IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC CABLES AND CON ANDDUCTORS, AND IN MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Siemens, of Great George Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC CABLES AND CON-
Sealed the 24th July 1860, and dated the 25th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Siemens
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th February 1860.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM SIEMENS, of Great George Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC CABLES
AND CONDUCTORS, AND IN MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
I construct the conducting core of an electric telegraphic cable of a strand of
seven equal wires of pure copper, or other good conductor of electricity, as now
frequently employed; and I wind in the six helical recesses between these
wires other six wires.of smaller diameter, so as to cause the form of the whole
to approximate to that of a cylinder, which presents the least surface for
induction for a given sectional area.
The conductor is passed through a bath of molten cement to cover and fill
the interstices and surfaces, which cement may be advantageously composed of
marine glue and shellac; or it may consist of a solution of shellac in stearine,
or of a mixture of rosin and wax, or of bitumen, or resinous compounds

page_text: combining insulating properties' with a considerable degree of tenacity and
pliability when cold. It is then passed through a heated conical die or dies,
giving at the same time a rotary motion to either the conductor or the dic, in
order to compress and unite the several wires firmly together; or I dispense
with the six small wires, and unite the seven principal wires by cement and
pressure.
This
These different processes may be advantageously combined in one operation.
Instead of using seven equal wires to form the strand, one principal large wire
may be used, and be covered by any convenient number of smaller wires laid
on helically. The conductor thus prepared is coated with india-rubber by a
process for which I have applied for Letters Patent on the Third day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, No. 2503.
coating may be a single or double one, or the operation may be repeated
several times. Or, one or more coatings of a compound of india-rubber, such
as is known by the name of "Wray's mixture," for instance, or of gutta
percha, may first be applied, and succeeded by one or more of india-rubber.
The Wray's mixture or gutta percha may be applied by means of the ordinary
cylinder machine; but, when practicable, I prefer to use grooved rollers, and
to avoid the application of heat. The wire is placed between two strips of the
insulating material, or one strip is bent or folded completely round it by
passing it through a conical aperture, and the whole is then passed through the
rollers, which press the substance of the strips firmly against the wire. One of
these rollers is made to overlap the other in order to shear off the excess in
the breadth of the strip. The grooved part may be a hoop of a different
diameter to the shearing part of the roller. The narrow cylindrical portions
of the grooved rollers are made to round off toward the groove in order to
force the material inward, causing the strips to unite between the fresh cut
surfaces and under a great pressure. These rollers may be followed by a
second pair of grooved rollers, with sharp cutting edges, for the purpose of
removing the burr or burrs where the strips were joined by the first pair. Or,
the burr may be removed by passing the covered strip or wire through a
conical die, or pair of rollers revolving in a different plane, which, in that
case, should be moderately heated by means of gas flames or otherwise;
the advantage of this mode of covering wire with gutta percha, Wray's
compound, or other similar substances, being that perfect concentricity and
the absence of flaws through air bubbles, and from slight accidental causes,
are insured.
· Several coverings with the same or different insulating materials may be
applied, and should in all cases be so regulated that they may break joint with

page_text: pressure.
each other. I prefer to place nearest the conductor a material possessing the
least inductive capacity, and toward the outside such materials that combine
with good insulating properties, great density and power to resist great external
In order to add strength to the covered wire, and at the same time
to add to the insulating medium, I prepare a number of cords of hemp, or other
fibrous substance, and I pass the same through a bath of such resinous com-
pounds as herein-before mentioned, so as to saturate or impregnate them
thoroughly. The cords or yarn so prepared and suitably guarded are passed
through a conical nozzle or die, which is heated sufficiently to soften and par-
tially melt the cement. In the midst of these cords the coated wire is passed
through the heated nozzle, and the whole is drawn slowly forward by suitable
mechanism, a slow rotary motion being at the same time imparted either to the
conductor or to the heated nozzle and the frame supporting the reels of cord.
The diameter of the nozzle must be such that the core and covering cords (or
tapes) pass through with some difficulty, so as to squeeze them well together,
and cause the cement to unite them firmly. The succeeding covering of cords
is put on in precisely the same way, only the rotary motion (or the twist) is
reversed. Or, in order to avoid still more thoroughly the action of heat upon
the insulating covering, I pass the strings, previously saturated with cement,
through a heated chamber, and unite them upon the core by twisting, and a
considerable strain upon cach cord. I.prefer to pass the core finally through
a heated nozzle in order to cement the cords firmly together. A double
covering of cord (or tape) will generally be a sufficient protection to the
insulated wire for land purposes; but for submarine purposes I prefer to add
a hard metallic sheathing, which may consist of the ordinary sheathing of iron
or steel wires, or of wires covered previously with hemp. The serving of
saturated longitudinal cords or tapes tightly drawn, as herein-before described,
has this advantage (amongst others) over the ordinary loose hemp serving,
that it prevents the insulated core from being stretched by the great pressure
produced in the sheathing machine at the point where the wires are bent
round it. In order to prevent the wires from rusting, I pass the same pre-
viously through a hot bath of cement formed by mixing marine glue with
bout a fifth part of shellac, or through a similar compound. Moreover, after
he wires have joined upon the core, I wind upon the cable the same number
f comparatively small strings, previously soaked in cement, in such manner
hat each string lies in the recess formed between adjoining wires. The cable
finally passed through a heated chamber, or conical nozzle, to soften the
ement and unite the wires and strings firinly together.
In constructing a cable for a wide ocean, the thickness of insulating medium

page_text: should be increased. For this purpose I add to the number of insulating
layers, or I cover the first single or double layer of saturated longitudinal cord
or tape with another single or double coating of india-rubber, or other insu-
lating gum or compound, and add upon that one or more layers of saturated
longitudinal cord or tape consolidated by passing the same through a hot
conical tube. The strings (or tapes) should in all cases be moderately strained,
in order that they may support longitudinal strain of the cable without
allowing the conductor and insulating materials to be stretched. The repeated
layers of saturated cord or tape form not only a large proportion of the
insulating covering, but also afford great strength for resisting longitudinal
strains. Excepting for the shore ends of the cable, it becomes therefore
unnecessary to add longitudinal strength in the external covering or sheathing,
whose chief use is in affording protection against violent external pressure,
friction, chemical agencies, and the attacks of marine animals. The sheathing
combining these qualities in the highest degree, and which I propose to use, is
formed of a strip of thin sheet copper, brass, or phospburetted copper, or
other ductile and strong metal not liable to be chemically acted upon by sea
water, of sufficient breadth to reach completely round the core, and to overlap
a little. The edges of this metal strip are covered with tin, or a fusible alloy.
The bending is effected by passing the core, together with the strip of metal,
through a conical die, or through rollers, and in contact with or under a flame,
or a soldering iron, or roller heated by gas flames, or otherwise, sufficiently to
'melt the soft solder or alloy, and unite the strip into a perfect tube, grasping
the core tightly throughout its length.
Instead of making the edges of this strip to overlap a little, they may over-
lap to such an extent that the strip makes two or more convolutions round
the core, the adjacent surfaces being tinned and soldered together. Or, one
strip may be placed on the core with its edges just meeting, and another strip
may be placed over it with its joint on the opposite sile, and all soldered
together. The metallic strip may be passed through a bath of inclted lead or
tin, or solder, or other suitable metal or alloy, and then with the core through
a cold conical die, by which the strip is bent or folded round the core, and ther
through a hot die or melted metal, or other heating medium, to melt the
solder, and then through a cold die (which may be lubricated), so as to allow
the solder to set or solidify while under compression, and before it has to
resist the internal elastic pressure. Rosin, or other suitable flux, may be used
in the soldering operation.
In sheathing telegraphic cables with iron or steel wires, great inconvenience
bas been experienced in welding the cuds of the wires. The ends being

page_text: heated in a smith's fire are apt to become burnt and injured, so that the welds
frequently break in paying-out the cable. I obviate this defect by welding
the ends by a machine as soon as they are heated to the proper degree. This
machine consists of two hammers moved simultaneously by a double-knee
motion, or otherwise. A hollow groove is made in the face of each hammer
to strike the two ends of the wire, and to produce a round form of the welded
wire. The two ends of the wire are introduced through guides, and held in
the proper position. One or more flames of common coal gas, or water gas,
or hydrogen mixed with oxygen or common air, is or are made to play upon
the ends of the wire until they are heated sufficiently, when the haminers are
set in action. The frame in which the hammers work is hung on pivots, and
may be oscillated while the hammering proceeds, so as to vary the angular
direction of succeeding blows. Borax or other fluxes may be used in the
operation. The gases may be heated previously to combustion in order to
increase the temperature of the flame. A piece of lime, or other suitable
material, may be fastened to the end of a lever, and may be moved close up
to the weld opposite to the flame, so as to confine and increase its effect, and
may be drawn back mechanically when the hammers strike a blow. This
apparatus is also useful in welding the ends of iron. wires used for land.
telegraphs.
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 25th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM SIEMENS, of Great George Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third 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

page_text: 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 CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC
CABLES AND CONDUCTORS, AND IN MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH," 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 per-
formed, 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 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, that is to say :-
Figure 1, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation or side
view of a machine constructed according to my Invention, and adapted for
covering wires with a tubular casing of "Wray's mixture," or other material
of a similar nature, and also adapted for producing tubes of such materials.
I wish it to be understood that by "Wray's mixture," I mean such mixture
or mixtures of india-rubber with other materials as are described in the
Specification of certain Letters Patent granted to Leonard Wray, and bearing
date the Twelfth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight,
No. 2270. Figure 2 is a back view, partly in section, and Figure 3 is a plan
of the same. The same letters refer to similar parts in each Figure.
This machine is similar in general construction to one described in the
Specification of certain Letters Patent granted to me, and bearing date the
Third day of November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, No. 2503,
but is more particularly adapted for covering wires and making tubes of Wray's
mixture and similar compounds of india-rubber, although it is also capable of
being used with india-rubber alone. A, A, is the framing of the machine;
B is a pulley on a shaft C, which carries an endless screw D, which drives
a worm wheel E, on the shaft or spindle F. The spindle F carries a toothed
wheel G, which drives an equal wheel H on another spindle I. On the
spindles F and I respectively are mounted two hard steel grooved rollers J and
K, which turn in contact or in close proximity to each other, and form a
circular aperture at their junction. Two angular knives or cutters L, M, are
fitted to the sides of the rollers, and pressed against them by a strong bent
spring with adjusting screws a. The knives are carried by levers b, c, turning

page_text: on strong pins d, e. The spindle F has a shoulder f, which is pressed against
the bearing by a screw g, at the opposite end, and which is secured by a set nut.
The upper spindle I is adjusted by two screws h, i, until the roller K is exactly
over the roller J. The bearings of the upper roller K are screwed down by
the screws j, k, until the two rollers are in contact, and the knives L, M, are
then adjusted to the rollers. The wire to be covered W is introduced between
the rollers, with two strips N, O, of "Wray's mixture," or other suitable
compound, or of felt, or canvas, or cloth, covered or saturated with india-rubber
or its compounds, which are guided by small rollers at m. These strips are of
rather greater width than is necessary for surrounding the wire. The excess
of width is very strongly compressed by the edges of the rollers, and being
fractured by the pressure, the fresh edges unite and form a perfect tube, while
the surplus is cut or pared off by the knives or cutters L, M. The narrow
edges of the rollers J, K, are cylindrical, and the outer surfaces of the rollers
are bevilled to give greater strength to the edges. In lieu of using two strips
of the Wray's mixture or other compound, a single strip may be used and
folded round the wire by passing them through a conical die or guide. Only
one of the knives or cutters L, M, is then required, and only one seam or
junction has to be made.
The wire W may be a plain. single wire, or it may be a strand of one
central wire with six other wires round it, or a central wire with more or less
than six wires round it, or a strand of one central wire with six equal wires
round it, and with six other smaller wires.wound. in the helical recesses between
these wires.
If, instead of allowing the wire W to pass through the machine, a polished
steel wire with a rounded end be fixed between the rollers, the strip or strips
will be united as before, but the tube thus formed will be drawn off the wire
or mandril, and may be used for any purpose for which such tubes are
applicable. If the tube is to be lined with a helical wire to prevent it from
collapsing, this helical wire may be first produced by any suitable and known
means, and may be supplied to the machine in lieu of the wire W. Or, the
aforesaid polished steel wire or mandril may be conducted through the axis of
a revolving plate or chuck, which carries one or more bobbins or reels of wire
which are wound on the mandril, and slipped off the mandril, and drawn
through the rollers, and covered with the Wray's mixture or other material
in the manner herein-before described.
Figure 4 is an elevation or side view of a machine in which a helical wire
is being covered by two strips N, O. Figure 5 is a back view of the same,
partly in section, and Figure 6 is a plan of the same.
This machine is more

page_text: particularly adapted for the uniting of strips of india-rubber (or of compounds
pertaining more of the elastic nature of pure india-rubber than Wray's mixture)
into tubes or tubular coverings for wire, being provided with rotary cutters I, J,
instead of the fixed knives L, M, used in the machine, shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 3. A and B are two hard steel rollers having semicircular grooves and
mounted on spindles C, D, whose bearings are supported by the framing E.
On the spindle D is a worm wheel F, which is driven by an endless screw.G on
a shaft H, or in any other convenient manner. The spindle D carries a
toothed wheel M, which drives an equal wheel M' on the spindle C. I and J
are two hard steel rollers with sharp cutting edges, which intersect the circles of
the rollers A and B, a little in advance of their point of contact. The spindles
of the rollers I and J are supported by bearings K, L, and are inclined a little,
so that their acting parts may come in close contact with the edges of the rollers
A and B. The passage of the india-rubber strips through the machine causes
the shearing rollers I and J to revolve; but they may be driven independently,
if preferred. The narrow edges of the rollers A, B, are of cylindrical form
rounded off a little towards the groove, but brought to a sharp rectangular
edge on the outside. The rollers are adjusted in the following manner:-The
end of the spindle of the cutting roller J bears against a plate a, fixed to its
bearing L. The spindle C of the roller A is capable of sliding freely in its
bearings, and is pressed endways by an adjusting screw b, mounted on a
spring c, attached to the framing E, or to the bearing of the spindle. The
roller A is thus kept in contact with the cutting roller J. The roller B is in
like manner kept in contact with the cutting roller J by the adjusting screw d,
mounted on the spring e, attached to the framing E. The cutting-roller 1 is
adjusted by a screw f, mounted on a bracket attached to its bearing K. The
bearings of the top roller A are pressed down and adjusted by screws 9, h.
All these adjusting screws are furnished with set nuts. By adjusting the
rollers in this manner, they will act properly even if the large grooved rollers
A, B, should be thrown slightly out of truth or winding by the operation of
hardening and tempering them. The screws 6 and d, which are mounted on
the springs c and e, are adjusted so as to balance 'the weight of the rollers
A and B, when the machine is placed in an angular or horizontal position,
and keep them as it were floating between the cutting rollers I and J.
I generally employ two or more of these machines inclined at angles of forty-
five degrees in alternate opposite directions, so that the seams in the successive
tubular coverings may be at right angles with each other. Or one machine
may be placed with its rollers in a vertical plane, and the adjoining machine
with its rollers in a horizontal plane.

page_text: .
If two strips of india-rubber be passed through this machine, even without
any core, they will be formed into a tube. In applying a second coating of
india-rubber by a. second machine, however, the first tube would collapse
under the pressure. A simple. stationary mandril cannot be used to support
it, as the india-rubber would cling too closely to it. In such cases I employ
a revolving mandril, such as that shown in longitudinal section in Figure 6ª,
Sheet I., and in transverse section in Figure 6 b. This mandril. P carries a
series of excentrics Q, which give a partial but sufficient support to the tube
as they revolve within it, without preventing its advance. The part P is suffi-
ciently small for the tube to pass freely over it.. When two or more of these
machines, or of the machines first herein-before. described, are used in succes-
sion for applying successive coatings to the wire or tube, the grooves in the
rollers of each machine will. be. larger than those in the preceding. machine.
The velocity of the motion of the covered wire is governed by the smaller
diameter or bottom of the groove, and therefore, if the rollers are all driven at
the same speed, their diameters at the bottoms of the grooves should be equal.
This increases the difficulty of adjusting a set of rollers, and I therefore adopt
the following arrangement:-I drive the second and all. succeeding machines,
and in some cases the first machine also, by means of a friction clutch, or by
a wheel clamped upon its spindle with a certain force so as to be capable of
yielding and slipping round if the wire is not drawn forward also.. In this
way the velocity of the last machine is made to govern the velocity of the
previous ones, and the wire passes smoothly through them all. This machine
is also applicable for covering wires with, or forming tubes of tapes or strips
of canvass, cloth; or felt, which have been previously impregnated or coated
with india-rubber or suitable compounds of the same.
Figure 7, Sheet II., is an elevation of a machine for straightening the wire
or strand before covering it, and also for putting a certain amount of drag on
the wire during the process of covering it; Figure 8 is a plan of the same.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, are a series of grooved rollers, between which the wire W
is conducted. The rollers A, C, E, G, are mounted on a frame. II, to which
is connected a moveable frame I by a joint; J, K, is a screw. for adjusting
the moveable frame I, which carries the rollers B, D, F. The rollers A, B, C,
may be so placed as to bend the wire just to the limit of elasticity, and thus
to take out the bends which may have previously existed in it. The passage
of the wire over the roller C removes any bend which it may have received
from B. The wire is less and less bent by each roller until it passes out from
the last, and it is then conducted at once into the covering machinery.
I will now describe the mode of manufacturing a submarine electric cable

page_text: or conductor, according to my Invention. I take a strand composed of a
central.copper wire surrounded by six equal copper wires laid round it in a
helical direction. This conductor is passed through a bath of molten cement
to cover and fill the interstices and surfaces, which cement may
be advan-
tageously composed of common marine glue mixed with about an equal pro-
portion of bitumen, and a small per-centage of shellac, or it may consist of any
other bituminous or resinous compounds combining insulating properties with
a considerable degree of tenacity and pliability when cold. The cement may
be applied still more effectually by exhausting the air as herein-after described
in reference to the preparation of hempen cords or strings. The strand is
then passed through a heated conical die or dies, while a rotary motion is
communicated to either the conductor or the die or dies, in order to compress
and unite the several wires firmly together. The conductor is now passed
through the straightening or retarding machine shown in Figures 7 and 8,
Sheet II., and then at once through the machine shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
Sheet I., and is thus inclosed in a tubular covering of Wray's mixture or
other suitable compound. It is then conducted through another similar
machine placed with its rollers in a plane at right angles to the first machine..
Another tubular covering is thus applied with its joints or seams at right
angles to the first. When single strips of the covering material are employed,.
I place the joints or seams of successive coverings on opposite sides of the
wire. The slight burrs or projections left by the rollers may be removed, if
desired, by passing the wire after each covering through a pair of grooved.
rollers with sharp cutting edges, and with or without an angular knife on each
side, although this is not generally requisite. Additional coverings may be
applied by additional machines to any required extent; the covering material
may also be varied. Thus india-rubber may be used, or alternate coatings of
india-rubber and Wray's mixture, gutta percha, or other materials or com-
pounds may be applied. These several coatings may be applied without the
aid of heat, but I prefer to warm the strips moderately by passing a steam
pipe under a table, on which they are spread below the covering machines,
and from which table they are raised in passing gradually through the
machine. I sometimes apply between the coverings a thin layer of such
bituminous or resinous cement as herein-before mentioned in a fluid or semi-
fluid state, in order to effect a more intimate union between the successive
coverings.
The wire when sufficiently covered with the insulating material or materials
is conducted through the machine shown in section in Figure 9, Sheet 2.
It passes through the hollow shaft M, which is supported in bearings c and d.

page_text: This shaft M carries a frame O, on which are mounted several reels, two of
which are shown at Q, Q. A string, or cord, or yarn, or strand of hemp or
other suitable fibrous material, which has been previously soaked and
saturated with a resinous or bituminous cement, is wound upon each reel.
This cement may consist of a mixture of common marine glue with equal.
proportions of pitch and resin, or it may consist of any other fusible compound.
combining insulating properties with a considerable degree of tenacity and
pliability when cold. In order thoroughly to saturate the cords or yarns, they
should be placed in a close vessel, and the air exhausted. After removing the
air, the liquid cement is admitted, so as to cover the cords, and the atmospheric
pressure is then admitted. By these means the air contained in the cords or
yarns is removed, and on the application of the pressure the cement is forced.
thoroughly into the cords. The cords are drawn while warm through an eye,
which scrapes off the superfluous cement, and they are carried up several fect,.
and wound upon reels, being exposed to the air during their passage from the
eyes to the reels, so as to cool and solidify the cement. These cords are
conducted through holes in the plate R at one end of the shaft M, and through.
a guide e carried by a conical tube f attached to the plate R. T is a double.
conical casing, which is filled with steam or hot water or air, so as to soften.
the cement on the cords as they pass through it. As the coated wire passes
through the machine, the cemented cords are laid upon it with a slight amount
of twist, produced by causing the hollow shaft M and frame O to revolvo,
slowly. At the same time a regulated amount of tension is maintained on the
cords by means of breaks on the reels Q, Q. These breaks consist of blocks
of wood, or metal, or other material 9, 9, which enter between or rub against
the bevilled edges of adjoining reels, and press against them, or against which.
the reels are pressed by springs h, h, on the studs or pins i, i, which carry the
reels Q, Q. By this arrangement a very uniform strain is maintained on the
cords or yarns, whether the reels are full or nearly empty. As soon as
the strain on the yarn is sufficient to overcome the spring h, it draws the reel
away from the break block g, and thus relieves the retarding friction. The.
coated wire and the cords then pass together through a pair of grooved guide
rollers U, U. The cablo thus formed passes through another similar
apparatus, whose hollow shaft is driven in the opposite direction to M. The
cable then passes through another pair of rollers or through a. die. The die
may be surrounded by a casing, which may be filled with steam or with hot
water. The cable is drawn through the machine by a reel, on which it is
reeled up, or from which it is delivered to be coiled up or otherwise disposed
of, or it may be drawn through by a pair of rollers.. The cords or yarus

page_text: A.
afford great strength for resisting longitudinal strains, and being applied in a
partially and uniformly stretched state, they do not stretch or become elongated
much more when exposed to strain in laying the cable in the sea; but cach
yarn takes its fair proportion of the strain. The cords being. saturated with
insulating materials, improve the insulation, and also diminish the effects of
induction. It is not necessary to apply any covering or sheathing of metal
wires for the sake of strength, although such a covering may be advantageously
applied to the shore ends or to the parts of the cable near each shore.
covering of some sort is, however, useful for the whole cable as a protection
against external pressure, friction, and the attacks of marine animals, and it is.
also useful as a resistance to the tendency which the cords have to contract
and shorten and compress the inner coating. For this purpose I incase the
cable, in a complete tube of copper, or brass, or phosphuretted copper, or
similar metal or alloy, which is capable of resisting the action of sea water:
A flat ribbon of copper is wound in a helical direction round the cable in
such manner that the edge of each convolution overlaps that of the preceding
convolution. These overlapping edges are tinned or soldered before winding
on the ribbon, and the whole is passed through a heated die, by which the
solder is suddenly melted and united. As this soldering process requires some
care in the execution, the following plan may be adopted :-The ribbon is
corrugated in a longitudinal direction at or near the edges, and is so wound
on the cable that the corrugation near one edge overlaps and fits on the
corrugation at the opposite edge of the preceding.convolution. The cable is
then passed through a die revolving at the proper speed, which squeezes the
corrugations together, and forms an overlap joint. The cable is thus sheathed,
and the whole tightly grasped together by the metallic .covering, which is,
however, still sufficiently flexible. In lieu of the metallic ribbon, I some-
times cover the cable with thin copper, brass, or other wire closely coiled
upon it. I apply this covering or the aforesaid ribbon by means of a bobbin
or bobbins mounted on a plate revolving on a hollow mandril or other similar
apparatus, between the last of the machines shown in Figure 9 and the reel
The cords being
or rollers which draw the cable through the machine.
saturated with cenient, which is softened by the steam vessel. T, the wires
become imbedded in them, and enveloped or partially enveloped in cement.
The cable. is then passed through a hot die, by which the cement is more
equally distributed on the wires, and the whole rendered cylindrical. Addi-
tional cement may be supplied through a lateral aperture or apertures in the
die. This covering or serving of thin wire wound in a close helix, and nearly
at right angles to the cable, adds little or nothing directly to the longitudinal

page_text: strength of the cable, which depends on the hempen cords and the metallic
core, but it serves to bind and grasp the whole firmly together, and to prevent
any disarrangement of the parts from the contraction of the stretched cords;
and it also protects the cable from external pressure, friction, and the attacks
of marine animals. The wires being imbedded in the cement, and thus
united together, are not likely to unravel, even if one should chance to be
broken in the process of laying the cable, and they form almost as complete a
tube for the purpose as the metallic ribbon. The shore ends may receive an
additional covering of the ordinary sheathing of iron or steel wires, if desired,
and the whole cable may be so covered if thought desirable. In this case the
aforesaid yarns or cords are still very useful in preventing the insulating
covering from being stretched and injured by the great pressure produced in
the sheathing machine at the point where the wires are bent round the core.
This sheathing may be advantageously protected from rust and corrosion by au
additional covering of saturated yarns and cement, applied as herein-before
described. The mode of applying cement by means of a die with a lateral
aperture or apertures may also be employed for applying a coating of cement
over one or more of the india-rubber compound or insulating coverings, so
that the coverings may consist alternately of india-rubber or compound and
cement.
In sheathing telegraphic cables with iron or steel wires, great inconvenience
has been experienced in welling the ends of the wires; the ends being heated
in a smith's fire are apt to become burnt and injured, so that the welds
frequently break in paying out the cable. I obviate this defect by welding
the ends by a machine as soon as they are heated to the proper degree.
Figure 10, Sheet III., is a front view or elevation of the welding machine;
Figure 11 is a plan; and Figure 12 is a transverse section of the same;
Figure 13 is an end view of one of the supports of the wire, showing the
different positions assumed by the hammers in welding the wires.
A is a base plate carrying two brackets B, C, which form the bearings
for the trunnions of a frame D, which carries two hammers E, F ; these
hammers are mounted on two levers G, H, which are jointed to the frame D
at a and b respectively. Two links c and d are connected to a pin c, and to
the levers G and H respectively; the pin e slides in horizontal guides, and
is moved backward and forward by the forked ends of a lever L, which turns
on a pin J, and is moved by a handle K. Each motion of the handle K.will
thus separate the hammers and bring them together again. The wires X, Y,
to be welded are brought through the two trunnions of the frame D, which
with their bearings are notched to admit the wires; the wires are further

page_text: N is a
supported by two rests L, M, in which they are secured by screws.
burner or blow pipe supplied with coal gas by the pipe O, and with common
air by the pipe P, or with other gases capable of producing sufficient heat.
When the ends of the wires have acquired a welding heat, the handle K is
worked rapidly backwards and forward, and at the same time the whole
frame D is oscillated so as to direct the blows in a great variety of directions
on the junction; no anvil is required, as the two hammers strike simultaneously
in opposite directions.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what
I claim is,―
First, preparing electric telegraphic conductors consisting of a strand of
seven or other number of copper wires by thoroughly impregnating the same
with bituminous or resinous cement, and passing it through a heated die so as
to compress the wires together and form a cylindrical body.
Second, covering electric telegraphic conductors with Wray's mixture or
other compounds of india-rubber, or cloth, or felt previously saturated or
covered with india-rubber by means of machinery, as described in reference
to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, Sheet I.
Third, covering insulated metallic conductors with yarns or strands pre-
viously saturated with bituminous or resinous cement in such a way that each
strand receives a uniform strain, and is passed through a heated chamber
so as to soften the cement immediately before reaching the core upon which
it is laid in a helical direction, and in opposite directions in each successive
layer, as herein-before described in reference to Figure 9, Sheet II.
Fourth, in casing the insulated and covered conductor in a sheathing of
copper, brass, or other metal or alloy, resisting the action of sea water, by
either covering it throughout with sheet metal, or by winding upon the
covered conductor thin wire nearly at right angles to the core while the
cenient is in a soft state, and causing the cement to close round the wire or
wires for their more thorough protection by passing the cable finally through
a heated die, with or without the addition of cement, thus forming in effect
an entire tube grasping the core tightly throughout its length, as herein-
before described.
Я
Fifth, constructing electric telegraphic cables or conductors of a strand of 3
wires covered or saturated with a bituminous or resinous or similar cement,
and covered with one or more tubular coverings of Wray's mixture, or of
india-rubber or compounds of the same, applied in a strip or strips in the
manner herein-before described, and covered with one or more layers of

page_text: cemented yarns or cords applied in a state of uniform tension, and with a
slight twist, and with the cement in a softened state, the twist being in
alternate directions in the successive layers, and the whole covered with a
continuous tubular metallic casing, or with a thin wire or wires serving the
same purpose, and bedded in cement, and tightly grasping the core throughout
its length, as herein-before described.
Sixth, the machinery herein-before described in reference to Figures
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Seventh, the machine for covering the insulated wire with cemented yarns
or cords in a state of uniform tension, and for melting or softening the cement
just before the yarns or cords reach the core, as herein-before described in
reference to Figure 9.
Eighth, the machine for welding wires herein-before described in reference
to Figures 10, 11, 12, 13.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Charles William Siemens, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
)
Witness,
CHARLES COWPER,
20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, London.
C. W. SIEMENS. (L.S.)