IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN ERECTING AND REPAIRING OVERHEAD TELEGRAPH WIRES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John William Fletcher, of 93, Chatham Street, Stockport,
in the County of Chester, Telegraph Engineer, for an Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN ERECTING AND REPAIRING OVERHEAD
TELEGRAPH WIRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John William Fletcher at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st March 1881.
JOHN WILLIAM FLETCHER, of 93, Chatham Street, Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Telegraph Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN ERECTING
AND REPAIRING OVERHEAD TELEGRAPH WIRES.".
The said Invention relates to apparatus commonly called draw vices, in which
there is a gripping piece or vice, and a winding pulley or roller.
It often happens in drawing in the slack of broken telegraph wires the winding
pulley or roller becomes filled before the said wire is pulled sufficiently tight.
Considerable delay then occurs in securing the wire being strained in position
untill the portion wound around the pulley or roller is removed and a fresh grip
obtained.
•
Now the object of my Invention is to provide apparatus whereby these
operations shall be more rapidly effected than has heretofore been the case.
For that purpose under the first part of my Invention I construct the winding
pulley or roller in two halves free to work in a jointed frame. When the frame is
closed the pulley or roller is complete, and wire can be wound on it in the usual
manner by means of a key or lever, a ratchet wheel being provided to prevent
motion in the reverse direction. When it is desired to remove the wire from the
pulley or roller the hinged frame is opened and the coil of wire slips off the
divided halves of the said pulley or roller.
Under the second part of my Invention I combine winding pulley or roller
apparatus constructed under the above first part with a vice or gripping device of

page_text: any usual or desired construction formed therewith or connected thereto by pins,
bolts, or equivalents in any suitable manner.
Under the third part I combine winding pulley or roller apparatus constructed
under the first or second parts with spring or other bolt or locking devices to hold
the said frame in closed position whilst the wire is being wound on the pulley or
roller.
Under the fourth part I construct, apparatus under the above parts of my
Invention, or ordinary draw vice apparatus with an additional vice or gripping
device attached thereto by means of link or chain and eyebolt or equivalent for
the purpose of holding the wire being strained whilst that portion is coiled on the
pulley or roller is being removed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John William Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th August 1881.
JOHN WILLIAM FLETCHER, of 93, Chatham Street, Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Telegraph Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS USED IN ERECTING
AND REPAIRING OVERHEAD TELEGRAPH WIRES."
The said Invention relates to apparatus commonly called draw vices in which
there is a gripping piece or vice and a winding pulley or roller.
It often happens in drawing in the slack of broken telegraph wires the winding
pulley or roller becomes filled before the said wire is pulled sufficiently tight.
Considerably delay then occurs in securing the wire being strained in position
until the portion wound around the pulley or roller is removed and a fresh grip
obtained.
Now the object of my Invention is to provide apparatus whereby these operations
shall be more rapidly effected than has hitherto been the case.
For that purpose under the first part of my Invention I construct the winding
pulley or roller in two halves free to work in a jointed frame. When the frame is
closed the pulley or roller is complete, and wire can be wound on it in the usual
manner by means of a key or lever, a ratchet wheel being provided to prevent
motion in the reverse direction. When it is desired to remove the wire from the
pulley or roller the hinged frame is opened and the coil of wire slips off the
divided halves of the said pulley or roller.
Under the second part of my Invention I combine winding pulley or roller
apparatus constructed under the above first part with a vice or gripping device of
any usual or desired construction formed therewith or connected thereto by pins,
bolts, or equivalents in any suitable manner.
Under the third part I combine winding pulley or roller apparatus constructed
under the first or second parts with springs or other bolt or locking devices to hold
the said frame in closed position whilst the wire is being wound on the pulley or
roller.
Under the fourth part I construct apparatus under the above parts of my
Invention or ordinary draw-vice apparatus with an additional vice or gripping
device attached thereto by means of link or chain and eyebolt or equivalent for
the purpose of holding the wire being strained whilst that portion coiled on the
pulley or roller is being removed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Ties and

page_text: pulley can be easily slipped off. In Fig. 2 the jointed frame is shown closed, the
two halves c, c', being brought together so as to form a complete winding pulley. The
ratchet e and pawlf prevent the pulley from turning back when the wire is being
wound thereon. The jointed frame is kept in the position shown in Fig. 2 by
hand or by mechanical devices, as set forth under the third part of my Invention.
Under the second part of my Invention the arm a is prolonged beyond the
joint b to form one jaw of a vice or gripper. . m is the other jaw formed with the
stem n passing through . The outer end of n is threaded and provided with a
thumb nut o. p, spring for causing m to move away from 7 when the nut o is
unscrewed.
Under the third part, the locking latch or bolt j pivotted at k to the arm a or
equivalent device is employed for keeping the jointed arms a, a', in the position
shown in Fig. 2 during winding on.
Under the fourth part an eye q is attached to the joint b, and a draw vice ? or
its equivalent is connected to the eye q by the chain s.
In use, say in repairing a broken telegraph wire, one of the broken ends is
gripped in the vice 7, and the other end, to which a new piece may have been
attached, is inserted through the hole in the pulley c, c', and the wires are tightened
to the required degree. If the pulley cannot contain sufficient wire to allow of the
requisite tightening, the wire leading to the pulley is gripped by the vicer, the
coil is removed from the pulley, cut off, and the shortened wire is again wound on
the pulley. When sufficiently tightened the wire leading to land are joined and
the work is completed.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention in such
manner that others will be enabled to carry my improvements into effect I
claim,―
The various improvements in draw vices, substantially as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John William Fletcher, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 24th day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
Witness,
A. S. WORTHINGTON,
Chatham St.,
Stockport.
JNO. W. FLETCHER, (L.S.)