IMPROVE- MENTS IN ELECTRIC, MAGNETIC, OR ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH ROPES OR CON- DUCTORS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED ON BOARD SHIP FOR LAYING OR PAYING-OUT THE SAME
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Barclay at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th February
1859.
I, ANDREW BARCLAY, of Kilmarnock, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC, MAGNETIC, OR ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH ROPES OR CON-
DUCTORS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS TO BE USED ON BOARD SHIP FOR
LAYING OR PAYING-OUT THE SAME," to be as follows:
This Invention relates in the first instance to a system or mode of arranging
and manufacturing telegraphic ropes, cables, or conductors, in such a manner
as to provide them with the means of withstanding attritional wear, and also
a superior amount of insulation when laid either in the sea or elsewhere.
According to one mode of securing these desirable ends, the component wires
or strands of the ropes or cables are covered individually, or in any desired
series, with hemp, or other suitable flexible covering, and each strand is passed
through a chamber or reservoir of melted tar, pitch, or other suitable protective
matter, and afterwards through a reservoir of sand. In this way the strands.
receive a soft adhesive coating capable of taking up a layer of the sand.
This covering process may be repeated as often as is deemed necessary, and
the strands are passed through or between squeezing rollers, or other com- ..
pressors, for the purpose of giving the necessary consolidation to the coating.
The whole rope or cable is finally passed through a chamber of pitch or

page_text: adhesive and protective matter, and then through a sand chamber, being
finally compressed, for the purpose of giving a final protective covering to the
exterior. Various materials may be used for giving the external coating
instead of sand, the object being, the giving to the rope a good substantial
surface, which shall be capable of resisting the wear arising from attrition
against rocks and other surfaces, as well as a superior amount of insulation.
It is preferred to wind the hempen or other strands upon the wires in such
manner as to cross the layers, and thus prevent any opening up of the
coverings. This is effected by giving the different sets of winding on or
covering bobbins reverse winding directions, and as a still further security a
layer of wax, or other suitable non-conducting matter, is passed upon the tar
and sand coatings of the strands, so that there will always be a layer of such
non-conducting agent between each sanded strand. Cables made in this way
are not only capable of withstanding great attritional wear, but the covering
layers afford a good insulating protection. Prior to winding on the strands, the
actual wire or wires of the cable are preferred to be varnished or coated with
a protective layer. The reduced matter imbedded in the adhesive layers may
be reduced granite, rock, iron dust, filings, or powdered glass, or any refractory
reduced matter which will present a hard and durable face to the cable.
The conducting wires of the ropes may be separated from each other and
twisted in the rope, so as to give a certain amount of elasticity, and thereby
prevent the conductors from being broken.
⚫ Another portion of this Invention relates to mechanical arrangements for
laying or paying out telegraphic ropes or cables, in order to allow for the
motion of the ship, and secure ease and safety in laying the ropes. After
leaving the coil of rope in the ship's hold, the line of rope passes over what
may be called a species of elasticated guide block tackle, that is, over a series
of upper and lower pulleys, the spindles or centres of which pulleys are sus-
pended from or connected to the ship by caoutchouc, or other elastic material,
or springs. In this way a large amount of rope is taken up upon the pulleys
between the coil or mass in the hold and the water level. Instead of arranging
the pulleys as block tackles, that is, with the upper and lower series upon one
upper and one lower spindle, the pulleys may be disposed in separate order, in
upper and lower rows, the rope being passed in a zig-zag direction over them.
In this way effectual provision is made for an elastic take-up or holding
of the rope, so that on the one hand, whilst any sudden strains will be
allowed for by the length of elastically disposed rope, independent both of the
main coil in the hold, and the portion of the rope in the water, on the other,
all slack.or superabundantly payed-out rope is taken up by the elastically

page_text: disposed pulleys. Provision is also made for varying circumstances, such as
different depths of water, and more or less stormy weather, by affording the
means of varying the elastic action. For this end the ship is provided with
spare pulleys or spring connections, so that the amount of elastic holding or
take-up action may be altered at will by fitting on such additional details, and
passing the rope over them. These ropes or cables are or may be covered
with iron wire, or wire of other metal, as an external protective coating.