IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING COMMUNICATIONS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDRICK
COLLIER BAKEWELL, of Hampstead, in the County of Middlesex, Gentlemen,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Second day of
December, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Frederick Collier Bakewell, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that, I, the said
Frederick Collier Bakewell, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Frederick Collier Bakewell, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein, expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING COMMUNICATIONS FROM ONE
PLACE TO ANOTHER BY MEANS OF ELECTRICITY;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, that I, the said Frederick Collier Bakewell, should cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick Collier Bakewell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists, in the first place, of methods of producing by means
of electricity copies of writing, of print, or of other characters, symbols,
or designs, for the purpose of telegraphic communications; and, secondly,
of modes of breaking and renewing the electric connections with distant
stations.
To carry into effect the first part of my Invention, the instruments employed
are made as exactly alike as possible, so as to impart equal and steady rotary
motions to cylinders on each instrument. Motion is given to the instruments
by weights, accellerated velocity being prevented by rapidly revolving fans.
The weights are so adjusted in relation to the fans that the cylinder of
each instrument shall rotate in equal times as nearly as possible. Parallel
to the cylinders are screws which turn with the cylinders, and on those
screws are traversing nuts. To those nuts arms are attached, at the end of
each of which there is a metal style or point that presses on the cylinder,
and is carried by the rotation of the screw from one end of the cylinder
to the other in a given number of revolutions. On to the cylinder of one
of the instruments the communication to be transmitted is placed. The
message is written with varnish or other substance that will not conduct
electricity, on tin foil or other conducting substance, or the tin foil may
be coated with a non-conducting body, and the writing be traced upon it
with a point so as to expose the metal. On to the cylinder of the correspond-
ing instrument the paper to receive the message is fixed. This paper is
thoroughly moistened with a solution which electricity will readily decompose,
and thus a mark is produced on it whenever the electric circuit is completed.
The solution may be of various kinds; but the one I prefer is a mixture of one-
third part of muriatic acid, one-third part water, and one-third part of a
saturated solution of prussiate of potass. Or the paper may be saturated with
diluted acid alone; and after the message is impressed on it, it may be dipped
in a weak solution of red ferrocyanate of potass, in which case the writing will
be invisible until brought out by the ferrocyanate. When a solution of
prussiate of potass, or of the red ferrocyanate is used, the marking point of

page_text: the receiving instrument should be of iron or steel, and it should be connected
with the positive pole of the voltaic battery. The points carried by the
traversing nuts are insulated from the other parts of the instruments, and are
connected with one of the wires from a voltaic battery, the cylinders being in
connection with the other wire, so that the electric circuit can be completed
only by passing through the point to the cylinder of each instrument. By this
arrangement, whenever the point of the transmitting instrument is pressing on
the exposed tin foil, the circuit is completed through the moistened paper on
the cylinder of the receiving instrument, and a mark is made on the paper;
but when the point of the transmitting instrument is pressing on the varnish
writing, the circuit is interrupted and the marking ceases.
In this manner, as
the corresponding cylinders rotate, spiral lines, very close together, are drawn
by the point of the receiving instrument, excepting in those places where the
electric circuit is interrupted by the varnish; and if both cylinders rotate
exactly together, the point of the transmitting instrument by passing several
times over different parts of the same letter will cause the marking point to
produce the forms of the letters on the prepared paper. It is essential to the
success of the process, that the cylinders of the corresponding instrument
should move synchronously. To effect this, I employ electro-magnets to
regulate the rotations of the cylinders at certain invervals.
In the mode I prefer of doing this, the electro-magnets are brought into
action by the intervention of pendulums, which are actuated by clockwork.
Each instrument has in connection with it a pendulum, an electro-magnet, and
a separate voltaic battery, which may consist of one or two pairs of plates
about six inches square. The wires connected with these batteries are so
arranged, that the pendulums as they vibrate make and break the electric
circuit and bring the electro-magnets into action once or oftener at each vibra-
tion.
Onl
Having by this means set in action the electro-magnets at equal
intervals of time, I employ their power as regulators of the continuous move-
ments of the cylinders in the following methods-To the keeper of each
electro-magnet an arm or small bent lever is fixed, the end of which nearly
touches the outer rim of the cylinder where the keeper is attracted to the
magnet, and is lifted from it by a spring when the magnetic action ceases.
to the outer rim of the cylinder there are placed several small projections at
exactly equal distances, which projections catch or rub against the end of the
lever when it is drawn down by the magnet, but pass freely when it is raised.
In working the instruments they are so weighted that the cylinders rotate in
a small degree faster than the speed they are to be permitted to attain, by
which means the projections on the rim of the cylinder touch the bent lever before

page_text: the electro-magnetic action ceases; and the movements of each cylinder are
regulated to correspond by retarding the motion every time that the pendulums
bring the electro-magnets into action. The regulating check should never be
so great as to stop the movements of the instrument; to prevent which the
ends of the bent levers or regulating detents should be slightly inclined to the
projecting-studs.
The arrangement of the magnetic regulators may be reversed by causing the
ends of the levers to be pressed towards the rims of the cylinders by springs, and
to be drawn back by the electro-magnets instead of employing the force of the
magnets directly as the controlling power. Or, the regulation of the instru
ments may be effected by causing the levers to give accellerating impulses to
the projections on the cylinders, in which case the instruments should be so
weighted as to move rather more slowly than the resulting motion required.
Another mode of applying the electro-magnetic regulator is to cause either of
the corresponding instruments at certain intervals of its revolution to bring into
action at the distant station an electro-magnet by means of a secondary circuit.
The mode of bringing electro-magnets into action by a secondary circuit is
more fully explained in the description of that part of my Invention which
relates to the breaking and renewing of electric circuits; I prefer however the
plan of regulating with the aid of pendulums, because they act independently
and with certainty at any distance. In any of the modes of applying the
magnetic regulator above described, it might be brought to bear on a wheel
either higher up or lower in the train than the cylinder, if found desirable.
As a means of ascertaining whether the distant cylinders are moving
synchronously, I place a strip of paper or other non-conducting substance on
the cylinder of the transmitting instrument, and if the cylinders be moving
accurately, a straight and perpendicular line is produced on the receiving
cylinder, but if one instrument be moving faster than the other or irregularly,
the line will be slanting or irregular. By means of this "guide line" the
person in charge of the receiving instrument is enabled to regulate it exactly
in accordance with the transmitting instrument by regulating the pendulum
and adjusting the weight. To start the instruments at the same instant, I
adopt the following method:-A small electro-magnet formed by numerous
coils of very fine wire is brought into action by the electric current transmitted
along the telegraphic wires. To the keeper of this magnet a small bent lever
is attached, which bears against the fan of the receiving instrument and keeps
it from revolving as long as the magnet is in action, but when the electric
circuit is momentarily broken by the starting of the transmitting instrument,
the keeper falls back, and the fan being released the receiving instrument is

page_text: set in motion.
Instead of employing a piece of soft iron for the keeper of this
electro-magnet, a small permanent magnet may be used, the poles of which
should be so placed that when the electric current passes the electro-magnet
shall repel the permanent one and liberate the fan. This arrangement for
starting the instrument is also applicable for sounding an alarum. To copy
print with these instruments a portion of the printers' ink may be transferred
from the printed paper to tin foil by pressure, or the tin foil may be printed
on directly from types. In copying small print or small writing the cylinder
of the receiving instrument should be of greater diameter than that of the
receiving instrument, and the thread of the screw for the traversing nut should
be coarser in proportion, so as to produce a magnified copy of the original for
greater distinctness.
Another arrangement for copying by means of electricity may be adopted,
which consists in the use of several points instead of only one or two, as in
the mode before described. When several points are used with only one con-
ducting wire, the points are placed close together, yet insulated from each
other, the range of points being sufficient to cover the depth of one or more
lines of writing. Similar ranges of points press on the message to be trans-
mitted, and on the paper of the receiving instrument, and the electricity is
caused to pass through the points alternately in rapid succession at corre-
sponding points, in such manner that they may transmit the electric current
at the same instant. The ends of the wires connected with the points are
inlaid in a disc of ivory in a circular form, and are so arranged that wire
springs attached to one of the rapidly revolving wheels of the instrument pass
over them in succession, and thus transmit the electric current through the
wires alternately. The synchronous successive transmissions of electricity
through corresponding points are attained, as in the preceding arrangements.
by the regulating power of electro-magnets, brought into action at certain in-
tervals. In this plan of copying with several points the rotation of the cylinder
must be much slower than that of the screw with the traversing nut, so that
the electric current may pass through the range of wires about four times in the
formation of each letter in the series of lines of writing covered by the points.
The accompanying Drawings of the arrangement for the copying tele-
graph, from Figure II. to Figure IV. inclusive, are made to the scale of half
an inch to an inch. Figure I. is on the scale of about one inch to one
foot. The same letters refer to the same parts in each.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the copying telegraph (with a single point)
mounted on its case; T is the frame containing the train of wheels for commu-
nicating motion to the cylinder, C; P is the end of the arm, attached to the

page_text: traversing nut, with the point resting on the cylinder, the arm and screw being
hidden from sight by the cylinder; M is the regulating electro-magnet; L, the
bent lever, fixed to the keeper, which presses on the projecting studs on the
wheel or disc R, which is here represented as fixed to the arbor of the cylinder,
this plan being more convenient than having the projections placed on the rim
of the cylinder, though either mode will answer equally; B is the pendulum,
moved by clockwork, which makes and breaks the electric circuit of the
voltaic battery v¹ to bring into action the magnet M. The starting magnet m
is placed near the fan F; V1, V2, V3, are the voltaic battery and connecting
wires for the long circuit; v1, v2, v3, v, are the quantity battery and wires
connected with the regulating electro-magnet; A is the supporting case; and
W, the weight.
Figure II. is a plan of the instrument; D is a small drum to wind up the
weight. The cord passes over a pulley O, and is not fixed to the drum, but
is wound round it a few turns, the cord being kept stretched by a small
counterpoise. The object of this arrangement (which is more clearly shown
in Figure VI.) is to confine the propelling action of the weight to the middle
of the drum; but this is not essential to the correct working of the instru-
ment; and an ordinary. clock pulley is represented in Figure I. S is the
screw, on which the nut N traverses, carrying the arm H and the point P.
The thread of the screw must be proportioned to the sise of the writing
intended to be copied, as it should carry the point at least six or seven times
over each letter, to bring out the form of the letters distinctly; M is the
regulating magnet; J, the stand to which it is fixed; K, the keeper; L, the
bent lever; E, E, the projections, against which the end of the lever rubs;
G, G, are cog wheels, for giving motion to the cylinder C. The fan F should
offer considerable resistance to the air, so as to increase the steadiness of the
motion, which may be regulated to the rate of thirty revolutions of the cylinder.
per minute (though a much greater velocity is attainable); m is the starting
magnet; and r, the bent lever which presses against the fan, and falls back
when the corresponding instrument starts. It is desirable to connect the
instrument with the wire V3 as soon as it is started, to avoid resistance to the
electric current in passing through the wire of the magnet m.
Figure III. represents the positions of the regulating electro-magnet and
lever and the projecting studs, which are here shewn placed on the rim of the
cylinder. J is the stand to which the electro-magnet is fixed; u is a spring to
force back the keeper, when the electric circuit is broken, against the rest t,
which should be moveable, so as to adjust the keeper within the striking dis-
tance of the magnet. The end of the lever should be made capable of being

page_text: adjusted at the proper angle to the projections E, E, and yet be quite firm.
v, v, v, are the connecting wires of the voltaic battery for working the electro-
magnet.
Figure IV. represents the instrument as seen behind,' and shews more par-
ticularly the form of the bent lever L, and of the screw S, and transversing
nut N.
Figure V. represents the plan of an arrangement for bringing the regu-
lating electro-magnet into action by means of the pendulum. The letters p, p,
show the back plate of the clockwork movement, to which plate ivory brackets
h, h, are fixed, which project about an inch. B is a section of the pendulum
rod, not far from the point of suspension, small pieces of platinum being fixed
to each side, as indicated by the blue marks; c, c, are two small platinum
wires joined to a cross wire o, which rests on indentures in the brackets, and
slides very easily to either side; n is a wire of platinum, on which the wires
c, c, rest, the wire from one pole of the voltaic battery being connected with
it; the wire from the other pole of the battery is connected with the clock
plate. The pendulum B, being in metallic contact at its point of suspension
with the plate p, when it strikes against either of the wires c, c, it completes
the electric circuit of the voltaic battery through the wires v, v, and thus
brings the electro-magnet into action at each vibration.
Figure VI. exhibits the positions of the drum, and the pulley for winding
up the weight of the mechanism for propelling the cylinders of the copying
instruments. Dis the drum, round which the cord is twisted three or four
times, and then it passes under the pulley y, being kept from slipping on the
drum by the counterpoise ; O is the pulley over which the cord passes from
the drum, the actuating weight being attached to the moveable pulley x.
Figure VII. is a plan of the arrangement for copying with several points.
The positions of the cylinder and of the screw, with the traversing nut, are
shewn reversed, and the cylinder, as will be observed, moves more slowly than
the screw, the latter deriving its motion from a cog wheel attached to the
arbor of the cylinder. On to the arbor of the wheel b, and outside of the
frame T, another wheel d is fixed, which carries several wire springs e, e, two
of which only are represented in the Drawing. The centre of this wheel is
made of ivory, or other non-conducting substance, so as to insulate the wire
springs from the instrument. The wires a, a, are conducted from the points,
and are inlaid in an ivory disc, colored red, fixed to the frame of the instru-
ment, so that the wire springs e, e, press against the ends of the wires in
revolving. As the ivory disc insulates the wires from the instrument, the
electric current passing through the wire V from the voltaic battery, is trans-

page_text: mitted by means of the spring wires e, e, through all the wires connected with
the points in succession, and through the points to the cylinder. In the
Drawing there are only seven wires shewn, the arrangement represented being
for copying a single line of writing at each revolution of the cylinder. When
the instrument is constructed for copying several lines during one revolution of
the cylinder, the number of points must be increased, and the other arrange-
ments must be made in accordance with the number of lines intended to be
copied. The movement of the cylinder in that case being slower, and the.
regulating magnet being made to act on a wheel in the train moving faster
than the cylinder.
The second part of my Invention, videlicet, that for breaking and renewing
the electric circuits at distant stations is carried into effect by bringing into
action at each station an electro-magnet, the keeper of which, when attracted,
breaks the metallic connection between the instrument at that station and the
earth, and throws the next station into circuit. In this manner the return
circuit at each station in succession is broken until the place intended to be
corresponded with is in electric connection with the transmitting station.
The
Figure VIII. represents an arrangement for breaking and renewing the
circuits. The broken line A, A, A, A, colored dark red, is the main telegraph
wire which connects all the stations on the line; N, N, N, N, are magnetic
needles, one at each station, which are deflected by the primary current of
electricity in A, A, either to the right hand or to the left, by reversing the con-
nections with the poles of 'the voltaic battery in the usual manner.
dots e, e, on each side of the needles are the ends of platinum wires, against
which the needles press when deflected. W¹, W, W³, W', are wires from the
small voltaic batteries V, V, V, V, each one consisting of one or two pairs
of plates, which are connected with the electro-magnets M1, M2, M³, M, and
with the platinum wires. At each station a wire h, connected with A, A, is
carried into the earth so as to form a return circuit, and in the branches from
A to the earth, the telegraphic instruments E', E³, E³, E', are placed, and also
small instruments T1, T2, T3, T', actuated by clockwork, to make a revolution
in three or more minutes, as may be found convenient. There are two pins 0, 0,
projecting from each of the wheels T1, T2, T3, T, which catch against detents d
fixed to the keeper of the magnets M1, M2, M³, M. When either pin of the
wheel rests on the detent, the connection between the wire A, A, and the earth
is completed through the wires p, p, against which the springs s, s, press; but
as soon as the detent is withdrawn and the wheel is set in motion the con-
nection is broken, and it remains uninterrupted until the wheel has made half
a revolution and the other pin rests upon the detent. Instead of using two

page_text: platinum wires in making the connection with the voltaic battery, the needle
itself may be connected with the wire from one of the poles, and then it will
complete the circuit by touching a single platinum wire connected with the
other pole of the battery. This arrangement is shewn at the station marked B
in Figure VIII. Though the magnetic needles are represented placed on the
main line, they may be placed on the branch wire, by which arrangement the
resistance of the coils of wire round them would be avoided at the more distant
stations. To illustrate the practical operation of the plan, let. L represent
London, R, Rugby, C, Coventry, and B, Birmingham. If the operator in
London wishes to communicate with Birmingham; he fixes the instru-
ment 1" to prevent it from turning, and then momentarily deflects the needle
to the left hand. This movement completes the circuit of the small voltaic
battery at Rugby, and brings into action the electro-magnet M³, by which the
detent is withdrawn, and the wheel T being set in motion, the connection with
the earth is broken at Rugby, and Coventry is placed in circuit. By repeating
the operation Coventry is thrown out of circuit, and the communication with
Birmingham is opened. Attention is then called at Birmingham by reversing
the deflection of the needle, by which means another electro-magnet is brought
into action, which withdraws the detent of an alarum. The operator at
Birmingham then fixes the connections to prevent the circuit being broken by
the further action of the needle, and he intimates, by a preconcerted symbol,
that Birmingham is in circuit and is ready to receive the message.
When
two wires are used the arrangements of the connecting parts must be doubled,
taking care that each wire is insulated from the other.
Figure IX. shews an arrangement for communicating with branch lines, so
as to throw either branch into or out of circuit at the option of the operator at
a distant station. The letters A, B, represent the main line of wire, and y the
branch line. At the point of junction there must be placed an instrument T,
nearly similar to the one before described, for breaking and renewing the
circuit. The wire A is at all times in metallic connection with that instrument;
therefore as either of the other wires B or Y is placed in metallic connection,
the electric current is transmitted along that wire, and the connection with the
other is cut off. When the instrument is resting on the detent d, the spring a
attached to A presses on a rim of metal; the spring b attached to B presses on
a metal stud in connection with A, and the spring y' attached to Y presses on
an insulated wire which connects it with the earth through the spring y. In
that position of the instrument the electric current passes along A, B, and is
prevented from passing along Y. When the communication with Y is intended
to be opened, the needle N is deflected to the right hand, or in a contrary

page_text: direction to that which breaks the other circuits. The instrument T being then
put in motion by withdrawing the detent d, the spring b is shifted from the
metallic stud, and presses on a rim of ivory or other non-conducting substance,
and the spring y shifts from its insulated wire connected with the carth, and
presses on metal connected at A, by which change of position Y is placed in
circuit with A, and B is thrown out until the wheel T makes half a revolution,
and rests again on the opposite pin. The shape of the pin which rests on the
detent of this instrument is curved or sloping, in order that the detent may
resume its hold on it within a limited time, and by the force of the spring g,
push the instrument back to its original position. The object of this arrange-
ment is to prevent the instrument from being set in motion when any of the
needles on the line B beyond the point of junction are momentarily deflected to
the right to sound an alarum. The instrument should be so regulated as to
require a steady deflection of at least one second to free the pin from the
detent. When two telegraph wires are used, the instruments at the junctions
may be set in motion by the deflection of needles on the second wire. To
enable any station on the branch Y to open a communication with A, there
should be a connection between Y and the earth, which is cut off when the
instrument is in motion.
Figure X shews an arrangement for effecting a communication between two
branches and cutting off the connection with the main line. Two instruments
T, U, are employed and the electric circuit is made through both when at rest.
In the position represented, both instruments being stationary, the circuit is
completed along A, B, but when they are both in motion the springs which are
represented as pressing on metal (colored blue,) and on ivory (colored pink,)
respectively shift on to ivory and metal, so that those which before conducted
the electricity cut it off, and those which interrupted the circuit serve to
complete it. In this manner A is cut off from the circuit which is completed
through B, Y. To put either one or both instruments in motion, as required,
the detent (or the pin which rests upon it) of the second instrument is made
so curved that the instruments is not released from it by less than a steady
deflection of two seconds. When at any place along the line B it is required
to correspond with a station along Y, or the contrary, the needle is deflected
steadily to the right-hand for two seconds and then the communication between
the branches is opened until the instruments come to rest.
The copying telegraph affords peculiar facilities for the establishment of a
system of transmission and delivery at regular times throughout the day, each
station having its allotted times for receiving and transmitting communications
from every other station on the line. In this manner transmissions and

page_text: deliveries might be arranged to take place every half hour if requisite, the
intervals between each transmission being occupied in preparing the instru-
ment with messages for the next despatch.
Having described my Invention, and the modes by which it may be carried
into operation, I hereby claim,-
First, the general arrangements described and shewn in Figures I. to IV.
and in Figure VII. for copying written or printed characters at a distance by
means of electricity.
Second, the means described and shewn for obtaining synchronous continuous
movements in distant instruments by the regulating agency of electro-magnets
either with or without the application of pendulums.
Third, the use of previously concerted lines or marks in the transmitting
instruments to serve as guides in regulating the corresponding instruments.
Fourth, the mode described of breaking the electric circuits at distant
stations by means of local electro-magnets and local voltaic batteries broguht
into action by the deflection of needles by the transmitting electric current,
also the mode of renewing the circuits, by the mechanism described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Collier Bakewell, have here-
unto set my band and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.