Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1886
Complete Left, 7th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 24th June, 1887
I CHARLES JULIUS BALL of 69 Lombard Street, in the city of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows :-
The invention relates to an improvement in or substitute for the apparatus or
arrangement commonly known as a wire tramway or rope tramway and consists, first,
in the employment in addition to the usual rope, wire, or metallic or other rod, herein-
after called the tramwire, along which the load is transported, of a second or sus-
pension wire or rope to which the tramwire is connected by tension rods or their
equivalent at intervals between the rigid supports or piers, the object being to diminish
or distribute the sagging or deflection of the tram wire and thus lessen the steepness of
the gradients over which the load has to be transported.
The combined tramwire, tension rods, suspension wire and accessories are for con-
venience designated a flexible girder.
The second part of the invention consists in using, when a double line is employed,
stretchers or crossheads to keep the flexible girders nearly parallel to each other so
that when necessary the load to be transported may be suspended from or borne by
both tramwires jointly or simultaneously thus permitting a load of greater weight than
that for which each single tramwire is intended to be carried over the system.
The usual practice followed in erecting suspension bridges is applicable in mounting
the line and the carriers supports and carriages may be of any of the usual forms.
Dated this 7th day of August 1886.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said C. J. Ball.

page_text: Improvements in Elevated Railways or Tramways.
I CHARLES JULIUS BALL, of 69, Lombard Street, in the city of London, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 relates to an improvement in or substitute for the apparatus or
arrangement commonly known as a wire tramway or rope tramway and consists first
in the employment in addition to the usual rope, wire, or metallic or other rod A
hereinafter called the tramwire, along which the load is transported, of a second or
suspension wire or rope B to which the tram-wire is connected by tension rods or
their equivalent Cat intervals between the rigid supports or piers D as seen at
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings, the object being to diminish or distribute
the sagging or deflection of the tramwire A and thus lessen the steepness of the
gradients over which the load E has to be transported. The combined tramwire A,
tension rods C, suspension wire B and accessories are for convenience designated a
flexible girder.
The second part of the invention consists in using, when a double line is employed,
stretchers or crossheads F composed of timbers projecting from the upright supports D
and strapped or shod with iron F¹ with a groove or recess in the upper face for the
lodgement of the rope A as at Figures 3 and 4. The stretchers F as above described
are applicable to the suspension or tension rods C C as at Figure 5 to keep the
flexible girders nearly parallel to each other so that when necessary the load to be
transported may be suspended from or borne by both tramwires jointly or simultaneously
thus permitting a load of greater weight than that for which each single tramwire is
intended to be carried over the system. The usual practice followed in erecting
suspension bridges is applicable in mounting the line and the carriers supports and
carriages may be of any of the usual forms.
According to the diagram Figure 1 the load E can be hauled by rope but where the
ground is comparatively level or sufficiently so for a horse to walk, animal haulage
can be resorted to, as will be more particularly understood by reference to Figure 4,
there being only sufficient space between the uprights for the animal to walk.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. The combination of the suspension wire or rope B, tension rods C when used
with a wire or rope as a load carrier, as hereinbefore described and substantially as
shown in the annexed drawings.
2. In combination with wire rope tramways the stretchers F, suspended from the
rope B, either with rigid connections as at Figures 4 and 5 or yielding tension rods
as at Figures 2 and 3 as hereinbefore described.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said C. J. Ball.