IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC CABLES OR CONDUCTORS AND TO MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co Patent Agents Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC CABLES OR CONDUCTORS AND
TO MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME" communicated to him from
abroad by William J Philips and George L Kitson both of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th April 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and C° Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings London IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC
CABLES OR CONDUCTORS AND TO MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
"
[a communication to him from abroad by William J Philips and George L Kitson
both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America]
i
This invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved electric cable or
conductor for submarine, underground, or other purposes consisting of a wire or
cable which is first coated with Burgundy pitch, then wrapped with a covering of
cotton wool or asbestos over which a layer of resin is placed and the whole encased
in a covering of lead.
One or any number of wires may be so treated and clustered together with the
casing.
Under some circumstances I prefer to whip or roughen the surface of the
Burgundy pitch before the asbestos, wool, cotton or other fibrous material is
applied thereto, in order that the asbestos or other insulating material will be more
securely held and retained on the pitch by its roughened surface.
The casing consists of a strip of lead which is folded around the cable, and if
desired the contacting edges of the lead strip may be beveled so that the spreading
or expansion of the lead in so folding it will be taken up and said edges remain
perfectly square to form a good joint.

page_text: Said conductor is designed to be made by means of a machine which constitutes
the second part of this invention. The said machine is constructed as follows that
is to say, I provide a suitable frame work carrying a reel for the wire, a reel for the
lead strip, a die and mandrel for forming or folding said strip around the wire, a
finishing die, a reel for the completed wire or cable; connected with the forming die
and mandrel is a reservoir of molten pitch which passing to the die flows around the
wire as it is encased in its covering. Said parts may be of any suitable construc-
tion and arranged or located in respect to one another as desired or as circumstances
governing the operation of the machine dictate, depending in a great measure upon
the size, style and construction designed for the cable or conductor.
The wire and lead strip are first passed into the die and the pitch is allowed to
flow into the die, as the strip is folded around the wire. As the wire and casing
emerge from the die, the joint of the casing is lead burned or soldered. The cable
is then passed through the finishing die and then reeled.
The third part of the said invention consists of a coupling for cables or
conductors and it is constructed as follows; The ends of the wires are beveled and
formed with projections or lips which overlap and interlock with each other whon
the ends of the wire are joined together. Said ends are also tinned or covered with
solder. Around the joint formed thereby is a sleeve the bore of which is also
tinned. By applying heat thereto the ends of the wires become soldered to each
other and to the sleeve, thereby forming a strong, inexpensive and durable
coupling

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th October 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO ELECTRIC
CABLES OR CONDUCTORS, AND TO MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME.”.
A communication to me from abroad by William J. Philips and George L. Kitson,
both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This invention relates to electrical conductors and to machinery for manu-
facturing the same.
One part of the said invention has for its object to provide an insulated
conductor or cable for transmitting electric currents, which conductor is especially
adapted for underground service, and which may be easily, rapidly and inexpensively
manufactured.
This part of the said invention accordingly comprises a cable, the wire or wires
of which are first coated with Burgundy pitch which is roughened on its surface,
and wrapped with a covering of asbestos, over which a layer of resin is placed, the
whole being afterwards encased in a covering of lead.
Another part of the said invention has for its object to provide machinery for
manufacturing, at a low cost, the above described or similar cables or conductors,
and consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts as
hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a portion of a cable
constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is also a perspective view of a portion of a cable,
Figure 3 is a transverse section of a cable with three conducting wires, and
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the lead casing.
Figure 5. is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a machine for manufacturing the
said cable.
Figures 6 and 7 are a plan and sectional elevation respectively of portions of the
same.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4 which illustrate the first part of the said invention,
A indicates a section or piece of the cable, A¹ the wire or conductor; B the
coating of Burgundy pitch ; C the covering of asbestos; D the coating of resin, and
E the casing of lead. The said cable may be made in any suitable or desired
manner; but I prefer to construct it in substantially the following manner, that is
to say-The wire A¹ is run or passed through a bath of Burgundy pitch to form
a coating thereon. When the pitch dries or hardens, it is whipped or otherwise
suitably manipulated to break its gloss or smooth surface, so that the asbestos
covering will more readily adhere thereto, and securely hold the wire in the said
covering, so that it cannot be withdrawn therefrom, as would be possible if the
gloss or surface of the pitch was allowed to remain smooth or unbroken. The said
roughened surface is indicated by b, the asbestos covering therefor may be applied
either in a fibrous or plastic state in any suitable manner.
When the wire A² is coated with the pitch, asbestos and resin, it is enclosed in a
casing of lead. The latter may be a tube or it may be formed by wrapping or
folding a strip of sheet lead around the wire A' as plainly shown in Figure 4.
When so folded, solder or the like is applied to the joint e. The edges e', e of the
strip E may be bevelled as illustrated so that, as the lead stretches in the process of
folding it, the said edges will come flush with each other to make a perfect joint,

page_text: °
Referring to Figures 5 to 7 which illustrate the second part of this invention,
F indicates the frame of the machine, upon which are conveniently placed in
suitable relation to each other a reel of wire G, and a reel H of sheet lead in the
form of a long strip or ribbon E. I indicates a die having a tapering opening i
and held in a frame K which is composed of a stationary section k and a removable
section ¹ connected to each other by bolts k³. L indicates a mandrel hinged or
pivotted at to bars or arms secured to the frame K in any suitable manner, the
said mandrel is thereby so placed that its end is centrally located within the
opening of the die I; the said mandrel is provided with passages or openings ³
and , which lead into one another at 1. The end of the mandrel is formed with
a taper portion as shewn in Figure 7.
M indicates a tank or reservoir designed to hold resin or other material, which
is melted or heated by steam entering the jacket m from the pipe m'. The
reservoir M is connected to the passage of the mandrel L by a pipe N having
a cock n. The said pipe is surrounded by a steam jacket n¹ to maintain the resin
in a fluid condition as it passes from the reservoir to the mandrel L. The said
jacket has a pet cock n³ for drawing off the water of condensation.
O indicates another die, located behind the die I, and secured in a frame K¹ of
similar construction to the frame K.
P indicates a reel for the finished cable.
The operation of the machine is as follows, that is to say :-steam is admitted
through the pipe m¹ to the jackets m and n' to melt or heat the resin in the
reservoir M. The lead strip E is passed around or beneath the mandrel L and
through the die-opening i, while the wire A¹ is conducted through the mandrel-
opening. As the lead strip E is drawn through the opening i, it is folded
together to form a tube, which encloses the wire A¹. The cock n being opened, the
melted resin flows from the reservoir M through the pipe N to the passage 14,
thence through the passage around the wire A¹, filling up the space between the
latter and the tube formed by the folding of the strip E, as clearly illustrated in
Figure 7, to form a cable. In the passage of the cable from the die I to the die O,
the resin therein cools and contracts, leaving a space between it and the lead
casing; but as the latter passes through the die O, it is thereby further folded or
forced down on the resin to take up such space. When the joint y in the said
casing or tube is soldered or similarly united the cable is finished and is wound
upon the reel.
It will be seen that the die O is merely a finishing die to set the lead down upon
the cooled resin. The soldering of the casing joint may be done by hand before
the cable passes through the die O, or before it is wound upon the reel P; or if
desired any suitable mechanism may be interposed to effect such result.
If desired gas, oil or other heating medium may be substituted for steam for the
reservoir M, and a force pump or other suitable device may be employed to convey
or force the resin from the said reservoir to the mandrel L. Instead of using resin,
any other suitable material may be employed. It will be noticed that the mandrel L
is hinged or pivotted. It is therefore free to yield and accommodate itself to any
irregularities in the wire fed therethrough, hence all friction between the mandrel
and wire, and chafing of the insulation on the latter is avoided.
If desired, the mandrel and dies herein shewn and described may be dispensed
with and friction or other rollers, suitably formed to produce a die, may be used in
lieu thereof;
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I claim :—
First. An electric cable composed of wire or wires covered with Burgundy pitch,
the surface of which is whipped or roughened, a layer of asbestos or fibrous
material, a coating of resin, and a casing of lead, as set forth.
Second. The method herein described of manufacturing electric cables, which
method consists in coating the wires or conductors with pitch or other suitable

page_text: material, then breaking the gloss or surface of the latter, then applying a covering
of asbestos or fibrous material thereto, then a layer of resin and finally enclosing
the whole in a casing of lead, as set forth.
Third. The method herein shewn and described of making electric cables, which
method consists in coating the wires or conductors with pitch, then applying a
covering of asbestos, then a layer or covering of resin, then folding a strip of sheet-
lead around the same, and then soldering or otherwise making the joint to form an
airtight casing for the said cable, as set forth.
Fourth. A cable composed of a wire covered with pitch, a covering of asbestos or
fibrous material, a coating of resin, and a casing of lead formed by folding a strip
of sheet-lead having bevelled edges e', el around the same, as set forth.
Fifth. In a machine for making electric cables, a die, a mandrel, a reservoir
provided with means for heating the same and reels for coils of sheet lead and wire,
as set forth.
Sixth. In a machine for making electric cables, a die, a reservoir provided with
means for heating the same, and a reel of sheet lead and of wire, as sot forth.
Seventh. The combination of a die having a mandrel, and a reservoir provided
with means for heating it, as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Eighth. The combination of a forming die, a finishing die, a reservoir provided
with means for heating it, and a reel of wire and of sheet lead, as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
Ninth. In a machine for making electric cables, the combination of a reel of
sheet-lead and a reel of wire and a die having a tapering opening in connection
with a pipe leading to a reservoir provided with means for heating it, as set forth.
Tenth. In combination with the die I having the opening i, the mandrel L
constructed substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eleventh day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
WM BORT LAKE (LS)