IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR PREVENTING ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY PROAL DAMAGING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Bertsch, Engineer, resididing at No. 27,
Rue Fontaine St. George, in Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR PREVENTING ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Bertsch at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1864.
I, AUGUSTE BERTSCH, Engineer, residing at No. 27, Rue Fontaine
St. George, in Paris, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS FOR PREVENTING ATMOSPHERIC
ELECTRICITY DAMAGING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lightning conductors
for preventing atmospheric electricity damaging electric telegraph instru-
ments. For this purpose the lightning conductor is composed of two parallel
copper plates retained at a distance apart, and insulated from one another by
four small posts of insulating material. Each plate carries about 300 sharp
points, and these points are carried on the sides of the plates that are towards
each other, the extremities of the points carried by the opposite plates being
brought to a distance of about 5 of an inch from each other; one of theso
plates is attached to the side of a cast-iron box or case, which is placed in
connection with the earth by a wire or band of copper, the opposite plate is

page_text: connected by a stout copper wire with the line wire of tho telegraph; this
copper wire where it passes out through the top of the case passes through a
tube of porcelain fixed in a water-tight manner to the top of the case, and tho
exterior of the top of the porcelain tube is made of a bell shape, similar to
the insulators now used for supporting the line wires of telegraphs; the
copper wire which passes up to the line wire is thus insulated from the box or
case. The hollow cast-iron box or case of the apparatus is by preference cast
in one piece, one of the sides of the box being left open; this open side is
(after the parts of the apparatus above described have been fixed within it)
closed by a thick plate of glass; the joints between the glass and the case
being made water-tight, this permits of the interior of the case being seen
without the case being opened. The back of the box or case has two lugs or
cars cast upon it, through which screws are passed to fix the apparatus in any
desired position..
Apparatus constructed in the manner above described may be constructed
at less cost than the apparatus heretofore employed for this purpose; it may
also be fixed in any situation, either to the telegraph posts or to the walls of
tunnels or otherwise, and by being constantly in operation it takes continuously
from the line wires the slightest traces of static electricity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Bertsch in the Great Seal Patent Office on tho
15th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
BERTSCH, Engineer, residing at No. 27, Ruo Fontaine St. George, in Paris,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, givo and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Bertsch, Her special licence that I, the said Augusto Bertsch, iny
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Auguste
Bertsch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time a
agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend
'within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands
and Isle of Man, an-Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHTNING CONDUCTORS

page_text: FOR PREVENTING ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY DAMAGING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste
Bertsch, my executors or administrators, by instrument in writing under my,
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 I, the said Auguste Bertsch, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in lightning conductors for
preventing atmospheric electricity damaging electric telegraph instruments.
For this purpose the lightning conductor is composed of two parallel copper
plates retained at a distance apart, and insulated from one another by four
small posts of insulating material. Each plate carries about 300 sharp points,
and these points are carried on the sides of the plates that are towards each
other, the extremities of the points carried by the opposite plates being
brought to a distance of about 5 of an inch from each other; one of these
plates is attached to the side of a cast-iron box or case, which is placed in.
connection with the earth by a wire or hand of copper, the opposite plate is
connected by a stont copper wire with the line wire of the telegraph; this
copper wire where it passes out through the top of the case passes through a
tube of porcelain fixed in a water-tight manner to the top of the case, and the
exterior of the top of the porcelain tube is made of a bell shape, similar to
the insulators now used for supporting the line wires of telegraphs; the copper
wire which passes up to the line wire is thus insulated from the box or case.
The hollow cast-iron box or case of the apparatus is by preference cast in one
piece, one of the sides of the box being left open; this open side is (after the
parts of the apparatus above described have been fixed within it) closed by
a thick plate of glass; the joints between the glass and the case being made
water-tight, this permits of the interior of the case being seen without the
case being opened. The back of the box or case has two lugs or ears
cast upon it, through which screws are passed to fix the apparatus in any
desired position.
A lightning conductor constructed as above described is shewn at Figures 1
and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1 being a vertical section
and Figure 2a front view.

page_text: A, B, are the two metallic plates separated and insulated one from the
other by posts C, D; cach plate carries about 300 sharp points, by preference
made of copper, either silvered or gilt. The extremities of the points carried
by the opposite plates are brought to a distance of about 's or as close as 3'
of an inch apart from each other. Those plates are enclosed in a rectangular
box E, F, of cast iron, which is cast in one piece, one side only of the box
being left open; this side is afterwards closed by a thick sheet of glass G, H,
through which the interior of the apparatus can be seen. The plates are fixed
in the rectangular cast-iron box by one of the plates A, which is furnished
with points, being closely fixed to the back of the box either by screws passing
through from the exterior or otherwise. The cast-iron caso E, F, is put in
communication with the earth by the copper wire U, and the metal plate B is
put in connection with the line wire of the telegraph by the metallic rod L, M.
I, K, aro two lugs or ears on the exterior of the box, which perinit of the
apparatus being socurely fixed by means of screws or otherwise to telegraph
posts, to walls, to the entrance of tunnels, or wherever the effects of condensa
tion and quantity of static electricity is to bo feared. The metallic.rod L, M,
passes out from the interior of the case through a tube of porcelain P, fixed
by a suitable cement in a water-tight manner to the interior of the tube'N,
which screws into an opening in the top of the case; on the top of the
porcelain tubo P is formed an inverted cup or bell R, S, which keeps off rain
from the greater portion of the tube. The rod L, M, rises above the top of
the bell, and above the bell it has formed all around it a projecting flange O,
which covers the top of the opening through the tube P; this flange is drawn
down on to the top of the bell by a small nut screwing on to the lower end of
the rod. The upper end of the rod L, M, is readily connected to the line
wire by means of a copper wire attached to the end of the rod by the binding
screw T.
Apparatus constructed in the manner above described may be constructed
at less cost than the apparatus heretofore employed for this purpose; it may
also be fixed in any situation, either to the telegraph posts or to the walls of
tunnels or otherwise, and by being constantly in operation it takes con-
tinuously from the line wires the slightest traces of static electricity. In
order that a perfect security may be attained I prefer, on account of the large
amount of static electricity which has sometimes to be placed in equilibrium
with the earth, to employ, together with the apparatus above described, an
apparatus of the sort now commonly employed in which a fino wire is
employed as the conducting wire between the line wire and tho telegraph
instruments, in order that if there be any discharge of static electricity through

page_text: this wire the wire may be burnt and the instruments remain uninjured; this
second instrument is placed on the interior of the building in which the
telegraph instruments are contained. It is, however, important that this class
of apparatus should be so constructed as to work continuously and inde-
pendently of the will of the operatives, I therefore construct apparatus of
this description in such manner as to remain permanently in the circuit and
to operate automatically. For this purpose I arrange the apparatus in tho
manner described in a Provisional Specification on which I propose to petition
for further Letters Patent, that is to say, I arrange the apparatus in such
manner that when the fine wire which connects the line wire with the instru-
ment is burnt the wire is immediately replaced by another fine wire.
Figure 3 shows a side view and Figure 4 an end view of an apparatus so
constructed. The apparatus is composed of a cylinder A, B, terminated at
one end by a disc A, and at the other by a disc B; the disc A is connected
with the earth, and the disc B with the telegraph instruments. Around the
disc A are placed a number of spring hooks C, P, E, F, insulated one from
the other, and also from the earth. The springs R, R', R", R", constantly
tend to draw the hooks towards the disc. The opposite disc, which is in
connection with the instruments, is also provided with an equal number of
hooks, and is connected to the cylinder in such manner as to be insulated from
it at the point J, I, for dynamic electricity. Fine wires F, F', are stretched
between the hooks on the disc A and the hooks on the disc B. Within the
dise A is a helical spring R (see Figures 4 and 5), which constantly tends to
rotate the cylinder. The bobbin is supported between two standards O, O, by
a central axis; the axle at one end is connected with the earth, and the other
is connected with the telegraph instruments by the clips Land K. Near the
opposite disc is another clip K', in which is held the extremity of the line
wire, and which carries a contact piece against which the head of one of the
spring hooks firmly rests. Ou the opposite side of the disc is a third clip K",
communicating with the earth wire, and which may also carry a contact piece.
This contact piece is not required if the cylinder communicates with the earth
by the contact piece K' and by the foot of the standard which supports the
axis V of the cylinder. In the first case the disc carries on its edge a plate of
copper, which when the last of the fine wires has been burnt rests on this
contact piece, and instantaneously establishes the communication between the
line and the earth. The cylinder S is formed of a metallic tube carrying
points which are retained at a very short distance from the fino wires. Atmo-
spberic electricity has therefore always an easy path for regaining its equi-
librium with the earth, and it will thus be seen that the apparatus is constantly

page_text: in action as a discharger. When one of the threads is burnt, the hook which
establishes the contact between the line wire and the instruments is withdrawn
by its spring into the disc, the cylinder is then caused rapidly to turn by the
spiral spring R, which brings the next hook up to the contact piece, which
thus forms a stop to prevent the cylinder from turning further. The com-
munication is thus re-established by the new fine wire placed in the circuit; this
change is in the sixtieth of a second, that is to say, in so short a time
as not to interrupt the working of the telegraph. When the last of the fine
threads is destroyed the communication between the line wire and the earth
is instantaneously made direct by a projection from the disc, which takes the
place of the last hook.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Bertsch, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
AUGUSTE BERTSCII. (L.S.)