IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED FOR PAYING OUT SUCH CABLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Sharpe, of Hanwell Park, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
CABLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED FOR PAYING OUT SUCH CABLES,"
Sealed the 5th March 1858, and dated the 8th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Sharpe at the
Office of the Commissioners' of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
September 1857.
I, BENJAMIN SHARPE, of Hanwell Park, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH CABLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED FOR PAYING OUT BUCH CABLES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in electric telegraph cables,
and in apparatus used for paying out such cables. In the manufacture of
electric telegraph cables, in place of coiling the exterior protecting wires or
strands round the interior telegraphic core, as is now usually done, the exterior
protecting wires or strands are arranged longitudinally of the core, and are
secured around it by a fine wire which passes round and round the cable,
alternately over and under the longitudinal wire. These exterior protecting
wires I prefer should be of copper, as that metal is much more durable than
iron when immersed in sea water. Sometimes, in place of employing longi-
tudinal wires for protecting the telegraphic core, as above described, I employ
strips of metal also arranged longitudinally of the core, and attached to it by
Price &dl

page_text: fine wire passing alternately over and under the strips; or I enclose the
telegraphic core in a single strip of metal, the edges of which are turned up
and brought together so as entirely to surround the core, and the edges of the
strip of metal are securely held together by soldering, binding, or otherwise;
or the telegraphic core may be protected by depositing on to it a coating of
copper from a solution of that metal. In order to reduce the specific gravity
of telegraphic cables so as to cause them to sink more slowly during the
submerging operation, I enclose the cable in a flexible and air-tight tubular
case, somewhat larger in diameter than the cable, and this I secure to the
cable by binding it round at intervals, and in this way a series of air chambers
are formed around the cable which tend to support it when in the water.
In paying out telegraphic cables, in order to give greater uniformity to the
strain on the cable during the operation, I cause the cable as it runs out to
pass over a pulley or block which is suspended from one end of a rope passing
through another pulley or block carried by sheers erected at the stern of the
ship; at the other end of the rope to which the first pulley or block is attached
there is a counterpoise capable of working up and down between guides; or in
place of connecting the end of this rope directly to the counterpoise, it may be
first passed through a series of blocks and then to the counterpoise or to a
lever on which the counterpoise is mounted. In this arrangement the effect
of the counterpoise may be increased or diminished by shifting it towards or
from the centre on which the lever turns. In either of these arrangements,
when the strain on the cable is slight the counterpoise descends aud draws up
the block through which the cable is delivered, but when the strain on the
cable increases then the block falls and the counterpoise rises; as the counter-
poise rises and falls, it, by means of ropes or otherwise, acts upon the break
apparatus, so that the resistance offered by the break is increased as the
counterpoise falls, and diminished as it rises.
Sometimes in paying out cables they foul or kink, and great difficulty is
experienced in clearing such fouls or kinks; to facilitate this I pass the cable
by means of blocks from end to end of the ship, and when the cable fouls I
allow the block at the fore part of the ship to be drawn up to the stern and to
supply a length of cable double the length of the deck of the ship, and while
this length is running out time is allowed for clearing the cable. In place of
leading the cable from end to end of the ship it may in a similar way be led
up to a block suspended between the mast, and when a foul takes place this
block is lowered. In order to prevent the end being lost in the event of the
cable suddenly parting a stopper is employed which immediately catches the
end of the cable; and that the cable may not be suddenly stopped, so as to

page_text: cause a second fracture, the stopper is allowed to be drawn over by the cable,
and it has attached to it a long length of rope, which as it runs out is
gradually checked by a break, and in the mean time the ship is stopped; by
hauling in this rope the end of the cable will be recovered, and the injury may
be repaired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Sharpe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
SHARPE, of Hanwell Park, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Benjamin Sharpe, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin
Sharpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Benjamin Sharpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns. should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED FOR PAYING
OUT SUCH CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Benjamin Sharpe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Benjamin Sharpe, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 electric telegraph cables,
In the manufacture of
and in apparatus used for paying out such cables.
electric telegraph cables, in place of coiling the exterior protecting wires or

page_text: strands round the interior telegraphic core, as is now usually done, the exterior
protecting wires or strands are arranged longitudinally of the core, and are
secured around it by a fine wire, which passes round and round the cable, or
alternately over and under the longitudinal wires. These exterior protecting
wires I prefer should be of copper, as that metal is much more durable than
iron when immersed in sea water.
Figure 1 is a transverse section and side view of a telegraphic cable con-
structed according to this part of my Invention. a, a, a, are three conducting
wires covered with gutta percha, and laid together into a strand; 6 is a
second coating of gutta percha enveloping the whole of the conducting
wires a; c, c, are the longitudinal protecting wires, which are held together
by the fine weft wire d passing alternately over and under the longitudinal
wires. The core of the cable may be covered with the protecting wires candd,
either by hand or by a process similar to that ordinarily employed for pro-
ducing a circular weaving, that is to say, the longitudinal wires c are wound
on bobbins, which are arranged in a circle round the core to be covered,
and turn with a regulated amount of friction, so that a sufficient tension
may be maintained in the wires. From the bobbins the wires pass through
guides which have a motion given to them alternately toward and from the
core. Below the guides is a shuttle race, as in an ordinary loom of this
description, and in this the shuttle passes round, laying in the weft wire; and
the apparatus is so arranged that the shuttle may deliver such a length of
wire at each passage that when beaten up it shall lay, as shewn in the Drawing,
without deranging the position round the core of the longitudinal wires.
Figure 2 is a transverse section and side view of another telegraph cable,
also constructed according to my Invention, and in which the longitudinal
wires are secured by securing the cable round with fine wire; and this method
I consider preferable to that before described. In manufacturing a cable of
this sort, the machinery shewn at Figure 3 is employed. a is a frame in
which a series of bobbins containing the longitudinal wires are mounted, and
through this frame the core of the cable passes; b is a roller in front of the
frame a, for supporting the cable core; c is a guide plate, through the centre
of which, over a small friction pulley, the core passes, and round it there is
a circle of holes through which the longitudinal wires pass; d is a die which
presses the wires firmly around the core; e is the covering machine, consisting
of four bobbins, on which the fine binding wire is wound; this frame is
mounted on a hollow axis, and is caused to revolve by suitable gearing. The
wire as it runs off the bobbins passes through guides, and then through holes
in the side of the nozzle, which is a prolongation of the hollow axis, and these

page_text: holes open on the exterior of the nozzle in such positions as to lay the binding
wires accurately in their positions round the core. f is another covering
machine, by means of which I sometimes pay the cable round with hemp,
but this process may generally be dispensed with; g is a drum by which the
cable is drawn forward at a regulated speed; h, h, are a pair of capstans
round which a messenger passes, and by which the cable is conveyed away, it
being lashed to it at intervals by hand. Figures 4 are face views of the
apparatus a, b, c, d, e, f, and
g.
Sometimes, in place of employing longitudinal wires for protecting the
telegraphic core above described, I employ strips of metal, also arranged
longitudinally of the core, and attached to it by fine wire passing alternately
over and under the strips, and in this case I prefer to employ strips about one
quarter of an inch broad, of 32 oz. sheet copper (or lighter), and the weft
wire is threaded in by hand, or, as is preferable, the strips are secured by
binding the cable round, and then I employ apparatus such as that shewn at
Figure 3. Sometimes also I enclose the telegraphic core in a single strip of
metal, the edges of which are turned up and brought together so as entirely
to surround the core, and the edges of the strip of metal are securely held
together by soldering, binding, or otherwise. For this purpose a strip of
copper of the thickness above mentioned, or lighter, and of a width sufficient
just to surround the core, is turned up into a U form by means of a die; the
core is then introduced, the strip is then closed down upon it by another die,
and the edges are soldered together with soft solder; the joints transversely
of the cable are also made by soldering. In place of soldering, the cable
may be bound round with thin wire, as in the former case. In place of
encasing the telegraph core in a strip, in the manner already described, the
same result may be attained by depositing on to it a coating of copper from
a solution of that metal. For this purpose the external gutta percha covering
of the core is coated completely with plumbago, and then the core is
immersed in a long trough of wood containing a solution of copper. The
length of core within the trough is connected at several points with one pole
of a galvanic battery; along the whole length of the trough a copper plate
runs, and it is connected with the other pole of the battery. The depositing
is conducted in the ordinary way, and when one length of core is coated
another length is coated, and so on.
In order to reduce the specific gravity of telegraphic cables, so as to cause
them to sink more slowly during the submerging operation, I enclose the
cable in a flexible and air-tight tubular case, somewhat larger in diameter
than the cable, and this I secure to the cable by binding it round at

page_text: intervals, and in this way a series of air chambers are formed around the
cable which tend to support it when in the water.
b
Figure 5 is a side view, and Figure 6 is a transverse section of a tele-
graphic cable arranged according to this part of my Invention. a is the
telegraphic cable, and bisa tube of thin gutta percha made over the cable a,
and bound to it at intervals, either while the gutia perchais soft or otherwise.
The tube 6 may be made of waterproof cloth or other similar material, but
I prefer gutta percha. In paying out telegraphic cables, in order to give
greater uniformity to the strain on the cable during the operation, 1 cause
the cable as it runs out to pass over a pulley or block which is suspended
from one end of a rope passing through another pulley or block carried by
sheers erected at the stern of the ship. At the other end of the rope to which
the first pulley or block is attached there is a counterpoise capable of working
up and down between guides; or in place of connecting the end of this rope.
directly to the counterpoise it may be first passed through a series of blocks
and then to the counterpoise, or to a lever on which the counterpoise is
mounted. In this arrangement the effect of the counterpoise may be in-
creased or diminished by shifting it from or towards the centre on which the
lever turns. In either of these arrangements, when the strain on the cable
is slight the counterpoise descends and draws up the block through which the
cable is delivered, but when the strain on the cable increases then the block
falls and the counterpoise rises. As the counterpoise rises and falls it by
means of ropes or otherwise acts upon the break apparatus, so that the
resistance offered by the break is increased as the counterpoise falls and
diminished as it rises.
Figure 6 (Sheet 2) shews one method of carrying out this part of my
Invention. a, a, are sheer legs erected at and inclining over the stern of the
ship, and which are securely stayed in position. These sbeers should be
twenty-five or thirty feet high or thereabouts. bis a block carried by these
sheers; c is a rope attached to this block and passing through another block d
attached to a counterpoise e, then through the block to the block.
;g is a
telegraphic cable which passes through the block f as it runs out over the
stern. The counterpoise e is a wooden box having rollers e¹ fixed to it, and
capable of rising and falling between the guides h, which are held in position
by the metal framesi; into the box e the requisite amount of ballast is put.
In place of causing the counterpoise to slide up and down on the sheer leg, it
may have a trunk made for it in the hatchway or any other convenient
position, and the rope c will be conducted accordingly.
Figure 7 shews the arrangement when a lever is employed. In working

page_text: the
apparatus the weight of the counterpoise is adjusted so as to keep the
block for the most part up to the block b, but so as to allow it to descend
whenever the ship by pitching to any considerable extent throws amorethan
ordinary strain on the cable; if it is seen that the block of permanently remains
out of contact with the block b the weight of the counterpoise should be
increased. In order that the rise and fall of the counterpoise may govern the
break apparatus, I connect to the counterpoise a rope passing round a drum
on an axis on which the screw of the break is mounted, so that as the
counterpoise rises it gives motion to the axis and screws up the break. This
break worked by the counterpoise is an auxiliary brake used in addition to
the ordinary break.
Sometimes in paying out cables they foul or kink, and great difficulty is
experienced in clearing such fouls or kinks. To facilitate this I pass the
cable by means of blocks from end to end of the ship, and when the cable
fouls I allow the block at the fore part of the ship to be drawn up to the
stern, and so supply a length of cable double the length of the deck of the
ship, and while this length is running out time is allowed for clearing
the cable. In place of leading the cable from end to end of the ship it may
in a similar way be led up to a block suspended between the mast, and when
a foul takes place this block is lowered; in either case the rope attached to
the block is passed round "bits," and is slacked off when required by a man
who has charge of that part of the arrangement.
In order to prevent the end being lost, in the event of the cable suddenly
parting, a stopper is employed which immediately catches the end of the
cable. And that the cable may not be suddenly stopped, so as to cause a
second fracture, the stopper is allowed to be drawn over by the cable, and it
has attached to it a long length of rope, which as it runs out is gradually
checked by abreak, and in the meantime the ship is stopped. By hauling in this
rope the end of the cable will be recovered, and the injury may be repaired.
Figure 8 is a side view, and Figure 9 is a plan, of the apparatus I employ
for this purpose. It consists of two jaws hinged at a, where a pulley is
mounted, over which the cable passes continually out of the ship, the appa-
ratus being at that time in the position shown at Figure 8. If the cable
should break, the man who has charge of the apparatus instantly releases the
upper jaw of the machine, which instantly descends on the lower jaw, as is
shewn at Figure 10, and nips the end of the cable in the manner shewn by
the section, Figure 11; the apparatus is then instantly drawn overboard, and
takes with it the end of the hawser attached to it. This hawser on board the
ship passes round a break drum which at once opposes a certain resistance to

page_text: the running out of the hawser, and this break is screwed so as continually to
augment the resistance until the running out of the hawser is stopped. The
apparatus with the end of the cable is recovered by hauling in the hawser.
11:
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Sharpe, have hereunto set my
'hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
1. S. CARPMAEL.
B. SHARPE. (L.S.)