IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR. WINDING IN TELEGRAPHIC CABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO WHEN WINDING IN OTHER ROPES OR CHAINS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Fleeming Jenkin, of Duke Street, Adelphi, in the
i
.County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR. WINDING IN TELEGRAPHIC CABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO WHEN WINDING IN
OTHER ROPES OR CHAINS."...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by the said Fleeming Jenkin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th April 1866.
I, FLEEMING JENKIN, of Duke Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WINDING IN TELEGRAPHIC CABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO WHEN WINDING
IN OTHER ROPES OR CHAINS," to be as follows:-
i
The object of this Invention is, in the first place, to avoid the undue strain
produced on a submarine cable by the pitching of the ship and other causes.
when the cable is being picked up or hauled back from the bottom of the sea.
I use the ordinary drum for picking up a cable driven by a steam engine, but
I'make the connection between the engine and the drum in a peculiar manner
so as to limit the strain which can be brought upon the cable; if this strain
be reached the cable will not be hauled in although the engine continues to
run, and if the strain be exceeded the cable will run out restrained by a force
equal to the strain above-mentioned'; this strain can be increased or dimi-
nished at will. The engine all the while continues to run in one direction,
so that if a ship were pitching heavily the cable might be hauled in at the
bows (or stern) and remain stationary when the pull ceases, and be partially
or even wholly paid out again as the bow rises.

page_text: The connection between the engine and the drum is made as follows:-A
toothed wheel driven direct by the engine gears into a pinion which is carried
by a break drum, and I prefer to use the break known as Appold's break for
this purpose. This pinion gears into a toothed wheel rigidly connected with
the picking-up drum, then until the strain on the cable reaches the amount to
which the break is set the pinion and break drum are stationary, so that the
picking up proceeds in the usual manner; but if this strain is reached then
the break drum forming as it were a fulcrum yields, and the pinion upon it
moves round the wheel on the picking-up drum instead of driving it; the
picking-up drum then stands still. If the strain on the cable is still further
increased the picking-up drum is pulled back; the break then restrains both
the cable and the engine.
Among other benefits, the speed at which the engine is run need not be
watched for the cable will be picked up at the speed producing the required
strain, for if the engine be driven too fast the pinion and break drum will
yield to some extent, although not so fast as to stop the picking up.
The strain under which the cable is hauled up can be increased or
diminished at pleasure by increasing or diminishing the weights or other
mechanism producing friction on the break. It is obvious that a similar
arrangement may be applied when winding up other ropes or chains where it
minid maximam

page_text: MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WINDING IN TELEGRAPHIC CABLES, APPLICABLE ALSO
WHEN WINDING IN OTHER ROPES OR CHAINS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Fleeming Jenkin, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 on or before the Thirtieth
day of November, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Fleeming Jenkin, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
The object of the Invention is, in the first place, to avoid the undue strain
produced on a submarine cable by the pitching of the ship and other causes
when the cable is being picked up or hauled back from the bottom of the sea.
I use the ordinary drum for picking up a cable driven by a steam engine, buț
I make the connection between the engine and the drum in a peculiar manner
so as to limit the strain which can be brought upon the cable; if this strain
be reached the cable will not be hauled in, although the engine continues to
run, and if the strain be exceeded the cable will run out restrained by a force
equal to the strain above mentioned. This strain can be increased or diminished
at will. The engine all the while continues to run in one direction, so that
if a ship were pitching heavily, the cable might' be hauled in at the bows
(or stern) when the ship was falling, remain stationary when the fall ceased,
and be partially or even wholly paid out again as the ship rose.
The connection between the engine and the drum is made as follows:-A
toothed wheel driven direct by the engine gears into a pinion which is carried
by a.break drum, and I prefer to use the break known as Appold's break for
this purpose. This pinion gears into a toothed wheel rigidly connected with
the picking-up drum, then until the strain on the cable reaches the amount
to which the break is set the pinion and break drum are stationary, so that
the picking up proceeds in the usual manner, but if this strain is reached then
the break drum forming as it were a fulcrum yields, and the pinion upon it
moves round the wheel on the picking-up drum instead of driving it; the
picking-up drum then stands still. If the strain on the cable is still further
increased the picking-up drum is pulled back; the break then restrains both
the cable and the engine, which, however, continues to run.
Among other benefits, the speed at which the engine is run need not be.
watched, for the cable will be picked up at the speed producing the required

page_text: strain, for if the engine be driven too fast the pinion and break drum will
yield to some extent although not so fast as to stop the picking up.
The strain under which the 'cable is hauled up can be 'increased or
diminished at pleasure by increasing or diminishing the weights or other
mechanism 'producing friction on the break. It is obvious that a similar
arrangement may be applied when winding up other ropes or chains where it
is desired to limit the strain within a predetermined maximum.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe 'the Drawings hereunto
Yield to som CAR
The strain under which the 'cable is hauled up can be 'increased or
diminished at pleasure by increasing or diminishing the weights or other
mechanism 'producing friction on the break. It is obvious that a similar
arrangement may be applied when winding up other ropes or chains where it
is desired to limit the strain within a predetermined maximum.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe 'the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Figure 2 is a side view of 'apparatus
arranged according to my Invention.
a is an axis driven directly by a steam engine, or in any other convenient
manner; 6 is a spur wheel keyed upon this axis and gearing with a pinion c;
which is mounted on a stud fixed on the brake drum d. The brake drum d
is capable of turning on the axis a, but it is restrained by the strap e, which
passes around the drum d, and is secured at both ends to a bell-crank lever f
which is mounted on a centre at f¹. It will be seen that in consequence of
the centre f being at a distance from the centre of the brake drum, and of
the brake strap being connected at its two ends to the lever f at different
distances from the centre f¹, as the lever rises the strap is slackened, whilst as
the lever descends the strap is tightened; 9 is a weight hung upon the lever f.
and tending to draw it constantly downwards. When the break drum is
turned in the direction of the arrow the friction lifts the weight g till it
counterbalances the excess of the strain on the end 1 of the strap over that
on the end 2. This excess of strain is due to the friction on the strap, and
measures that friction which is the retarding force; this is by the arrange-
ment described kept sensibly equal in amount. h is the winding drum, round
which the cable to be wound in is passed; it is furnished with suitable fleeting
inclines, not, however, shown in the Drawing. The drum his capable of
turning freely on the axis a, and has an internal ring of teeth h³, which gear
with the pinion c. The axis a is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow;
the
spur
wheel 6 drives the pinion c, and supposing the weight 9 to be suffi-
cient to hold the brake drum d stationary the pinion a drives the drum h and
the cable is wound in. If on the other hand the strain on the cable which is
being wound in becomes sufficient to raise the weight 9 (due allowance being
made for the difference of distance from the axis a); the lever f turns on its

page_text: centre fand slackens the strap e, and then the rotation of the axis a
will give movement to the brake drum d in place of to the winding
drum h. Or, as will often be the case in practice, the axis a will give
motion both to the drum d and the drum h in opposite directions; the speed
of the drum d will then be less than that corresponding with that of the axis a,
and will be exactly that which will produce the constant strain on the cable
due to the weight 9, thus any increase beyond that strain on the cable will
first diminish the speed of hauling in; then if the increased strain is not
relieved by that the drum h will wholly stop, and if this be insufficient it will
revolve in the same direction as the drum d, and pay out cable still under the
constant strain due to the weight g; all this while the axis a would run on at
a constant speed in one direction. If the strain on the cable tended to fall
again below the constant limit the drum h would once more haul it in at
exactly the right speed to produce the constant strain; or if this strain proved
permanently insufficient to haul in the cable the pull can be gradually
increased by gradually increasing the weight g so as to raise the constant
strain tending to haul in the cable as high as is prudent.
•
A slight modification of the arrangement is shown on Sheet 2, and this
modification is probably more convenient in practice, as the use of internal
teeth on the drum h is dispensed with.
Figures 3 and 4 are opposite side views, and Figure 5 is a front view; a is
the axis continually driven by the steam engine or otherwise; b, a toothed
pinion keyed upon it, and gearing with the wheels c, c, mounted in bearings
on the brake drum d; this drum as before turns freely on the axis a, and is
embraced by a brake strap e connected at its ends with a weighted leverf, as
before; the weight g is omitted in the Drawing. h is the winding drum
turning freely on the axis a, and having the toothed wheel h¹ keyed upon it,
and with this wheel pinions c¹, c', gear; these pinions are keyed upon the
axes of the wheels c, c. The action of the apparatus corresponds with the
description already given with respect to Figures 1 and 2.
In witness whereof, I, the said Fleeming Jenkin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.