IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING ELECTRICITY BETWEEN DISTANT PLACES AND IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I HENRY
MAPPLE, of Child's Hill, Hendon; in the County of Middlesex, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I did, by Petition, humbly represent unto Her present most
Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria that I had invented "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING ELECTRICITY BETWEEN DISTANT PLACES AND IN
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," and Her said Majesty being willing to give encourage-
ment to all arts and inventions which may be for the public good, was
graciously pleased, by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the
Twenty-seventh day of October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-six, in
the tenth year of Her reign, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, to give and
grant unto me, the said Henry Mapple, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I or they, by
myself or themselves, or by my or their deputies, servants, or agents, or such
others as For they should agree with, and no others, during the term of four-
teen years from the date of the said Letters Patent, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that part of Her said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of
Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her Majesty's Colo-
nies and Plantations abroad,-in-such manner as to me, my exors, admors, and
assigns, shall seem meet, and as that I or they shall enjoy the whole profit and
advantage arising by reason of my said Invention during the said term of four-

page_text: teen years; and for that end Her said Majesty requires and strictly commands
all Her subjects whatsoever, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad aforesaid, that
they shall not, neither directly nor indirectly, make, use, or put in practise my
said Invention, or any part thereof, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor make any addition thereto or subtraction therefrom,
whereby to pretend himself or themselves to be the inventor or inventors
thereof: And whereas the said Letters Patent contain a proviso obliging me,
the said Henry Mapple, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Mapple, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described and
ascertained in manner following, and by the aid of the Three Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say) :-
-
I shall first describe certain improvements in coating the conducting wires
with a metal covering, the manner and arrangement of which will be better
understood by referring to Drawing No. 1, in which the wires previously
covered with cotton, and insulated by being covered with or dipped in suitable
melted materials, are drawn through and enclosed in a leaden tube B of such
size as will permit of their being readily threaded therein, such threading I
prefer should be performed as herein-after explained; the said tube B, contain-
ing the wires, may then be filled around the wires with a hot mixture of
Stockholın tar and pitch, or other non-conducting material, and while the tar
and pitch is yet hot and in a liquid state it and the tube B are placed in a s
jacket heated by hot water or other means shewn at C, which said jacket
is made and composed of two iron tubes of different sizes, having water
between them, which is kept hot by a small boiler having communication there-
with, in manner similar to the apparatus generally used to heat buildings,
conservatories, &c. The object of the said jacket being to keep the tube B 8
and wires within it hot, and the non-conducting material contained therein in a
fluid state, so long as may be desirable, and until the tube B shall have been
reduced in size and drawn down, as herein-after described, until it is of the
desired size, which said reducing I prefer to effect as follows:-D, E, and F,

page_text: Drawing No. 1, represent three pairs of rollers having semicircular grooves on
heir peripheries, as is shewn at G, G, G. These grooves are of different sizes.
The tube B having been introduced through the jacket C, one end of it is
laced in the circular groove formed by the junction of the rollers D, D, which
aid groove is about the one eighth of an inch in diameter less than the
liameter of the exterior of the tube B, and clasps the tube B so tightly that
on the rollers D, D; being made to revolve in the direction marked by arrows,
the tube B is drawn through them in the direction of the next pair of rollers E, E,
and is reduced in size, and at the same time encreased in length, and on its
end reaching the rollers E, E, it is clasped by the circular groove formed by
their grooved peripheries, which groove is about one eighth of an inch less
in diameter than that of the rollers D, D, and on the rollers E, E, being made
to revolve the said tube B is yet farther reduced in size and encreased in length
(the rollers D, D, continuing to revolve during the rotation of the rollers E, E,)
until the end of the tube B reaches the third set of rollers F, F, when it is
embraced by them in the circular grooves formed in their peripheries, which
are yet one eighth of an inch smaller than those on the rollers E, E, and upon
the rollers F, F, being made to revolve at the same time with the rollers D, D,
and E, E, the leaden tube is yet further reduced in diameter and thickness,
and encreased in length, until it reaches the drum K, which is then made to
revolve and wind up the tube so reduced in size by the action of the three
pairs of rollers until the entire length of the tube B has been reduced in size
and encreased in length, and has passed through all three pairs of rollers.
During the whole of the above process the tube B has travelled freely on the
wires contained therein, which wires were at the time of placing the tube B in
the jacket C much longer than the said tube, and projected considerably.
beyond the end thereof.
In the Drawing No. 1 only three pairs of rollers and five wires are shewn,
but other numbers of rollers and of wires may be used when desired. The
rollers in the Drawing are represented as all standing vertically, their axes
being in the same horizontal plane, and equidistant from each other; but this
arrangement may be varied so long as the apparatus is suitably arranged for
purposes. The
reducing the diameter of a tube enclosing wires for electrical
reducing the size of the lead. tube, in place of being effected at one drawing
through several pairs of rollers, may be completed by passing through be-
tween the rollers separately. the whole length of the tube, and so on in
succession, one pair of rollers not being used during the working of another
pair of rollers on the same tube.
I would state that I do not limit myself to the use of the hot-water jacket

page_text: aiready described, as other means of heating may be resorted to; and in pla
of using grooved rollers as above described, draw plates or dies may be use
to reduce the diameter of the lead tube, in which case the tube will b
successively drawn through holes till the desired diameter of the tube
obtained. In proceeding to work, a tube of lead of a diameter somewh
greater than that required for the wires and their insulating covering is to b
straightened and extended so as to render the passage of a needle or guid
wire along its length perfectly easy. And for the convenience of getting wire
through a considerable length of tube, I prefer to use longitudinal slits cut i
the tube, and opened at such a distance asunder as may be found most con
venient for the introduction of the needle or guide wire, which is entered a
one end of the pipe, and passed along it to the first slit or opening through
which it and its end is brought out. I have found that about twenty-one feel
is a convenient distance when using tubes of small diameter. The ends of the
wires which are to be drawn into the pipe being then fastened to the end of
the needle (such needle being always rather longer than the space between
any two successive slits, or than the space between either end of the pipe and
the first slit), the needle is drawn out of the first opening from which its fore-
most end is protruding, and as it is pulled forward the wires attached to its
other or hooked end are drawn after it into the tube until the needle is wholly
pulled out of the first slit, and the wires attached to it have been brought so far
through the tube. The needle is then passed is a similar manner from this
first slit along the tube to the second or next succeeding slit, and the wires
drawn after it through the tube, in the same manner before described, to such
second slit, and then the same process is continued until the needle and wires
have been passed through the entire length of the tube, and the tube, with the
wires therein, is to be subjected to the action of the rollers, as above explained,
the openings or slits in the tube being first closed by beating the parts
together, and the edges are joined by solder after passing through the rollers
or draw plates. When comparatively large tubes, as compared with the wires
introduced, are used, or when only short lengths of tubes are to be employed,
the slits may be dispensed with.
Having now explained the plan whereby I propose to cover the conducting
wires with a metallic covering, I shall next proceed to describe the means by
which I preserve the metallic pipe containing the conducting wires by covering
it with tarred yarn or other coarse protective covering, for the better under-
standing of which see Drawing No. 2, in which the lead tube B is shewn
containing the copper wires, having cotton wound round them, and covered
with pitch or other insulating material. This tube B, containing the wires so

page_text: 5
epared, is next protected by having coir rope wound round it, as w
d is then passed through a bath of hot pitch, after which process it presents
e appearance represented at D, and immediately after such immersion in
tch, and while yet hot, it is passed through a trough of sand, during its
assage through which the sand is well rubbed into it by hand, the sand mixing
The
ith the pitch fills up the interstices between the strands of coir rope.
ipe B, when thus covered with coir and pitch and sand, as shewn at E, when
o be used under ground, may be further protected from injury by being placed
a a cast-iron pipe, as seen.at F.
:
I do not intend to limit myself to the use of coir only for the protection of
he tube B, but include for such purpose such materials as list, hemp, tape,
aize, felt, sail cloth, or any suitable woven fabric or spun fibrous matter
nay be wound round the lead tube instead of the coir rope, but I believe the
coir rope to be the best for the purpose.
The fourth part of my present improvements relates to the means of
improving and steadying the action of the needles employed for electric tele-
graphs, for explanation of which see Drawing No. 3, in which the needles A, A,
Figure 1, are fixed to and suspended on a cranked or bent axle B, from which
project downwards two steel pins or points C, C, which said points rest on two
small square pieces of agate or other hard material marked D, D; one of them
has a conical hollow, at the bottom of which rests one of the steel pins attached
to the bent axle, and the other small.plate of agate or other hard material has
a slot in it, cut in the. direction and parallel to the cranked axle B; .in this
slot rests the other pin of the cranked axle. The entire weight of the two
needles and bent axle is thus supported by these two pins resting on the agate,
the said needles being kept in a vertical position by their lower end being
made heavier than their upper ends. Attached to the brass into which are
fixed the two pieces of agate are two small brass forked bearings F, F, in each
of which the cranked axle works loosely, and is by them prevented from being
jerked out of its proper situation by any sudden vibration of the needle.
The above arrangements constitute my improvements in suspending the
needle, and I cause needles to work steady and bring them quickly to a vertical
position, and at the same time. lessen vibration after each motion, either to the
right or left, by either of the three following plans
=
Firstly, by placing a small open vessel containing oil immediately under
the lower end of the inner needle, at such a distance from it that the extreme
end of the needle shall dip into the oil when the needle is in a perfectly
vertical position, or nearly so, the friction between the needle. and. the oil will
immediately steady the needle, and tend to prevent continued.vibration.

page_text: Secondly, I can effect the same object by placing a small cup, containin
iron filings, as shewn at O, Figure 1, exactly in a similar situation to that
the cup containing oil, as above described, the vibration of the needle bein
impeded by passing the iron filings is thus brought to a stop immediately afte
its divergence to the right or left, by the passage of electricity through the co
surrounding it.
Thirdly, the stoppage of the vibration of the needle may be effected b
placing a small bar of iron, as at M, immediately under the lower end of th
inner needle, which needle being a magnet will, on approaching the iron
bar, become attracted by it, and have a tendency from the continuance
of such attraction to remain in its vicinity, vibration will thus be caused to
cease.
The fifth part of my present improvements consists in the mode of forming
an electro-magnet, which, it is well known, is made by winding a considerable
length of wire covered or insulated in any suitable manner around a core or
centre of soft iron, which in its ordinary state is not magnetic, but which
becomes imbued with this property on the transmission of an electric current
through the wire forming the coil around such piece of soft iron; and it
remains magnetic during the continuance of the transmission of such current,
and no longer, provided that the iron be perfectly soft and pure. But as it is
very difficult to obtain such iron, a portion of magnetic power often remains
in the core after the cessation of the exciting current, which residual mag-
netism, as it is termed, is frequently very prejudicial to the working and opera-
tion of such electro-magnets. To obviate this difficulty, I propose winding the
coil of covered wire on a thin hollow reel, as shewn at Figure 2, Drawing
No. 3. In the hollow cylinder forming the centre of which reel is placed the
end of a piece of soft iron, which said iron, on a current of electricity passing
through the coil, is attracted thereby, and has a tendency to pass yet further
into and through the hollow cylinder forming the centre of the reel.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which s
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the details herein described, so long as the peculiar character of
either part of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,-
First, the causing an external tubular covering of lead to wires to be
reduced, so as to embrace more closely the wires contained, as herein g
lescribed. And I also claim the introduction of wires into lead tubes, in the
nanner herein described.
Secondly, I claim the protecting of lead tubes containing wires, by covering
hem, as herein described.