IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE FENCES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James List at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th June 1880.
JAMES LIST, of Carisbrooke, in the Isle of Wight. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE
FENCES."
The object of this Invention is to improve the construction of wire fences so as
to make them more lasting, and stronger, lighter, and cheaper; also to dispense
with winding pillars and appliances, and with screw bolts, plates, and stays, and to
expedite the fixing.
According to this Invention I uso anchors placed in the ground on each side of
a gato post, and at or under some of the standards or between them, and preferably
made in the form of elm logs, and to or around these anchors I pass wires, which
passing in a diagonal direction, and, say, by twos, up to first standard, then
horizontally through all the standards to the other end of the fence or break. The
standards may be of the usual form with splayed feet, and boles through for the
horizontal wires; the standard next to a gate post should be made to admit two
wires, one above the other; the horizontal wires in the bay next to the gate post
are filled in afterwards and fastened to the gate post, and then wheeled up in
second bay; to tighten up and to regulate the perpendicular position of the gate
post I drive wedges between it and the log anchor. If one or both ends of the
fence terminate at a hedgo row it is only necessary to bury an anchor at such end
or ends for fastening the wires to.
Sometimes, especially for light and peaty soil, I apply cross or interlaced diagonal
bracing wires, and with a log anchor under each standard.
Or a log anchor placed in the middle of a bay may serve for attachment of a
vertical wire or wires connected to the horizontal wires, and a combination of those
two arrangements with three vertical, wires enables” me to place the standard, say,
thirty feet apart in deer fences.
Where the standards are wide apart, and to strengthen existing fences, I use the

page_text: log anchor placed in the middle of a bay with vertical wire or wires attached
thereto, and I also pass the diagonal wire under it.
In the interlaced diagonal arrangements no wedging is required at the standards
or gate posts.
For a fence of several hundred yards without a break I put in a loop or loops by
which to wheel up tight, as well as at each end.
For angles of 100° or less I use angle iron posts, and for more open angles and
for intersections of fences stout T iron will be sufficient; I do away with stays
altogether.
The angle post is furnished with pulleys for the wires, and is fixed with a pair of 1
wedges in the same manner as the gate posts. I use T iron for all small or easy
bends, and the angle post for all sharper angles. It is preferable to have anglo
posts made of an angle of 130° as well as those of 90°.
Should objection be taken to wires passing from anchors across others near the
gateway, the same can be removed or placed at the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th standards 1
away from gateway; only one more piece of elm is wanted, and the strain on
gatepost is somewhat increased, which the wedges can well counteract.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James List in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th December
1880.
.
JAMES LIST, of Carisbrooke, in the Isle of Wight. "IMPROVEMENTS IN WIRE
FENCES."
The object of this Invention is to improve the construction of wire fences so as
to make them more lasting, and stronger, lighter, and cheaper; also to dispense
with winding pillars and appliances, and with screw bolts, plates, and stays, all for
the purpose of straining or tightening the wires, and in order also to expedite the
fixing.
According to this Invention I use anchors placed in the ground on each side of
a gate post, and at or under some of the standards or between them, and preferably
made in the form of elm logs, and to or around these anchors I pass wires, which:
passing in a diagonal direction, and, say, by twos, up to first standard, then
horizontally through all the standards to the other end of the fence or break.
The standards may be of the usual form with splayed feet, and holes through for
the horizontal wires; the standard next to a gate post should be a little stouter
than the others, and made to admit two wires, one above the other; the horizontal
wires in the bay next to the gate post are filled in afterwards, and fastened to the
gate post, and then wheeled up in second bay; or smaller wires doubled may be
put in and "wheeled up" or twisted together; to tighten up and to regulate the
perpendicular position of the gate post I drive wedges between it and the log
anchor. If one or both ends of the fence terminates at a hedge row it is only 4
necessary to bury an anchor at such end or ends for fastening the wires to.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shows such an arrangement in its
simplest form.
A is an anchor, say, an elm log, buried in the ground on the side of
the gate post B. In this and the following constructions I prefer to use strong
drawn wires instead of common rolled ones. The four top wires C are first pulled
up in pairs by means of a tackle, such as a three and two sheaved block and fall,
and are then, as shown separately in Figure 8, fastened to two short wires K passed
around the anchor A; the other four wires are also done in the same manner, after
which they are wheeled up or twisted by pairs into strands near the anchor (as also
shown in Figures 9 and 10) until a strain of two tons is given to every wire. In
addition to the block tackle a chain and hook and two small shackles are used in
fastening the long wires C to the short wires K, the chain and hook serving to
hold the first wire pulled up, while the second is drawn up by blocks, and because
the hooks of both chain and block are necessarily large, filling the eye of the long
wire, I introduce a small shackle made of No. 2 wire with welded eyes small
enough to pass through eye of long wire, and large enough to admit the hooks of
block and chain. These shackles being small admit the short wire into the eye of
the long wire for fastening. All the wires are laid in place before the fastening
begins. Any standards may be used. Figure 2 shows a form of standard having
splayed feet, and with holes for the wires. C¹, C¹, Figure 1, shown in dotted lines,
indicate the double No. 6 horizontal wires next the gate post, which are filled in
afterwards, and fixed to the gate post B by being passed through and returned
through the next hole below, and fastened with a turn round wire close to the post.
The gate post B is fixed with a log at the foot and the wedges E, which serve to
regulate the vertical position of the gate post.
Sometimes, especially for light and peaty soil, I apply cross or interlaced diagonal
bracing wires, and with a log anchor under each standard. In Figure 3 is shown
such an arrangement of diagonal bracing F fixed to and interlaced with the
horizontal wires C. These latter are first put in from end to end and wheeled up
or twisted at several points. The diagonal wires F are then put in, one on each
side, and twisted together so as to hold and clasp the horizontal wires C'.
Or a log anchor placed in the middle of a bay may serve for attachment of a
vertical wire or wires connected to the horizontal wires, and a combination of those
two arrangements with three vertical wires enables me to place the standards, say,
30 feet apart in deer fences.
In Figure 4, where the log anchor A is placed in the middle of a bay, a double
No. 6 wire G is placed under the anchor, and passed up vertically interlacing with
the horizontal wires C.
Where the standards are wide apart, and to strengthen existing fences, I use tho
log anchor placed in the middle of a bay, with vertical wire or wires attached
thereto; and I also pass the diagonal wire under it. Such an arrangement is
shown in Figure 5, where the diagonal wires F. pass under the anchor A, to which
latter the vertical connecting wires G are fastened.
In the interlaced diagonal arrangements shown in Figures 3 and 5 no wedging
is required at the standards or gate posts.
For angles of 100° or less I use angle iron posts, and for more open angles and
for intersections of fences stout T iron will be sufficient. I do away with stays
altogether, both longitudinally and transversely. Figure 6 is a plan section and
Figure 7 a side view of an angle iron angle post H; it is furnished with pulleys I for
the wires, and rests in an elm log, as shown, or is fixed with a pair of wedges and logs
in the same manner as the gate posts. I use T iron for all small or easy bends in
the same manner, and the angle post for all sharper angles. It is preferable to
have angle posts made of an angle of 130° for more open angles, as well as those
of 90°.
In Figure 9 is shown a modification of the wire fences shown in Figures 1, 3,
and 4, combining the use of the log anchors with vertical wires and the log anchors
with diagonal wires, fastened thereto in pairs, as beforo described.

page_text: For a fence of soveral hundred yards without a brake I put in a loop or loops
in the wires in one or moro places by which to wheel up tight, as well as at
each end.
The same arrangement is shown applied to the gate in Figure 9, where the
double diagonal bracing wires F and the double horizontal wires C between them
are wheeled up tight so as to form a rigid structure. The horizontal wires are first
put in from end to end and wheeled up at several places; the diagonal wires are
then put in, one on each side, and wheeled up between; the diagonal wiros thus
clasp and hold the horizontal wires lighter. A gate of this form will not sink at
the head. The tool for twisting the wires leaves small lozengo shaped openings or
loops, where they can always be retightened when the wood frame shrinks.
Should objection be taken to wires passing from anchors across others near the
gateway the anchor may, as shown in Figure 10, be removed or placed at the
second, third, or even fourth standard away from gateway; only one more pieco
of clm is wanted, and the strain on gatepost is somewhat increased, which the
wedges can well counteract.
Figure 11 shows an improved mode of strengthening fences where the standards
are 30 feet apart and supposed to rest on soft ground, an additional interlaced
No. 5 wire F being passed over and under every standard.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The mode hereinbefore described of constructing or strengthening wire
fences with anchors and wedges for diagonal and vertical connecting wires, and
thus dispensing with winding pillars and straining appliances connected therewith
as heretofore required.
Secondly. The construction of the corner posts, as described.
Thirdly. The employment of double horizontal and diagonal and interlaced wires
to fences and equivalent structures as a means of tightening without screws or
equivalent appliances.
Fourthly. The mode here described of fixing fence posts or pillars by wedges and
anchors for counteracting the strain of the wires in every direction, thus disponsing
with longitudinal and transverse stays.
In witness whereof, I, the said James List, have hereunto set my hand and
scal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.