IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING OR DISCOŃ- NECTING PORTIONS OR PARTS OF CONDUCTORS USED FOR THE PASSAGE OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Ashley Carus Wilson of 11. Grenville Place
South Kensington in the County of Middlesex Engineer for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING OR DISCOŃ-
NECTING PORTIONS OR PARTS OF CONDUCTORS USED FOR THE PASSAGE OF
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Ashley Carus
Wilson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th July 1883.
CHARLES ASHLEY CARUS WILSON of 11. Grenville Place. South Kensington in
the County of Middlesex. Engineer . IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR CONNECTING OR DISCONNECTING PORTIONS OR PARTS OF CONDUCTORS USED
FOR THE PASSAGE OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Where it is desired to make a connection between two parts of an electrical
conductor, I place the apparatus hereinafter described so that the connection
between them is good and the current can pass freely from the one to the other:
The apparatus consists of a metallic box or cylinder, having at its two extremities
stuffing boxes provided with glands & bolts for tightening up the glands; This
arrangement is to allow of the expansion or contraction of the conductors with the
temperature; The centre line of the glands may be at any angle to one another
so as to allow for bends in the line of conductors. The box is also provided with
a small opening at the top, which can be closed by a screw stud. The extremities
of the conductors to be joined are inserted in the apertures at the ends of the box
so as to come within a short distance of one another inside the box & the stuffing
boxes filled in with suitable material, the glands are then tightly screwed up so
that the packing bears hard on the surface of the conductors & makes a good
mechanical joint; Mercury is then poured in by the opening at the top so as to
nearly fill the box; The two conductors thus have a good electrical contact
through the mercury, & the packing keeps the mercury in; The box is made

page_text: preferably of iron & the packing of asbestos. Any number of conductors can thus
be joined at one point by increasing the number of stuffing boxes in the same box:
A wire to be connected may be simply dipped in the mercury from above. If
necessary the box can be made insulated from the conductors so that the only
connection is through the mercury, then by letting the mercury out into another
receptacle the contact can be broken & vice versa
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters-Patent filed
by the said Charles Ashley Carus Wilson in the Patent Office on the
14th January 1884.
CHARLES ASHLEY CARUS WILSON of -11. Grenville Place, South Kensington, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OR APPARATUS
FOR CONNECTING OR DISCONNECTING PORTIONS OR PARTS OF CONDUCTORS USED
FOR THE PASSAGE OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS
Where it is desired to make a connection between two parts of an electrical
conductor, I place the apparatus hereinafter described so that the connection
between them is good and the current can pass freely from the one to the other:
The apparatus consists of a metallic box or cylinder, having at its two extremities
stuffing boxes provided with glands & bolts for tightening up the glands; this
arrangement is to allow of the expansion or contraction of the conductors with the
temperature: The centre lines of the glands may be at any angle to one another so
as to allow for bends in the line of the conductors: The box is also provided with
a small opening at the top which can be closed by a screw stud: The extremities
of the conductors to be joined are inserted in the apertures at the ends of the box
so as to come within a short distance of one another inside the box, and the
stuffing boxes filled in with suitable material, the glands are then tightly screwed
up, so that the packing bears hard on the surface of the conductors & makes a
good mechanical joint: Mercury is then poured in by the opening at the top so as
to nearly fill the box: The two conductors thus, have a good electrical contact
through the mercury, & the packing keeps the mercury. in. The box is made
preferably of iron & the packing of asbestos. Fig I of the annexed drawings
represents a connection arranged on this principle: a, b, are the two conductors to
be joined together, here supposed circular in section: c, is the box in vertical
section, here supposed to be of cast iron: e, e, are the two glands which screw into
each end of the box; (in this case the glands are screw glands, the screw being
shown by thick dotted lines; when the conductors are of larger diameter, being
round, or other than circular in section, as elliptical or square; the, glands are
provided with flanges & bolted on to similar flanges on the box,) The heads of
the glands are shaped so as to fit a spanner: In fig I, the centre lines of the glands
are shown straight, they may be at any angle with one another to allow for bends;
3.

page_text: f, is a small opening in the top of the box closed by a screw stud, or a pin; The
connection is made as follows:-The ends of the conductors a, b, are inserted in the
box at each end so as to conie' with 1/8" or so of one another, asbestos or other
suitable material is then 'rammed into the stuffing boxes g, g, the glands e, e, are
then screwed up tightly with a spanner; Mercury is then poured into the centre
chamber', by the hole f, so as to nearly fill it; the conductors are then in excellent
electrical contact through the mercury & the mercury cannot get out if the gland
joints are well made: the conductors can expand or contract in the glands & the
mercury merely rises or falls in ; It is necessary to have the mercury very pure,
& the conductors should be well amalgamated for about 1/" at their extremities &
thoroughly washed, before being coupled up: The asbestos or other material used
for the stuffing boxes should be saturated with paraffin or other suitable oil when
the conductors are of copper, so that the surface of the conductors in the stuffing
boxes has a film of oil over it; this, it is found, almost entirely prevents the action
of the mercury on the copper. When it is desired to connect a branch wire to the
main conductor it can be dipped into the mercury by the hole f. Fig II, shows a
sectional plan of a connection where a conductor branches off into two others.
together of equal sectional area; the arrangement is the same as before only with
three stuffing boxes instead of two; the centre portion a, is filled with the mercury,
which connects all three conductors. In this way any number of conductors may
be joined together in any plane & at any angle. Figs III, & IV, show front_
sectional elevation & transverse vertical section of an arrangement for breaking
contact between two conductors. The conductors a, b, covered with some insulating
material, c, (e.g. a cable covered with india rubber) are inserted in the ends of a
similar box as that in fig I, & the stuffing boxes made up as usual, care being
taken to bare the conductors at. their ends as shown, & to amalgamate them &
clean them thoroughly. The box has cast on it a circular. collar d, turned in a
lathe to a slight taper, on to this is fitted a circular ring e, of wrought iron,
tapered inside to fit the taper on d, this ring is kept in position by a washer f, &
nut g, so that it can only turn round on the collar d, & two stops (not shown)
limit its movement so that it can only turn to & fro over an angle of 180°; on the
ring e, is a small boss h, onto which screws a hollow wooden handle k; h, is
arranged to be vertical when the ring is against one of the stops, & then h, e, & d
are drilled through with a 3/16" hole m, right into the interior of the box; a hole
in the handle k, corresponds to this hole; the ring is turned through 180° & another
hole n, is drilled at the bottom of the box; k, then nearly filled with mercury, a
small rubber washer o, is put into the seating as shown, &, screwed onto h, from
beneath: Then when %, is turned through 180°, & the two holes coincide at the
top, the mercury from k, falls into the box & completes the connection between
the conductors; when %, is turned to the bottom hole the mercury falls out of the
box & breaks the connection. The box may be cast with a bracket p, for bolting
up against a wall.
It will be evident that the largest copper or other conductors could be connected
& disconnected in the above manner with the greatest ease.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention & in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my Improvements in the means
or apparatus for connecting or disconnecting portions or parts of conductors used
for the passage of Electric Currents
First. The combination with two or more conductors of electricity of a box fitted
with stuffing boxes and glands and filled with mercury for making
electrical connection between the conductors, substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in Figures I and II.
Second. The combination with two conductors of electricity of a box fitted with
stuffing boxes and glands and filled with mercury of means of removing
and replacing the mercury for breaking and making the connection
between the conductors at will substantially as hereinbefore described.
and represented in Figures III and IV.

page_text: Third. The combination with two or more conductors of electricity of a box
fitted with stuffing boxes and glands and filled with mercury, of asbestos
or other material used as a packing soaked in paraffin for the protection
of the conductors from the action of the mercury, substantially as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Ashley Carus Wilson have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Eleventh day of January One thousand Eight
Hundred and Eighty four.
..
CHARLES ASHLEY CARUS WILSON. (L.S.)