IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS, AND CALLED AN EMBOSSING TELEGRAPH."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund F. Barues, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, for the invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS, AND CALLED AN EMBOSSING TELEGRAPH.""
Sealed the 27th October 1857, and dated the 27th April 1857.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmund F. Barnes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th October 1857.
10 ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, EDMUND
F. BARNES, of the City and State of New York, America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our
[Price 8d.].

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Edmund F. Barnes, Her special licence that I, the said
Edmund F. Barnes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edmund F. Barnes, my 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 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 TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS
AND CALLED AN EMBOSSING TELEGRAPH." upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edmund F. Barnes, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an 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 Edmund F. Barnes, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The nature of my Invention consists in so combining and arranging an
instrument that it is easily and readily adaptable to the purposes of
telegraphing and producing printed letters, and which from its simplicity
of construction, and the case and certainty of its operation, can be used
under disadvantageous circumstances, and when other instruments arc
comparatively inoperative.
Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the entire apparatus, so far as
can be shewn by a front view; Fig. 2 is a back perspective view, more
fully to exemplify some of the parts of Fig. 1, and to shew some other
parts not seen in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the keys and the
parts acted on by it.
The prominent features or parts of my Invention consist, 1st, of a
vessel of acidulated water A, with a small aperture through the bottom,
through which the small platinum wire is made to pass, and the aperture
is then closed with any substance which will make the vessel hold water
or liquid. This vessel is filled with a fluid, the conductibillity of which
is less than that of platinum, as a solution, of one part sulpuric acid and

page_text: <
twelve parts water. One end of the platinum wire a is attached to the
wire of the main line a, a, from which projects points 1, 1, 1, 1, the
ends of which extend below the-surface of the acidulated water. The
end of the platinum wire is attached to a wire which leads to and
connects by a screw to one of the poles of the mutator, so called.
2nd, the mutator B, B, which consists of an electro-magnet C, having
an U-shaped permanent magnet D, 'suspended by points of screws, and
acting as an armature, which armature is caused to move in one direction
by the magnetic force caused by charging the electro-magnet C, and in
the reverse direction by the force of the spring c when the electro-
magnet is discharged, that is, when the direction of the electric current
about the coils is such as to produce polarity in the clectro-magnet
opposite" to the polarity of the permanent magnet D.
When the
electric current is discharged in such a direction as to produce "like"
polarity in the electro-magnet C with that of the armature D, then the
movement will be the reverse, as the spring c will cause the armature D
to recede from the electro-magnet C. The tension of the spring c may
be increased or diminished by the turning of the adjusting screws 2.
Attached to the armature D is a bar d, the upper end of which is between
two adjusting screws 3, 3', to regulate the movement of the armature.
The point of one or other of these adjusting screws (according to the
direction which the electric current is sent around the coils of the electro-
magnet) is armed with platinum or other conducting substance, while
the point of the other is armed with ivory or other non-conducting sub-
stance, so that the resident circuit of conductors may be ultimately closed
and broken, for purposes hereafter to be shown. The two ends of
the wire composing the coils of the electro-magnet C are attached
respectively to the binding screws. The wire leading from the atmo-
spheric electrical discharge A is attached to binding screws, and from
the binding screws a wire extends, and connects with the anvil E of the
"circuit breaker" F, which is circular, but which in the Drawing has a
part broken away to shew the parts behind it. The periphery of the
circuit breaker F is undulated in such a manner that when revolved the
hammer e is alternately connected with and disconnected from the anvil
E, which stands on the insulated stool E', and the end of which next the
hammer presses against a helical spring within the body of the anvil, so
as to yield a little and ease the blow, but still insure a perfect contact.
In order that the main circuit may be alternately broken and closed, a
wire is connected with the binding screw 7, and from screw 8 a wire is

page_text: taken to one pole of the main battery, and from the other pole of the main
battery a wire is carried to and connected with the ground; now, if the
main wire a, a, be extended to some distant point in the direction of the
arrow and there connected with another of my telegraphic instruments,
the main circuit will be connected when the hammer e and the anvil E
are brought into contact, and be disconnected when the hammer and
anvil are separated.
3rd, the key-board G is so arranged, that when any of the keys f is
depressed the clutch wheel y is made to move forwards on the shaft / (by
means of the forked rod with its arm i attached to the hanger j, which
is moved by the bent portion of the key being thrown backward), and be
thrown into gear with the clutch, which causes the arm m which is
attached to the hollow shaft n (within which is the shaft L, above referred
to,) to revolve, carrying with it the circuit breaker wheel F, by means
of the click o working into the ratchet wheel p. The keys f, f, being
arranged in a semicircle, the circuit breaker arm m is of such length that
in revolving the end of the arm will come in contact with any key which
may be depressed, and be arrested, and when the finger is taken from the
key, so that the spring at the back of the key (/ 1, Fig. 3,) shall elevate
it, the clutch wheel g is released from gear with the clutch', and the
circuit breaker arm m is drawn to its original position by the action of
the spring q and cord q', which winds around the hollow shaft n. The
clutch is fixed to the hollow shaft n, and the clutch wheel g is so
arranged as to slide to and fro on the shaft l, but is otherwise fixed and
continually revolving with shaft l. As the key f is depressed, the bent
portion thereof ƒ 1, Fig. 3, strikes against the hanger j, moving it and
the rod 2 backward, and causing the forked arrow arm 3' which moves
on its centre, represented by a dot, to throw the clutch wheel g into gear
with the clutch, thus carrying forward the circuit breaker arm m. When
the finger is lifted from the key, a spring throws forward the part f 1, and
another spring throws forward j, and draws the wheel g from gear with
clutch k, allowing shaft n and arm m to return to its starting point. H,
Fig. 2, is a resident magnet, having a wire from one of its poles carried
to and connected with 'binding screw 10 on the mutator. A wire from
the other pole of the resident magnet is carried to and connected with
one of the poles of a resident battery, and from the other pole of the
resident battery a wire is carried to and connected with binding screw 11
of the mutator. Binding screw 10 is connected with a wire to and con-
nected with the support to the permanent magnetic armature D of the

page_text: mutator, and binding screw 11 has a wire carried to and connected with
the metal through which the adjusting screw 3' passes, which has on it
the platinum or other conducting point. The metallic cones within
the coils of the resident magnet are composed of soft iron, with two small
straight bar permanent magnets s, s, introduced into cach leg at s and
extending the length of the cores, the object of which is to keep at all
times the atoms of the iron in a polarized condition, the poles of the small
permanent magnets being so arranged as to produce a north and south
pole in the resident magnet. As it is found that there is considerable
time lost in the charging and discharging of the ordinary electro-magnet,
and as it is found that a much greater number of vibrations can be
obtained by this arrangement, it is therefore adopted. I is an armature
over the resident magnet; J is a lever, to which armature I is attached;
K is an adjusting screw, a corresponding one being beneath to regulate
the distance through which armature I can move; t, t, are points at which
the lever J is suspended; L is an adjustable spring, to cause the reverse
action of the armature I when the resident circuit is broken and the
armature released from the attractive force of the resident magnet; u
is a screw, by which the slide V may be moved to and fro, thereby making
the working part of the spring L longer or shorter, as the case may be.
There is a screw beneath, by which the slide W, through which the
spring L passes, may be raised or depressed. At one end of the lever J
is a small hardened nipple x, which comes alternately in contact with the
teeth of and arrests the escapement wheel M, as the lever J is caused to
vibrate by the alternate attractive action of the resident magnet H on
the armature I, and the action of the spring L when the armature I is
released from the attraction of the magnet. M is the escapement wheel,
made by cutting two wheels with such a number of teeth in cach as shall
be equal to half the number of letters or characters necessary in any
language to be used, and then fastening one of these wheels upon the
other in such a way that the teeth of one shall be equidistant between
the teeth of the other, thus allowing the escapement wheel M to revolve
step by step at each vibration of the lever J; N is a detent cog wheel,
having on it a number of teeth equal to the number of all the teeth of
the escapement wheel. This detent cog wheel is so arranged as to move
up and down on a square shaft by the action of the forked bar o, which
is supported by the study. The armature I is composed of several thin
plates, the greatest width of which is perpendicular to the
length of the legs of the magnet H, and composed of so

page_text: hardened
This
many plates of soft iron and so
many plates of
steel magnetized as shall keep the atoms in the soft iron in
a polarized condition. P is the type wheel, having on it a number of
letters corresponding with the number of the teeth of the escapement
wheel M. On the under side of the type wheel is a pin, seen in Fig. 2,
between letters B & F, which acts as a clutch, passing between two of
the teeth of the detent cog wheel N, when this wheel is thrown up to
the under surface of the type wheel, but which is withdrawn when by
the action of the forked bar o the detent cog wheel is forced downward,
at which time should the type wheel have been carried forward any
'distance whatever, the action of the spring Q with the cord x, which
passes around the barrel of the type wheel, will draw the type wheel back,
untill the pin a' strikes against the stop b', when it will be at rest.
is accomplished by the type wheel being loose and free to revolve on the
type wheel shaft, except when the pin underneath the type wheel drops
between two of the teeth of the detent cog wheel N. R is a ratchet wheel,
having on it a number of teeth equal to the escapement M; c' is an arm
on shaft d', one end of which rests upon one of the teeth of the ratchet
wheel, which will be carried forward at every movement of the ratchet
wheel R; S is a detent, which will be moved by every movement of the
shafte is an arm on shaft T, one end of which rests against the
detent S at f, untill the ratchet wheel R acts upon the arın c', when the
arm e¹ will move to and rest against the detent S at f", untill the end
of the arm c¹ shall have again fallen to the bottom of one of the teeth on
the ratchet wheel R, when it will be released from the detent S at /",
and make a revolution, till it again rests against the detent S at /. T
is a shaft, having on it the embossing cam ', the paper-propelling eccen-
tric g', and the type wheel releasing plane ; j' is a rod, extending from
the embossing cam and acting upon the bar U; Fig. 1, which moves
forward the embossing press o', which has in it a piece of embossing india-
rubber or other proper substance, and the embossing press with the rod j¹
is forced back by the action of a spring from the surface of the type as
soon as the embossing cam ' has revolved sufficiently far to allow the
end of the rod j' to fall from off it; k' is a rod attached to a strap surround-
ing the paper-propelling eccentric g' on shaft T, and extending to one of
the paper rollers V, which it causes to revolve a given distance at every
revolution of the shaft T by means of a click ', which works into a ratchet
wheel n' on paper roller V. The rod ' is supported and guided by a step
and pin m² V, V, V, V, are paper guides and rollers to draw and guide

page_text: the paper as it passes between the embossing press o' and the type wheel
P; O is a forked rod, extending from the type wheel releasing plane i
to and-taking hold of the detent cog wheel N which forces such cog wheel
down at every revolution of the shaft T and again forces such wheel up
to clutch the type wheel when the arm e' shall have passed so far around
as to allow the end of the bar O to drop from off the type wheel releasing
plane i', the forked bar being forced up by the spring p'; 6' is the type
wheel at each return, and is hung on a hinge at q', so that when the pin a'
on the type wheel shall have made a complete revolution it forces such
stop outwardly till the type wheel commences to return, when the spring
forces the stop b' to its proper position to arrest the type wheel.. S, S,
Fig. 1, are springs to force the paper rollers together sufliciently to draw
and guide the paper properly. ', ', t', t', arc posts supporting the plate
which receives the upper journals of the different shafts and paper rollers;
W, W, is the principal bed plate to sustain. the receiving portion of the
instrument; X is the main power shaft, to be driven by any proper power,
and having on it three cog wheels to drive respectively the wheels on the
type wheel shaft, the shaft d', and shaft T, and also one bevil wheel,
Fig. 3, to drive the horizontal shaft Y, which is to propel the circuit
breaker F. The cog wheels on all the shafts except the power shaft are
loose and free to revolve, having friction plates fast to the shafts above
and below such wheels to keep them in position. The clutch has a
collar, as shown in Fig. 1, having a recess in which is a pin to which the
cord is fastened; the objects of which is to allow the clutch to move
a short distance when thrown into gear with g before moving the hollow
shaft and its arm m, so as to prevent the clutch, by its sudden action
when thrown into gear, from throwing the arm m forward in improper
time, and thus jumping over any letter. The cog wheels are all so
arranged, as above described, that they may all be revolving whilst the
shafts remain stationary, except the shaft Y, which extends to the circuit
breaker clutch wheel g, and their speeds are so arranged that the circuit
breaker wheel revolves more rapidly than the wheel on shaft d'; there-
fore when any one of the keys is depressed, the clutch wheel g is thrown
forward and takes hold of the clutch on the hollow shaft n, on which
the circuit breaker arm m and the circuit breaker wheel F are carried
forward, alternately breaking & closing the circuit, and causing the arm d
on the mutator to vibrate, which closes and breaks the resident circuit
at the platinum points 3', which charges and discharges the resident
magnet H, causing the lever J to vibrate, allowing the shaft with the

page_text: escapement M to move forward step by step, carrying with it the type
wheel P and ratchet wheel R untill such time as the circuit breaker
arm m reaches the depressed key, when the circuit breaker will be
arrested and the vibrations cease. At the first vibration the ratchet
wheel R would have forced forward the arm c', carrying with it the
detent S, allowing the arm e' to pass from the detent S at f¹ to the
detent S at f, where the arm e' would be arrested untill the vibrations
cease, on account of the speed of the circuit breaker being greater than
that of the shaft d', causing the teeth of the ratchet wheel R to keep
meeting the arm c¹ before it has fallen to the bottom of the teeth of the
ratchet R; but when the vibrations cease the type wheel shaft stands at
rest, and the arm c' is carried to the bottom of the tooth of the ratchet
wheel R, when the arm e' is released from the detent S at f¹¹ and the
shaft T revolves, embossing the letter, by the action of the cam h' and
the rod j' working to the embossing press o', and immediately thereafter
and during the revolution of the shaft T the type wheel releasing plane i¹
operates on the forked bar O, depressing the detent cog wheel N, and
the type wheel is drawn to its starting point by spring Q and cord Z,
whilst at the same time and during the revolution of the shaft T the
paper-propelling eccentric g¹, through the rod k' and click acting on
the ratchet wheel n' on paper roller V, propels the paper far enough for
the next letter to be embossed, and immediately that the finger is taken
from the key, the clutch is released from the wheel g, and the spring q
with the cord q' draws the circuit breaker arm to its original starting
points; and it is thus seen that from the circuit breaker arm at the trans-
mitting station and the type wheel at the receiving station retreating to
the same starting points, the machinery is self-adjusted after the com-
pletion of cach letter, and this is done while shaft T is making its revolu-
tion, no time is lost.
The vessel A of acidulated water acts to discharge any superabundance
of atmospheric electricity when it is projected into the operating stations
during thunder storms or other disturbed electrical states of the
atmosphere.
The letters on the type wheel are arranged in the order in which they
occur oftenest in language as used in telegraphing, whereby an average
of a fraction less than seven vibrations are required to reach each letter
instead of an average number of vibrations equal to half the number of
letters on the type wheel, if the wheel made continuous revolutions with-
out returning to a given starting point at each letter.

page_text: The permanent magnets are introduced in their respective places for.
several reasons:-
Firstly, it is found that by keeping the magnets constantly polarized
by the induced magnetism from the permanent magnets that the difficulty
arising from the sluggish action of electricity in charging magnets and
the time necessary to discharge is overcome, in so much as that the
compound magnet will vibrate with several times the rapidity of the
ordinary electro-magnet with the soft iron armature.
Secondly, that a given length of line can be operated with a much less
battery force.
Thirdly, that the equilibrium preserving effects, found in the use of the-
compound magnet, greatly reduces the difficulty of adjustment caused by
atmospheric, electrical, and other disturbances.
Fourthly, that much greater length of line can be operated by using
the compound magnet than by using any others known, it appearing to
have all the sensitiveness of the galvanometer, and a strength of operation
so far greater than the electro-magnet proper that it is much more
controllable.
Fifthly, that in connection with the vessel of acidulated water to
dissipate the atmospheric electricity it is found entirely controllable even
during the severest thunderstorms.
In any printing telegraph instrument where the circuit breaker and
type wheel are not self-adjusting the two are often getting into different
relative positions, when operations must cease until they are adjusted
together, whereas in the embossing telegraph the operator has but to keep
his mutator in adjustment, as all the rest of the instrument requring.
adjustment is self-regulating.
•
The embossing cam, the paper-propelling eccentric, and the type wheel'
releasing plane are all firmly attached to each other, so as to render it
impossible they should get into different relative positions. The arrange-
ment of the circuit breaker is such that the circuit is closed by a direct
contact instead of a rolling or scraping contact, by which far greater
certainty of vibration is attained. The whole instrument is so thoroughly
adapted to its mechanical construction that the liability to disarrange-
mont is very little, while at the same time it is far simpler of operation
than any
"character" instrument which depends upon the muscular
action of the hand to form the characters.
I do not claim the use of the power of electricity or magnetism generally
for telegraphing messages at a distance and recording them either in

page_text: printed letters or other characters, nor do I claim the general arrange;
ment of wires, posts, electric circuit or circuits, as these things are old
and well known; but what I claim is,-
The introduction and use in the telegraph circuits of the vessel of
acidulated water, as set forth for the purpose specified.
The use and application of the combined permanent and clectro-
magnets in the mutator and resident magnet, for the purposes mentioned.
The arrangement, or its equivalent, by which the circuit breaker arm
and type wheel return to a given starting point after any letter is
embossed, thus making the whole machine, except the mutator, self-
regulating.
The arrangement of the circuit breaker wheel with its undulated
periphery and the parts connected therewith, substantially as described,
to close and break the main telegraphic circuit.
The arrangement as set forth of the clutch wheel g and clutch to
carry forward the circuit breaker.
The arrangement of the escapement wheel combined with the vibrating
lever and nipple revolving the type wheel shaft step by step.
The adjustable spring L with its slide, for the purposes mentioned.
The arrangement of the embossing cam, paper-propelling eccentric,
type wheel releasing plané, and arm S, rendering it impossible for them
to get it into different relative positions.
And the arrangement of the rods, bars, & embossing press, &c., which
cause the letter to be printed, move the paper far enough for the next
letter, force down the cog wheel N to let the type wheel return to its
starting point to be again clutched, and each in proper time.
And generally the arrangement and combination of the several parts
as set forth and for the purposes declared.
In witness whercof. I, the said Edmund F. Barnes, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of October AD 1957