IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH WIRES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TELEGRAPH WIRES." A communication from abroad by Eldridge Wheeler, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 9th January 1880, and dated the 25th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th July 1879.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH WIRES." A communication
from abroad by Eldridge Wheeler, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America.
This Invention relates to telegraph wires and consists in constructing the same of
a core of steel or homogeneous iron clothed or covered with wrought iron wire, the
same being made from billets of cheap wrought iron and steel rolled and drawn,
whereby greater strength at a reduced cost is obtained than is attainable with the
charcoal iron wires ordinarily used.
In the case of large conductors, the wires may be made tubular.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
January 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH WIRES." A communication from
abroad by Eldridge Wheeler,. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America.
The said Invention consists of a telegraph wire composed of core of stool

page_text: steel, the advantages of the improved wire being its great strength and cheapness
compared with wires in common use. Heretofore ordinary exposed telegraph wires
have been made of the best charcoal iron, steel and homogeneous iron having been
discarded for the reason that their conductivity is much inferior to that of wrought
iron, although the tensile strength is much greater.
According to the said Invention in order to produce a telegraph wire having the
same conductivity as ordinary wires, but cheaper than the latter and at the same
time possessing much greater strength, a bar is made composed of a core a of steel,
Bessemer steel, or homogeneous iron, and an envelope b of cheap wrought iron, as
shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing, the core and clothing, which are
about the same in bulk, being welded together so that there shall be a perfect
metallic union of one with the other.
In preparing this bar, there must not, after the first welding, be such rolling and
re-rolling at a high temperature that one metal shall merge into or become amal-
gamated with the other, the identity of the two metals and their relative positions
being retained throughout. After the bar has been reduced by rolling while at a
comparatively low temperature to a rod, Figure 2, of proper dimensions, the latter is
converted into the wire, Figure 3, of the desired size, and this wire will have a core
of steel and clothing of iron, bearing the same proportionate relation to each other
as in the original bar. The wire may be galvanized or coated with copper in the
same manner as ordinary wires. The improved telegraph wire should be of the
same diameter as ordinary wires to have the same conductivity as the latter, but it
can be made at a less price, because both the core and clothing are of a cheaper
metal than the charcoal iron, at the same time the wire is much stronger than
ordinary wires, and consequently can be suspended to poles arranged at a greater
distance apart than usual.
The iron and steel of which this wire is composed are so nearly alike as regards
ductility, that both will yield alike under the influences of the rolling and drawing
processes, hence the product is a solid wire having a definite strengthening core of
steel and an envelope of iron having the same conductivity as a charcoal iron wire
of the same size.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
A telegraph wire, consisting of a core of steel or homogeneous iron, and a
clothing of wrought iron welded to aud metallically united with the core sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci
fication set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)