CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE WITH
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Ingall, of Throgmorton Street, City,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THERE WITH."
Sealed the 24th July 1855, and dated the 10th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Ingall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th February 1855.
GEORGE HENRY INGALL, of Throgmorton Street, City, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, AND APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements consists in indicating, by means of electric
or magnetic agency and particular apparatus at any of the stations of a
railway, the position or place of a train at any moment between that station
and the station next adjoining.
Fig. 1 represents the guard's van or engine tender of the train, to which is
attached the means of actuating the electric agency; Fig. 2 elevation, &
Fig. 3 plan, of a portion of a line of rails of a railway; Fig. 4, a single dial
plate or index, and Fig. 5 a compound dial plate or index placed at a station.

page_text: At intervals along the railway between the stations, of one mile, half a mile,
or any other distance, more or less, is placed an apparatus, shown in Figs. 2
and 3, which, upon the passage of a train over that spot, is acted upon by the
wheel or other apparatus A upon the guard's van or tender, and destroying
the connexions of the wires B, B, breaks the electric circuit, and causes a
movement of the indicator hand upon the dial plate at the station; the
breakage of the circuit is only temporary, as the action of the passing train
altering the position of the lever again completes the circuit. Within the
frame of the dial plate are the ordinary magnets and needle; the latter carries
a click or catch, taking into a ratchet wheel upon the axis of the indicator
hand, by which, at each movement of the needle, it is moved one division on
the dial plate, and the number of these divisions correspond with the number
of intervals or apparatus upon the line of rails between the two stations; in
the case shown there are eight. The wheel or apparatus upon the guard's van
or the tender of the engine is capable of being elevated or depressed, so as to
raise it clear and out of action with the apparatus upon the line of rails, or
lower it into action with it when passing over it. In some cases, when two
trains may be passing in the same direction between two stations at the same
time, I adopt two lines of signal wires and dial plates, each having its separate
dial plate, the apparatus upon the line of railway acting alternately upon
each wire and dial plate, denoting the places or positions of both trains.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Henry Ingall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY INGALL, of Throgmorton Street, City, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Henry Ingall, Her special licence that I, the said George Henry
Ingall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Henry Ingall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-

page_text: after 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 TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Henry Ingall, 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 George Henry Ingall, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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, that is to say:-
My said Invention of improvements consists in an improved method and the
use and employment of electric or magnetic agency, together with improved
apparatus and machinery, by which the guard, or the engine driver, or other
attendants are enabled, by means of the aforesaid apparatus and machinery, to
indicate between one station of a railway and another the position or where-
abouts of a train at any moment, whereby all chances of collisions will be
avoided; and the nature of my said Invention, and the maner in which
the same is to be effected, are fully described and ascertained in and by the
following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon.
At every station along the line or railway is placed the telegraphic appa-
ratus in the case at the back of the dial plate, shewn in Fig. 1, one for the
up. train and another for the down train, from the battery of which there
proceeds all down the line between the rails (or other suitable manner) to
the apparatus at the next station a wire, as seen in Fig. 2, A, A. At intervals
in the said wire, of a mile, half mile, quarter mile, or oftener, is placed an
apparatus B, Fig. 2, for the purpose of breaking the electric circuit, which is
effected by the wheel C, attached to the tender of the engine, passing over on
its journey and pressing down the boss D, which, on the passing of the wheel,
resumes its former position by means of the spring E, and again makes the
electric circuit complete. The wheel C, Fig. 2, can be depressed or lowered
into action or raised clear and out of action by means of the vertical screw
and handle F. As soon as the circuit is broken, the indicating hand G, Fig. 1,
moves one division forward, (and, as the dial plate is divided into miles, half
miles, quarter miles, or any other distance, more or less, wherever a circuit

page_text: breaker is placed upon the line,) and by the officials or other persons referring
to the dial, it can at once be seen at what part of the line between the stations
the approaching train may be. A similar apparatus and dial is placed at the
side of the other, to shew how far the other train that last left the station has
proceeded. An alarum within the case is caused to strike at every movement
of the indicating hand. Where the distance between two stations is great,
and it is safe to have two trains running at the same time, I employ extra dial
plates, or what I term compound dial plates, and apparatus, as shown in
Fig. 3, H, H, with extra lines of wire laid down the line and attached to
them. The apparatus, Fig. 4, which I employ for the compound or extra dial
plates consists of two circuit breakers B', B2, (similar to that shown in Fig. 2),
which are placed upon a tilting table or platform of wood or other suitable
material I, at an angle of 65 degrees, attached to which is a metal rod K,
which rod carries the ball K'. The whole of the apparatus is enclosed in the
box or case L, for the purpose of keeping it clean and dry. M, M, are
bearings upon which the shaft N of the table or platform is mounted; 0, 0,
are the copper wires attached to the circuit breakers. Fig. 5 is a plan view
of the compound apparatus.
The action of my method of train indicating is thus:-Upon the train
leaving the terminus, the wheel C is lowered (by means of the handle F,
Fig. 1,) sufficiently to strike the boss D on its passing over it; on the boss
being struck, the copper plate on the top of the spring E is depressed suffi-
ciently low, so as to break the electric current which is passing through the
wires A, A. The circuit being broken, the magnet in the dial apparatus is
moved and a toothed wheel is released, and the needle G, Fig. 1, is moved
one division, and thereby indicating the train having passed the one mile, half
mile, or quarter mile, as the case may be. (The number of these divisions
will be, by preference, equal to the number of apparatus placed between the
stations, so that, a train starting from a station, the indicator hand will point
to zero, and also will again point to zero when that train shall have arrived at
the next station, so that the indicator shall be in a condition to indicate for the
next succeeding train. In the example shown in the Drawings, the number
of these divisions upon the dial plate, and also the number of apparatus
placed upon the line of railway, are represented to be eight); the passing of
the wheel over the boss being so quick, the completion of the circuit is made
instantaneously by means of the spring, so that the needle or indicating hand
has not time to move more than one division, which it otherwise would do if
the wheel C was to rest permanently on the boss D. The telegraphic appa-
ratus I employ is similar to the ordinary striking apparatus now in use, with

page_text: the exception that I make the spindle P, Fig. 1, upon which the needle or
indicating hand is fixed, considerably longer, and a greater number of teeth to
the different wheels.
The action of the compound circuit breaker is as follows:- Upon the
wheel C striking the boss B', Fig. 4, the whole apparatus is depressed, and
the ball K is thrown to the other end of the rod K, and the other boss B in
its turn presents a striking surface for the arrival of another train, when that
in its turn is acted upon, and the ball again slides to the other end, and remains
stationary until again acted upon, and so on alternately.
I also propose to be laid down upon the line from the telegraphic alarums
at the stations a line of wire, having smaller circuit breakers (similar to that
in Fig. 2) attached thereto, and placed in boxes at intervals on the line.
In case of accidents or of trains stopping, the guard could unlock the box
in which the said circuit breakers are placed, and by pressing his hand upon
the boss inform the officials at the last passed and forward stations, and by
means of previously concerted signals be enabled to telegraph the cause of
the train's detention and what assistance he requires; the knowledge of the
position of the train could at once be known by reference to the dial plate,
which would have indicated the last apparatus and distance the train had
passed. The station servants could then, by means of their ordinary telegraph,
prevent another train starting until the other train had recommenced its
journey.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention for "Certain
Improvements in Telegraphic Communication, and Apparatus connected there-
with," and stated and shewn the manner of carrying the same into practical
effect, I now state that I do not confine myself to the shape or form of the
circuit breakers as shewn, as they may be varied according to circumstances,
or to the precise details herein described in this modification of my Invention,
so long as the peculiar character of either part of the Invention be retained;
but what I claim is,-
First, the method herein described for obtaining telegraphic communication
from one station to another by breaking contact.
Secondly, the placing of a separate and similar apparatus in conjunction
with an alarum at the stations for the use of the guard to signal in case of
danger, as herein described.
Thirdly, the method of placing suitable apparatus or machinery to the
tender or guard's van of a train as a medium for breaking the electric current,
as herein described.
Fourthly, the method of indicating upon the dial plates at the stations

page_text: the positions of the trains, by the method herein-before described and ascer-
tained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Ingall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
GEORGE HENRY INGALL. (L.B.)
Signed and sealed in the presence of
JOSEPH STAYNER EIDMANS.