IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAINED WIRE FENCES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Kennan and Thomas Kennan, of Fish-
amble Street, in the City of Dublin, Engineers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAINED WIRE FENCES."
.
Sealed the 18th August 1871, and dated the 12th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Kennan and
Thomas Kennan at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th May 1871.
We, JAMES KENNAN and THOMAS KENNAN, of Fishamble Street,
in the City of Dublin, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAINED WIRE FENCES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the straining posts and straining apparatus
combined therewith of what are known as strained wire fences, whereby
greater simplicity, economy, and efficiency are obtained.

page_text: According to one mode of carrying out our Invention we employ
wrought-iron straining posts or pillars rolled to a T or I section which
may be secured in the ground in any suitable and well-known manner,
and to these posts we connect as many moveable frames (each carrying
a winding barrel, ratchet and pall) as there are wires to be strained,
the said frames being only connected to the flanges of the straining
posts by small projections or flanges formed inside the frames which
clip or lock over the flanges of the posts; a detent is hung on a centre
in each frame and may form a part of the lid or cover for the winding
barrel. This detent engages with the ratchet when the straining is
accomplished in order to maintain the wire taut. Each frame is held
in its proper place by a wedge or set screw, which is applied so as to
fill the space left between one side of the jaw or clip of the frame and
the edge of the flange of the post, as it is necessary to have the space
between the jaws of the frame larger than the flange of the post in
order that one frame may be taken off and put on without moving the
others. By slacking or removing the wedges or set screws these frames
may be raised or lowered or set nearer to or further from each other
as required by simply sliding them up or down the flange of the post, or
the frames may be taken off or additional ones applied as required
without disturbing the rest. The I section of straining post will
admit of two sets of frames for straining being applied, the one at right
angles to the other, so as to accommodate corners or angles, or the
frames to be used at corner posts may be provided with two barrels at
right angles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Kennan and Thomas Kennan, in the Great
Scal Patent Office on the 11th November 1871.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
KENNAN and THOMAS KENNAN, of Fishamble Street, in the City of 30
Dublin, Engineers, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-

page_text: fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said James Kennan and Thomas Kennan,
Her special license, that we, the said James Kennan and Thomas
Kennan, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said James Kennan and Thomas Kennan, our executors, ad-
ministrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRAINED
WIRE FENCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Kennan and Thomas Kennan, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, 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, the said James Kennan and Thomas
Kennan, 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, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say :—
Our said Invention relates to the straining posts and straining
apparatus combined therewith of what are known as strained wire
fences, whereby greater simplicity, economy, and efficiency are obtained.
According to our Invention we employ wrought-iron straining posts
or pillars rolled to a T or I section which may be secured in the ground
in any suitable and well known manner. To these posts we connect
as many moveable frames (each carrying a winding barrèl, ratchet, and
detent) as there are wires to be strained, the said frames being only
connected to the flanges of the straining posts by a wedge and small
projections or flanges formed inside the frames which clip or lock over
the flanges of the posts. A detent is hung on a centre in each frame
and may form a part of the lid or cover for the winding barrel; this
detent engages with the ratchet when the straining is accomplished

page_text: in order to maintain the wire taut.
Each frame is held in its proper
place by a wedge or set screw which is applied so as to fill the space
left between one side of the jaw or clip of the frame and the edge of
the flange of the post as it is necessary to have the space between the
jaws of the frame larger than the flange of the post in order that one
frame may be taken off and put on without moving the others. By
slacking or removing the wedges or set screws these frames may be
raised or lowered or set nearer to or further from each other as required
by simply sliding them up or down the flange of the post, or the said
frames may be taken off or additional ones applied as required without
disturbing the rest. The I section of straining post will admit of two
distinct sets of frames for straining being applied thereto, the one at
right angles to the other, so as to accommodate corners or angles, or
the frames to be used at corner posts may be made double, that is
to say, provided with two barrels at right angles, but in this last-
mentioned case such frames could only be removed from the straining
post by sliding them up the post till they are slipped off at the top.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings represents a sectional elevation of our
improved strainer, and shows also the mode of attaching the same to
an H sectioned straining post, and Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of
the same; A is the straining post which may be of a T section, although
we have shewn an H section. The flanges of this post are gripped
by the frame B, carrying the straining barrel C, and with its ratchet D
and combined cover and detent E. An internal lip or projection a
is formed on each side of the frame B so as to overlap the edges of
the flange on the straining post, as will be clearly seen on referring
to Figure 2. A wedge 6 is driven in between one side of the frame
and the edge of the flange on the post in order to secure the said frame
firmly in its place at any desired elevation. There should be left
sufficient clearance between the two inner sides of the frame and
between the two projections a, a, in order to admit of the said frame
when the wedge 6 is knocked out being easily removed from the post.

page_text: The straining barrel C has journals cast upon it which drop into and
fit loosely in slots cast in the opposite cheeks of the frame, the two
The
cheeks or sides being united in one casting by the cross bar c.
combined cover and detent E is also cast with pivots or centres, which
drop into and fit easily the slots or notches d cast in the upper edges
of the sides of the frame.
Figures 3 and 4 represent respectively in sectional elevation and
plan the mode of applying to a single post two distinct frames at right
angles to each other. One of these frames B is constructed and
secured in its place on the post A in precisely the same manner as
that shown in Figures 1 and 2. The second frame B has the cheeks
or sides made rather larger so as to extend across the faces of the
flanges of the straining post A, and is secured in position by having
two wedges b', 6', driven in between one of the cheeks and the face
of one of the flanges on the said post. We sometimes cast the frames
double or in one piece so as to carry two barrels at right angles to each
other as shewn at Figures 5 and 6, and secure them to the T or H shaped
straining post by a set screw or by a wedge or wedges, but in this case
the frames can only be removed by sliding them up to the top of the
post.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we con-
sider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, -
First. The application and use of wrought iron T or H shaped
straining posts in combination with the herein described peculiar winder
or straining appliance substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Second. The securing of the winder frame to the T or H shaped
straining post by the combined action of the projections a, a, and wedge b
or wedges 6¹ or screw or screws substantially as herein-before described
and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Third. The combination with the winding barrel and ratchet of
the combined detent and cover or lid E substantially as and for the
purpose herein-before described and illustrated by Figures 1, 3, and 5.

page_text: Fourth. The providing the straining frames to be used in combination
with T or H shaped straining posts at corners with two barrels at right
angles substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and
illustrated by Figures 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Kennan and Thomas &
Kennan, have to this our Specification set our hands and seals,
the Tenth day of November One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one.
JAMES KENNAN.
(L.S.)
THOMAS KENNAN. (L.S.)