Year: 1885

page_text: We, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON and SAMUEL EDMUND Puillips, both of No 14
Union Court, Old Broad Street, in the City of London, Telegraph Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to a construction of grapnel, for raising submarine cables,
such that, when the grapnel has raised the cable to a certain extent, it shall cut it
in two, allowing the one part to fall to the bottom again, while it holds the other
part with a firm grip. Our improvements consist mainly in providing the shank
of the grapnel with a sliding bar, the end of which, next the jaws or flukes that
hook the cable, is formed with a serrated head having a cutting edge at one end, or
there may be two such bars, one having the serrated head and the other the cutting
edge; the lower extremity of the shank with the jaws or flukes is hinge-jointed to
the upper part of the shank, so that, when the cable has been hooked by one of
them, they will cant over into such a position as to bring the bight of the cable
immediately beneath the head of the sliding bar, which is then forced downwards
by suitable means, such as will be presently described, so as to grip one part of the
cable firmly between it and a serrated surface on the jaw, while, at the same time,
the cutting edge of the bar severs the other part of the cable and allows it to drop.
Thus, whichever jaw it may be that the cable is hooked by, this is always brought
into position for being acted upon by the gripping and cutting bar. The means
for bringing the gripping and cutting bar or bars into action may be variously
arranged; thus, for example, the bar has jointed to its upper end the two short
arms of two levers that are pivotted to the shank so as to project at right angles
to the jaws, their long arms pass downwards to such a distance that a bar or chain
connecting their two ends passes beneath the bottom of the jaws. The ends of the
levers are connected by rods to a slide on the grapnel shank, to which slide is
attached the grapnel rope, so that a strain on the latter would cause the ends of
the levers to be drawn upward, and consequently the gripping bar would be
depressed by the short arms of the levers. This motion of the levers is however
prevented so long as the cable is not hooked by the grapnel, by reason of their
ends being tied together by means of the before mentioned rod or chain, but when
the cable is hooked, the pressure thereof is caused automatically to release the hold
of the rod and permit the levers to effect the depression of the rod. This action

page_text: may be effected in various ways; thus according to one arrangement, there is
provided in a slot in the jaws a sliding piece that projects slightly upward from
the surface of the jaw so that the bight of the cable will press upon it. This slide
is temporarily held in this position by a soft metal pin which is severed when the
pressure of the cable comes upon the slide, thereby causing its lower end to act
upon the tie rod of the levers so as to part it. This separation of the tie rod or
chain may be effected by making the tie rod in two halves, which are connected
respectively to the ends of two short levers facing each other, whose other ends are
kept apart by two struts pivotted thereto. When the slide is depressed by the
cable, it acts upon the said struts so as to release, the levers, and consequently also
the parts of the tie rods, which then allow of the before described upward motion
of the levers actuating the gripping and cutting bar. Or the tie rod may be made
wholly or partly of soft metal and be situated between the jaws of a shearing
device, which is acted upon by the slide in the grapnel jaw so as to cause the rod
to be cut in two.
Each of the levers mentioned above may be connected to and actuate a separate
sliding bar, one to effect the gripping of the cable while the other shears it. In
this case the ends of the levers are connected to the slide on the grapnel shank by
means of a wire rope passing from the one lever to the other over a sheave on the
slide so that on the upward motion of the slide the independent action of each
lever will be ensured.
The shearing blades and the serrated parts for holding the cable are shielded
from mud and stones &c by means of guards or shutters of metal, India Rubber or
other suitable material.

page_text: We, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON, and SAMUEL EDMUND PHILLIPS, both of No 14
Union Court, Old Broad Street in the City of London, Telegraph Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to a construction of grapnel for raising submarine cables,
such that when the grapnel has raised the cable to a certain extent, it shall cut it
in two, allowing the one part to fall to the bottom again while it holds the other
part with a firm grip. Our improvements consist mainly in providing the shank
of the grapnel with a sliding bar, the end of which, next the jaws or flukes that
book the cable, is formed with a serrated head having a cutting edge at one end, or
there may be two such bars, one having the serrated head and the other the cutting
edge. The lower extremity of the shank with the jaws or flukes is hinge-jointed
to the upper part of the shank, so that, when the cable has been hooked by one of
them, they will cant over in such a position as to bring the bight of the cable
immediately beneath the head of the sliding bar, which is then forced downwards
by suitable means, such as will be presently described, so as to grip one part of the
cable firmly between it and a serrated surface on the jaw, while at the same time,
the cutting edge of the bar severs the other part of the cable and allows it to drop.
Thus, whichever jaw it may be that the cable is hooked by, this is always brought
in position for being acted upon by the gripping and cutting bar. The means
for bringing the gripping and cutting bar or bars into action may be variously
arranged; thus, for example, the bar has jointed to its upper end the two short
arms of two levers that are pivotted to the shank so as to project at right angles
to the jaws, their long arms pass downward to such a distance that a bar or chain
connecting their two ends passes beneath the bottom of the jaws. The ends of the
levers are connected by rods to a slide on the grapnel shank, to which slide is
attached the grapnel rope; so that a strain on the latter would cause the ends
of the levers to be drawn upward, and consequently the gripping bar would be
depressed by the short arms of the levers. This motion of the levers is however
prevented so long as the cable is not hooked by the grapnel, by reason of their ends
being tied together by means of the before mentioned rod or chain, but when the
cable is hooked, the pressure thereof is caused automatically to release the hold of
the rod and permit the levers to effect the depression of the rod. This action may
be effected in various ways; thus according to one arrangement, there is pro-
vided in a slot in the jaws a sliding piece that projects slightly upward from the
surface of the jaw so that the bight of the cable will press upon it. This slide is
temporarily held in this position by a soft metal pin which is severed when the

page_text: pressure of the cable comes upon the slide, thereby causing its lower end to act
upon the tie rod of the levers so as to part it. This separation of the tie rod or
chain may be effected by making the tie rod in two halves, which are connected
respectively to the ends of two short levers facing each other, whose other ends are
kept apart by two struts pivotted thereto. When the slide is depressed by the
cable it acts upon the said struts so as to release the levers, and consequently also
the parts of the tie rods which then allow of the before described upward notion
of the levers actuating the gripping and cutting bar. Or the tie rod may be made
wholly or partly of soft metal and be situated between the jaws of a shearing
device, which is acted upon by the slide in the grapnel jaw so as to cause the rod
to be cut in two.
Each of the levers mentioned above may be connected to and actuate a separate
sliding bar, one to effect the gripping of the cable while the other shears it. In
this case the ends of the levers are connected to the slide on the grapnel shank by
means of a wire rope passing from the one lever to the other over a sheave on the
slide so that on the upward motion of the slide the independent action of each
lever will be insured. The shearing blades and the serrated parts for holding the
cable are shielded from mud and stones &c by means of guards or shutters of metal,
india-rubber or other suitable material.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing shews a front view of one arrangement of
our above described improved grapnel, and Fig. shews an end view partly in
section. To the tubular shank A of the grapnel is fixed a head B, having pivotted
to it at C the loop D carrying the grapnel flukes E E, so that when the cable bas
been hooked by the one or other fluke these together with the loop D will be
canted over as indicated at Fig. 2, thus bringing the hooked cable centrally beneath
a sliding bar F situated within the head B. This bar has a curved serrated under
surface F¹ corresponding with a curved serrated surface E¹ E¹ in each of the flukes,
on which the bight of the hooked cable lies, and at one end of the surface F' is a
cutting edge F, so that on the bar sliding downwards, the edge F² shears one side
of the hooked cable against a corresponding cutting edge E on the fluke and at
the same time it grips the cut cable between its serrated surface and that of the
fluke. The requisite downward motion of the bar F for this purpose is effected as
follows. The upper end of the bar has rack teeth F³ formed upon it, into which
gear teeth on the circular ends G' G¹ of two levers G G pivotted at H H to the
head B. Before the cable is hooked the lower ends of the levers are held in the
position shewn by a catch I on the arm G of the one lever, holding a hook I' on
which is hooked a chain J connected to the other lever. The ends of the levers
are also connected by chains K K to a sliding rod L in the upper end of the shank A,
this rod being connected by the swivel O to the hauling rope or chain. Thus when
dragging for the cable, the pull of the hauling rope is transmitted through the rod L
and chains K to the ends of the levers, tending to draw these upwards.
In each fluke E is a spring pin M. M, in such a position that when the cable is
hooked and the flukes are canted it lies directly under the cable, which presses
upon its projecting upper end, while its lower end is situated immediately over the
tail of the catch. Thus when the cable is hooked, the bight thereof depresses the
pin M which in its turn depresses the catch I (shearing the small copper pin Is that
holds it) and the levers G being thus released, they are pulled upwards by the
chains K, and are thus made to depress the gripper har F, causing it to grip and
cut the cable as described. N N are stops for the flukes to butt against when in
either canted position so as to insure the cable being brought exactly into the
central position beneath the gripper bar F.
It will be evident that in place of a single sliding bar two separate bars may be
used as indicated by the dotted line Fig. 1, the one carrying the gripping surface F¹
and the other the cutting edge F. In this case the levers G would be connected
by a cord or chain passing over a pulley on the slide L to obtain separate action as
before explained.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we claim in respect
of grapnels for cutting and holding cables,
1. The combination of one or more sliding bars in the grapnel shank for cutting
and holding the cable, with jaws or flukes pivotted to the grapnel shank in such a
manner that when the cable has been hooked in one or other of the jaws, these
are thereby canted over so as in either position to bring the bight of the cable
immediately beneath the sliding bar or bars, to be acted upon thereby substantially
as herein described.
2. In combination with the arrangement of sliding bar or bars and pivotted
jaws or flukes referred to in the preceding claim, the use of a lever or levers
pivotted to the grapnel shank and connected to the sliding bar or bars and also to
a slide acted upon by the grapnel rope or chain, in such manner that, when released
from a locked position, the lever or levers will be moved by the said rope or chain
so as to cause the sliding bar or bars to cut and grip the cable substantially as
herein described.
3. In combination with the mechanism referred to in the preceding claims, the
use of a sliding pin in the grapnel jaws or flukes, so arranged that when the cable
is hooked it presses upon the said pin and causes it to release the locking device of
the lever or levers, substantially as herein described.
4. The combination of the shank A, cutting and gripping bar F, pivotted flukes E
with disengaging pin M, levers G held together by a locking device and connected
to the slide L by chains K, arranged and operating substantially as herein described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.