A NEW OR IMPROVED SELF-ACTING METHOD OF SIGNALLING BY MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Henley, of North Woolwich,
in the County of Essex, Telegraphic Engineer, and Henry Horstman,
of Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Telegraph Instrument
Maker, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED SELF-ACTING METHOD
OF SIGNALLING BY MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS."
Thomas
Henley and Henry Horstman at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William
We, WILLIAM THOMAS HENLEY, of North Woolwich, in the County
5 of Essex, Telegraphic Engineer, and HENRY HORSTMAN, of Bloomsbury,
in the County of Middlesex, Telegraph Instrument Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED SELF.

page_text: ACTING METHOD OF SIGNALLING BY MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS," to be as
follows:
-
The object of this Invention is to signal by magneto-electric agency
on railways and other places where required.
The Invention consists in causing an iron armature or armatures to
pass by or over but not to touch a permanent magnet or magnets coiled
with wire, or a permanent magnet or magnets without wire to pass over
an iron armature or armatures coiled with wire, and in so doing to
instantaneously communicate with the indicating instrument, all as
hereafter described.
We will describe the Invention with reference to signalling, on
railways.
Supposing the armature is on the locomotive or break van and the
permanent magnet embedded in the ground, the armature is then fixed.
to the locomotive or break so that it may pass but not touch the poles of
the magnet, but at the same time is sufficiently near to generate a
current in the wire or wires coiled round the magnet leading to the
indicating instrument or instruments, which may be at any desired or
convenient distance from the magnet. For example, a magnet may be
placed at the entrance of a tunnel, and as a locomotive with fixed
armature as before described passes over the poles of the magnet a
current of electricity communicates with the indicating instrument,
which is, say, in a box at the other end of the tunnel, and thus indicates
that a train has entered the tunnel; when the train has passed through
the tunnel it, the armature, passes, for example, over another magnet
and so signals back as before described to the end by which the train
entered. The magnet may be fixed on the line between the rails or at
the side thereof and sunk in the ground or otherwise as found most
convenient, and according to the position of the magnet so must the
position of the armature be regulated. By placing an armature at one
end of the train and another at the other end signals may be made to
one or several stations that the whole train has passed a certain point.
.
This method of signalling is applicable to curves and all other places
on railways for indicating when a train is passing a certain known place,
or for signalling between station and station as the trains travel, the 3

page_text: Invention essentially consisting in signalling with magneto-clectric
apparatus by causing an armature or armatures to pass over a magnet
or magnets, or a magnet to pass over an armature sufficiently near to
generate a current of electricity along the wiro, leading from the
armature or magnet, as the case may be, to the recording instrument.
This Invention may be used in connection with a relay battery and
apparatus if required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thomas Henley and Henry Horstman
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th April 1872.
. TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
THOMAS HENLEY, of North Woolwich, in the County of Essex, Tele-
graphic Engineer, and HENRY HORSTMAN, of Bloomsbury, in the County
of Middlesex, Telegraph Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her licirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said William Thomas Henley
and Henry Horstman, Her special licence that we, the said William
Thomas Henley and Henry Horstman, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Thomas
Henley and Henry Horstman, our 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED SELF-ACTING
METHOD OF SIGNALLING BY MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said William Thomas Henley
and Henry Horstman, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: for example, over another magnet and so signals back as before described
to the end by which the train entered. The magnet may be fixed on
the line between the rails or at the side thereof, and sunk in the ground
or otherwise as found most convenient, and according to the position of
the magnet so must the position of the armature on the train be
regulated. By placing an armature at one end of the train and another
at the other end signals may be made to one or several stations that the
whole tmin has passed a certain noint

page_text: bell or other indicator at the recording instrument, and so shews that
the train has entered the tunnel or that it has arrived at a certain spot.
When the armature on the brake at the end of the train arrives over the
magnet at the other end of the tunnel or other place a signal is sent as
before to the recording instrument, and it is known wherever that may
be that the whole train has passed out of the tunnel or over any certain
known distance or space.
bell or other indicator at the recording instrument, and so shews that
the train has entered the tunnel or that it has arrived at a certain spot.
When the armature on the brake at the end of the train arrives over the
magnet at the other end of the tunnel or other place a signal is sent as
before to the recording instrument, and it is known wherever that may
be that the whole train has passed out of the tunnel or over any certain
known distance or space.
The Invention may be used in connection with a relay battery and
apparatus if required.
Although we have described and shown the magnet to be in the
ground between the rails, yet it is to be understood that the armature
may be in the ground and the magnet on the engine, brake, or other
convenient position, or the one or other may be at the side of the line,
in fact in any position desired or found advantageous whereby the
current of electricity can be produced and the signal made.
Although not shown in the Drawings the Invention is applicable to
almost all purposes where signalling is required. For example, it may
be applied to doors for indicating when they are opened or closed, to
detect burglars entering buildings and other places by placing the
magnet in the door post and the armature in the door, or vice versa, and
leading the wire or wires to a recording instrument through the hinges.
It is also applicable to wheels, turnstiles, gates, and the like, for shewing
at any distance which the wires may be carried the number of persons
who have passed through or by such places, or the number of persons
entering or leaving buildings or other places.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we do not limit
ourselves to the particular arrangement or arrangements herein-before
described, as the same may be varied or modified without departing from
the Invention. We are however aware that signalling by magneto-
clectricity has been long used, but only when the magnets or armatures
have been moved by hand, as in the ordinary way of signalling, or when
a constant current has been produced by a revolving machine; but we
claim signalling with magneto-electric apparatus by causing an armature
or armature attached to an engine, brake, or other moving body or

page_text: bodies to pass over a magnet or magnets, or a magnet attached to a
brake, engine, or other moving body or bodies to pass over an armature
sufficiently near to generate a current of electricity along the wire
leading from the armature or magnet as the case may be to the record-
ing instrument, all substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Henley, for myself
and on behalf of the said Henry Horstman, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
EDWP. GRIFFITH BREWER,
89, Chancery Lane.
W. T. HENLEY.
(L.S.)