IMPROVEMENTS IN SUSPENDING THE WIRES OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Highton; of Regent's Park, in the County
of. Middlesex,, Civil Engineer, for the. Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 18th March. 1854, and dated the 17th January 1854.
7
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by the said Edward Highton at the
Office of the Commissioners. of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
January 1854.,
ין*
I, EDWARD HIGHTON; of Regent's Park,' in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SUSPENDING THE WIRES OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS" to be as follows:-
My first Improvement, consists in the arrangement and disposition of the
wires or arms of one or more electric telegraphis when the said wires or arms;
are attached to telegraphic posts or supports planted in the ground.
Hitherto it has been customary either to hang telegraphic wires one above
another in one or more perpendicular planes, or to attach a number of wires
on one and the same long horizontal bar affixed to a post, or else to attach
the wires to crossed arms, as fully explained in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me.
When wires are suspended according to the two last-mentioned plans if
an upper wire break, one or both of the broken ends generally falls and
rests on one or more of the lower wires, and thus great interruptions for

page_text: the time being ensue in the working of the telegraphic instruments connected
with those wires.
When telegraphic wires are suspended according to the first-named plan,
unless they are separated from each other horizontally by having a long dis-
tance intervening on such bar between the points of support of such wires
(thus rendering such plan impracticable for a large number of wires), a
considerable quantity of electricity-is, found to pass from wire to wire along
the moisture or wet on such horizontal bar, so much so as to render the
working of telegraphs connected with such wires impracticable for long
distances.
In order to obviate the above injurious effects I attach cross bars or arms
to the sides of the posts one above another; but I so regulate the length of
such arms that each arm is always either successively shorter or longer than
the one above it, and by attaching wires by insulators to the ends, or similarly
near to the ends of such arms, I obtain the property of never having one wire
perpendicularly above any other wire, and at the same time I am enabled to
separate the points of support of the several wires by long lengths of non-
conducting or partially non-conducting matter: By such means I remove the
unpleasant and. injurious effects resulting from one or more wires breaking;
and at the same time I am enabled to employ means of obtaining very good
insulation for all the wires.
Again, instead of the wires hanging in curves that are parallel to one
another, I have found that the curve of a wire attached to a support nearer to
the earth than another and at the same end of an arm, should have a smaller
radius than that of the wire immediately above it, for by thus destroying the
parallelism of the wires I am enabled to place such wires farther apart from
each other, as they recede from their respective points of support; and hence
I am enabled to obtain greater security against wires being blown-together in
the parts furthest from the points of support, at which parts there is the
greatest amount of motion of the wires in gales of wind:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Highton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HIGHTON, of Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Edward Highton, Her special licence that I, the said
Edward Highton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Highton, 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 for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SUSPENDING THE WIRES OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Highton, 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 Edward Highton, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be 'per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thercof' (that is to say):
My first improvement consists in the arrangement and disposition of the
wires or arms of one or more electric telegraphs when the said wires or arms
are attached to telegraphic posts or supports planted in the ground.
Hitherto it has been customary either to hang telegraphic wires one above
another in one or more perpendicular planes, or to attach a number of wires
on one and the same long horizontal bar affixed to a post; or else to attach
the wires to crossed arms, as fully explained in the Specification of a Patent
granted to me.
When wires are suspended according to the two last-mentioned plans, if
an upper wire break, one or both of the broken ends generally fall and rest
on one or more of the lower wires, and thus great interruptions for the time
being ensue in the working of the telegraphic instruments connected with
5 those wires.
When telegraphic wires are suspended according to the first-named plan,
unless they are separated from each other horizontally by having- a long
distance intervening on such har between the points of support of such wires
(thus rendering such plan impracticable for a large number of wires), a

page_text: considerable quantity of electricity is found to pass from wire to wire along
the moisture or wet on such horizontal bar, so much so as to render the
working of telegraphs connected with such wires impracticable for long
distances..
In order to obviate the above injurious effects I attach cross bars or arms
to the sides of the posts one above another, but I so regulate the length of
such arms that each arm is always either successively shorter or longer than
the one above it, and by attaching wires by insulators to the ends or similarly
near to the ends of such arms I obtain the property of never having one wire
perpendicularly above any other wire, and at the same time I am enabled. to
separate the points of support of the several wires by long lengths of non-
conducting or partially non-conducting matter. By such means I remove the
unpleasant and injurious effects resulting from one or more wires breaking,
and at the same time I am enabled to employ means of obtaining very good
insulation for all the wires. Figures Nos. 1 and 2 show two forms of the new
plan above described. It is obvious that many modifications of the above plan
may be made, but it is quite unnecessary to describe them here. For instance,
if the arms be formed of the same length, but placed at different angles with
respect to the. longitudinal direction of the wires, the same or a better effect
will be produced, for it is well known that in damp or wet weather the greater
distance between the points of support of two wires (the area or surface of
such supports being the same), the better is the insulation between those two
wires. Figure No. 3 will explain this form of arrangement. I am aware
that wires have been suspended in one or more sets, such sets being either
vertical or horizontal, and also in sets, some rows of which sets on the same
post are horizontal and others vertical; but it will be plainly seen by the fore-
going that my Invention consists in arranging the wires in planes which are
neither horizontal nor vertical, but which are considerably inclined to the
horizon, and I prefer the angle of inclination of such plane or planes of wires
with the horizon being about 45 degrees.
And I am also aware that the support or supports for the wires passing
under some bridges, owing to the form of the arches of such bridges, are in a
plane inclined to the horizon, and are the same also when attached to parts of
some particular buildings; and I am also aware that an inclination is sometimes
given to the plane of telegraphic wires in consequence of the wires passing.
from vertical supports to horizontal or partially inclined supports, or from
horizontal supports to vertical or nearly vertical supports; but I make no claim
for the use of supports so arranged, nor when such inclination of the plane
of the wires is produced by one or two or more similarly and continuously

page_text: inclined supports or arms, each inclined support being of one piece of
material.
Again, instead of the wires hanging in curves that are parallel to one
another, I have found that the curve of a wire attached to a support nearer
to the earth than another, and at the same end of an arm, should have a
smaller radius than that of the wire immediately above it; for by thus de-
stroying the parallelism of the wires I-am enabled to place such wires further
apart cach other as they recede from their respective points of support, and
hence I am enabled to obtain greater security against wires being blown
together in the parts furthest from the points of support, at which parts thero
is the greatest amount of motion of the wires in gales of wind.
When I employ such non-parallelism in the curves of the wires, I prefer
the use of arms or supports, as shewn in Figure No. 2; but those shewn
in Figures Nos. 1 and 3 may be employed, if desired, as also modifications
of those plans.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Highton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
PHILIP PERCY.
EDWARD HIGHTON. (L.S.).