by the collars
and the slotted studs attached to the collars.

page_text: 16. An electric conductor for trolleys etc., comprising a main conductor, au
auxiliary conductor, and a series of short conductors some of which are connected
to one conductor and some to the other.
17. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising an insulated main
conductor, an insulated auxiliary conductor, and a series of short conductors some
of which are connected to one conductor and some to the other.
18. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising an insulated main
conductor, an insulated auxiliary conductor, and a series of short tubular conductors
Burrounding the main conductor, some of these being connected with the main
conductor and some with the auxiliary conductor.
19. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, an
auxiliary conductor a series of short tubular conductors surrounding the main
conductor, some of these being connected with the one and some with the other.
20. An electric conductor for trolleys etc. comprising a main conductor, a
series of collars thereon, a series of short tubular conductors surrounding the main
auxiliary conductor, an insulated
conductor and connected with the collars, an
bracket supporting the conductors and electrical connections between the auxiliary
conductor and some of the collars.
21. A trolley wire comprising a main conductor and a distributing system, said
distributing system comprising a series of collars on said main conductor and a
series of short tubes surrounding the main conductor and connected to the collars,
said distributing system being of much less conductivity than the main conductor.
Dated this 16th day of Inly 1894
WM. P. THOMPSON & CO.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.