CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAYING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHIC CABLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAYING SUBMARINE
TELEGRAPHIC CABLES."-A communication.
Scaled the 14th May 1858, and dated the 5th December 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th December 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAYING SUB-
MARINE TELEGRAPHIC CABLES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention of certain improvements in apparatus for laying
submarine telegraphic cables is to retain a constant reserve of cable between
the paying-out apparatus on board the vessel which carries the cable and the
point where the cable leaves the vessel, and to control such reserve in such a
manner that when there is any tendency to increase the tension of the cable
produced by a sudden increase in the depth of the water or by the sudden rise
of the stern in the pitching of the vessel, or by any other cause, a properly
regulated quantity of cable may be allowed to run out from the reserve, and
thus prevent the tension being increased so suddenly as to break or unduly
strain the cable.
In carrying out the Invention the cable is payed out from the "hold" or
other portion of the vessel where it is stowed with a positive movement at a

page_text: speed never less than, but properly regulated in proportion to, the speed of the
vessel; and to effect this a paying-out apparatus is employed consisting
principally of a drum or series of drums, over or around which the cable is
conducted, and by means of a brake a degree of friction sufficient to overcome
the greatest possible amount of tension likely to be produced on the cable by
the combined effects of the weight, the resistance of the water, and the motion
of the vessel, may be applied to the drum or drums. The motion necessary to
pay out the cable at a proper speed is also imparted to the cable drum by
means of a steam engine or other motor.
The apparatus for maintaining a reserve of cable and controlling the paying-
out of the same consists of a series of pullics or drums placed on a shaft that
is mounted on a moveable carriage that runs on a line of rails made nearly the
whole length of the vessel. A similar series of pullies or drums, but mounted
on a fixed frame, is placed at one end of the vessel, while the moveable frame
with its publics is placed on the railway at the other end. The cable is passed
round the pullies or drums of both frames, and extends in several lengths from
one frame to the other. A retaining weight or other analogous contrivance is
adapted to the moveable frame, so as to keep it back except when any undue
strain is laid on the cable, when the moveable frame will be drawn forward
towards the fixed frame, dragging with it the retaining weight, and of course
when the extraordinary strain is removed, the moveable frame will run back
again. Intermediate between the two frames is placed another frame, also
provided with pullies or drums, and is also made to run on the railway, but
is merely intended to support the cable midway between the two principal
frames, and prevent it from bagging. Guide pullies are adapted to the two
principal frames for the purpose of conducting the cable to the grooves of the
pullies or drums. The grooves of the pullies or drums are supplied with
water, and scrapers are also adapted thereto for the purpose of scraping off or
removing any tar or other matter that may be deposited thereon by the cable
while passing over or round them.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAYING
SUBMARINE TELEGRAPHIC CABLES," being a communication from abroad, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention of "Certain Improvements in Apparatus for
Laying Submarine Telegraphic Cables" is to retain a constant reserve of cable
between the paying-out apparatus on board the vessel which carries the cable and
the point where the cable leaves the vessel, and to control such reserve in such
a manner that when there is any tendency to increase the tension of the cable
produced by a sudden increase in the depth of the water, or by the sudden
rise of the stern by the pitching of the vessel, or by any other cause, a properly
regulated quantity of cable may be allowed to run out from the reserve, and
thus prevent the tension being increased so suddenly as to break or unduly
strain the cable.
In carrying out the Invention the cable is payed out from the "hold" or
other portion of the vessel where it is stowed with a positive movement at a
specl never less than, but properly regulated in proportion to, the speed of the
vessel; and to effect this a paying-out apparatus is employed consisting
principally of a drum or series of drums, over or around which the cable is

page_text: conduced, and by means of a brake a degree of friction sufficient to overcomo
the greatest possible amount of tension likely to be produced on the cable by
the combined effects of the weight; the resistance of the water and the motion
of the vessel may be applied to the drum or drums. The motion necessary to
pay out the cable at a proper speed is also imparted to the cable drum by
means of a steam engine or other motor. Such an apparatus, and the
apparatus for retaining and controlling the reserve of cable, which constitutes
the Invention that has been communicated to me, as aforesaid, are represented
in the accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 exhibits a longitudinal section
of a vessel, shewing a side view of the whole of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan
of the vessel and of the apparatus; Figures 3 and 4 are detail views, which
will be herein-after referred to. Similar letters and numbers of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the several Figures.
A represents the hull of the vessel, having the cable a or a portion of it
coiled upon the lower deck, and having the paying-out apparatus B & a
steam engine C for driving the same arranged on the deck above. The
paying-out apparatus may consist of one or more drums, round which several
coils of the cable are taken, but it is preferred to construct it with three or
more grooved drums b, b, b, b, of uniform diameter, having their shafts so
arranged in stationary bearings that the cable a may pass only partly round
cach drum, as shown in Fig. 1. The shafts of these drums are geared
together, so that all rotate in the direction necessary to pay out the cable,
which passes up to them from the deck below, or from any other place whero
it is stowed through a hatchway e, the edges of which are guarded by rollers
d, d, and one of these shafts is geared with the crank shaft c of the steam
engine, and another has secured to it a brake wheelf, to which the friction
brake g is applied.
Having now sufficiently explained the paying-out apparatus, which is not
claimed as part of the Invention, but is only described to render intelligible the
operation of the improved apparatus for retaining and controlling the reserve
of cable, I will now procced to describe this latter apparatus. h, h, are two
parallel rails, secured to the same deck on which the paying-out apparatus is
placed, and arranged parallel with a line passing through the centre of tho
vessel, so as to constitute a railway upon which a carriage D is capable of
running. This railway may extend the greater portion of the length of the
vessel, and is arranged just far enough out of the centre of the vessel to allow
the carriage D to pass clear of the masts. A side view of the carriage D on
a larger scale than Figures 1 and 2 is given in Fig. 3, and a corresponding
transverse section with a section of the railway is given in Fig. 4. i, i, aro

page_text: two other rails properly arranged at a suitable distance above h, h, and secured
to a framing E, E, so as to confine the wheels j, j, of the carriage D down to
the railway h, h, and prevent the carriage from rising or tipping. Wheels j',j',
are provided on the upper part of the carriage D to run along the upper faces
of the rails i, i. The carriage D supports a transverse horizontal axle k, to
which are fitted a number of grooved sheaves or pulleys 1, 1. At that end of
the railway which is nearest the bow of the vessel the framing E, E, supports
a stationary transverse horizontal axle m, to which are fitted a number of
sheaves or pulleys n, n, similar to those 7, 1, and at the end of the framing
nearest the stern of the vessel there is arranged a windlass F, whose shaft 7 is
parallel with the axles and m. The barrel p of this windlass has the
carriage D connected with it by a rope or chain r, which by being wound on
the barrel is caused to draw the carriage towards it, and the shaft 9, which
is secured firmly in the barrel so as to rotate with it, has a rope or chain's
wound upon it, or has secured to it a barrel much smaller than p, upon which
the rope or chain s is wound in the opposite direction to that in which the rope
or chain is wound upon the barrel p; and from this rope or chain sis
suspended a heavy weight W, which descends through a guide trunk G that
extends to the bottom of the vessel. The weight W exerts a tendency to
unwind the rope or chain s, and turn the shaft 2 and barrel p in a direction to
wind up the rope or chain r, and thus to draw the carriage D towards the
stern of the vessel and away from the axle m and its sheaves n, n. The
reason for winding the rope or chain s on the shaft q or on a smaller barrel is
that the carriage D may be allowed to move a long distance while the weight
W, whose length of movement is limited by the depth of the "hold," moves
only a comparatively short distance. The cable passes from the last drum of
the paying out apparatus between two upright guide rollers 5, 5, on the
framing E, E, over one of the outside sheaves n, and from thence over the
opposite sheave, under which it returns to the under side of the next sheave n,
and after passing over the latter it goes back to the next sheave l, and so on
around the whole series of sheaves, passing round those n, n, from their upper,
and those 1, 1, from their lower sides. After having passed around the whole
series of sheaves in this way, it passes between guide rollers t, t, and over a
pulley u at the stern of the vessel, and down to the bottom of the water. A
series of rollers v, v, are applied on an axle warranged in the carriage D above
the sheaves 1, 1, and a similar series v', v', are applied on an axle w¹, arranged
on the carriage D below the sheaves 1, 1, for the purpose of confining the cable
to the sheaves in case of its accidentally getting slack, and a similar series of
rollers, r, are applied on a stationary axle y above, and another similar

page_text: series a¹, a¹, on a stationary axle y' below the sheaves n, n, for the purpose of
confining the cable to those sheaves. Two series of upright rollers, 2, 1, ',
are applied one above the other in the carriage D in front of the sheaves 1, 1,
and two similar series,,,, are applied in the framing E, E, iu rear
of the sheaves n, n, for the purpose of guiding the cable to and from the
sheaves. Guard plates 6, 6, are applied to the carriage D, and to the
framing E, E, against the outer sides of the sheaves 1, 1, and n, n, to prevent
the cable from getting on the wrong sheaves in case of its getting slack.
The cable that is extended on the sheaves 1, 1, and n, n, constitutes the reserve,
and this, as well as what passes out from the stern of the vessel, or all that is
beyond the paying-out apparatus, has produced upon it by the weight W the
degree of tension that is considered desirable, the weight being in proportion
to the desired degree of tension. The speed of the paying-out is controlled by
the throttle valve or other regulator of the steam engine or motor by a com-
petent person, who by means of such regulator controls the power of the motor
in such a manner that the carriage D, under all ordinary circumstances (that
is to say, when the vessel is steady and her speed uniform, and the bottom of
the ocean or other water is level or nearly so,) is allowed to run out nearly to
the rear end of the railway, any increased drag on the cable, however sudden,
when produced by an increased depth of water by an unusually powerful under
current of water, or by the lifting of the stern of the vessel, causes the
carriage D to be drawn up towards the sheaves n, n, and an extra supply of
cable to be thus drawn out from the reserve, and this prevents an undue strain
being produced on the cable before it can be paid out faster by the apparatus B.
The person in charge of the engine should be so placed that he can observe
the position of the carriage, or else an index, showing the position of the
carriage, should be so placed that he can at all times inspect it; and if tho
carriage continues moving up towards the sheaves n, n, he should apply more
power to the paying-out apparatus till the carriage ceases to run up. On the
contrary, if the carriage is drawn by the weight W very near to the rear end
of the railway owing to any reduction of the drag on the cable, he should
reduce the power so that the paying-out apparatus B would supply the cable
at a reduced speed. The paying-out is thus controlled by the engine, and the
tension controlled and always made uniform by the weight W, while the
reserve of cable provides against any sudden increase of strain that would be
beyond the direct control of the paying-out apparatus. I will observe that by
arranging the sheaves n, n, at the forward end of the railway, and by arranging
the carriage to let out the reserve of cable by running forward, the letting
out of the reserve in case of any sudden rise of the stern, by the pitching of

page_text: the vessel, is facilitated, as the movement of the vessel will make an inclined
plane of the railway, down which the carriage tends to run by gravitation. If
the sheaves n, n, and carriage were arranged in the reverse manner, some
counterbalance would be required to counteract the effect of gravitation in the
carriage.
17, 17, are stationary scrapers fitting to the grooves of the sheaves 1, 1,
and n, n, and drums b, b, b', be, for the purpose of scraping from them as they
rotate any portion of the pitch, tar, or other material with which the cable
may be coated for protection, and that may be left in the grooves by the cable.
The scrapers for scraping the sheaves 1, 1, are attached to a suitable support
on the carriage D, and those for the sheaves n, n, to a suitable support on the
framing E, E, and those for the drums b, b, b, ba, to suitable supports on the
framing of the paying-out apparatus. In order to prevent as much as possible
the sticking of the pitch, tar, or other material to the sheaves and drums, they
should be kept wetted by water dropping from cisterns or other vessels
arranged in any suitable positions, as shewn in Figures 1 and 3, where 18, 18,
represent such vessels. A portion of the water thus supplied to wet the
sheaves or drums will keep the faces of the scrapers wet, and thus prevent in
a great measure the sticking to the scrapers of any pitch, tar, or other material
that they may scrape from the sheaves or drums, and the clogging of the
scrapers thereby.
HI, HI, is a carriage having wheels 7, 7, of the same size as the wheels j, j,
of the carriage D, so that they may run on the railway h, h, under the rails i, i.
This carriage carries two rollers 8, 8, arranged one above the other, the upper
one to support the upper half of the reserve of the cable, and the lower one to
support the lower half, so as to prevent the cable from sagging down between
the sheaves 1, 1, and n, n, and exerting by its weight too great an influence in
counteracting the effect of the weight W. This carriage is controlled by a
band or chain I connecting it with the carriage D and with the forward end
of the framing E, E, in such a manner that it will travel always in the same
direction with the carriage D, but at half the velocity, so that after it has
been adjusted to a position midway between the carriage D and the sheaves
n, n, it will always continue midway between them. The arrangement of the
band or chain I is illustrated in Fig. 1; it is connected by one end to the front
of the carriage D at 10, and from thence passes forward over and around a
pulley 11 on the carriage H, from whence it returns to and around a pulley 12,
arranged near the rear end of the framing E, and passes forward again to and
around a pulley 13, placed in the framing E near the sheaves n, n, from
thence returns to and passes over and around a pulley 14 on the carriage H,

page_text: from whence it passes forward again to and over the pulley 13, or a pulley on
the same axle, and then returns to, under, and around a pulley 15, attached to
the rear end of the framing E, and on to the carriage D, where it is attached
at 16. This band or chain may be considered as an endless one, for a con-
nection of its ends is made by the carriage D.
Instead of arranging the apparatus for retaining and controlling the reserve
of cable (consisting of the railway h, h, i, i, the carriage D, and sheaves n, n
and their appendages,) below the upper deck, it may be arranged on the upper
deck, the paying-out apparatus and engine being either on the deck below or
on the upper deck, as may be most convenient.
Having thus described the "Improvements in Apparatus for Laying
Submarine Telegraph Cables," as communicated to me by my foreign corro-
spondent, I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details herein described, as such may be varied or modified without
departing from the principle of action thereof; but that which I consider to be
new and desire to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, is,
First, the apparatus by which the reserve of cable is retained between the
paying-out apparatus and the point where the cable leaves the vessel, and by
which the letting out of such reserve is controlled, so that a properly regulated
quantity of it may run out when any excessive degree of drag is produced, and
the breaking or undue straining of the cable may be thereby prevented.
Second, the employment of stationary scrapers 17, 17, kept continually
wetted with water for the purpose of scraping the grooves of the sheaves and
drums, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)