IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CABLES OR CONDUCTORS FOR ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
Year: 1881

page_text: "s
LETTERS PATENT to William Chase Barney, of Bernard Street, Russell Square,
in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO CABLES OR CONDUCTORS FOR ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS."
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Chase Barney at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1881.
WILLIAM CHASE BARNEY, of Bernard Street, Russell Square, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CABLES OR CONDUCTORS FOR
ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS."
When a body charged with one kind of electricity is placed near another body
which is insulated, the electrical equilibrium of this second body is disturbed, and
will remain disturbed so long as the two bodies remain in, the same relative
position; this influence of electrified bodies on neighbouring bodies is termed
"electrical induction," and the resulting effect is termed "induced electricity."
This disturbance of the electrical equilibrium is the result of the law that
clectricities of the same name. repel each other, and those of the opposite name
attract each other.
This electrical disturbance is due to the temporary decomposition of the natural
electricity in the second body, so that the electricity of the same name as that of
the first electrified body is repelled to the far side, and the electricity of the
opposite name is attracted to the rear side of the second body, and the recom-
position of the electricities takes place when the disturbing cause, that is to say,
the first electrified body, is removed.
If a third insulated body be placed near the second body, decomposition of the
natural electricity in the third body by the electricity in the second body will take
place in a like manner to and from the same cause as the decomposition in the
second body.

page_text: Similar effects are produced in conductors such as are used for telephonic
and telegraphic circuits when an electrified body is placed near them, or when an
electrified conductor crosses them, or is parallel and near to them.
In the last case the natural electricity in the neighbouring conductor is
decomposed by the electricity in the first electrified conductor, and the electricity
of the contrary name to that in the first electrified conductor is developed in
the neighbouring conductor, first, at its end nearest to the source of electricity,
and this development advances in the conductor "puri passu" with the progress
of the electricity in the first electrified conductor; and if the entire circuit of the
neighbouring conductor be metallic, the electricity of the same name in it will
be repelled, and that part of the neighbouring conductor which is parallel to
the first electrified conductor will be charged with electricity of the contrary name
to that in the first electrified conductor, and the other part of the neighbouring
conductor will be charged with clectricity of the same name as that in the
electrified conductor; but if the circuit of the neighboring conductor be completed
through the earth, the entire length of it will be traversed by an electric current
flowing in the opposite direction to that in the first electrified conductor; and when
the disturbing cause, that is to say, the electricity in the first electrified conductor
is removed, the recomposition of the electricities takes place in the neighbouring
conductor, and the latter recovers its neutral state.
If a third conductor be placed parallel and near to the second conductor on the
side thereof opposite to that of the electrified conductor, the electricity developed
in the second conductor will produce in this third conductor a decomposition of its
natural electricity, and similar effects to those produced in the second conductor
will be produced in this third conductor.
Two electrical actions take place in conductors parallel and near to an electrified
conductor; firstly, the decomposition of their natural electricity; and secondly, the
recomposition of it.
These actions are generally termed "induced currents." One of these induced
currents in the neighbouring conductors begins simultaneously with the decom-
position of their natural electricity, that is to say, at the moment of closing the
circuit of the first electrified conductor, and is generally said to flow in the opposite
direction to that of the current in the first electrified conductor; the other induced
current begins with the recomposition of the electricities, that is to say, at the
moment of opening the circuit of the first electrified conductor, and is said to flow
in the same direction as that of the current in the first electrified conductor.
The tension of these induced currents is great as their conductors are better
insulated, and as the space between them and the first electrified conductor is
less, and also as their length exposed to the electrified conductor is greater; and
the induced currents themselves also create other currents, which flow in the
opposite direction to their respective inducing currents.
The intensity however of these induced currents depends chiefly on the section
of their conductors.
These induced currents cause great difficulties in circuits used for telephonic
and telegraphic purposes when several conductors are parallel and near to each
other.
As it is impossible to change the nature of clectricity so as to prevent the
influence which an electrified conductor has upon neighbouring parallel conductors,
the object of this Invention is to reduce to a minimum the effect of this influence.
This power of an electrified conductor to act upon neighbouring conductors so as
to destroy their electrical equilibrium is in proportion to the tension of the
influencing electricity in the first electrified conductor, and to its proximity to the
other conductors, and the tension of the currents induced in the said neighbouring
conductors is in proportion to their respective lengths exposed to the electrified
conductor and to their proximity to the same. Moreover, when several conductors
are parallel in the same plaue, and one of them is connected to a source of electricity,
the electricity developed in the nearest conductor will be of the contrary naine to

page_text: that of the first electrified conductor, and the electricity of the conductor next to
this second conductor will be of the same name as that of the first electrified
conductor, thus shewing that the third conductor is not influenced directly by the
first conductor, but directly by the second conductor.
The exterior reactions of electric currents on neighbouring bodies are of two
kinds, viz., 1st, static reactions, because these obey the laws of static electrical
phenomena; 2nd, purely dynamic reactions which are the peculiar property of
electricity in movement.
The fundamental law of the former kind of electrical manifestation is that
electricities of the same name repel each other, and those of the opposite name
attract each other.
Currents, that is to say, electricity in movement cause static as well as dynamic
reactions.
Guided by the above recited well established principles, I construct my improved
conductors as follows, that is to say:-
First. The conductor is covered with any good insulating material; outside of
this insulating material is a metallic cover, which may be a tube or close spires of
wire or tape, extending throughout the entire length of the conductor, carefully
protected from contact with the enclosed conductor or with the earth, and supported
on insulators in the same manner as ordinary telegraph conductors.
Second. The conductor is covered with any good insulating material; outside of
this insulating material is a series of metallic sleeves which may be tubes or close
spires of wire or tape in lengths of about fifty feet, more or less, placed about ten
feet apart, more or less, from one end to the other end of the enclosed conductor.
These metallic sleeves are carefully protected from contact with the enclosed
conductor or with the earth, and the said conductor must be supported on
insulators in the ordinary manner.
Third. The conductor is covered with any good insulating material, and outside
of this insulating material is a metallic cover, which may be a tube or close spires
of wire or tape; the said metallic cover is covered with some good insulating
material throughout its entire length and at its extremities, so as efficiently to
prevent contact of this metallic conductor with the interior conductor or with
the earth, or with any other conductor.
Fourth. The conductor covered with any good insulating material has outside
of the said insulating material a series of metallic sleeves, which may be tubes or
close spires of wire or tape in lengths of about fifty feet, more or less, placed
about ten feet apart, more or less, from one end to the other end of the enclosed
conductor; the said metallic sleeves must be covered with good insulating
material, as efficiently to prevent contact of the metallic sleeves with the interior
conductor or with the earth, or with any other body.
When it is desirable to unite in a cable several conductors, the conductors
constructed as described under the third and fourth heads can be used, but for long
circuits I prefer the conductor described under the fourth head. The exterior
cover of a cable thus composed to be laid underground or suspended in the air may
be of any of the materials ordinarily used for such purposes.
The conductors described under the first and second heads may be suspended in
the air near each other, or adjacent to ordinary telegraph conductors or insulators
in the usual manner, and no inductive effect will take place in them.
The interior conductor and the metallic cover of the conductor described under
the first and third heads can be used separately for two ordinary telegraph
conductors.