IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR CABLES AND PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edward McConnell, of Dean's Yard, in the
City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, and George Hinton Bovill, of
Dunsford Lodge, near Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR CABLES AND
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward McConnell
and George 1linton Bovill at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on tho 11th May 1863.
We, JAMES EDWARD MCCONNELL, of Dean's Yard, in the City of West-
minster, Civil Engineer, and GEORGE HINTON BOVILL, of Dunsford Lodge,
near Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of our side Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAINS FOR
CABLES AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object a more simple and efficient manufacture of
chain, whereby the uncertainty attending the welding of the links is avoided,
and consists in casting separately a number of detached links of Bessemer iron
or steel, or other suitable homogeneous metal, and then casting the inter-
mediate or connecting links in moulds, into which the loose links are placed,
so as to enable the intermediate or connecting links to be cast inside them.
In this way the whole of the links of a chain may be cast one within another,
without weakening the chain by weldings. As fast as the links are cast it
is proposed to hammer them in suitable swages, or top and bottom tools of

page_text: the required form of the links, by the well-known method adopted for swaging
articles of metal.
The separate links may be either cast as links and swaged under tho
hammer or pressing machine, or they may be forged solid, and the links
formed by punching out the centre, or a hole at each cud, and then opening
the iron on a mandril under the hammer to the form of link required, ready
of the nucating an intermediate Hubs
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Edward McConnell and George Hinton Bovill in the
Great Scal Patent Office on the 11th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
EDWARD MCCONNELL, of Dean's Yard, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, and GEORGE HINTON BOVILL, of Durnsford Lodge, near Wands-
worth, in the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by IIer Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Hor
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, tho
said James Edward McConnell and George Hinton Bovill, Her special licenso
that we, the said James Edward McConnell and Georgo Hinton Bovill, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as wo, the said James
Edward McConnell and George Hinton Bovill, our executors, administrators,
or 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 nake, 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 CHAINS FOR CABLES AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said James Edward McConnell and
George Hinton Bovill, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
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 we, the said James Edward McConnell and George
Hinton Bovill, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object a more simple and efficient manu-
facture of chains, whereby the uncertainty attending the welding of the links is
avoided.
In carrying out our Invention we propose to cast separately a number of
detached links of Bessemer iron or steel, or other suitable homogenous metal,
and then to connect these several links by casting intermediate or coupling
links in moulds, into which two of the links are previously so placed as to
enable the connecting link to be cast within or around them, thereby producing
three connected links. The end link of the series is then adjusted in a mould
in company with another loose link, which latter is coupled or connected to
the series by casting another connecting link within or around it. In this
way the whole of the links of a chain are cast one within another without
weakening the chain by welded joints. As fast as the links are cast we
hammer them whilst still hot in suitable swages, or top and bottom dies of the
required shape, by any of the well-known methods employed in hammering
and swaging articles of metal.
The separate or detached links may either be cast in the form of links, as
berein-before described, and then swaged into shape under the hammer or in
a pressing machine, or they may be forged solid, and the openings in the links
formed by punching out or otherwise producing a hole in the centre or near
each end, and then opening out the metal on a mandril under the hammer to
the form of link required, in readiness to receive the connecting link to be
cast thereon, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hinton Bovill, on behalf of
myself and the said James Edward McConnell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, Oue thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three.
GEORGE HINTON DOVILL. (L.S.)