IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward John Houghton, of Nº 1 Pilkington Road
Peckham in the County of Surrey Electrical Engineer for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward John Houghton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th April 1883.
EDWARD JOHN HOUGHTON, of N° 1 Pilkington Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS
"
"
In the arrangement of telegraphic Circuits it is usual to place at each station the
batteries required for working the instruments there Now the object of my
invention is to obviate the necessity of having a battery or batteries at each
intermediate station and thus to avoid the expense and trouble necessarily
attendant on keeping a large number of batteries at distant points constantly in
working order.
'
According to my invention I work one or more circuits from batteries placed
only at one or both of the terminal stations, and this I do in the following manner,
that is to say, If I have one two or more circuits running from, say, A, to B, also
from A, to any point intermediate between there and B, or from B, to any point
intermediate between there and A, I lead a Wire from A, to B, which I call the
"battery" wire, and join each end of it to a battery of an electromotive force which
I will 2 C, placed respectively at A, and B, both ends being connected to poles of
the same name, say for instance, each to the positive pole of the respective
batteries, the other pole of each of the batteries I put to earth, so that the
batteries balance each other. I then join the two ends of the instrument line
wire of each Circuit each to the similar pole of a battery of say 10 electromotive
force (the poles to which they are connected being of the same name as those to
which the battery wire is connected say the positive poles) and put the other poles
to earth, so that the batteries placed respectively at the ends of each line wire
balance each other.
In some cases I use but one battery which may be either at A, or at B, and join

page_text: the battery wire to the battery pole of a similar name to that joined to the
instrument circuit wire, the other pole being put to earth. Then in circuits where
reverse currents are used, I so arrange it that whenever the Operator at a station
works his instrument, one side of the line instrument circuit shall be put to earth,
and the current of 2C electromotive force from the battery wire shall be joined
to the other side of the line instrument circuit. Then the 2C battery current
being of greater power than that of 1 C will overcome it and cause the needle or
needles (if it be a single needle circuit) to be deflected whilst the other portion of
the line wire being put to earth, the needles at all stations between the operating
station and the other end of the circuit will be deflected in a similar manner. A
reverse movement of the needle will take place when the current of 2 C electro-
motive force is sent in the opposite direction.
To enable this to be done on single needle speaking instruments without
causing irregular or hesitating movements of the needle, I so arrange the fittings
that the instrument circuit wire shall be disconnected before the 2C battery is
joined to it
I also utilize the battery wire as an ordinary circuit by placing upon it instru-
ments which require a higher electromotive force to work them than the power
furnished by the 2C battery, these instruments being worked by independent
auxilliary batteries.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and
of an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Edward John Houghton
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th October 1883.
EDWARD JOHN HOUGHTON, of N° 1 Pilkington Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS
In the arrangement of telegraphic circuits it is usual to place at each Station
the batteries required for working the instruments there. Now the object of my
invention is to obviate the necessity of having batteries at each intermediate
Station and thus to avoid the expense and trouble necessarily attendant on keeping
a large number of batterics at distant points constantly in working order.
According to my invention I work one or more circuits from batteries placed
only at one, or both, of the terminal stations, and this I do in the following manner,
that is to say, if I have one two or, more, Circuits running from say A, to B, also
from A, to any intermediate point between there and B, or from B to any point
intermediate between there and A, I lead a wire from A to B, which I call the
Battery wire, and join each end of it to a battery of an electromotive force which I
will call 2° placed respectively at A, and B, both ends being connected to Poles
of the same name, say for instance each to the negative Pole of the respective
batteries, the other Pole of each of the batteries I put to earth, so that the batteries
balance each other, I then join the two ends of the instrument line wire of each
circuit to the similar pole of a battery of say 1º electromotive force (the Poles to
which they are connected being of the same name as those to which the battery
wire is connected, say the negative Poles) and put the other Poles to earth, so that
the batteries placed respectively at the ends of each line wire balance each other.
In some cases, as shown in the Drawings, I use but one battery in connection
with the battery wire which may be oither at A, or B, and join the battery wire to
the battery Pole of a similar name to that joined to the instrument circuit wire,
the other Pole being put to earth. Then in circuits where reverse currents are
used I so arrange it that whenever the operator at a Station works his instrument,
one side of the line instrument circuit shall be put to earth and the current
of 2° electromotive force from the battery wire shall be joined to the other side of
the line instrument circuit. Then the 2º battery current being of greater power
than that of 1° will over come it and cause the needle or needles to be deflected
whilst the other portion of the line wire being put to earth, the needles at all
Stations between the operating. station and the other end of the Circuit will be
deflected in a similar manner-A reverse movement of the Needles will take place
when the current of 2° Electro-motive force is sent in the opposite direction.
To enable this to be done on Single Needle speaking Instruments without
causing irregular or hesitating movements of the Needles I so arrange the fittings
of the instruments that the instrument Circuit Wire shall be disconnected before
the 2° Battery is joined to it.
In the Sheet of Drawings Fig: 1 is a general diagram of the invention showing
two circuits worked from one battery Wire. Fig: 2 shows the construction of one
instrument, and Fig 3 and 4 the same in different positions.
Fig: 1, represents two Needle Circuits arranged for working on this system.
L' and I indicate the two line Wires each of which is connected to the that is
to say the negative, Poles of two Batteries, one at each of the two terminal Stations
marked A and B respectively of say 1° Electro motive force and indicated by the
letters and figs R, R³ Q, Q.
The instruments in each Circuit are so connected when they stand in their

page_text: normal position for receiving that the current can flow from one battery towards
the other through the instruments and dials, but as the currents from the batteries
at each end of the circuits oppose each other, and as the switches are regulated to
keep the opposing currents balanced, no deflection of the needles takes place.
At L is shown the Special Wire (herein called the Battery Wire) to which is
connected the Pole or Poles of one or more Batteries of greater power than those
marked 1°; say of 2° Electromotive force the + (that is to say) the positive Pole
or Poles of which batteries being put to earth, as are also the like Poles of the other
batteries. Leading or shunt wires from the battery wire are led to the axle of each
of the instruments which may be arranged on any number of Circuits fitted on
this system, two Circuits only being shown in the Drawing. These leading or
shunt wires are shown in Fig 1, at d, d.
Fig 2 represents part of a single needle instrument adapted for working in
accordance with my invention and is intended to show in what respect it differs
from the instrument ordinarily used. H., indicates the axle; I, I", the line
springs; J, the top hammer to which is usually connected one Pole of the local
battery, but which in this Case is left free, and insulated from the axle; K, is the
usual line stop to take the current from one line spring to the other when receiving
signals; 0, 0, are two extra springs (which do not form part of an ordinary
instrument) and which stand free from the line springs as shewn at Fig 2, and to
which are connected the earth wires E.
On moving the Axle of any instrument in either Circuit to the right as shewn in
Fig 3 the right hand line spring is pushed over by the top hammer, this disconnects
the line and immediately afterwards connects it to one of the earth springs O".
It also connects the Axle to the left-hand line spring by the bottom hammer N, 1
this causes the current of 1° Electromotive force, originating in one of the batteries
marked Q to flow from earth through the Spring OT through the line Spring I"
and thence through the dial, defecting the needle to the right, to the line, and
through all Stations and dials towards B, deflecting all the Needles to the right
and through the regulation switch S* to the Battery Q, and thence to earth making
the Circuit complete.
The same movement of the Axle by making contact between the lower hammer N
and the base of the line spring I, causes the current of 2° electro motive force to
flow from earth to and through the 1° Battery R at Station A which it overpowers,
through the regulation switch S through all instruments and dials towards the
working instrument, thence to the base of the line spring I on to the lower
hammer N thence to the shunt or leading wire d thence to the battery wire L³, on
to the 20 battery making the Circuit complete, and causing by virtue of the
Superior Power of the Current from 2° battery, all the Needles between A and the
instrument worked to be deflected to the right.
When the axle is turned to the left as shewn in Fig: 4, the current is sent and
received in the opposite direction that is to say from 1° Battery R, Station A,
through the earth wire E (Fig 4) through earth spring O¹, Line spring I, on to
the line wire through all Instruments and Dials to the regulation switch S thence
to 1° Battery R Station A making the circuit complete and deflecting all needles
to the left. The same movement of the Axle by making contact between the
lower hammer N and the base of the line spring I" causes the current of 2° Electro-
motive force to flow from earth through the Battery 1°, Q at Station B, through the
regulation switch S³, through all instruments and dials towards the working
instrument, thence to the base of the line spring I" on to the lower hammer N,
thence to the shunt or leading wire d, thence to the battery wire L³, and on to
2° Battery, making the Circuit complete and causing, by virtue of the superior
power of the current from the 2° Battery all the Needles between B, and the
instruments worked to be deflected to the left. It will be seen that by this
arrangement I get two opposite deflections of the needles by the use of currents of
one name, Or in other words I divide a current into two portions, working one
portion with the current from a battery of 1º electro motive force and the other

page_text: portion with the battery of 2° electro motive force which latter overpowers a
1° Battery.
The current from the 2 Battery can be tapped at any point for other purposes
besides the working of the instruments:
― ones if
The Poles of the Batteries can be put to the lines instead of the
desired and the instruments can be fitted in other ways to produce the same results
without departing from my invention
The hereinbefore described manner of carrying it into effect is one of the
arrangements so far as details are concerned which will at once suggest themselves
to electricians what I claim as the invention secured to me by the herein before in
part recited Letters Patent is, 1. the arrangement and use in electric telegraphic
circuits of a battery wire charged by a battery or batteries at one or each end or
at any convenient intermediate point for supplying instruments at the various
Stations along the line together with less powerful batteries connected with the
line wire of the instrument circuit and opposed to each other, so as to enable
opposite deflections of the Needles to be obtained substantially in the manner and
for the purpose described and set forth.
2 The modification of the ordinary needle instrument as shown in Figs 2, 3, and 4
substantially as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof I the said Edward John Houghton have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty seventh day of October One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three
"
EDWARD JOHN HOUGHTON. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the above named
Edward John Houghton the day and
year above written, in the presence of
NEWNHAM BROWNE
Patent Agent, 91 Queen Street,
Cheapside, London.