IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL GATES, Hurdles, Palisading, Fencing, Tree Guards, VERANDAHS, BALCONIES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Wilkes, of Sedgley, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
METAL GATES, Hurdles, Palisading, Fencing, Tree Guards, VERANDAHS,
BALCONIES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Wilkes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st July 1880.
STEPHEN WILKES, of Sedgley, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer,
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL GATES, HURDLES, PALISADING,
FENCING, TREE-GUARDS, VERANDAHS, BALCONIES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
The separate parts to form the articles above mentioned, or to form the sections
or lengths for the same, are fixed together by running cast metal into chills placed
around the joints. According to this method of fixing the parts together, it is
unnecessary to pass any of the parts through the others, or to rivet them up, or
to weld the fect to the uprights in those cases in which feet are required, as
the parts forming the feet may be fixed in the same manner as the other parts.
Each hurdle or other section or length to form a fence or similar article is fastened
to its adjoining hurdle, section, or length, by passing a pin or cotter through
corresponding projections cast out from the hurdles, sections, or lengths, when
casting the metal around joints at the ends of the hurdles, sections, or lengths. Each
projection on one hurdle, section, or length, comes exactly over or at the side of the
corresponding projection on the adjoining hurdle, section, or length, and the pin or
cotter is of course passed through both the projections.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Stephen Wilkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st January
1881.
"
STEPHEN WILKES, of Sedgley, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF METAL GATES, HURDLES, PALISADING, 5
FENCING, TREE GUARDS, VERANDANS, BALCONIES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
The separate parts to form the articles mentioned in the title, or to form the
sections or lengths for the same, are fixed together by running cast iron or other
According to this
cast metal into chills placed around the parts at their junction.
method of fixing the parts together, it is unnecessary to pass any of the parts 1
through others, or to rivet them up, or to weld the feet to the uprights in those
cases in which feet are required, as the parts forming the feet may be fixed in the
same manner as the other parts.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same with reference to the accompanying 1
Drawings, which illustrate my Invention as applied to the construction of a hurdle;
after which, the application of my Invention to the construction of the other articles
named in the title, will be sufficiently obvious to any person skilled in the trades to
which those articles relate.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2, a side elevation of a sheep hurdle;
Figure 3 is a front elevation, and Figure 4, a side elevation of the frame or apparatus
carrying the chills, in which the bars and other parts of the hurdle are placed to
receive around them the cast metal forming the joints. A, A, etc., is the inain part
of the framing; B, B, is a bar fixed by means of the bolts a, a, at the back of the
framing A, A, etc. The bar B, B, has necks or bearings b, b, carried in standards
C, C. so that the framing can be turned at any inclination, and with either of the
horizontal bars A, A, uppermost; D, D, etc., are the chills, which are held to the
vertical bars E, E, etc., by pins passing through slots in the bars E, E, etc., and
screwed into the chills D, D, etc. The bars and uprights of the hurdle are shewn
placed in position in the chills, and numbered to correspond with the bars and
uprights shewn in Figure 1. D', D', are the chills for forming the joint between an
upright and the projecting piece for the foot. These chills D', D', are carried by short
bars F, F, bolted to the main framing as shewn, and angle pieces G, G, bolted to
the extremities of the short bars F, F. The chills D', D', are turned at right angles
to the chills D, D, etc., the plane of the joint being at right angles to the plane of
the hurdle. Each chill is formed in two halves, the parts for carrying the bars or
other parts of the hurdle, and for receiving the cast metal around the joint, being
sunk in the inner faces of the half chills. Figure 5 is a front elevation, shewing the
inner face of the back half of one of the chills D, as used for the joint between an end
upright and a horizontal bar, and is drawn to an enlarged scale; Figure 6 is a view
of the inner face of the other half; Figure 7 is a view looking upon the top of the two
half chills shewn at Figures 5 and 6, when put together ready for casting, and Figure 8
is a side clevation of Figure 7, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; H
represents the half chill shewn at Figure 5, and J, the balf chill shewn at Figure 6; E is
the bar, corresponding to one of the bars E, Figure 3, and F, F', are set-pins passing
through the slot in the bar E and screwed into the metal of the part H, thus holding the
H tightly against the bar E. c, c, arc washers under the heads of the pins.
part
The parts K and K' represent corresponding hollows sunk in the inner face of each
half of the chill to receive the cast metal for forming the joint around the bars.
The vertical bar L of the hurdle is shewn by dotted lines running right through
the chill (Figure 5), being kept in position by the sunk semicircular parts M, M,
which are of a size to allow the bar to lie therein and be held in place when the

page_text: two half chills are fastened together. The parts N, N, are also sunk semicircular,
but of an enlarged diameter, so as to allow clearance around the bar L The
parts M, M, N, N¹, Figure 6, correspond to the parts M, M, N, N, Figure 5.
A horizontal bar O is shewn by dotted lines entering through the side of the chill
(Figures 5 and 7) and butting against the upright L. P and P¹are sunk semicircular
parta to carry the bar O. When the bars are laid in the back half of the chill (for
which purpose the frame carrying the chills may be turned into a horizontal
position) the part J is placed with the face, shewn at Figure 6, upon the face H,
shewn at Figure 5, and held thereto by means of the pins Q, Q, the L-shaped ends
of which are turned somewhat into the position, shewn by dotted lines, Figure 5,
thus tightening on to inclined parts d, d, at the back of the part J, and therefor
pressing up the part J against the part H, and holding it thereto while the metal
is poured into the chill to form the joint. The pins Q, Q, are screwed into
snugs g,g, on the part H, as shewn. The snugs g, g, act as guides to corresponding
recesses on the part J, so that the two half chills may properly fit together. A' is
a round boss, having a round hole f cast therein. The boss A' with the hole f is
used for lifting the part J by means of a pair of tongs when it is too hot to hold by
the hand. R is a "git" sunk in the face of the part J, through which the metal is
poured into the parts K, K. A similar chill to that illustrated by Figures 5, 6, 7,
and 8 may be used for fixing the bent piece to the lower end of an outside upright
to form the foot, the upright being carried in one piece down to its pointed end,
and the bent piece being butted against it within the chill. When the joints are
cast and the two inner half chills of the chills D, D', removed, one (in which
the foot projects forwards) or both the outer half chills are moved outwards by
means of the slots in the angle plates to free the joints. The chills for connecting the
intermediate uprights with the top horizontal bar (which is in one length between
the end uprights) aro also similar to the chill illustrated by Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8,
but the parts are of course constructed to suit the lesser size of joint required.
Figuro 9 shews the inner face of a half chill, corresponding to the part H, Figure 5,
for forming the joint between an intermediate upright and one of the horizontal
bars, not being the top bar. The intermediate upright S is represented by dotted
lines running right through the chill, and the horizontal bar T is shewn by dotted
lines passing in at each side of the chill and butting against the bar S. U is a hollow
sunk in the face of the chill to receive the cast metal for forming the joint, and
e, e, etc., are semicircular sunk parts carrying the bars. The other part of the chill is
of course formed to correspond, as will be readily understood. The "git", which
would be upon the other part of the chill, is indicated by dotted lines.
It will be seen that the chills can be adjusted in their distance apart in any
direction by means of the slotted parts in the framing and bars E, E, etc., to suit any
size of hurdle, and of course it is quite immaterial what section of bars and
uprights, etc., is used for a hurdle or the character of the ornamentation forming the
cast metal joints. If tubes are used for the end uprights they are drawn down to a
point at the bottom, and are continued above the cast metal joint at the top, and a
rivet placed with its shank down the inside of the tube and the head resting on the
top, the said rivet being welded into the tube so as to form a solid top upon which
to hammer to drive the hurdle into the ground. If solid bar uprights are used, the
top ends are carried above the cast iron or other cast metal joint, to allow of their
being hammered without striking the cast metal. In the case of the hurdle
illustrated, the lower chills, shewn at Figures 3 and 4, may be placed with the
top of their "gits" upwards for casting, whilst the upper chills may be placed with
their "gits" downwards, so that upon turning the frame A, A, etc., upside down,
after casting into the lower chills, the other chills will be in a position with their
gits" upwards for casting at a convenient height. If the upper and lower chills
do not balance one another, any strut or other ineans may be employed to keep the
framing in any desired position.
"
I have described my Invention as it relates specially to the construction of
hurdles, but its application to the other articles named in the title will now be

page_text: sufficiently obvious without need for special illustration. Of course the apparatus
employed must vary in its arrangements to suit the shape of the article for which
it is used; for instance, the chills used in the construction of tree-guards must be
carried on a frame allowing of their being placed in positions relatively to one
another to suit the curve of the horizontal bars, and where projecting parts are
required the chills for forming these parts will be jointed sideways like the
chills D¹, D'.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, and particularly described
and ascertained the manner of performing the same, I declare that I do not claim
the chills and apparatus herein described by themselves, as similar ones have been
used for other purposes, but what I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is :-
1st. The construction of the articles named in the title by running cast metal into
chills placed around the joints of the separate parts to form the said articles, or to
form the sections or lengths for the same, substantially as herein described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
2nd. In the case of those articles named in the title which require the end uprights
to be driven into the ground (and the joints of the bars of which are formed as
before described), carrying up the said end uprights above the cast metal forming
the joint at the top, and, in case of using tube iron, closing the top of the same in
with a rivet, substantially as and for the purpose herein described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
3rd. Forming the joints for projecting parts by means of chills jointed sideways,
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Wilkes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty first day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.