IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS USED IN MANU. FACTURING TELEGRAPHIC INSULATED WIRES AND CABLES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Gray, of Highbury Hill, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, and Frederick Hawkins, of
Silvertown, in the County of Essex, Electrician, for the Invention
of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS USED IN MANU.
FACTURING TELEGRAPHIC INSULATED WIRES AND CABLES."
Sealed the 24th November 1868, and dated the 11th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Gray and
Frederick Hawkins at the Office of the Commissioners of l'atents,
with their Petition, on the 11th August 1868.
We, MATTHEW GRAY, of Highbury Hill, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, and FREDERICK HAWKINS, of Silvertown, in the County
of Essex, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS USED IN MANUFACTURING
TELEGRAPHIC INSULATED WIRES AND CABLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to covering wire or strands of wire with
a secondary or it may be a primary insulating coat of plastic compound.
Price 8d.1

page_text: 'A practice hitherto adopted has been to pass the wire together with two
ribbons of rubber compound between a pair of half-round grooved
pressing rollers, the edges of which grooves acting as cutting edges
trimmed off the superfluous rubber, leaving the remainder as a tubular
coating with two side seams on the wire. To avoid the waste of rubber
compound thus formed, and to ensure better seams, we use pressing rollers
with several ring grooves placed side by side, and the projections which
separate the grooves we form with blunt edges or compressing rings.
Between these rollers we pass a number of wires (to be coated) cor-
responding with the number of grooves provided in the rollers, and with
the wires we pass in two ribbons or fillets of the compound rubber of
a width suitable for covering all the wires. By working with these
rollers we not only expedite the operation by covering several wires
simultaneously, but as the rollers allow of no lateral escape of the
compound except at the two edges much closer and more certain seams
are ensured than heretofore, the risk of a bad joint being now limited to
one side only of the two outside wires.
The Invention relates, secondly, to combining the covered strands or
wires into one cable, the objects being, first, to facilitate the drawing out
of the several wires from the cable to connect them with the electrical
instruments to and from which they are intended to conduct currents of
electricity; and, secondly, to effect an economy in the vulcanizing.pro-
cess. The wires covered as above explained we dust over with French
chalk, flour, or other substance that will destroy the tendency to adhe-
sion between the coated wires, and having laid the wires together in the
usual way to form a cable we pay over the same a coating of compound
rubber. We then submit the coated cable to heat of the required
temperature and duration to produce the "change" required, and we
thus at the same time vulcanize both the cable covering and the inner
covering of the wires. On piecing the cable it will be found that instead
of the wires being imbedded in one mass, they may severally be selected
as required without disturbing the adjacent wires.
The Invention applies to marine and land cables, which may be
finished in any required manner to add to their strength and durability.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthew Gray and Frederick Hawkins in 'the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MATTHEW
GRAY, of Highbury Hill, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and
FREDERICK HAWKINS, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex, Elec-
trician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Matthew Gray and Frederick, Hawkins,
Her special licence that we, the said Matthew Gray and Frederick
Hawkins, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Matthew Gray and Frederick Hawkins, our 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
THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS USED IN MANUFACTURING TELEGRAPHIC INSULATED
WIRES AND CABLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that 'we,
the said Matthew Gray and Frederick Hawkins, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 Frederick Hawkins; on behalf
of myself and of the said Matthew Gray, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates, firstly, to covering wire or strands of wire with
a secondary or it may be a primary insulating coat of plastic compound.

page_text: 'A practice hitherto adopted has been to pass the wire together with two
ribbons of rubber compound between a pair of half-round grooved
pressing rollers, the edges of which grooves acting as cutting edges
trimmed off the superfluous rubber, leaving the remainder as a tubular
coating with two side seams on the wire. To avoid the waste of rubber
compound thus produced, and to ensure closer seams, we use pairs of
pressing or squeezing rollers formed with several half-round ring grooves
placed side by side, and having as projections that separate the grooves
blunt edges or compressing rings. Between these rollers we pass a
number of wires (to be coated) corresponding with the number of
grooves provided in the rollers, and with the wires we pass in two
ribbons or fillets of the compound rubber, one above and the other below
the wires, such ribbons being of a width suitable for covering all the
wires or enclosing them in rubber. By the action of these rollers the
rubber is pressed upon and around the wires and caused effectually to
coat the same.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shows in plan view, and Fig. 2
in longitudinal sectional elevation, a covering machine with our improved
rollers applied thereto, the arrangement being intended for covering the
wires with two coatings during one passage of the wires through the
machine; and Fig. 3 shews a pair of rollers in front elevation.
A, A, is a pair of rotating drums laden with prepared sheet rubber a for
covering the wires b. These wires are taken from adjacent reels and led
through taper holes in a guide plate B attached to standards C, which
are made fast to the bed plate D. Mounted in the standards C are the
grooved rollers E which serve to lay the india-rubber covering over the
wires. These rollers may be formed with any desired number of half-
round ring grooves through which the wires to be covered are to be led.
The india-rubber sheets also are led through the guide plate B and are
passed between the rollers. By reference to Fig. 3 of the Drawing it will
be seen that instead of a cutting edge being interposed between the
grooves as heretofore the grooves are separated by square-edged fillets
which have their angles removed as indicated by the diagram Fig. 4.
As the soft sheet rubber passes between the rollers these fillets will
squeeze it out laterally, and forcing it into the adjacent grooves will
cause it to close upon the wires and form an insulating coating around
each. The wires thus coated, when required to receive a second covering
of rubber, are led between guide rollers F to a second guide plate B',

page_text: and passing through taper holes in that plate, of a larger diameter than
the holes in the plate B, enter the half-round grooves of a second pair of
squeezing rollers E'. The grooves of the rollers are made of propor
tionately larger diameter than those in the first pair of rollers to allow for;
the additional coating, and they are similarly separated by square-edged
fillets with the angles removed. Prepared sheet rubber is drawn from
a second pair of drums A', and led through the guide plate B¹ to the nip
of the rollers, when the like action to that above described will take
place, the wires passing out with a thick insulating coating. It will now
be understood that by working with our improved rollers we not only
expedite the operation by covering several wires simultaneously, but as
the rollers allow of no lateral escape of the compound (except at the
edges of the ribbons or fillets) much closer and more certain seams are
ensured than heretofore, the possibility of a bad joint being now limited
to one side only of the two outside wires, if the risk be not entirely
removed.
The Invention relates, secondly, to combining covered strands or wires
into one cable, the objects being, first, to facilitate the drawing out of
the ends of the several wires from the cable to connect them with other
lengths of wire or with the electrical instruments to and from which they
are intended to conduct currents of electricity; and, secondly, to effect
an economy in the vulcanizing process. Over the wires which have been
covered as above explained, and while still in a green or uncured state,
we dust French chalk, flour, or other substance that will destroy the
tendency to adhesion between the coated wires, and we then lay the
wires together in the usual way to form a cable. The coated wires thus
grouped we enclose in a coating of plastic compound rubber which may
be applied by lapping or by grooved rollers. We then submit the coated
cable to heat of the required temperature and for the proper time to
produce the "change" required, and we thus at the same time vulcanize
both the cable covering and the inner covering of the wires. On piecing
the cable it will be found that instead of the wires being imbedded in
one mass they may severally be selected as required without disturbing
the adjacent wires.
The Invention applies to marine and land cables, which may be
finished in any required manner to add to their strength and durability.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in the Mode of and Apparatus Used in Manufacturing Telegraphic

page_text: Insulated Wires and Cables," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First. The means above described for pressing the insulated compound
around telegraphic wires, whereby the use of the compound is economised
and at the same time a coating with sound side joints is formed.
Secondly. Forming telegraph cables as above described, whereby the
adhesion of the coated wires to each other is avoided and an economy in
the curing or vulcanising process is obtained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Hawkins, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
FREDERICK HAWKINS. (L.S.)