IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Chatterton. of Highbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and Willoughby Smith, of Dalston, in the same
County, Electrician, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH
CABLES."
Sealed the 15th August 1862, and dated the 15th February 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Chatterton and
Willoughby Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th February 1862.
We, JOHN CHATTERTON, of Highbury, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
and WILLOUGHBY SMITH, of Dalston, in the same County, Electrician, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPH
CABLES," to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to render submarine cables incorrodible, and
it consists in coating or covering each iron or steel wire, or strand of wires or
strips which are to be used for the external protection of the core or insulated
conductor of the cable with lead or other soft metal incorrodible in sea water.
We prefer to "tin" the iron or other wires before covereng them with lead
to insure adhesion between the two metals, or we use a coating of adhesive
compound for the like purpose. When cables are required to be of light
specific gravity for deep water, then instead of coating each protecting wire or
strand with metal as before described, our Invention consists in coating strands
of wires, by preference strands composed of three wires, of iron or steel with

page_text: a suitable compound, and gutta percha. These latter coated strands are then
laid around the insulated conductor in the usual way to form the outer
protection for the cable. The "serving "generally used may be dispensed
with, the gutta percha covering acting as a cushion between the core and
metal protecting wires.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JoHN
CHATTERTON, of Highbury, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and
WILLOUGHBY SMITH, of Dalston, in the same County, Electrician, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, er heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, Her special licence that we,
the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Chatterton and
Willoughby Smith, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TELEGRAPH CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith, or one of us, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Chatterton and Willoughby
Smith, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of our Invention is to render submarine cables incorrodible,

page_text: and it consists, firstly, in coating or covering each iron or steel wire, or strand.
of wires or strips which are to be used for the external protection of the
core or insulated conductor of the cable with lead or other soft metal incor-
rodible in sea water. In carrying out this part of our Invention we use an
ordinary hydraulic lead pipe making machine, but instead of the solid core
or mandril, upon which the pipe is formed, we employ a hollow or tubular.
mandril of sufficient length to reach nearly to a steel die which forms the outer
diameter of the lead covering, and in the centre of which the said mandril
acts as a guide to keep the iron or steel wire intended to be covered concentric..
When the machine is in action, the lead or other soft metal or alloy is expressed
through the annular space between the wire and the die, and at the same time.
the wire as it receives the coating of lead or alloy is drawn away by the usual.
take-off motion, and is coiled up in a finished state. The wire is by preference
tinned by the well known process before passing it through the lead covering.
machine. Instead of "tinning" the wire we sometimes pass it through a
vessel containing an adhesive compound such as marine glue, or Hay's glue,
or other suitable compound maintained in a liquid state by heat immediately
before it enters the lead covering machine, and we find that by either of these
methods we obtain complete adhesion between the iron or steel wire, and the
lead covering.
Secondly, our Invention consists in coating strands of wires, by preference
strands composed of three wires of iron or steel, with a suitable compound and
gutta percha. The "serving" generally used may be dispensed with, the
gutta percha covering acting as a cushion between the core and metal pro-
tecting wires.
The second part of our Invention is carried into effect in the following
manner: The strands of wires (each strand by preference being composed
of three wires) are coiled on a reel, and placed in a suitable position to enter
a vessel containing an adhesive compound, such as that described in the
Specification of Letters Patent granted to Willoughby Smith, No. 1811,
9th August 1858, and thence each strand passes through an ordinary gutta
percha covering machine where it receives a sufficient coating of gutta percha,
it then passes through the cooling trough, and is coiled in a finished state.
When the gutta percha coating is dispensed with we used a compound,
such as marine glue, or Hay's glue, or other suitable compound, and
mix with it about 10 per cent. of fibrous material, such for instance, as
"shoddy," this mixture is put into a vessel fitted with suitable guages or dies
to regulate the thickness of the coating, the strand is passed through this
vessel, and becomes coated with the mixture, and then goes into a cooling

page_text: tank until hard enough to be coiled. We sometime use marine or Hay's
glue, or other suitable compound with or without the fibrous material as
aforesaid, and as soon as the strand has received a coating of the compound
we apply fibrous material, by preference in the form of tape, by means of an
ordinary taping machine, and we are thus enabled to coil the strand without
passing it through the cooling tank. A second coating of tape may be
simultaneously applied. The strands of wires coated by any of the methods
herein described are then laid around the insulated conductor or conductors by
the usual cable-making machines.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as our " Improve-
ments in Telegraph Cables,"―
First, coating or covering the wires or strands of wires, which are to be
used for the external protection of the insulated conductor or conductors in
telegraph cables with lead or other soft metal or alloy, whether such wires be
previously tinned or coated with an adhesive compound or not, all substantially
in manner herein-before described.
Second, coating or covering strands of wires, each strand composed by pre-
ference of three wires to be used for the external protection of the insulated
conductor or conductors of telegraph cables with an adhesive compound and
gutta percha, as herein-before described.
Third, coating or covering such strands of wires as aforesaid with a mixture
of marine glue, or other suitable adhesive compound, and fibrous material as
herein-before described.
And fourth, coating or covering such strands of wires as aforesaid with
marine glue, or other suitable compound mixed with fibrous material or not,
and with one or more coatings of tape, or other like suitable fibrous material,
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Chatterton and Willoughby Smith,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourteenth day of August
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN CHATTERTON. (L.S.).
WILLY SMITH.
(L.S.)
JOHN CHATTERTON. (L.S.)..
WILLY. SMITH.
(L.S.)