A Wire Strainer for Aerial Lines, Stays, and other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 20th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Wire Strainer for Aerial Lines, Stays, and other purposes.
We, LLEWELYN BIRCHALL ATKINSON, Civil Engineer, of the Firm of
W. T. Goolden & Company Engineers, and JOSEPH SLATER LEWIS, Engineer,
both of 1 Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of an appliance for straining aerial, telegraph, telephone,
and electric light wires, at such points as require permanent regulating attach-
ments, for the purpose of regulating the line wires, at the time the line is built,
and for maintaining them in a state of regular tension afterwards.
Usually the wires are strained to the required tension by the ordinary well-
known telegraph draw-vice, but when the required tension has been obtained the
line-wire is permanently secured to the terminal insulator and the draw-vice then
removed. This method entails considerable trouble and expense, both in erecting
the line in the first instance, and in the maintaining of the line in a proper state of
regulation afterwards, inasmuch as it requires considerable skill to make the final
adjustments when first building the line and causes great inconvenience and expense
in breaking and remaking the metallic joints, when subsequent overhauling is found
to be necessary. Various methods have heen hitherto devised with a view to
obviating these difficulties, but none have met with practical success, in consequence
of the liability to derangement from various causes, chiefly that of fine screws and
threads, which are liable to corrode and thus prevent free working at any time, and
that of small loose parts such as split-pins, cotters &c., which are liable to work
out of position and actually to corrode away. Our invention overcomes all these
objections, as there are only three separate working parts in the whole apparatus
consisting (1) of the straining frame with drum forming one undetachable whole;
(2) the locking lever which when in position cannot be removed by accident and
(3) the tightening key itself. We form the apparatus of two metal side frames,
in which the straining drum is made to revolve at one end, and between these sides
is placed a metal pulley with central axle cast or turned out of the solid, or
stamped in one piece. The ends of the axle are received into the sides of the
frame, and are then rivetted firmly into position, thus preventing the frame from
opening at that end. This pulley is for the purpose of receiving one end of the
line wire, and should preferably not revolve. The ends of the sides at the
opposite end of the frame are beut inwards, and firmly riveted together to prevent
the frame from opening at that point. At one end of the drum there is a square
for receiving straining key, and at the other end the locking teeth.
These teeth which we may term the male teeth or cogs engage with the female
teeth or cogs in a locking lever, which fits on to the said teeth at the outside of the
frame.
This lever is so formed that when the strain of the line wire is on the drum, it
comes into contact at each end with a projecting stud, one of which prevents the
lever from revolving and also moving laterally, whilst the other prevents the lever
from becoming disengaged laterally with the said teeth or cogs. We prefer to
make the apparatus with eight teeth, which permits eight different locking points
to be utilized; more or less teeth may however be used. In some instances we
prefer to make the locking lever with two locking slots at an angle of about 22°
apart, which thus enables us to have sixteen locking points, but this arrangement
is only necessary where finer adjustments are imperative. Where copper lines are

page_text: used, we make the apparatus entirely of copper, and similarly where iron or steel
is used for the line, we make the device of those materials, or in cast iron, cast
steel or malleable iron, left black or galvanized with zinc or tin, according to the
class of wire used in the line. This apparatus we do not confine to aerial lines.
It can be used with great advantage as a pole-stay-tightener in place of the
stay-rod or swivel now generally employed. It may also be used for straining
fences and other general purposes. With a view to preventing tampering, we
provide a covering box on the frame over the square part on the barrel, thus
necessitating a special box-key for altering the position of the locking lever, when
once in tension.
Dated this 19th day of December 1893.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Wire Strainer for Aerial Lines, Stays, and other purposes.
We, LLEWELYN BIRCHALL ATKINSON, Civil Engineer, of the Firm of
W. T. Guolden & Company, Engineers, and JOSEPH SLATER LEWIS, Engineer,
both of 1 Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention consists of an appliance for straining aerial, telegraph, telephone,
and electric light or other wires, at such points as require permanent regulating
attachments, for the purpose of regulating the line-wires, at the time the line is
built, and for maintaining them in a state of regular tension afterwards. Usually
the wires are strained to the required tension by the ordinary well-known telegraph
draw-vice, but when the required tension has been obtained the line-wire is
permanently secured to the terminal insulator and the draw-vice then removed.
This method entails considerable trouble and expense, both in erecting the line in
the first instance, and in the maintaining of the line in a proper state of regulation
afterwards, inasmuch as it requires considerable skill to make the final adjustments
when first building the line, and causes great inconvenience and expense in breaking
and remaking the metallic joints, when subsequent overhauling is found to be
necessary. Various methods have been hitherto devised with a view to obviating
these difficulties, but none have met with practical success, in consequence of the
liability to derangement from various causes, chiefly that of fine screws and
threads, which are liable to corrode and thus prevent free working at any time,
and that of small loose parts such as split-pins, cotters &c., which are liable to
work out of position and actually to corrode away. Our invention overcomes all
these objections, as there are only three separate working parts in the whole
apparatus consisting (1) of the straining frame with drum forming one undetachable
whole; (2) the locking lever which when in position cannot be removed by
accident and (3) the tightening key itself.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being
bad to the letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to like parts in
both figures.
Figure 1 is a front view of our invention with the tightening key attached.
Figure 2 is a side view of the same, the tightening key being removed, but with
the locking lever shown in full lines in the locked position, and in dotted lines in
the position for removing it from engagement with the locking teeth on the drum.
We form the apparatus of two metal side frames A, in which the straining
drum 13 is made to revolve at one end, and between these sides, at the other end is

page_text: placed a metal or insulating pulley C with central axle D cast or turned out of the
solid, or stamped in one piece. The ends of the axle are received into the sides of
the frame A, and are then riveted firmly into position, thus preventing the frame A
from opening at that end.
This pulley is for the purpose of receiving one end of the line-wire E, and
should preferably not revolve. The ends of the sides at the opposite end of the
frame A are bent inwards, and firmly riveted together to prevent the frame from
opening at that point, and may be extended to form a fixing for terminal points.
At one end of the drum B there is a square F for receiving the straining key G,
and at the other end of the drum are arranged the locking teeth H. These
teeth H which we may term the male teeth or cogs, engage with the female teeth
or cogs in a locking lever J, which fits on to the said teeth H at the outside of the
frame A. This locking lever J is so formed that when the strain of the line-wire
is on the drum B, it comes in contact at one end with a projecting stop L carried
by the frame A which prevents the lever J from revolving and also moving
laterally, by a slot M in the lever J, engaging into a slot N on the stop L, whilst
the other end of the lever J has a projecting edge or lip O, which is adapted to
engage behind a stop P with an overhanging lip carried upon or forming part of
the frame A, so as to prevent the lever J from becoming disengaged laterally from
the said teeth or cogs H, when it is in the locked position. When however the
drum is revolved in the direction of winding up, both ends of this lever J are
disengaged from their respective catches or stops, and the lever J can be removed
from the locking cogs or teeth H, for readjustment of the tension in the line-
wire E.
We prefer to make the apparatus with eight teeth, which permits eight different
locking points to be utilised; more or less teeth may however be used. In some
instances we prefer to make the locking lever with two locking slots at an angle of
about 221° apart, which thus enables us to have sixteen locking points, but this
arrangement is only necessary where finer adjustments are imperative. Where
copper lines are used, we make the apparatus entirely of copper, and similarly
where iron or steel is used for the line, we make the device of those materials, or
in cast iron, cast steel or malleable iron, left black or galvanized with zinc or tin,
according to the class of wire used in the line. This apparatus we do not confine
to fërial lines. It can be used with great advantage as a pole stay-tightener in
place of the stay-rod or swivel now generally employed. It may also be used for
straining fences and other general purposes. With a view to preventing tampering,
we may provide a covering box on the frame over the square part on the barrel,
thus necessitating a special box-key for altering the position of the locking lever,
when once in tension.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
The construction and arrangement of a wire strainer for aerial lines, stays, and
other purposes, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.