IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Sacheverell Gisborne at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th January 1869.
I, JOHN SACHEVERELL GISBORNE, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer and Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANICAL TELEGRAPHS," to be
us follows:--
My improvements relate to various new and improved constructions,
arrangements, and combinations of parts in and connected with the
mechanical telegraphs for communicating orders, messages, and signals
on board ship and elsewhere, introduced by me, and now generally
known as "John S. Gisborne's patent mechanical telegraph system,"
and consist,-
First. Of an improved construction of crank or corner piece to be
used in place of the ordinary pullies or L cranks. This crank is made
in the form of a cross, or like the letter Z, or with radial arms, and is
free to move on or with a central axle or stud. The ends of the double
line of motion communicators are secured to the extremities of the said

page_text: crank, and by the relative position of the extremities provision is made
so that the motion communicators can be led away at any desired angle.
Second. Of an arrangement of parts to provide for expansion and
contraction of the motion communicators. For this purpose I connect
to and suspend from the said motion communicators a compensating
weight or balance. The said weight or balance is connected directly to
the motion communicators, or to a chain, rod, or wire provided with a
"biting clutch." This part of my Invention is applicable where only
a single line of communication is employed:
Third. Of apparatus specially devised for transmitting and recording
orders, messages, or signals on board war ships for the working of the
guns. For this purpose I fit the top of the transmitter instrument with
a disc or plate, the visible surface of which is divided into two sections,
each spaced off in degrees, the one section denoting the elevation of the
gun or guns, and the other denoting the distance of the object to be
fired at. To enable the officer in charge of the transmitting instrument
to obtain a correct allignement I fit a sighting bar with an elongated
aperture therein to the spindle, to which the operating handle is con-
nected, the said handle being of any convenient kind. The indicator
near the gun or guns is similarly divided to the disc or plate on the
transmitter instrument,' and that the said indicator may not interfere
with the space in which the gun is worked it is suspended overhead and
fitted with double faces..
Fourth. Of an improved combination of parts for transmitting the.
same order, message, or signal in large ships to several indicators at the
same time. This, is more particularly serviceable in war ships for the
purpose of quickly getting a number of guns to bear on an object.
The double line of motion communicators, is led to and terminates on
the indicator at the gun nearest to the transmitter instrument, and
from that gun to the next, and so onwards another double line of
motion communications is conveyed; each indicator, with the exception
of the last one, having two pullies or sets of arms.
Fifth. Of an arrangement whereby in war turret ships and in other
places where it is convenient to have several transmitting instruments
in connection with one indicator, the said transmitter instruments are
connected so as to act in unison and serve as tell-tales at each sending
station the instant an order, message, or signal is given. Here the
double lines of motion communicators are all attached to or pass over

page_text: pullies or cranks on the central axis of the indicator. The transmitter
pointers serve in this arrangement as tell-tales, or if preferred reply
motion communicators may be connected to independent tell-tale
pointers fitted on the transmitter instruments.
Sixth. Of a compact and convenient combined bridge transmitter
instrument for sending orders, messages, or signals to the engineer and
to the steersman on board ship, and for receiving replies. One part of
the transmitter face is spaced of for the engineer, and the other for the
steersman, and the reply pointers are carried on tubes surrounding the
transmitter spindle.
Seventh. Of simple and inexpensivo means for transmitting orders,
messages, and signals, and also for receiving replies. Hero a transmitter
of any ordinary or convenient kind is employed. The motion com-
municators, however, are of a novel kind. They consist of metallic
tubes fitted with toothed quadrants for the corners or angles. The
reply line is by similar tubes and toothed quadrants, but to economise
space the one tubo encircles the other. The indicator is of any ordinary
kind.