IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC LINE WIRES, AND IN TOOLS OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SUPPORTS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE- MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE JOINING OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles. William Siemens, of John Street, Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC LINE WIRES, AND IN TOOLS OR APPARATUS
TO BE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SUPPORTS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE JOINING OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 8th July 1859, and dated the 11th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Siemens
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th January 1859.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM SIEMENS, of John Street, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC LINE WIRES, AND IN TGOIS, OR
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SUPPORTS, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE JOINING OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES,!
to be as follows;-
I construct posts with three legs for supporting electric telegraphic
line wires by connecting three iron or steel rods or tubes in the following
manner: The rods are placed in a sloping position, being united at top
to a piece of wood or other suitable material, and being connected at the
bottom to an extended base which is buried in the ground. This base
consists of three rods or bars of iron, with their ends bent so as to lie
together. The lower ends of the main rods or uprights are also bent so
as to lie parallel with the ends of the base rods. A short piece of tube,

page_text: of lead or other suitable compressible metal or alloy, is slipped over these
ends, and is forcibly compressed upon them by means of a compressing
tool constructed as herein-after described. Or the bent ends of the main
rods are passed through holes in a ring or frame of angle iron, and secured
by keys or wedges between the rods and the angle iron. The upper ends
are bent, and enter holes or recesses in a piece of iron pipe or a cylindrical
or conical piece of wood, and are secured by an iron ring or clamp driven
upon them, or secured by a screw or screws. In order to give stiffness to
the post, one or more lateral stays or supports are introduced between
the rods. Each lateral support consists of three horizontal pieces of round
or other rod, with their ends bent to such an angle as to lie parallel with
the main rods, to which they are secured by rings or short tubes of iron
or other suitable metal, which had been previously slipped over the main
rods. These rings or tubes may be of triangular form with rounded
corners, and they are squeezed in or compressed by a compressing tool
of suitable form, or fitted with suitable dies, as herein-after described; or
the parts may be secured by driving wedges into the aforesaid tubes or
rings. Diagonal stays or supports are also applied, if required, and fixed
by the same tubes, or in a similar manner. The compressing tool or
apparatus for compressing the tube or collar on the bottom ends of the
main rods consists of three dies, which embrace the lead collar. Two of
these dies are fitted into a V-shaped strap, and are kept in their proper
relative position by dowel pins. The third die is placed over them, and
a cross bar and screw is introduced above it. By placing this apparatus
round the lead collar and turning the screw, the three dies are pressed
inwards on the collar. In lieu of a screw, a wedge, or an eccentric, or
lever, or other mechanical means may be employed to force the dies to-
gether. Four or more dies may be used, but three are sufficient. In
order to compress the lead more powerfully, I construct the dies with ribs
in the interior, and with the ends rounded or bevilled, and the lead is
thus submitted to a very great pressure at the parts under the ribs, and
is forced into every part of the dies, and into close contact with the rods
in the interior. The meeting edges of the dies are bevilled, so as to cut
or squeeze out any lead which may be forced between them. The rods
may be roughened, or screwed, or turned with grooves, or notched, or
tinned, or leaded, or galvanized at the parts which come in contact with
the lead or with each other, so as to give them a more secure hold. I
also join two or more rods together end to end when necessary, to obtain
à sufficient length for the main rods, by compressing a collar of lead or
soft iron or other suitable metal or alloy upon them in a similar manner.
I apply this apparatus in a similar manner to join together two pipes of
lead or iron or other material, and in some cases, as, for example, in

page_text: joining thin leaden pipes, I insert a short tube of iron or other com:
paratively rigid metal, to prevent the tubes from being squeezed in and
reduced in diameter by the pressure; and I prefer to make this tube of a
double conical form, and with grooves or roughnesses, which are squeezed
into the lead by the pressure.
Telegraphic wires are sometimes laid under ground in leaden tubes,
and if the different lengths of leaden tube are joined by soldering, there
is great danger of injuring the gutta percha or other insulator inclosing
the wires. I connect such tubes together by a collar of lead or com-
pressible metal compressed upon them by the apparatus above mentioned.
In some cases I employ collars of copper or soft iron, and I make the
dies of hard steel or cast iron, or chilled or casehardened, and I make the
apparatus sufficiently powerful and strong to compress the collar. The
compressing tool for compressing the tube or collar on the junction of the
main rods with the lateral supports may be constructed with three dies
in a similar manner, or the end of the screw or lever may be made to act
as one of the dies, and the sides of the frame or strap may be made of.
such form as to act as the other two-dies, so that separate dies are not
then necessary. This tool may also be used in a similar manner for
compressing a tube of iron or other suitable metal on the bottom ends of
the main rods. These compressing tools are also applicable for joining
rods of metal and other articles for various purposes. I join the line
wires of electric telegraphs by placing a short tube of iron or other
suitable metal or alloy over the two ends, and compressing it by two or
more dies made with ribs, by which the tube is pressed and bent or
indented at two or more places, so as to give it greater hold on the wire.
In order to protect the main rods from oxidation at the points where
they enter the ground, I sometimes enclose those parts in short lengths
of iron or other tube slipped over them, or put on hot, or shrunk on. The
ironwork may be protected by heating it and immersing it in tar, or by
painting or galvanizing it.
The telegraphic wires are carried by insulating supports attached to the
upper part of the posts. Each wire, when there is more than one, is
provided with a separate insulating support. This support consists of a
bell-mouthed cup of cast iron placed with its mouth downwards, and
inclosing a conical or wide-mouthed cup or tube of porcelain or other
vitreous material, which is cemented into it at the upper part with a
mixture of sulphur and oxide of iron or other suitable cement, while the
lower parts or mouths of the cups are at some distance apart. The inner
or porcelain cup is made without any shoulder at the point where it
enters the iron cup, so that the weight of the iron cup may rest upon the
top of the porcelain cup, and not upon a shoulder on its side. The

page_text: fracture from the expansion and contraction of the iron is thus avoided.
The porcelain cup is made with a cylindrical cavity at the upper part, into
which is cemented an iron pin or stalk, which passes down in a vertical
direction without touching the wide mouths of the cups, and is then bent
upwards, and again in a horizontal direction to pass through or into the
upper part of the post, into which it may be screwed or fixed by a nut
screwed on its end. This horizontal part is at or near the level of the
point or points at which the wire or wires are fixed, so that the tension
on the wire has little or no tendency to twist the horizontal part of the
stalk or pin in the post. When the nut is screwed up tight, part of the
vertical portion of the stalk or pin is squeezed into or against the side of
the post, rendering the fixing very firm and secure. The line wire lies in
a notch formed by a little projection on the cast-iron cup, and is secured
by a ring driven down on it, or the projection may be somewhat in the
form of a hook, and a little on one side, so that the wire may be angled
into its place and then drawn tight, and cannot then be raised out of its
place. At the stretching places the two ends of the wires are each fixed
by placing the end in a short tube divided longitudinally, or pair of jaws,
which are conical on the exterior, and are forced together, so as to grip
the wire by drawing them into a hole or into the space between two
projections on the cast-iron cup. The inside of the lower half of this
divided tube is cylindrical, while the interior of the upper half is conical
or trumpet-mouthed, so as to allow of torsion in the horizontal part of
the wire while the rest of the wire is swinging in the wind, and thus to
avoid the liability of the wire being broken off at the support. Or an
oblong plate tapering to the ends may be substituted for the aforesaid
jaws, and the wires may be secured to it by cramps or rings, so that in
either case the tension on the wire may tend to tighten the fixing; or the
two wires are laid on a plate at each side of a screw or bolt, and a nut
is screwed down upon them both in such a direction that the strain on
the wires may tend to tighten the nut. When only one insulating support
is to be fixed on a post, or when a support is required at the top of the
post, I sometimes employ an iron tube for the top of the post, and I
insert the stalk of the support in the tube, allowing it to rest by means
of a collar on the top of the tube; and I place a collar of lead or other
suitable metal or alloy round the junction,- and compress it by a com-
pressing tool, as herein-before described. I alsó sometimes construct the
stalk of the insulator with a point or projection on the stalk or on the post,
and with a flange which fits against the side of the upper part of the post,
and is secured by a hoop or ring driven down upon it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles William Siemens in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM SIEMENS, of John Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Charles William Siemens, Her special licence
that I, the said Charles William Siemens, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles William Siemens, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUPPORTS FOR ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC LINE WIRES, AND IN TOOLS OR APPARATUS
TO BE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH SUPPORTS, PART OF WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE JOINING OF PIPES AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles William Siemens, 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 T, the said Charles William Siemens, do hereby
declare the nature of, the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:―
I construct posts with three legs for supporting electric telegraphic line
wires by connecting three iron or steel rods or tubes in the following
manner: The rods are placed in a sloping position, being united at top
to a piece of wood or other suitable material, and being connected at the
bottom to an extended base; which is buried in the ground. This base

page_text: consists of three rods or bars of iron with their ends bent so as to lie
together; the lower ends of the main rods or uprights are also bent so as
to lie parallel with the ends of the base rods. A short piece of tube of
lead or other suitable compressible metal or alloy is slipped over these
ends, and is forcibly compressed upon them by means of a compressing
tool constructed as herein-after described; or the bent ends of the main
rods are passed through holes in a ring or frame of angle iron, and secured
by keys or wedges between the rods and the angle iron. The upper ends
are bent and enter holes or recesses in a piece of iron pipe or a cylindrical
or conical piece of wood, and are secured by an iron. ring or clamp driven
upon them, or secured by a screw or screws. In order to give stiffness
to the post, one or more lateral stays or supports are introduced between
the rods. Each lateral support consists of three horizontal pieces of
round or other rod with their ends bent to such an angle as to lie
parallel with the main rods, to which they are secured by rings or short
tubes of iron or other suitable metal, which have been previously slipped
over the main rods. These rings or tubes may be of triangular form,.
with rounded corners, and they are squeezed in or compressed by a com-
pressing tool of suitable form or fitted with suitable dies, as herein-after-
described; or the parts may be secured by driving wedges into the afore-
said tubes or rings. Diagonal stays or supports are also applied, if re-
quired, and fixed by the same tubes or in a similar manner.
The compressing tool or apparatus for compressing the tube or collar
on the bottom ends of the main rods consists of three dies, which embrace
the lead collar. Two of these dies are fitted into a V-shaped strap, and
are kept in their proper relative position by dowel pins. The third die
is placed over them, and a cross bar and screw is introduced above it..
By placing this apparatus round the lead collar and turning the screw,
the three dies are pressed inwards on the collar. In lieu of a screw, a
wedge, or an eccentric, or lever, or other mechanical means may be
employed to force the dies together. Four or more dies may be used, but
three are sufficient. In order to compress the lead more powerfully, I
construct the dies with ribs in the interior, and with the ends rounded
or bevilled, and the lead is thus submitted to a very great pressure at
the parts under the ribs, and is forced into every part of the dies, and
into close contact with the rods in the interior. The meeting edges of
the dies are bevilled, so as to cut or squeeze out any lead which may be
forced between them. The rods may be roughened or screwed or turned
with grooves, or notched or tinned, or leaded or galvanized at the parts
which come in contact with the lead or with each other, so as to give them
a more secure hold. I also join two or more.rods together end to end-
when necessary, to obtain a sufficient length for the main rods, by com-

page_text: pressing a collar of lead or soft iron or other suitable metal or alloy
upon them in a similar manner. I apply this apparatus in a similar
manner to join together two pipes of lead or iron or other material, and
in some cases, as, for example, in joining thin leaden pipes, I insert
a short tube of iron or other comparatively rigid metal, to prevent the
tubes from being squeezed in and reduced in diameter by the pressure,
and I prefer to make this tube of a double conical form and with grooves
or roughnesses, which are squeezed into the lead by the pressure.
Telegraphic wires are sometimes laid underground in leaden tubes, and
if the different lengths of leaden tube are joined by soldering, there is
great danger of injuring the gutta percha or other insulator inclosing the
wires. I connect such tubes together by a collar of lead or compressible
métal, compressed upon them by the apparatus above mentioned. In
some cases I employ collars of copper or soft iron, and I make the dies
of hard steel or cast iron, or chilled or casehardened, and I make the
apparatus sufficiently powerful and strong to compress the collar. The
compressing tool for compressing the tube or collar on the junction of the
main rods with the lateral supports may be constructed with three dies
in a similar manner, or the end of the screw or lever may be made to act
as one of the dies, and the sides of the frame or strap may be made of
such form as to act as the other two dies, so that separate dies are not
then necessary. This tool may also be used in a similar manner for
compressing a tube of iron or other suitable metal on the bottom ends of
the main rods. These compressing tools are also applicable for joining
rods of metal and other articles for various purposes. In order to pro-
tect the main rods from oxidation at the points where they enter the
ground, I sometimes inclose those parts in short lengths of iron or other
tube slipped over them, or put on hot or shrunk on.
The ironwork may be protected by heating it and immersing it in tar,
or by painting or galvanizing it.
The telegraph wires are carried by insulating supports attached to the
upper part of the posts. Each wire, when there is more than one, is
provided with a separate insulating support. This support consists of a
bell-mouthed cup of cast iron placed with its mouth downwards, and
inclosing a conical or wide-mouthed cup or tube of porcelain or other
vitreous material, which is cemented into it at the upper part with a
mixture of sulphur and oxide of iron or other suitable cement, while the
lower parts or mouths of the cups are at some distance apart. The inner
or porcelain cup is made without any shoulder at the point where it
enters the iron cup, so that the weight of the iron cup may rest upon the
top of the porcelain cup and not upon a shoulder on its side; the fracture
from the expansion and contraction of the iron is thus avoided. The

page_text: porcelain cup is made with a cylindrical cavity at the upper part; into
which is cemented an iron pin or stalk, which passes down in a vertical
direction without touching, the wide mouths of the cups, and is then
bent upwards and again in a horizontal direction to pass through or into
the upper part of the post, into which it may be screwed or fixed by a
nut screwed on its end. This horizontal part is at or near the level of the
point or points at which the wire or wires are fixed, so that the tension
on the wire has little or no tendency to twist the horizontal part of the
stalk or pin in the post. When the nut is screwed up tight, part of the
vertical portion of the stalk or pin is squeezed into or against the side
of the post, rendering the fixing very firm and secure. The line wire
lies in a notch formed by a little projection on the cast-iron cup, and is
secured by a ring driven down on it, or the projection may be somewhat
in the form of a hook and a little on one side, so that the wire may be
angled into its place and then drawn tight, and cannot then be raised out
of its place. At the stretching places the two ends of the wires are each
fixed by placing the end in a short tube divided longitudinally, or pair
of jaws, which are conical on the exterior and are forced together so as
to grip the wire by driving them into a hole or into the space between
two projections on the cast-iron cup. The inside of the lower half of
this divided tube is cylindrical, while the interior of the upper half is
conical or trumpet-mouthed, so as to allow of torsion in the horizontal
part of the wire while the rest of the wire is swinging in a wind, and
thus to avoid the liability of the wire being broken off at the support; or
an oblong plate tapering to the ends may be substituted for the aforesaid
jaws, and the wires may be secured to it by cramps or rings, so that in
either case the tension on the wire may tend to tighten the fixing; or
the two wires are laid on a plate at each side of a screw or bolt, and
a nut is screwed down upon them both in such a direction that the strain
on the wires may tend to tighten the nut. When only one insulating
support is to be fixed on a post, or when a support is required at the top
of the post, I sometimes employ an iron tube for the top of the post,
and I insert the stalk of the support in the tube, allowing it to rest by
means of a collar on the top of the tube, and I place a collar of lead or
other suitable metal or alloy round the junction, and compress it by a
compressing tool as herein-before described. I also sometimes construct
the stalk of the insulator with a point or projection on the stalk or on the
post, and with a flange, which fits against the side of the upper part of
the post, and is secured by a hoop or ring driven down upon it.
Figure 1, Sheet I., of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation, and
Figure 2 is a plan of a post or support for electric telegraphic line wires

page_text: constructed according to my Invention. The same letters refer to similar
parts in each Figure.
A, A, A, are three iron rods or tubes placed in a sloping position, and
united at top to a piece B of iron or wood or other suitable material.
The lower ends of the rods A are bent outwards into a horizontal position.
Three base rods C, C, C, have their ends bent so as to lie parallel with
the ends of the rods A. Three metallic collars or short pieces of tube.
D, D, D, are slipped over the bent ends, and are compressed upon them, as
herein-after described. The extreme upper ends of the rods A are bent,
horizontally inwards, and enter holes or recesses in a piece of cast or
wrought iron pipe B, and are secured by an iron ring E driven down upon
them. In order to give stiffness to the post, lateral stays or supports F
and G are employed. F, F, F, are three iron bars, whose ends are bent
so as to lie parallel with the rods A, A, A. Three metallic collars or
short tubes H (which had been previously slipped on the rods A) embrace
the ends of the rods F, and are forcibly compressed upon them by a
compressing tool, as herein-after described, and they are thus firmly
attached to the rods A. The lateral rods G, G, G, are fixed in a similar
manner by collars I, I, I. The rods F and G do not merely keep the
rods A at the proper distance apart, but they also prevent them from
bending at the parts to which they are secured by the collars, and they
thus prevent torsion and communicate far greater strength. and rigidity.
to the support than would be obtained if these rods F and G were jointed
to the rods A in lieu of being rigidly connected to them. The collars
D, H, and I may be of triangular form, with rounded corners, and made
of wrought iron or of malleable cast iron, and may have. their sides
compressed or squeezed in by a tool shown on a larger scalé in Figures
5 and 6. This tool consists of a hook-shaped piece of iron or steel A,
having two rounded parts a and b. c is another rounded part or pro-
jection on a piece of steel B, which is capable of being advanced by a
screw C and lever or wrench D. The piece of steel B has a fork, which
embraces the side of the piece A, and is thus prevented from turning
round, but is free to move to and from the parts a and b. This tool
is placed round one of the collars D, H, or I, in Figures 1 and 2, so that
the parts a and b rest against two of the sides of the collar. The screw
is then turned, and the part c is thus pressed with great force against the
third side of the collar and all three sides are thus bent in, and the collar
is securely fixed on the rods; the tool is then unscrewed and removed.
Each of the collars is thus compressed and fixed.
In lieu of compressing the collars or tubes in this manner, the bars
may be secured by driving an iron wedge into each collar. Diagonal
stays may be employed when still greater stiffness is required; thus,
diagonal stays may extend from the collar H on each rod A to the

page_text: collars I on the other rods A. The ends of these diagonal stays are
inserted in and secured by the same collars H and I, or they may be
secured to the rods A, A; by separate collars, if preferred; the number
of the lateral supports may be varied.
Figure 3 is an elevation, and Figure 4 is a plan of another post or
support for telegraphic line wires constructed according to my Invention.
The rods A, F, G, and the collars H, I, are similar to those in Figures
1 and 2; the base consists of a ring or a large segment of a ring of angle
iron C. The lower ends of the rods A, A, A, are bent horizontally and
pass through holes in the angle iron C, and secured by small iron wedges
d. driven between them and the angle iron. The upper part of the post is
a piece of wood B. The upper ends of the rods A are bent, and enter
holes or recesses in this piece of wood, and are secured by an iron hoop E.
Instead of fixing the collars by bending in their sides, in some cases
cylindrical collars of lead or other compressible metal or alloy may be
used, and they may be compressed so as to reduce them to a smaller
diameter by means of a tool with three dies, such as that shown in
transverse section in Figure 7 and in longitudinal section in Figure 8.
These Figures represent the tool as applied for joining two pieces of lead
pipe K and L by means of a collar or short tube of lead -D. A is a flat
iron or steel bar, bent to an angle of about sixty degrees, and carrying
two dies a and b, which may be of steel or of cast iron or wrought iron;
these dies are connected by screws to_plates e, f, which confine them to
their respective sides or branches of the bar A, but allow them to slide
freely on the bar A. Two dowel pins on one die benter two holes in the
other die a, so as to cause them to rise and fall together. M is a spring,
which presses the two dies a and b upwards, and causes them to separate
as they slide up the inclined sides of the bar A; c is the third die, which
has a fork at each end embracing the parallel parts of the bar A, which
thus serves to guide it; C'is a strong screw screwed through a cross bar N,
which is slipped into two holes in the bar A. The collar or short piece
of lead pipe D is slipped over one of the pipes K, and the other pipe L is
brought opposite and close to the pipe K, and the collar D is then slipped
back so as to cover the junction. The cross bar N and screw C and the
die c are removed from the tool, which is then placed under the joint,
so that the collar D lies in the two dies a and b; the die c is then replaced,
and the cross bar N slipped into its place. The screw C is then screwed
down by a wrench or spanner, and the collar D is thus forced by the die c
into the dies a and b, which at the same time are forced to approach
each other, so that the collar D is compressed on all sides at once. The
form of the dies is such as to confine the collar at the ends, and it is
therefore compelled to contract in diameter until it firmly grasps the

page_text: pipes K and L and makes a water-tight joint. In order to make the
joint as perfect as possible, I make the dies with ribs 1, 2, 3, 4, which
produce a greater pressure on some parts of the collar, and even force it
to indent itself in the pipes; thus each pipe is very firmly grasped at two
places in the collar, and no leakage can occur without the fluid having to
pass two strongly compressed zones. The joint having been made, the
screw C is unscrewed, and the bar N is slipped out, and the die c is re
moved; the remainder of the tool is then removed. The security of the
joint is further increased by coating the ends of the pipes to be joined, as
well as the inside of the collar, with white lead or other suitable cement
previous to making the joint. If, instead of inserting the pipes K and L
in the collar D, this' collar is placed on the rods A and F in Figures 1
and 2, the collar may be compressed upon them in a similar manner:
The bars to be joined, when placed together, should in this case fit and
fill the collar as nearly as is conveniently practicable, so that a small
amount of compression may suffice to secure the collar; thus the bars may
be of such sectional form that when they are placed together they may
form a circle or a hexagon, and the collar may be of a corresponding
circular or hexagonal form. The dies may be forced together by.an
eccentric or by a lever or other suitable means, instead of the screw C.
A lever or arm may also be attached to the bar A for the workman to
hold while turning the screw C, so as to prevent the pipes from being
strained or bent during the operation.
In joining thin leaden pipes there would be a risk of crushing in the
pipes or considerably reducing their diameter in applying sufficient
pressure to produce a tight joint. To avoid this danger, I insert in the
ends of the pipes K, L, a double conical piece of pipe P, of iron or
other strong or rigid material, as shown in the transverse section Figure 9,
and in the longitudinal section Figure 10. This pipe P has a number of
grooves turned or cut upon its exterior. The two pipes K, L, are ex-
panded a little to receive it, and the dies are made rather larger in the
centre than at the ends, so that the collar D (when compressed) follows
the shape of the pipes. The tool shown in these Figures is very similar
to that shown in Figures 7 and 8, but somewhat simpler. Thus the dies
a and b drop loose into the angle of the bar A, which guides them, and
they have no spring to force them up. The pressure is given by means of
a long wedge C, which acts against a gib N, inserted in two holes in the
parallel parts of the bar A. This wedge is driven in by a hammer.
Figures 11 and 12 are two elevations of the cast-iron cup or bell of
an insulator with a wire R supported on it. The wire lies in a notch
formed by a projection i, and is secured by an iron ring, driven on the
upper part or socket of the cup.

page_text: Figure 13, Sheet II., is an elevation, and Figure 14 is a plan of another
insulator having a cast-iron cup or bell Q, with two projections i, i, placed
in a diagonal direction with regard to the wire R, but notched under-
neath for the reception of the wire. When the wire is slack it is angled
into its place in either of the projections and then drawn tight, and it
cannot then be lifted out of its place: The cup or bell Q is fixed upon an
iron stalk S, but is insulated from it by means of a cup or tube of
porcelain or other vitreous material cemented between the two, as herein-
after more fully described in reference to Figures 17 and 18. The stalk
S is bent into the form shown in Figure 13, and a screw is cut upon the
horizontal parts, which is screwed into a wooden post or into the wooden
top of one of the posts or supports herein-before described. The hori-
zontal parts is at or about the same level as the wire R, so that any
tension on the wire has little or no tendency to turn the screw round.
Moreover it may be still further secured, if required, by driving a staple
into the post after the stalk is screwed in, so as to embrace the vertical
part of the stalk, and thus prevent it from being turned round; or a
nail driven into the post on each side of the vertical part of the stalk will
answer the same purpose.
Figure 15 is an elevation, and Figure 16 is a plan of another insulator
having a nut and washer m on the end of the horizontal parts of the
stalk S. The horizontal part s is inserted in a hole in the post, and
the washer is put on the end, and the nut screwed on. The vertical part t
of the stalk is thus forced or drawn into the side of the wooden post or
into a recess in the post prepared for it, and the stalk is thus very firmly
secured.
Figure 17 is a section, and Figure 18 is a plan of another insulator, in
which the part t of the stalk S is hammered out or widened and curved so
as to form a flange fitting the side of the post B, which may be an iron
tube. The upper end of the part tis bent, and enters a hole in the post
B. The part t tapers to the top, and is secured by driving an iron ring
T over it and the post; in Figure 17 the cup or bell Q is shown in sec-
tion. U is another cup or closed tube or socket of porcelain or other
vitreous material, which is cemented into the bell or cup Q; the stalk S
is cemented into the cup U. This cup U is made without any shoulder
at the part u, where it leaves the iron cup Q, as it has been found that
cups made with a shoulder at that part have become broken from the
expansion and contraction of the iron cup Q. The cement may be
melted sulphur or a mixture of sulphur and oxide of iron. The tele-
graphic line wire is angled into a diagonal notch formed by two projec-
tions i, i, on the top or side of the bell Q, as herein-before explained in
reference to Figures 13 and 14.

page_text: Figure 19 is a section, and Figure 20 is a plan of the bell Q of an
insulator showing one mode of fixing the ends of the wires. V is a screw
fixed in the top of the bell Q, and carrying a nut W. The two ends of
the wires R, having been stretched tight, are laid in two grooves in the
top of the bell, and the nut W is then screwed tightly down upon them.
The wires are so placed that the strain or tension on the wires has a
tendency to turn the nut round, and screw it down tighter upon them.
Instead of a nut, the screw may be made with a head, and may be screwed
down into the support or bell, which must then be made thick enough
to receive and hold it.
P, P, on
15 and
to grasp
the
Figure 21 is a section, and Figure 22 is a plan of a divided tube or two
jaws which I employ for fixing the ends of the wires. The interior of
the lower jaw X is semi-cylindrical, and fits the wire R. The interior
of one end of the upper jaw Y is also semi-cylindrical, and fits the wire,
while the other end is conical or trumpet-mouthed. The exterior of both
whi
conical, and they fit into a conical cavity formed by projections
jaws is the side of the cast-iron bell of the insulator, as shown in Figures
16. The meeting parts of the jaws are removed, so as to insure
their bear upon and grasping the wire. The wire is stretched tight,
and the twi jaws are driven into the conical cavity, and are thus forced
wire at the part of the jaws nearest to the ends of the wire.
The tension the wire tends to make the jaws grasp it more firmly.
By-ing the wire in this manner there is a horizontal portion of the
wire lying upon the lower jaw X, which is free to twist and untwist as
the wire swings and fro with the wind, and sufficient elasticity is thus
obtained to prevent the wire from being broken at the support, which
often occurs with wires suspended in the ordinary modes. The two
wires may be fixed on opposite sides of the cup or bell Q, which makes
the metallic confection between them; but as the tension on the wires
would have a tendency to twist the cup round, and perhaps break the
cement, I prefer to fix the two wires on the same side of the cup. Instead
of the two jaws, sometimes employ an oblong plate placed edgeways,
and having a semi-cylindrical groove in its upper edge for the reception
of the wire. This plate tapers to the end, and a flattened ring or cramp
is driven upon it and the wire, so as to bind or cramp the wire firmly to
the plate. The strain or tension on the wire tends to tighten the ring
or cramp upon it. The plate is fixed to or cast upon the insulating sup-
port. In this way the wire is held fast at some distance from the point
at which it leaves the support, and the intermediate part is capable of
twisting and untwisting or undergoing torsion as the suspended part of
the wire swings in the wind.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, I wish it.to.be understood that what
I claim is,-
First, constructing supports for electric telegraphic line wires by means
of three iron or steel rods or tubes connected at the top to a piece of wood
or other suitable material, or an iron tube for carrying the insulator or
insulators by means of a ring or hoop driven over them, and stiffened
by one or more lateral supports of sets of stays connected to them by
short tubes or collars, as herein-before described.
Second, joining pipes by compressing upon them a tube or collar of
lead or other soft metal or alloy, by means of three or more dies provided
with ribs or beads in their interior, and simultaneously forced towar
the axis of the pipes.
ds
lead
S, one
Third, the tools or apparatus for compressing tubes or collars of
or other soft metal for joining pipes or rods by means of three die
of which is forced by a screw or otherwise towards the other two, which
move on inclined planes or surfaces, as herein-before described
ence to Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10.
refer-
Fourth, joining rods by compressing upon them'a metallic tube or collar,
by means of a tool consisting of three dies or surfaces forced together,
as herein-before described in reference to Figures 5, 6, 7, 89, and 10.
Fifth, the application of a double conical grooved tube of iron or other
rigid material in joining pipes of lead or other soft metal, is herein-before
described in reference to Figures 9 and 10.
Sixth, constructing insulating supports for electric telegraphic
wires by means of an iron stalk cemented into a poelain or vitreous
cup, which is cemented into an iron cup or bell whin carries the wire,
such porcelain or vitreous cup being made without any shoulder or pro-
jection at the part where it is cemented into the ion cup as herein-
before described; also constructing the aforesaid stalks of the bent forms
shown in Figures 13, 15, and 17, or of such forms as to bring them to the
level or near to the level of the point at which the wire is supported, and
securing them by screwing them into the posts, or by drawing a vertical
part of the stalk into or against the side of the post by means of a nut;
or fixing them by means of a ring driven over the post and a part of the
stalk which fits against it, and which stalk has a projection entering a
hole or cavity in the post, or has a hole or cavity entered by a projection
on the post, as herein-before described.
Seventh, constructing supports for securing the ends of telegraphic
line wires by means of a screw, or a screw and a nut, which is capable
of being drawn tighter by the strain on the wires which lie in grooves in
the support, as herein-before described in reference to Figures 19 and 20.
Eighth, constructing supports for the ends of telegraphic line wires

page_text: with a divided tube, or two jaws, or a taper plate, and a ring or cramp,
so arranged that the wire is grasped at the middle or towards one end of
the jaws or plate, while a portion of it is capable of twisting or under-
going torsion as it lies upon the lower jaw or plate, as herein-before
described in reference to Figures 15, 16, 21, and 22.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Siemens, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
CHARLES COWPER,
20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, London.
C. W. SIEMENS. (L.S.)