IMPROVEMENTS IN MILE POSTS AND OTHER INDICATORS OR SIGNS USED ON RAILWAYS AND OTHER PLACES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PAIENT to John Goad and Edmond Goad, both of Plymouth,
in the County of Devon, Limestone Merchants, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MILE POSTS AND OTHER INDICATORS OR SIGNS USED ON
RAILWAYS AND OTHER PLACES."
Sealed the 15th January 1867, and dated the 18th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Goad and Edmond
Goad at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 18th July 1866.
We, JOHN GOAD and EDMOND GOAD, both of Plymouth, in the County of
Devon, Limestone Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILE POSTS AND OTHER INDICATORS OR SIGNS USED
ON RAILWAYS AND OTHER PLACES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in constructing mile posts of metal or other suitable
material with the numerals, letters, or other sigus punched or cut through
instead of being in relief or in intaglio as hitherto. The posts may be formed
with supports for lamps behind the punched signs, or lamps may be hung to
the posts so as to come behind the signs, and thus enable them to be seen at
night. The punched signs may be made more conspicuous in the daytime by
having a dark background formed behind them..

page_text: We also construct the part of the posts in whichthesignsare punched or formed
(by preference of galvanized angle iron) V-shaped in section, the two faces of
the fronting respectively up and down the line or road, and this part of the
posts may be mounted upon or formed in a piece with rods or pillars of any
desirable form driven into the ground. To maintain the posts in the proper
position in loose ground we employ supports or steadying pieces consisting of
a central socket through which the post, pillar, or rod is passed, and of four
or other desirable number of arms or wings carried out from the central
socket; these arms are plates placed with one edge uppermost and the
lower edge is formed with a flange. This support is inserted into the
ground and the flanges prevent its being easily pulled out or moved out of
position.
Our Invention is also applicable to other indicators and signs used on
railways and other places, for instance, for sign posts on ordinary roads, and
for signs or indicators used on railways to tell the drivers not to exceed a
certain speed at the particular point where the sign is placed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Goad and Edmond Goad in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
GOAD and EDMOND GOAD, both of Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Lime.
stone Merchants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said John Goad and Edmond Goad, Her special licence that
we, the said John Goad and Edmond Goad, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Goad and Edmond Goad,
our 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 thereiu 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 MILE POSTS

page_text: AND OTHER INDICATORS OR SIGNS USED ON RAILWAYS AND OTHER PLACES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Goad and Edmond Goad, or
one of us, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or one of our, 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 we, tho said John Goad and Edmond Goad, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in constructing inile posts of metal or other suitable
material with the numerals, letters, or other signs punched or cut through,
instead of being in relief or in intaglio as hitherto. The posts may be formed
with supports for lamps behind the punched signs, or lamps may be hung to
the posts so as to come behind the signs, and thus enable them to be seen at
night. The punched signs may be made more conspicuous in the daytime
by having a dark back ground formed behind them.
We also construct the part of the posts in which the signs are punched or
formed (by preference of galvanized angle irou) V-shaped in section, the two
faces of the V fronting respectively up and down the line or road, and this part
of the posts may be mounted upon or formed in a piece with rods or pillars of
any desirable from driveninto the ground. To maintain the posts in the proper
position in loose ground we employ supports orsteadyingpieces consisting of
a central socket through which the post, pillar, or rod is passed, and of four
or other desirable number of arms or wings carried out from the central
socket; these arms are plates placed with one edge uppermost and the lower
edge is formed with a flange; this support is inserted into the ground
and the flanges prevent its being easily pulled out or moved out of
position.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front view, and Figure 2 a
section through the line x, x, of Figure 1 of a mile post constructed according
to our Invention.
a is the rod or pillar driven into the ground; b is the part of the post
showing the signs; this part is made of angle iron V-shaped in section,
as shown, the two faces fronting up and down the line. The signs " 191

page_text: are formed by being punched through the material of the post instead of
being in relief or in intaglio as hitherto; c is an inclined top plate also
having the signs punched through; d is a division plate in the angle of the
V to make the punched signs more conspicuous; e is a back plate; fis one
of our supports or steadying pieces for maintaining the post inproper position
in loose ground; this support is shewn detached, in plan in Figure 3; it
consists of a central socket f, through which the rod a of the mile post is
passed, and of four arms or wings g carried out from the socket. These arms
are, as before stated, plates placed with one edge uppermost, and the loweredge
being formed with a flange h, which flanges prevent the socket being easily
moved when inserted in the ground.
Figures 4, 5, & 6 are front views of other forms of mile posts with the
signs punched through according to our Invention. The posts shown in
Figures 5 and 6 do not require sockets.
Our Invention is also applicable to other indicators and signs used on rail-
ways and other places, for instance, for sign posts on ordinary roads, and for
signs or indicators used on railways to tell the drivers not to exceed a certain
speed at the particular point where the sign is placed, and for gradient signs,
as shown in Figure 7; also for street names, as in Figure 8; for fire-plug
indicators, as in Figure 9; for sign indicators or finger posts used at stations
to direct passengers to the trains, and for other signs used at stations to denote
arrivals and departures; it also applies to railway station names, and for this
purpose we have the names of the station on one, two, or more sides, say,
three sides, as shewn in plan in Figure 10, and in elevation in Figure 11, and
at night we illuminate it by a lamp i fixed on a post in the centre, or other-
wise supported, and colored glass may be placed in a chamber or grooves at
the back of the letters, as shown at k; 1, 1, are supporting struts carried out
from each corner to the central post.
A great economy, independent of the first cost, resulting from our method
of forming the signs or indicators is, that while those which are formed in
relief or in intaglio require painting periodicallyour punched signsarealways
sufficiently conspicuous without painting.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performe 1, we declare that we claim,―
First, constructing mile posts and other indicators or signs used on railways
and other places with the numerals, letters, or other sigus punched or cut
through.
Second, the construction and employment for mile and other posts of

page_text: supports or steadying pieces substantially of the form herein-before described
and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Goad and Edmond Goad, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOHN GOAD.
(U.S.)
EDMOND GOAD. (L.S.)