IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES FOR ACCOMMODATING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS IN THE STREETS OF TOWNS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Francis Joel of N° 44 Lavender Grove Dalston
in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES FOR ACCOMMODATING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
IN THE STREETS OF TOWNS
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification
in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Francis Joel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st October 1882.
HENRY FRANCIS, JOEL of N° 44 Lavender Grove Dalston in the County of
Middlesex " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES FOR ACCOMMODATING
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS IN THE STREETS OF TOWNS
"
My invention relates to a construction and arrangement of pavement-curb and
appliances in connection therewith for the accommodation of electrical conductors
extending along the streets of towns so as to be put in communication with
lamps or with houses or other structures. I make the curb as a strong cast iron
trough made in lengths jointed together by flanges with packing material interposed
to make the joints watertight. The bottom of the trough is deepened at one part
of its width so as to form a groove for the run of such water as may leak into the
trough. The cover of the trough is made with deep lips on each side projecting
down on the outside of the sides of the trough, and is put on in lengths which
may be secured by bolts or otherwise to the trough. I prefer however to provide
on the sides of the trough projecting studs and to form at the lower edge of the
lip of the cover bayonet catch grooves to engage on these studs so that a length of
cover being put on and then slid a little longitudinally becomes secured in position
by the engagement of the studs in its grooves. At intervals between successive
lengths of the cover I place across the trough a bar which being secured by a lock
prevents the lengths of cover on each side of it from being slid lengthwise. When
access is required to the trough one of these bars can be unlocked and removed
and then the lengths of cover on each side of it can be slid back so as to disengage
Din 21

page_text: thein from the studs, and can then be lifted off. Where the junctions of the covers
occur and where there are the interposed bars I provide cross troughs bridging
across the main trough so that water leaking in between the joints of the cover is
caught in these cross troughs and runs off to the side without finding its way into
the main trough. These cross troughs act as struts to support the outside of the
main trough and also as passages for water from the footpath to the street. At
intervals I provide at the bottom and sides of the main trough internally projecting
ribs and between each pair of these ribs I place brackets of ceramic material which
have along their upright sides a number of notches slanting downwards, each of
these notches receiving an insulated wire. The brackets on one side of the trough
may be made with a number of small notches to receive the smaller conductors
whilst those on the other sidé may be made with a few larger notches to receive
large conductors or cables. These brackets may be arranged so as to lock each other
in position. Where the conductors have to be carried across a street, I provide a
trough sunk to a sufficient depth in the ground to admit of asphalt wood or other
paving above it, and in this case I secure the cover by watertight_joints and
provide a drain pipe leading from the lower part of the trough. The branch
conducting wires to a lamp, house or elsewhere are led through holes in the side
of the trough and through pipes laid under the pavement; these pipes being
screwed or otherwise secured in a watertight manner to the side of the trough.
The junctions of these branches to the small insulated conductors are made in the
usual way by twisting, soldering and covering with insulating material. When
the junction has to be made to a large conductor in the form of a copper rod or of
a bundle of copper wires, I uncover a part of the main conductor bore into it
laterally and screw into the hole a connecting piece which is attached to the
branch wire On this connecting piece there is a sheath of insulating material
provided with two flaps which after the connection is made, are folded round the
main conductor and secured on it by wires or straps.
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