IMPROVE- MENTS IN EFFECTING ELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leone Glukman, of Sackville Street, in the City of
Dublin, Professor of Natural Philosophy, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN EFFECTING ELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS."
Sealed the 20th March 1855, and dated the 8th November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leone Glukman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th November 1854.
I,. LEON GLUKMAN, of Sackville Street, in the City of Dublin, Professor of
Natural Philosophy, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING ELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS" to
be as follows, viz. :-
For passing signals along railway trains, I fasten below the framing of each
carriage lengthways, midway between the wheels, and in a convenient position
to avoid interference with the carriage couplings, a bar of fir wood as long.as
the carriage, which bar contains as many grooves as there are to be wires.
Towards the extremities of the wooden bar the grooves are thrown into one,
for the purpose of allowing free motion to the springs and couplings, described
below. The wires are of copper, and lie separately in the grooves; they are
soldered. at each extremity to spiral springs of closely coiled brass wire, about
18 inches long, which play loosely in the grooves, and the wires and springs

page_text: are kept in their places by a slip of wood, nailed or screwed over the grooves.
The extremities of the springs are straightened and soldered to the brass hooks
and eyes or couplings. The straight ends of the springs and the tails of the
hooks and eyes are imbedded in a flat mass of gutta percha, or other suitable
insulating substance, so that the wires and hooks may be kept insulated from
each other, and the hooks parallel and equally advanced, and if more than two,
at equal distances. The length of the wires and springs is so adjusted, that
when the carriages are coupled, the wires of the respective carriages may be
drawn out and hooked together with a moderate tension, and when unhooked,
the hooks may hang out a few inches.
It is necessary that the wires and connexions should be so arranged as to
be capable of effecting the communication, whichever end of a given carriage
is presented to be coupled to another carriage, and this could not be done
with common hooks and eyes, or snaps for two eyes; two tubes or two
tongues might be brought together. The hooks and eyes are therefore com-
bined in the form represented in Fig. 1 & 2, where F, F, F, F, äre hooks,
and H, H, are rectangular slots' or eyes, the whole being stamped out of sheet
brass and bent up into the form represented. Fig. 3 represents the hooks and
eyes connected. The effect is, that each piece of brass may be used either as
a hook or as an eye. In order to secure metallic contact, studs of silver, gold,
or platina are rivetted into the tongues and in front of the slots, as repre-
sented, and left slightly projecting, so as to meet when the hooks are in use.
For this purpose I prefer platina.
- Though I prefer to use the materials and arrangement above described, it
is obvious that the wires and springs may be made wholly of iron, galvanized
or not, or wholly of brass or other metal, or of combinations of different
metals, and that the hooks and eyes may be made of other metals than brass;
and that in lieu of the springs at each extremity of the wire, a single spring
may be inserted in any part of its course; and that in lieu of a spring in the
circuit, any elastic substance not forming part of the circuit may be used, in
connexion with a flexible wire or lamina of metal, to keep the hooks in tension;
and that the wires may be kept apart by other means than the wooden troughs
or grooves, above described; and that the studs of silver, gold, or platina may
be dispensed with, if care is taken to keep the bearing parts of the hooks and
eyes clean and bright. If it should be found inconvenient to have the wires
in the central line of the carriages, a double set of wires, one on each side,
must be provided, in order to enable the carriages to be coupled in any
position; but I have found a single set of wires in or near the centre line
'sufficient.

page_text: The coupling above described may be used in connexion with the apparatus
for ringing bells and giving signals by means of voltaic electricity, for
which I hold a Patent, or in connexion with any other apparatus for effect-
ing electric communications in railway trains or vessels. Now, I do not
claim as part of my said Invention the use of wires permanently attached to
railway carriages; but I claim as my said Invention, only the use of such
compound hooks and eyes or couplings as are above described for con-
necting the different parts of a metallic circuit through which electricity is
to pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Leone Glukman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEONE
GLUKMAN, of Sackville Street, in the City of Dublin, Professor of Natural
Philosophy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Leone Glukman, Her special licence that I, the said Leone Glukman,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Leone
Glukman, 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 of "IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFECTING
ELECTRIC COMMUNICATIONS IN RAILWAY TRAINS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Leone Glukman, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 I, the said Leone Glukinan, 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,

page_text: reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed; in which, Fig. 1 is a
plan, shewing a bar of grooved fir wood, with the coils of copper wire con-
nected with the hooks and rectangular eyes. Fig. 2 is a plan, shewing the
method for effecting an electric communication from carriage to carriage.
Fig. 3 is a section of a hook and eye, shewing the connexion of the four
platina or other metal studs. Fig. 3¹ is a section of a hook and eye, shewing
the connexion of 2 of the platina or other metal studs. Fig. 3" is a perspective
view of the hook and eye, in the position as shewn in Fig. 3. The several
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures..
For passing signals along railway trains, I fasten below the framing of each
carriage lengthways, midway between the wheels, and in a convenient position
to avoid interference with the carriage couplings, a bar of fir wood as long as
the carriage, marked A, A, in Fig. 1, which bar contains as many grooves as
there are to be wires. Towards the extremities of the wooden bar the grooves
are thrown into one, for the purpose of allowing free motion to the springs
and couplings described below. The wires are of copper, and lie separately in
the grooves, being sufficiently insulated by the wood; they are soldered at
each extremity to spiral springs of closely coiled brass wire B, B, about 18
inches long, which play loosely in the grooves, and the wires and springs are
kept in their places by a slip of wood, nailed or screwed over the grooves.
The extremities of the springs are straightened and soldered to the brass
hooks and eyes, or couplings H, H. The straight ends of the springs and the
tails of the hooks and eyes are imbedded in a flat mass E of gutta percha or
other suitable insulating substance, so that the wires and hooks may be kept
insulated from each other, and the hooks parallel and equally advanced, and
if more than two, at equal distances. The lengths of the wires and springs
are so adjusted, that when the carriages are coupled, the wires of the
respective carriages may be drawn out and hooked together with a moderate
tension, and when unhooked, the hooks may hang out a few inches.
It is necessary that the wires and connexions should be so arranged as to
be capable of effecting the communication, whichever end of a given carriage
is presented to be coupled to another carriage, and this could not be done
with common hooks and eyes, or snaps for two eyes; two tubes or two tongues
might be brought together. The hooks and eyes are therefore combined in
the form represented in Figs. 2 and 3, where F, F, are hooks, and H, H,
are rectangular slots or eyes, the whole being stamped out of sheet brass
and bent up into the form represented. Figs. 3, 3', & 3" represent the hooks
and eyes connected. The effect is, that each piece of brass may be used
either as a hook or as an eye. In order to secure metallic contact, studs

page_text: b, b, b, b, of silver, gold, or platina, are rivetted into the tongues and in front
of the slots, as represented, and left slightly projecting, so as to meet when
the hooks are in use. For this purpose I prefer platina.
Though I prefer to use the materials and arrangement above described, it
is obvious that the wires and springs may be made wholly of iron, galvanised
or not; or wholly of brass or other metal, or of combinations of different
metals; and that the hooks and eyes may be made of other metals than brass;
and that in lieu of the springs at each extremity of the wire, a single spring
may be inserted in any part of its course; and that in lieu of a spring in the
circuit, any elastic substance not forming part of the circuit may be used, in
connexion with a flexible wire or lamina of metal, to keep the hooks in tension,
and that the wires may be kept apart by other means than the wooden troughs
or grooves, above described; and that the studs of silver, gold, or platina may
be dispensed with, if care is taken to keep the bearing parts of the hooks and
eyes clean and bright. But I do not anticipate that this can be done with
advantage. If it should be found inconvenient to have the wires in the
central line of the carriages, a double set of wires, one on each side, must
be provided, in order to enable the carriages to be coupled in any position.
But I have found a single set of wires in or near the centre line sufficient.
The coupling above described may be used in connexion with the apparatus
for ringing bells and giving signals by means of voltaic electricity, for which I
hold a Patent, or in connexion with any other apparatus for effecting electric
communication in railway trains or vessels.
Now, I do not claim, as part of my Invention for effecting electric com-
munications, the use of wires permanently attached to railway carriages; but I
claim as my Invention, for effecting electric communications in railway trains,
the use of such compound hooks and eyes or couplings as are above described
for connecting the different parts of a metallic circuit through which electricity
of low tension is to pass..
In witness whereof, I, the said Leone Glukman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 5th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1855.
TRONE
OTHMAN
TEONE CLITZMANT
ATENTIXORD THAT
(2.5.)