IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SUBMARINE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Barnard de Blaquiere, of 50, Pall Mall, in
the County of Middlesex, Commander of Her Majesty's Ship Alban, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SUBMARINE
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES."
Sealed the 15th December 1857, and dated the 16th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Barnard de
Blaquiere at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition on the 16th June 1857.
I, WILLIAM BARNARD DE BLAQUIERE, of 50, Pall Mall, in the County of
Middlesex, Commander of Her Majesty's Ship Alban, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONNECTING THE ENDS OF
SUBMARINE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object, improvements in connecting the ends of
submarine electric telegraph cables. For this purpose a tube of metal is
used for making each joint; at each end of such tube part thereof is made
moveable on a hinge or joint.. The portion of the tube intermediate of its two
ends is filled with gutta percha, or insulating material, having therein a wire
or wires suitable for forming, when connected with the ends of two parts of a
cable, a continuation of the metallic circuit for a telegraph. The ends of the
two parts of the cable are brought near together, so that the wires therein may
be coupled up or put in connection with the one or more wires in the insulated
matter contained in the tube. Gutta percha or suitable insulating matter is

page_text: (whilst in a soft or plastic state) pressed into the fixed portion at each end of
the tube, so as completely to join up with the insulating matter in the tube,
and also with the insulating matter around the wire in the end of the cable,
and also so as to cover the end of the cable itself; the moveable part of the
tube is then shut down on the fixed part thereof, so as to grasp the end of the
cable between the parts of the tube for some length; and in order that the
cable may be held securely, the interior of the grasping parts of the tube and
also the outside of the cable are made rough or grooved. The two parts of
the tube are held together when shut by screwing a nut over the ends of the
tube, such ends being tapped with a screw for the purpose of receiving the
nut. The end of the other part of the cable is then similarly fixed to the
other end of the tube, and the joint is complete; or the tube may be made in
two parts from end to end, and capable of going and being fixed together,
so as to grasp the ends of two parts of a cable similarly to what is above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Barnard de Blaquiere in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BARNARD DE BLAQUIERE, of 50, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex,
Commander of Her Majesty's Ship Alban, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Barnard de Blaquiere, Her special licence that I, the said William
Barnard de Blaquiere, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Barnard de Blaquiere, my 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 CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SUBMARINE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Barnard de Blaquiere, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: 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 I, the said William Barnard de Blaquiere, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in connecting the ends of
submarine electric telegraph cables. For this purpose a tube of metal is used
for making each joint; at each end of such tube part thereof is made moveable
on a hinge or joint. The portion of the tube intermediate of its two ends is
filled with gutta percba, or insulating material, having therein a wire or wires
suitable for forming, when connected with the ends of two parts of a cable, a
continuation of the metallic circuit for a telegraph. The ends of the two
parts of the cable are brought near together, so that the wires therein may be
coupled up or put in connection with the one or more wires in the insulated
matter contained in the tube; gutta percha, or suitable insulating matter is
(whilst in a soft or plastic state) pressed into the fixed portion at each end of
the tube, so as completely to join up with the insulating matter around the wire
in the end of the cable, and also so as to cover the end of the cable itself; the
moveable part of the tube is then shut down on the fixed part thereof, so as to
grasp the end of the cable between the parts of the tube for some length, and
in order that the cable may be held securely, the interior of the grasping parts
of the tube and also the outside of the cable are made rough or grooved.
The two parts of the tube are held together when shut by screwing a nut over
the ends of the tube, such ends being tapped with a screw for the purpose of
receiving the nut. The end of the other part of the cable is then similarly
fixed to the other end of the tube, and the joint is complete; or the tube may
be made in two parts from end to end, and capable of going and being fixed
together, so as to grasp the ends of two parts of a cable, similarly to what is
above described.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.

page_text: the ends of submarine electric telegraph cables according to my Invention.
a is a metal tube having at each end a portion b attached to the other part by
a hinge; the central portion of the tube is filled with gutta percha, and has
wires through it suitable for being connected to and form part of the con-
ducting wire of the telegraph cables; c, c, are screw nuts which screw on to
the ends of the tube, so as to hold down the moveable portions of the tube b, b,
and firmly nip the ends of the cables. The junction is made in the following
manner: The ends of the cables are brought together, and one of the nuts is
slipped over the end of each, then the ends of the cables are roughened or
grooved, and this may be done by compressing them between suitable tools,
so as to form a series of indentations round them corresponding in form to
indentations or grooves formed in the ends of the tube a, and in the moveable
parts b, b. When this is done, the portions of the tube a which are covered
by the pieces b, b, are filled in with gutta percha in a plastic state, then the
pieces b, b, are shut down, and the screw nuts c, c, are screwed on, the junction
is then complete.
Figure 4 is a side view, Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 6 is
a transverse section of a coupling apparatus constructed in a somewhat different
way from that just described; the tube a is made in two halves or parts, and
the wires in the middle of the tube are dispensed with, so as to allow the con-
ducting wires in the two cables to be connected directly to each other. The
two portions of the tube a are filled in round the ends of the cables with gutta
percha, or this may be omitted if it is considered more desirable, and they are
held together by screw nuts c, c, as before.
In place of grooving the ends of the cables as above described, the ends of
the covering wires may be turned back over a metal ring, as is shown in
Figure 5, and this arrangement I consider preferable to that first described.
It will be evident that by the use of this apparatus cables of different sizes
may be connected.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Barnard de Blaquiere, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
W. B. DE BLAQUIERE, Lieut. R.N. (L.S.)