Improved Method of Preventing Injuries to Submarine Cables.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by HERBERT KINGSFORD, of Lima, Peru, Telegraphic
Engineer.]
Improved Method of Preventing Injuries to Submarine Cables.
I, JAMES MARSHALL ALLEN PONCIA, of Sandy, in the County of Bedford,
Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is well known to all who have any acquaintance with submarine telegraphy
that interruptions to traffic not uncommonly arise through abrasions to shore
ends the company owning the cables sustaining a greater or less loss in
consequence.
To obviate such loss I place or lay up in the cable equidistant from one
another and from the centre of the core proper preferably in the fibrous serving
between the usual two sets of sheathing wires an even number of insulated wires
preferably not less than four in such manner and position that should chafe
occur to the cable one or more of these alarm wires must be chafed through
before the core proper can be injured.
These wires prefer to continue from the landing as far as the splice between.
the shore end and intermediate types but if desired they can be made to terminate
at any other position in the cable. The sea ends of these wires which I now
and hereafter call "alarm wires" I seal or preferably join the end of each wire
to the end diametrically opposite insulating the joint. The shore ends of the
alarm wires I connect to carth through a battery and bell or other suitable
current indicator in such a manner that when the insulation of one or more of
the alarm wires shall become defective the fact will at once be rendered apparent
in the cable office or hut.
The alarm wires may be of very small diameter so as to occupy very small
space or they may be of such diameter that it might reasonably be supposed.
that the time it would take for them to chafe through would be sufficient to
allow of the taking of a loop test in order to ascertain the exact position of the
chafe. In no case would I advise taking any steps towards repair until one or
more of the alarm wires should be known to be chafed through as. these wires
would in. common with the core proper of the cable be liable to develope faults
not caused by abrasion.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1890.
JAMES M. A. PONCIA.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of Preventing Injuries to Submarine Cables.
I, JAMES MARSHALL ALLEN PONCIA, of Sandy, in the County of Bedford,
Solicitor, 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 :-
It is well known to all who have any acquaintance with submarine telegraphy
that interruptions to traffic not uncommonly arise through abrasions to shore
ends the company owning the cables sustaining a greater or less loss in
consequence.
To obviate such loss I place or lay up in the cable equidistant from one another
and from the centre of the core proper preferably in the fibrous serving between
the usual two sets of sheathing wires an even number of insulated wires preferably

page_text: not less than four in such manner and position that should chafe occur to the cable
one or more of these alarm wires must be chafed through before the core proper
can be injured.
These wires I prefer to continue from the landing as far as the splice between
the shore end and intermediate types but if desired they can be made to terminate
at any other position in the cable. The sea ends of these wires which I now and
hereafter call "alarm wires" I seal or preferably join the end of each wire to the
end diametrically opposite insulating the joint.
The shore ends of the alarm wires 1 connect to earth through a battery and bell
or other suitable current indicator in such a manner that when the insulation of one
or more of the alarm wires shall become defective the fact will at once be rendered
apparent in the cable office or hut.
The alarm wires may be of very small diameter so as to occupy very
small space
or they may be of such diameter that it might reasonably be supposed that the time
it would take for them to chafe through would be sufficient to allow of the taking
of a loop test in order to ascertain the exact position of the chafe. In no case
would I advise taking any steps towards repair until one or more of the alarm wires
should be known to be chafed through as these wires would in common with the core
proper of the cable be liable to develope faults not caused by abrasion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The employment of one or more insulated conductors placed in a telegraph cable
in such manner and position that should chafe occur to the cable the conductor or
one or more of the conductors before mentioned would be chafed before the core
proper, the injury to such conductor or conductors being made manifest on shore by
the ringing of a bell in connection with the end of such conductor or conductors, or
by causing other indication of alarm.
1
1
JAMES M. A. PONCIA.
Witness to the signature of the said James Marshall Allen Poncia,
THOS. WM. HALL.
JAMES M. A. PONCIA.
Witness to the signature of the said James Marshall Allen Poncia,
THOS. WM. HALL
60 & 61, West, Smithfield, London, E.C., Solicitor.