IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR JOINTING AND TIGHTENING WIRES, SUCH AS ARE EMPLOYED FOR FENCES, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Marcus Eustace at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th May
1874.
I, MARCUS EUSTACE, of Elmhurst, Glasnevin, in the County of
Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention.
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR JOINTING AND TIGHTENING
WIRES, SUCH AS ARE EMPLOYED FOR FENCES, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER PURPOSES,"
to be as follows:-
-
This Invention relates to means and apparatus for joining together the-
different lengths of wire which are used in constructing fences, in
forming telegraph lines, and for other purposes, and for tightening up
such wires.
For the purpose of joining together the ends of wire I provide a
socket piece into which the wires are inserted side by side from opposite
directions, and are made fast by driving a taper key or cotter through
transverse holes provided in the sides of the socket, so that the key or
cotter passes between the two wires enclosed therein, and partly by
bedding itself in the bodies of the wires, and partly by pressing them
against the interior of the socket it secures them therein.

page_text: Instead of driving the wedges through transverse holes in the socket
they may be driven between the wires at cach end of the socket.
Instead of making the socket continuous it may be made in two
short pieces or ferrules embracing the wires at some distance apart, and
a piece of metal grooved along each side may be inserted between the
two wires so as to bulge them in the space between the two ferrules.
Also a third or intermediate ferrule may be fitted on the bulged parts
of the wires so as to embrace them and the bulging piece.
For the purpose of tightening the wires I employ two plates of metal
similarly constructed. Each plate has near its outer end a hook clamp
in which the wire is firmly secured by tightening up a screw, part of
the wire projecting through the clamp. At its inner end each plate is
turned up at right angles and has a hole through its turned up part,
and near the middle of each plate is fixed a nut piece standing up from
the face of the plate and having a hole through it in line with the end 1
hole.
The holes in the nut pieces are tapped, the one for a right and the
other for a left hand screw. A spindle having each end screwed, the
one right and the other left-handed, is passed through the end holes of
the two plates and entered in the nut holes. Being then turned round 2
by a wrench applied to a square or polygonal part at its middle or by a
bar passed through a transverse hole provided at its middle in the
manner of a vice screw the spindle working in the two nut holes causes
the two plates to approach each other, and thus the two wire ends secured
respectively to the clamps of the two plates are brought together side 2
by side, while the desired strain is imparted to the lengths of wire. The
wire ends thus brought together can be secured together by any known
method such as twisting them or by the socket which I have already
described, after which the clamps being released, the tightening
apparatus can be removed.
Instead of making the spindle screwed at both ends it may be screwed
only at the one end, the other end being provided with a collar engaging
behind the nut piece of one of the plates, the hole of which in this case
is not screwed. The spindle being then turned screws into the one nut
piece and swivels in the other, causing the plates to be drawn together 3
3

page_text: Instead of employing two plates with one screw spindle between them
a single plate provided with guide holes in turned up parts at each end
and with two nut pieces may be employed in combination with two
screw spindles one of which projects at each end of the plate. The
wires being clamped to the outer ends of these spindles the plate is
turned round and the spindles are thereby caused to approach each
other, straining up the wires. One of the spindles instead of being
screwed may be swivel jointed to the plate.
Also instead of employing two spindles as last described two rack bars
may be fitted to slide through guide sockets fixed on the plate, the rack
teeth on their edges gearing with those of a pinion mounted on the
plate between them, so that when the pinion is turned the bars are
caused to slide in opposite directions, straining the wires which are
clamped to their outer ends.
.
One of the rack bars may be dispensed with, the one wire being
clamped to the plate. The pinion or rack is provided with a pawl to
prevent it from running back.