IMPROVEMENTS IN INSULATING AND PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Macaulay-Cruikshank of 135, Buchanan Street
Glasgow in the County of Lanark North Britain Consulting Engineer and
Patent Agent, for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN INSULATING AND
PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS."-
A communication from abroad by William Edgar Banta of Springfield County
of Clark, State of Ohio, United States of America, Horologist.
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George
Macaulay-Cruikshank
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th June 1882.
GEORGE MACAULAY-CRUIKSHANK of 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INSULATING AND PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS." A communication from abroad by William Edgar
Banta, of Springfield, County of Clark, State of Ohio, United States of America,
Horologist.
This invention is more particularly designed as a means for conveying the wires
of telegraphs and telephones in subterranean or other closed conduits.
The said invention consists first in a supporting and insulating caso or enclosure
for telegraph wires and other electrical conductors formed of a series of troughs
hermetically connected, and hermetically closable by a coping, the said troughs
being provided interiorly with posts and spools for the support and attachment of
the wires.
The invention further consists in combining with suitable troughposts, spools
and washers for supporting the electrical conductors.
If desired, the trough, after the wires have been placed in position, may be filled
with sand or other insulating material.
The troughs may have holes or openings in the top, bottom, and sides for the
passage of branch wires or conductors.

page_text: The holes or openings in the troughs may be made before or after the main
wires are in place and may be closed hermetically around the wires.
The ends of the troughs are preferably interlocked and thon sealed with litharge
or other suitable luting capable of making a water and air tight joint.
The insulating support may have a foot or base plate whose length equals tho
width of the interior of the trough and which rests upon the floor.
The trough is preferably of terra-cotta or other strong artificial stone its coping
of cast iron or of any natural rock, such as granite, limestone or sandstone, the
posts and their feet preferably of brass or other non-magnetic metal of adequate
strength.
The spools are fitted to be slipped upon the posts.
The spools are preferably of glass. Each spool has a circumferential groove for
a tine wire by which the telegraph wire or other electrical conductor is upheld.
The posts may if preferred be bolted to a wooden shoe which may be cemented
in a transverse gutter in the floor of the trough or their lower extremities may be
anchored permanently into the trough floor in the act of originally casting the
trough.
The washers may be omitted and the spools be interiorly screw-threaded to
engage over correspondingly screw-threaded posts.
In crossing streets, roadways, or open ground, the troughs containing wires or
conductors may be sunk so that the top is even with the surface.
In some instances the supports for the wires may be blocks of glazed terra-
cotta retained in proper vertical range by posts or uprights. Such blocks have
transverse notches which receive and retain the wires in proper position. Or two
plates preferably of brass may be employed each plate being pierced with a number
of equidistant orifices for the traverse of the wires. Thimbles of glass, porcelain
or other suitable insulating material may be employed to prevent contact of the
wires with the supporting plates. The said plates may be armed at their vertical
edges with eyes for the reception of pins which lock them together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Macaulay-Cruikshank in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd October 1882.
George MacauLAY-CRUIKSHANK of 135 Buchanan Street, Glasgow in the
County of Lanark North Britain, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN INSULATING AND PROTECTING TELEGRAPH WIRES AND OTHER
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS." A communication from abroad by William Edgar
Banta, of Springfield, in the County of Clark, and State of Ohio, United States of
America, Horologist.
This invention is more particularly designed as a means for conveying the wires
of telegraphs and telephones in subterranean or other closed conduits.
The said invention consists first in a supporting and insulating case or enclosure
for telegraph wires and other electrical conductors formed of a series of troughs
hermetically connected and hermetically closable by a coping, the said troughs
being provided interiorly with posts and spools for support and attachment of the
wires.
The invention further consists in combining with suitable troughs;—posts, spools,
and washers for supporting the electrical conductors.
If desired, the troughs, after the wires have been placed in position, may be filled
with sand or other insulating material.
The troughs may have openings in the top, bottom, and sides for the passage of
branch wires or conductors. The holes or openings in the troughs may be made
before or after the main wires are in place and may be closed hermetically around
the wires.
And in order that the said Invention may be properly understood I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system mode or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or carried out in practice reference being had to the
accompanying sheet of drawings and to the Letters and Figures marked thereon,
that is to say on the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a position of a street pavement curb
formed hollow and utilized as a housing or conduit for a group of telegraph wires.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, to a smaller scale.
Figure 3 represents a portion of a hollow trunk or tube showing various
modifications of insulating supports.
A, A, may represent two of a series of troughs or trunks, of identically similar
confirmation and so shaped at their ends as to be capable of interlocking one to
another, so as with the addition of litharge or other suitable luting to be capable
of being joined water and air-tight, end to end, in the manner shown.
B, is a cap-plate or coping, which after the insertion of the wires, is luted fast on
top of the trough, so as to hermetically close the same.
The preferred form of insulating support (shown in figures 1 and 2) has a foot
or base plate C, whose length equals the width of the interior of the trough, and
which rests upon its floor and supports a series of posts D, which rise to nearly a
level with the trough margin. Of these parts, the trough is preferably of terra-
cotta, or other strong artificial stone and its coping of cast iron, or of any natural
rock, such as granite, limestone, or sandstone. The posts D, and their feet C, are
preferably of brass, or other non-magnetic-metal of adequate strength.
Fitted to be slipped upon the posts D, are spools E, and washers F, preferably
of glass. Each spool has a circumferential groove e, for a fine wire G, by which
the telegraph wire H, or other electrical conductor is upheld.

page_text: The posts D, may if preferred, be bolted to a wooden shoe which may be
cemented in a transverso gutter in the floor of the trough, or their lower extremities
may be anchored permanently into the trough floor in the act of originally casting
the trough.
The washers F, may be omitted and the spools E, be interiorly screw-threaded
to engage over correspondingly screw-threaded posts as at E, Figure 1.
In crossing streets, roadways, or open ground, the troughs containing wires or
conductors may be sunk so that the top is even with the surface.
Some of numerous possible modifications of the above described preferred form of
special support and insulating devices are shown at Figure 3.
J, are blocks, which may be of glazed terra-cotta, and be retained in proper
vertical range by posts or uprights, K. Transverse notches in these blocks
receive and retain in proper position, the telegraph wires, in the manner
represented.
L, M, and N, illustrate other forms of insulating supports, of terra-cotta or other
suitable material. P, represents still another modification, which consists of two
plates, preferably of brass, and of which each plate is pierced with a number of
equidistant orifices, p, for the traverse of the wires. Thimbles Q, of glass, porcelain,
or other suitable insulating material, prevent contact of the wires with the
supporting plates. The said plates may be formed, at their vertical edges, with
eyes R, for the reception of pins S, which lock them together in the manner
shown.
If desired, the trough, after the wires have been placed in position, may be filled
with sand or other insulating material.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the Nature of the said
Invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent I would observe
in conclusion that what is considered to be novel and original and is therefore
claimed as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbeforo in part recited Letters
Patent is.
First. A supporting and insulating case or enclosure for telegraph wires, and
other electrical conductors, which consists of a series of troughs A, hermetically
connected and hermetically closable by a coping B, the said troughs being provided
interiorly with posts D, and spool E, for support and attachment of the wires, or
devices substantially equivalent, as herein set forth.
Second. A hollow street pavement curb, adapted to form a supporting and
insulating case or enclosure for telegraph wires and other electrical conductors
which consists of a series of troughs A, hermetically closable by a coping B, the
said trough being provided interiorly with posts D, and spool E, for support and
insulation of the wires or conductors, substantially as set forth.
Third. The combination with suitable troughs of the posts D, spools E,
washers F, and wires G, adapted to support the electrical conductors, as set forth.
In Witness Whereof I the said George Macaulay-Cruikshank have hereunto
set my Hand and Seal this Seventeenth day of October One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
GEO. MACAULAY-ORUIKSHANK. (L.S.)