A SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Adrien Veillet and Charles
Verny at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 16th September 1871.
i .
ADRIEN VEILLET and CHARLES VERNY, of 6, Rue Joséphine,
Lille, France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
A SYSTEM OF ELECTRIC SIGNALS FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS," to be
as follows:-
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This system, which has for aim to apply electricity as means of auto-
matical control on the circulation of trains on railway lines reposes,―
1°. On two ordinary electric wires placed the length of the line, lower
than the steps of the carriages, and broken from distance to distance
to limit the force of the electricity.
2°. On an excitator or machinery fixed to the tender, and putting
into communication the battery and the ring of bells of cach train with
the different successive fractions of wire. The result is that two trains
could not meet together on the same fraction of wire, about three
miles, without informing each other reciprocally.

page_text: Conducting Wires.-The transmission of electricity, as we have already
said, is made by ordinary telegraphic wires placed the length of the line.
They are two in number for each line, and are placed on little isolated
supports near enough to one another to keep the wires sufficiently tight.
5. They will be a little lower than the steps of the carriages. Wherever a
constant circulation will require it they will go in the ground, isolated
by a gutta percha covering.
These two wires can be placed by two different ways:—Firstly, by
putting the four wires in the center of the space between the two lines,
and on the same supports. The second way consists in establishing a
special line of supports for cach line and to place it by the side of the
outside rail under the steps of the carriage. These wires are placed at
a distance of three-quarters of an inch, and completly isolated by
plates of porcelain. Now why two wires for each line? Here is the
explanation:-All the precision of our system reposes on this double wire.
From distance to distance, about every three miles, these wires are cut
so as not to allow the electricity to through itself by one stroke the
whole of the line, but to force it to proceed by a series of successive
strokes and regulated to the speed of the train. Only a remark worthy
of notice; this division is alternated so as the end of a wire corresponds
exactly with the center of the extent of the other wire. The Figure
No. 2 represents the two similar wires of a line with their symetrical
cuts. The train A and the train B are running one against the other;
as they are placed they are not yet in communication, but as soon as
the train B will have passed the division O, the electricity will be
established between them by the inferior wire N, O, and the ringing of
the two trains will give the signal of alarm.
We will give the name of line wires to the two similar wires, to
distinguish them from an extra one, of which we will show the use, and
which we will call the ringing wire. By means of line wires the
principal aim of our system is accomplished; the trains can move in
security; but we must, however, show to each employé the precise
moment where he ought to be at his duties, as also to warn the driver if
these duties have not been fulfilled.
Ring of bells will be placed in the stations, at the gates, at the level
crossingst and at the

page_text: will then announce its own arrival. In order to make these bells
work a new wire is necessary; it will go from one level crossing to
another. On each train a little battery will be specially destined to
this wire, but to prevent the fluids of the two batteries not combining
and not to work the ringing of the train, we will employ the following 5
means: Firstly, the conducting wires which will bring the electricity
of the battery to the excitator will be isolated with gutta percha.
Then the pulley of the excitator will be divided in two parts by an
isolating plate. These two parts of different sises, as one must move
on two wires and the other on one only. If necessary we can place 1
two similar excitators.
The manipulator will be put into communication with the ringing
wire, in order in case of need to correspond by telegraph with the
stations.
Signals. We will content ourselves to show the most important, that 1
is to say, those which are specially destined to prevent the dangers
which we have signalized in the commencement.
1°. The Large Line Signals, which the trains travelling on the same.
line are working automatically between each other, by means of the
line wires.
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2°. Ringing or Warning Signals, announcing the arrival of the trains.
3°. Pointing. It is necessary that a train which must cross quickly a
station should be informed in a sure way that its line is free. This is
the manner which we establish these signals:-At the place where the
points is put a wire of connection leaves from one of the large line 2
wires, that one whose next section point appears the most suitable
distance. This connection wire comes into the ground carefully isolated
and its end comes out in order to be fixed to a metallical handle, isolated
and fixed across the piece of wood which maintains the points. When
the pointing is done, that is to say, when the train can pass, the wire
and the points remain isolated. If on the contrary it is open a second
metallical protuberance, fixed for that purpose to the transversal bar
which binds the arms of the points, has just placed itself on the handle
with which it is in perfect contact, the line wire will be consequently
in communication with the ground by means of the rail, and if a train;
arrives its ringing will work under the action of its own battery, which
will have become stirring, since it will have its two poles in the ground,
one in the train and the other by the arms of the points. A ring of