A New or Improved Apparatus or Dropper to be employed in Retaining the Wires of Wire Fences at Proper Distances Apart.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus or Dropper to be employed
in Retaining the Wires of Wire Fences at Proper Distances
Apart.
I, THOMAS MAILER of the Hamilton Iron Works, Garston, Liverpool, Foreman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention, which has for its object to retain the lines of wire constituting a
wire fence at the proper distances apart, or to prevent the said lines of wire from
becoming bent at any point between two straining or supporting posts or standards,
and so preventing irregularities in the line of fence, consists of an apparatus which
is hung vertically on the line of wires.
This apparatus technically termed "a dropper" is made preferably in light flat
iron or steel strips or other suitable materials and of the required section or
strength.
.
On one side of the dropper are grooves indented across the same by means of
special machinery at the same distance apart as the wires of the fence, such
indentations or grooves being for the purpose of holding the wires constituting the
fence in position, and the principal feature and chief item of novelty in my
invention is the means by which I secure or fasten the wires within the recesses or
indentations just referred to, it being understood that the droppers are fixed in
position on the fence after the wires have been erected and strained and that
therefore it is not necessary to thread the wires through the droppers, a tedious and
difficult operation.
The method of securing the dropper to the wires forming the fence I accomplish
in the following manner, that is to say,-
After placing the dropper on to the fence and seeing that the wires enter and
properly coincide with the indentations or "crimpings" made at the proper
distances apart, over each wire I place a small plate buckle or clip made of good
quality iron, steel or other suitable material, this clip or buckle I thus place across
the dropper over each wire, and double over the ends which are preferably notched
or serrated for the purpose of facilitating this operation of doubling over and
securing the clip to the dropper, this being effected by means of an improved and
specially designed pair of pincers or tongs.
The great advantage to be derived in adopting my invention is, that the means
of securing the droppers on the fence is obtained by the simple addition of the
small clip or buckle above described, and that in fixing the clip it is only required
to double over the ends, whereas in most other droppers now in use this result has
only been accomplished by cutting or punching holes for the purpose of inserting
splayed pins, cottars or the like and thus considerably weakening the dropper at
the very point where the most strength is required, and which is now afforded by
the addition of my improved clip or buckle.
Dated this 7th day of May 1891.
JOHN HAYES,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus or Dropper to be employed
in Retaining the Wires of Wire Fences at Proper Distances
Apart.
I, THOMAS MAILER of the Hamilton Iron Works, Garston, Liverpool, Foreman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention, which has for its object to retain the lines of wire constituting a
wire fence at the proper distances apart, or to prevent the said lines of wire from
becoming bent at any point between two straining or supporting posts or standards,
and so preventing irregularities in the line of fence consists of an apparatus which
is hung vertically on the line of wires.
This apparatus technically termed "a dropper" is made preferably in light steel
or flat iron strips or other suitable material, and of the required section or
strength.
On one side of the dropper are grooves indented across the same by means of
special machinery, at the same distance apart as the wires of the fence, such
indentations or grooves being for the purpose of holding the wires constituting the
fence in position, and the principal feature and chief item of novelty in my
invention is the means by which I secure or fasten the wires within the recesses or
indentations just referred to, it being understood that the droppers are fixed in
position on the fence after the wires have been erected and strained and that
therefore it is not necessary to thread the wires through the droppers, a tedious and
difficult operation.
The method of securing the dropper to the wires forming the fence I accomplish
in the following manner, that is to say-
"
After placing the dropper on to the fence and seeing that the wires enter and
properly coincide with the indentations or "crimpings" made at the proper
distances apart, over each wire I place a small plate buckle or clip made of good
quality iron, steel or other suitable material, this clip or buckle I thus place across
the dropper over each wire, and double over the ends which are preferably notched
or serrated for the purpose of facilitating this operation of doubling over and
securing the clip to the dropper, this being effected by means of an improved and
specially designed pair of pincers or tongs.
The great advantage to be derived in adopting my invention, is that the means
of securing the dropper on the fence is obtained by the simple addition of the small
clip or buckle above described, and that in fixing the clip, it is only required to
double over the ends, whereas in most other droppers now in use this result has
only been accomplished by cutting or punching holes for the purpose of inserting
splayed pins, cottars or the like, and thus considerably weakening the dropper at
the very point where the most strength is required and which is now afforded by
the addition of my improved clip or buckle.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood I now
refer to the drawings Figs. 1 to 10.
Fig. 1 shews a general view and application of my improved dropper to a wire
fence of five lines of wire, the buckles or clips being shewn at a, a, a, a, a, and the
dropper at b, b.
Figs. 2 to 8 inclusive shew the clip or buckle and its application to the dropper,
these figs. being drawn to a larger scale than in the general view Fig. 1, but
throughout the letters of reference on the different figs. refer to the same detail;
thus a, a, a, are the clips or buckles, whilst the dropper is shewn at b, b, on each of
the figs.

page_text: The special pincers or tongs and their application in clenching or closing the
clip on the dropper are shewn on Figs. 9 and 10.
Having now described my improved dropper 1 beg to state that what I
claim is,
An improved means of attaching or securing droppers to wire fencing by
means of a buckle or clip as above described and as shewn in the annexed
drawing.
JOHN HAYES,
Agent for Applicant.