IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH FOR DETECTING FIRE AND FOR SIGNALLING THE LOCALITY OF THE SAME
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND DEVICES IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH FOR DETECTING FIRE AND FOR SIGNALLING THE LOCALITY OF THE
SAME," A communication from abroad by William B. Watkins, of
Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th August 1871, and dated the 14th February 1871.
B
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 14th February 1871, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton Build-
ings, London, send greeting.

page_text: FIRE, AND FOR SIGNALLING THE LOCALITY OF THE SAME," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad by
William B. Watkins, of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of
America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings forming a part of
this Specification.
Figure 1 is a view illustrating my new system of wires leading from
one building to another, and connecting with suitable apparatus for
operating an automatic fire alarm telegraph.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of an electro-magnetic fire alarm signal
apparatus which forms part of my new system of constructing and
operating an automatic fire alarm telegraph; Figure 3 is a top view of
the same.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 show detached portions of the apparatus.
The systems of telegraphing the alarm of fire as heretofore practised have
required physical force to set the alarm in motion, and have only been
useful and brought into operation generally when the fire has burst out of
the building. The delays incident to such systems not only allow the
fire to get headway and destroy the building, but to spread and become
disastrous in its consequences..
The object of my Invention is to produce a fire alarm telegraph
which shall be operated automatically without physical force, and by
means of the fire itself at its very commencement to indicate with
unerring certainty the street and the number of the building where the
fire has commenced to burn, at every station in a town or city, or at as
many points as may be desired, no matter how far distant, and thereby
give the alarm long before the fire could be seen from without, and
prevent the destruction of life and property consequent upon delays.
In carrying out this object my Invention consists in constructing a
telegraph line of any desired length having an electric battery, magnets,
armatures, and alarm bells at different points, to enter as many buildings

page_text: as may be desired in a street or any number of streets in the place, and
to connect the said line within the buildings with suitable apparatus
for working the said line automatically by means of the fire itself. By
this means the number of the building or the number of the streets and
that of the building or any suitable signal may be sounded or struck at
as many points as may be desired within the line for the
purpose
giving the alarm and at the same moment the exact location of the
fire.
of
My improved system of telegraph lines shown in the above Figures
consists in carrying a line wire A through one or more streets and
into and out of as many buildings as may be desired in such manner
as to connect such buildings with said line A, as shown in Figure 1.
This line is connected with a battery located at any convenient
point, as shown at B of the same Figure, with which the line wire
forms a metallic connection between the positive and negative poles
of said battery. The line must be supported and insulated in any
suitable manner. The buildings being numbered the purpose of
entering the lines therein is to connect them with suitable automatic
mechanism, which shall open and close the line A in such manner as
to sound or strike the number of the building on fire at any place
or places, where suitable alarm bells may be located, as shown at C
Figure 1.
The apparatus for opening and closing the line described is located
in each building with which the wire is connected, and consists of a
break circuit, composed of a stationary plate and a revolving arm.
This break circuit may be operated by any suitable motor. A particular
description therefore of a motor for this purpose is deemed unnecessary,
further than to state that the armature Q thereof, as in the example
shown in Figure 2, must possess a continuously automatic vibrating
motion derived from the electric current for producing a rotary motion
by means of a ratchet wheel and suitable pawls, and it may be provided
with an alarm bell Q and any suitable clapper Q³ operated by the
lever R. The fixed plate D of the break circuit is mounted upon one
of the standards E, in which are the bearings of the shaft F of the
revolving arm G. This plate D is secured to its standard by means of
an insulator a, the central opening in which being larger than the
revolving shaft F allows the latter to pass through it without touching,
as shown in Figure 4. The fixed plate D is provided on its circum-

page_text: ference or side with non-conductors, which may consist of insulating
material, or spaces may be cut in the metallic plate so as to allow the
spring c of the arm G to pass over them without contact with said
plate. These breaks or non-conductors are arranged in a novel manner,
in two divisions, the first for indicating the street, which for this 5
purpose is numbered, and the other the building from which the alarm
emanates.
In the Drawing the first division represents the number of the
street 13, which is formed by four distinct breaks 1, 2, 3, and 4 with
proper metallic intervals 5, 6, and 7, the interval 5 between the first ]
and second breaks 1 and 2 being twice as great as the others in this
so that the revolving spring arm G c in passing over
manner,
----
them will open and close the circuit to indicate 1
111.
The second division consists of seven breaks 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
with proper metallic intervals 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, those designated
15 and 16 being equal, and with the breaks 8, 9, 10, indicate the
number 3. The interval 17 is greater than the others, and separates
the number 3 from the number 2 which follows. This No. 2 is formed
by the break 11, 12, and interval 18. The interval 19 is the same as
that of 17, so as to separate the number 2 from 0 or cypher which
follows. The cypher is made by the breaks 13 and 14 and the short
interval 20, so as to open and close the circuit at short intervals, to
produce two quick strokes. The two quick strokes always represent
the cypher of any number, and are an important feature in my system of
signals. The second division as described therefore represents 320, the
building number, and in connection with the first division will make
street 13, building 320. The long metallic interval 21 separates the
beginning and ending of each series of numbers. The breaks and
intervals which indicate the number of the street are arranged so as to
make the strokes in quick succession, and those for indicating the
building number in slow succession in order to distinguish between the
two. The arm G is secured to its shaft F by means of an insulating
hub b and revolves with it in the direction of the arrow, Figure 2.
This insulator 6 prevents the current from passing into the gearing, and
the metal collar c², is connected with the arm G by metal pins & and to
the screw cup H by the metallic arms e, so as to form the connection
with the line. The arm G carries a spring c, so as to bear upon the
circumference or slide of the plate and cause the breaks or non-con-

page_text: ductors as said arm is revolved to open and close the circuit.
When at
rest and ready for operation the spring arm G is on the metallic interval
21, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, in order that when the mechanism is
set in motion the number of the street under this arrangement will be
first indicated. The metallic connection between the stationary break
plate D and the screw cup J is made by means of a metallic rod K,
Figure 2, attached to said plate, and the connecting wire f, Figure 3.
Instead of the fixed break plate which I have described, a revolving
break wheel P may be used for the purpose, or the revolving shaft may
be constructed with both, as shown in Figure 3, for the purpose of
working an extra line P, Figure 3, without interfering with the regular
line, or both may revolve or be fixed, and provided with spring arms P³
for the purpose of opening and closing the circuit.
In using the two break circuits, one of them is for the purpose of
communicating the alarm, for example, to the residence of the owner
of the building on fire, and in this respect is a very important and
advantageous addition to my apparatus. In this case one of the break
circuits may be constructed so as to indicate the building number only
through the extra line. This extra line may also be used for the
purpose of telegraphing between residence and place of business, and
for this purpose be provided with suitable keys P' and sounders at each
end of the line. The utilization of the fire alarm for this purpose is a
feature of general importance and greatly increases its capacity for
business purposes.
The mechanism which I have described is operated automatically,
and the means for accomplishing this consists in the employment of
any of the local fire alarms which are put into operation by the effect of
heat. One of these devices L is represented drawn to an enlarged scale
in Figure 5, and consists of a compound strip g of two different metals,
and an adjustable arm g¹ to complete or close the circuit by the action
of heat. This instrument is located near the ceiling in the different
rooms of the building, and connects with a local battery M, Figure 1 by
the wire N, and to the mechanism for working the break circuit as
described by the wire O, which mechanism is located in the most con-
venient part of the building and connected with the wires from the
several rooms.
When the instruments thus constructed and connected are put into
the building the heat indicator Figure 5 is adjusted so as to be closed

page_text: whenever the heat reaches the desired degree. The mechanism which it
automatically operates is adjusted so that the revolving spring c will
be upon the interval 21 of the break plate for the purpose of closing
the street line, and both will be in readiness to communicate the
alarm.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that upon the breaking
out of the fire in any apartment where the heat alarm is placed the
circuit will be closed and instantly set in motion the various parts of
the mechanism so as to strike the alarm throughout the street line,
but as the method by which this is accomplished has been described in
connection with the description of the construction of the several parts
it is deemed unnecessary to repeat it here, further than to state that
the alarm will be continued so long as the local alarm device is subjected
to the influence of heat.
I have stated that the armature Q of the magnet Z has a con-
tinuously automatic vibrating motion derived from the automatic make
and break circuit X, Y, of the local line O actuated by the fire itself.
This automatic motion is communicated to the lever R, which is pivotted
at R², and carries a pawl S and a hook or catch T at its opposite end so
as to take into the teeth of a ratchet wheel U on a shaft Z, having its
bearings in the standards E, and which also carries a pinion V into which
meshes a gear wheel W on the shaft F, which carries the revolving
arm G c for operating the line A. As the lever R therefore is vibrated,
it imparts to the said spring arm G c a continuously revolving motion
by means of the ratchet pawls and gearing just described.
The subject matter of this branch of my Invention is illustrated in
Figures 1 to 6 embraced in the following claims, -
Having thus described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it understood that I
claim,―
1. A street telegraph line or lines constructed so as to enter one or
more buildings, and be operated automatically through suitable
mechanism by the agency of the fire itself, to produce an alarmı
simultaneously at different points within the circuit of said street line,
as described.
2. A street telegraph line or lines constructed so as to enter one or
more buildings, and be operated automatically by the agency of the fire

page_text: in such manner as to indicate by an alarm the street and the number of
the building, or the latter only, in which the fire originates simul-
taneously at different points within the circuit of said street line or lines,
as described.
3. In combination with a street telegraph line A constructed and
arranged to enter one or more buildings a heat detector or local fire
alarm for closing a local circuit, and suitable mechanism operated auto-
matically thereby for opening and closing the circuit of said street line,
for the purpose herein described.
4. The combination of a revolving spring arm G and stationary
break plate D for opening and closing the electric circuit.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)
Witness,
EDWARD C. JACKSON.