IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHING OR COMMUNICATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY."
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Tyer, of Cornhill, in the City of London,
Electrical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHING
OR COMMUNICATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Tyer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st December 1855.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Cornhill, in the City of London, Electrical
Eugiueer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TELEGRAPHING OR COMMUNICATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY" to be as follows:-
Heretofore, in telegraphing by means of electricity, it has been usual
to employ a permanently magnetic needle mounted on an axis, and
acted on by a coil, through which the electric current passes; and some-
times, in place of employing a permanently magnetic needle, a needle
of soft iron has been used, such soft iron needle being rendered magnetic
by a magnet placed near it, and being acted on by a coil, similar to that
used with the permanently magnetic needle.
Now, this part of my Invention consists in the use of a soft iron needle
suspended between the poles.of.a permanent horse-shoe magnet, and
acted on by an electro-magnet rendered magnetic by the passage of the
line current. By this arrangement the soft iron needle is rendered
magnetic only to give a signal, and then it moves towards one or other
pole of the permanent horse-shoe magnet, according as it is made
magnetic in one or other direction by the passage of one line current.
My Invention also consists in arranging commutators or pole changers

page_text: in such a manner as to direct the outgoing current through one instru-
ment or indicator, and the incoming current through another instrument
or indicator; and this I do by causing the incoming current to pass along
a spring which bears on a metallic point, from which the spring is raised
when the commutator is acted on; thus, one instrument is thrown out
of circuit whilst the current is passed by the commutator through the
other.
My Invention also relates to improvements in communicating between
the different parts of a railway train by magneto-electric apparatus, and
consists in so arranging magneto-electric machines as to cause them to
be worked by the motion of the train; and this I do either by mounting
the coils or permanent magnets on the axle of one of the carriages, or
by placing a pulley on the axle and driving the magneto-electro
machine therefrom by means of a band.
The object of the last part of my Invention is to arrange alarms to
give signals on railway trains, so as to prevent them from being thrown
into action by the oscillation of the train; and this I do by connecting
the detent which restrains the clockwork with a piece of soft iron, which is
operated on by two electro-magnets; one of these is kept in action by the
all-right signal, and holds the detent in its place, and the other is brought
into action by the danger signal, and withdraws the detent; and for
extra security I employ a stop or bolt, which locks the detent in its place
until the stop or bolt is withdrawn by an electro-magnet brought into
action by the current which gives the danger signal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Tyer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
TYER, of Cornhill, in the City of London, Electrical Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nine-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Tyer, Her special licence, that I,
the said Edward Tyer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Edward Tyer, my executors, administrators,

page_text: OR
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHING
COMMUNICATING BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Tyer, 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
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Tyer, 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:-
.Heretofore, in telegraphing by means of electricity, it has been usual
to employ a permanently magnetic needle mounted on an axis, and
acted on by a coil, through which the electric current passes; and some-
times, in place of employing a permanently magnetic needle, a needle
of soft iron has been used, such soft iron needle being rendered magnetic
by a magnet placed near it, and being acted on by a coil, similar to that
used with the permanently magnetic needle..
Now, this part of my Invention consists in the use of a soft iron needle
suspended between the poles of a permanent horse-shoe magnet, and
acted on by an electro-magnet rendered magnetic by the passage of the
line current. By this arrangement the soft iron needle is rendered
magnetic only to give a signal, and then it moves towards one or other
pole of the permanent horse-shoe magnet, according as it is made
magnetic in one or other direction by the passage of one line current.
Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2 a side view, of an instrument
arranged according to this first portion of my Invention. A represents
an electro-magnet; and B, a piece of soft iron, or other magnetic body,
nicely adjusted on pivots near to one of the poles of the electro-magnet A,
but not absolutely touching. Now, whenever a current of electricity
traverses the coils of the electro-magnet A, the centre core of soft iron
will become powerfully magnetic, and the piece of iron B being close
thereto will become magnetic by induction, and according to the direc-

page_text: tion of the current round the iron core, in like manner will be the polarity
induced into B. Now, by reversing the direction of the current through
A, the polarity of B will also become reversed; in this state of things no
motion would be given to B, it would only become a magnet having either
a north or south pole (whenever currents of electricity were permitted
to traverse the coils A); in order to produce a permanent beat of the
piece B, I place a permanent magnet C, as represented in the Figure,
and then the electro-magnet B will move either to the right or to the left,
according to the polarity imparted to it by the coil A. A pointer hand
or index D is fitted to the upper extremity of the needle B, and will serve
to indicate its motions.
Figure 3 represents an instrument with two permanent magnets, and
is used whenever a vibratory motion is required to be given to the index
or hand A. A slight sliding counterpoise weight B is fixed so as to keep
the centre of gravity below the centres of suspension. It will at once be
understood by those conversant with electrical telegraph apparatus that
the above arrangement cannot become deranged (as regards demagne-
.tizing the piece B, or reversing its polarity by atmospherical dis
turbances), and that whenever Figure 1 is employed, a dead-beat move-
ment will be the result, and when Figure 3, a vibratory one. The instru
ment, Figures 1 and 2, may be used with recording instruments, the
circuits of which are completed by the needle resting up against the
stops e, e; and if the surface on which the recording instrument marks
is driven regularly by a clock, a record may be obtained of the time at
and during which a particular signal was shown by the needle.
My Invention also consists in arranging commutators or pole changers
in such a manner as to direct the outgoing current through one instru-
ment or indicator, and the incoming current through another instrument
or indicator; and this I do by causing the incoming current to pass along
a spring which bears on a metallic point, from which the spring is raised
when the commutator is acted on; thus, one instrument is thrown out
of circuit whilst the current is passed by the commutator through the
other.
Figure 4 is a side view, and Figure 5 a plan, of a commutator or pole
changer, constructed according to this part of my Invention. A is a
piece of wood or other non-conducting material; B, B, a pair of piston
rods fitted to the cylinders C¹, C; D is a piece of boxwood or ivory fixed
to the end of each piston rod, and having two points of metal E, E,
attached thereto; from these points a metallic communication is made

page_text: with the poles of battery; F, F, F, are springs placed opposite to but
not touching the points E, E, the first and third of which are to be con-
nected together; G is a stop, against which the centre spring F presses
firmly. P, N, P, N, Figure 5, represent wires in connection with the
poles of a battery, and the spring F is attached to a wire coming from
any distant point or instrument. The stop G is to be put into connec-
tion with the receiving coil No. 1, Figure 6. Any current coming from
a distant point or place passes along spring F to stop G, and from
thence through this coil, and onward to any other series of instruments
in the same circuit. The springs F' and F" are attached to another coil
or instrument, No. 2, Figure 6; whenever the piston rod B is depressed.
then the spring F is forced away from stop G, and the battery poles
come in contact with the springs, and allow the current to flow through
the coil No. 2; and according to whichever piston rod is made use of, so
will be the direction of the current, as will be at once perceived by an
inspection of the Figures.
My Invention also relates to improvements in communicating between
the different parts of a railway train by magneto-electric apparatus, and
consists in so arranging magneto-electric machines as to cause them to
be worked by the motion of the train, and this I do either by mounting
the coils or permanent magnets on the axle of one of the carriages, or
by placing a pulley on the axle, and driving the magneto-electro
machine therefrom by means of a band.
Figures 7 and 8 shew the manner in which I prefer to arrange the appa-
ratus. C, C, C, C, are the coils, which are fixed to a framework of metal,
and surround the axle A of the wheel; M, M, are permanent magnets
placed close to the poles of the coil, and the terminations of the wires
of the coils are arranged with suitable springs, so as to lead off the
induced current; or in place of mounting the coils on the axle of the
wheels, they may be mounted on a separate axis driven by a band passing
round the axle.
The object of the last part of my Invention is to arrange alarms to
give signals on railway trains, so as to prevent them from being thrown
into action by the oscillation of the train; and this I do by connecting
the detent which restrains the clockwork with a piece of soft iron, which
is operated by two electro-magnets; one of these is kept in action by the
all-right signal, and holds the detent in its place, and the other is brought
into action by the danger signal, and withdraws the detent; and for
extra security I employ a stop or bolt, which locks the detent in its place

page_text: until the stop or bolt is withdrawn by an electro-magnet brought into
action by the current which gives the danger signal.
Figure 9 shews the manner of arranging an alarum according to this
part of
my Invention. A is the last of a train of wheels; and B is a detent
which retains it; C, D, and E, are three electro-magnets; F is an arma-
ture attached to the detent lever. While the alarum is not required to
sound, a current passes continuously through the coils of the magnet C,
and its attractive force holds the detent in its place; but even if this
attractive force is overcome by a jerk, the spring G prevents the detent
from being withdrawn by coming in contact with the tail of the detent
lever. When it is desired that the alarum should sound, the current
round the magnet C is caused to cease, and a current is produced in the
coil of the magnets D and E. The attraction of the magnet E moves
the spring G out of the way, and then the magnet D withdraws the
detent. Sometimes, in place of retaining the last wheel of the train by
a detent, I use for this purpose a spring or break bearing against its
surface or periphery, and in this case the retaining spring. G and its
magnet E may be dispensed with.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Tyer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
C. L. PEEL.
EDWP TYER. (L.S.)