"IN OR RELATING TO WIRE FENCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I DAVID ROWELL of The Iron, Wire, Wire Rope and Fencing Company 2 Poets
Corner in the City of Westminster Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS "IN OR RELATING TO WIRE FENCES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My Invention has for its object the production of a strained wire fence possessing
the characteristics of great strength and lightness and of simplicity and economy
in construction and capable not only of resisting large cattle, but also of effectually
excluding or preventing the passage of small sheep, pigs and Lambs. This object
is effected by the employment of diagonal braces each consisting of a piece of wire
bent to a A shape and connected to the several horizontal wires of the fence
suitably strained and supported by standards in the usual or any convenient
manner The connection of the brace with the horizontal wires of the fence is by
preference made by means of pieces of galvanized wire which are passed round the
wires to be connected and afterwards have their ends twisted together by a pair of
pliers or otherwise so as to approximate to the shape of a ring, but other equivalent
Ineans may be employed for the purpose.
And in order that the said Invention may be perfectly understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the accompanying sheet of drawings, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a front elevation of a portion
of a wire fence having the improvements forming the subject of my Invention
applied thereto, Figures 2 and 3 are details hereinafter referred to.
a a are the horizontal wires of the fence suitably strained and supported by
standards bb in any usual or convenient manner. To these wires I attach
diagonal braces one of which is shewn at cc each consisting of a piece of wire
bent to a A shape (as shown in the detail Figure. 2) the connection of the brace
with the several horizontal wires of the fence being made by means of rings à d
(see detail Figure 3) caused to encircle the two wires c, a and completed by having
the ends of the divided ring twisted together by the aid of a pair of pliers or other
convenient instrument.
In the example illustrated in the drawings one only of the diagonal braces is
shewn as employed between two standards but it is obvious that the standards

page_text: may be placed a greater distance apart and two or more of the diagonal braces
interposed between them.
The diagonal brace thus securely attached to each horizontal wire not only
strengthens the fence against trespass or stock but also effectually precludes small
sheep, pigs and lambs from pressing the lower wires apart and so pushing their body
through the fence, as by reason of its angular shape preventing any direct push at
any point the diagonal brace cannot be moved from its position by the act of large
cattle or sheep pushing or rubbing themselves against it. The diagonal brace thus
forms an efficient substitute for the "droppers" or vertical bars or rods frequently
used for keeping the horizontal wires in their normal relative position so as to
prevent their being pushed up or down by small sheep or lambs seeking to force
their way through the fence, as it admits of the standards being placed at
considerable distances apart whilst in the connection of the diagonal brace with the
horizontal wires no wedges liable to drop out are required, nor are the horizontal
wires twisted, kinked or in any way damaged, as is so frequently the case by the
various methods adopted for rendering "droppers" immovable; at the same time,
the diagonal brace is cheaper in first cost, much easier of transport and less costly
to fix.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The employment in, or in combination with, wire fences, of diagonal braces
formed and attached to the horizontal wires of the fence, substantially as
herein before described.