IMPROVEMENTS IN GRAPNELS FOR RAISING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS- PATENT to Francis Lambert, of St. Marylebone, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GRAPNELS FOR RAISING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES."
Sealed the 27th February 1874, and dated the 12th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Lambert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th December 1873.
I, FRANCIS LAMBERT, of St. Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GRAPNELS FOR RAISING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for grappling and raising
submarine telegraph cables, so contrived as to grip the cable securely
and sever the bight, one end only being held fast and raised to the
surface.
It differs from the common grapnel and more nearly resembles an
anchor in form, being made with a shank furnished with a stock to
ensure its dragging in the proper position for grappling the cable, and
}

page_text: having two pairs of prongs, each pair meeting or converging at the
points so as to form a sort of open or skeleton fluke. These prongs are
made detachable, being fitted in sockets so as to be readily replaced
when damaged or broken. The shank is forked or extended laterally
near the end where the prongs or flukes join it, so as to form a sort of
frame to carry the gripping and cutting devices, which consist of slotted
guides or boxes fixed between each fluke and the shank, preferably onc
between each prong and the shank, making four in all. Each box
contains a platform fitted to slide up and down therein, and provided
with a pair of eccentric or cam-shaped jaws to grip the cable. The said
jaws, which are pivoted on the platform, are held open by a detent and
actuated by springs, which close them upon the cable immediately it
comes between them. The said jaws are grooved and serrated to obtain
a good bite on the cable, and one of each pair has an overhanging flange
to close over the cable and prevent any of the wires being squeezed
out.
Instead of making both jaws of the pairs movable, one of each pair
may be fixed, the other being movable and eccentric, as before.
The platforms are kept up at the top of their boxes by spring catches
which yield under a certain strain, and the platforms descending bring
the bight of the cable between a pair of cutters, of which a pair is fixed
against two of the boxes on opposite sides of the apparatus.
The eccentric jaws are so arranged as to securely grip the end of the
cable it is intended to raise immediately the cable is severed by the
cutters, the form of the jaws being such that their hold on the cable
becomes stronger as the strain thereon increases.
The cutters are made to be easily taken off and shifted to the opposite
side when required, according to the direction of dragging across the line
of cable and the end required to be raised.
The guide boxes have slots into which the cable passes when hooked
by the prongs, which slots guide the cable between the eccentric jaws.
These boxes are each furnished with a spring shutter which closes the
slots and the top of the box, so as to prevent the eccentrics. being
choked by stones or mud. These shutters are so formed and pivoted
that they will only be opened by the cable when hooked, whilst any
pressure coming on them while dragging will tend to keep them closed.

page_text: The cutters may either be fixed and cut merely by the strain of the
cable upon them, or they may be made in the form of shears actuated
by the movement of the platform carrying the gripping devices, and
instead of having separate platforms for each pair of eccentric jaws the
two pairs may be mounted on one platform, pivoted at one end and
moving in guides at the other, the shear blades being made to project at-
the pivoted end, and operated by guides on the movable ends of the
platform when the latter is caused to descend by the strain of the
cable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Lambert in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
LAMBERT, of St. Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Francis Lambert, Her
special licence that I, the said Francis Lambert, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Francis Lambert, my
executors, administrators, and 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 make, 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 GRAPNELS FOR RAISING SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH CABLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis Lambert, 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 within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Lambert, 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, reference being had to the accompanying 2
Sheets of Drawing, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):-
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for grappling and raising
submarine telegraph cables, the said apparatus being so contrived as to
raise and sever a bight of the cable, grip one of the severed ends and
bring it to the surface.
The apparatus differs from the common grapnel, and more nearly
resembles an anchor in form, being made with a shank furnished with a
stock to ensure its dragging in the proper position for grappling the
cable, and having two pairs of prongs, each pair converging at the points
so as to form a sort of open or skeleton fluke. The prongs are fixed
in sockets, so as to be readily detached and replaced when damaged or
broken. The shank is formed into a sort of frame at the lower part to
carry the gripping and cutting devices, which are fitted in guides or
boxes fixed between each fluke and the shank. Each box contains a
platform upon which are pivoted a pair of eccentric or cam-shaped
spring jaws to grip the cable."
Instead of making the jaws both movable one of each pair may be
fixed, the other being pivoted and eccentric as before.
The platforms are kept up at the top of their guide boxes by spring
catches capable of yielding under a certain strain, to allow the platforms
to descend and bring the bight of the cable between a pair of cutters.
The eccentric jaws are so arranged as to securely grip the end of the
cable it is intended to raise immediately the cable is severed by the
cutters, the form of the jaws being such that their hold on the cable
becomes stronger as the strain thereon increases.
The cutters are made to be casily taken off and shifted to the opposite
side when required, according to the direction of dragging across the line
of cable and the end required to be raised, the platforms being necessarily
changed in the boxes so that the position of the cutters relatively to the
jaws shall be such that the jaws shall always move in the direction away
from the cutters.

page_text: The guide boxes have slots to guide the cable between the eccentric
jaws, and are furnished with spring shutters which close the slots and
the top of the boxes, so as to prevent the eccentrics being choked by
stones or mud. These shutters are so formed and pivoted that they will
only be opened by the cable when properly grappled, any pressure
coming on them while dragging tending to keep them closed.
The cutters may either be fixed, and cut merely by the strain of the
cable upon them, or they may be made in the form of shears actuated
by the movement of the platform carrying the gripping devices, and
instead of having separate platforms for each pair of eccentric jaws the
two pairs may be mounted on one platform, pivoted at one end and
moving in guides at the other, the shear blades being made to project at
the pivoted end, and operated by guides on the movable end of the
platform when the latter is caused to descend by the strain of the
cable.
Figure 1 showns in elevation the improved grapnel of my Invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Figure 3 is a plan with the
box covers removed.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are detail views of the movable platforms and
eccentric jaws and the devices for holding the same in position.
The framing of the apparatus consists of a wrought-iron shank A,
forked at the lower end and spreading out into a number of short curved
arms or frames A¹, preferably two pairs on each side of the shank as
shown, the whole being forged in one with the shank and strengthened
by a tie bolt B passing through the frames A¹, and through short lengths
of iron pipe B¹ placed between said frames A', which are thus braced
rigidly and firmly together. C is the curved stock; D, D, are prongs,
of which there is a pair on both sides of the shank, the prongs being
preferably fixed in taper sockets D¹ on the frames A¹, and secured by
nuts. Each pair of prongs may either be united at the points, as shown,
or may merely converge to within a short distance of one another
without meeting. E, E, are guide boxes bolted one between each pair
of frames A', there being consequently four guide boxes in all, two on
cach side of the shank, as shown. As both sides of the grapnel are.
fitted precisely alike it will be sufficient to describe the fittings on one

page_text: side only. The boxes E, which as well as their fittings, are preferably
made of gun metal, are rectangular in form, and are open at bottom and
closed at top by covers. Each box has a vertical slot F at either side
wide enough to admit the cable and allow it to pass down across the box
as shown in Figure 1, to bring the strain upon the arms A¹. Within
cach box a platform G is fitted to slide up and down, the top surface of
each pair of platforms being curved to correspond to the curve formed
by the bight of the cable when resting thereon. For the sake of greater
clearness these platforms, as also the jaws, are shown in blue lines in the
Figures. H, H, are pairs of eccentric jaws on each platform pivoted on
bolts I, I, secured by nuts as shown, the jaws being provided with
springs K attached at one end to the head of the stud I, and at the
other to the jaws, which are thus caused to close together, as shown in
red lines, Figure 6. The jaws are eccentric, as shown, and have grooved
and serrated edges a to obtain a good bite on the cable, and one of
cach pair may have an overhanging lip or flange 6 (as in Figure 6) to
cover over the cable at the point where it is gripped and prevent any of
the wires being squeezed out. The two pairs of jaws close in the same
direction and are intended to hold the same piece of cable, and in order
that they may more effectually support one another the pair nearest the
severed end of the cable is preferably made of rather greater radius than
the other pair, or the grooves are not made quite so deep, so that they
shall close on and grip the cable rather in advance of the other pair.
Each pair of jaws is held open by a detent c standing up through a slot
in the platform between the jaws. This detent c is jointed to a lever d
on the under side of the platform and kept up by a spring e, and is
released by the pressure of the cable itself on a stud falso jointed to
lever d, and projecting through the platform G, but to a greater height
than the detent c, so that the jaws will be released and closed on the
cable immediately it comes between them.
€
Figure 4 is a section on line 1, 2, Figure 1, to show the method
of supporting the platforms on their guide boxes; g, g, are spring
catches of which a pair is provided on each box E at the inner end
to support the platform G. These catches work on pivots g¹ at their
lower ends, and are fitted one at either side of the slot. F, and are a
pressed together by springs to support a stud i on the end of the
platform G. The said stud projects through the slot F and rests upon
the upper ends of the catches 9, which are inclined so that when the

page_text: bight of cable is raised a certain distance from the bottom the weight
coming on the platform will force the catches 9 apart; as shown in
red, Figure 4, and allow the platform to slide down the guide box,
as shown in red lines, Figures 1 and 4. These catches 9, 9, work
within the curve of the inner arm A¹ of each pair, so that they will
be protected from receiving injury whilst dragging for the cable;
Z, Z, are a pair of V cutters fixed against the outer end of one of
the guide boxes E, said cutters being fixed at either side of the slot F
so that as the platform yields under the weight of the cable the latter
will be guided between the cutters and severed. The boxes E are
cach closed at top partly by a fixed cover and partly by a movable
sloping shutter L pivoted at k between the sides of the box, and kept
closed by a spring. These shutters close the entrance to the slots F,
and are provided with pieces extending down a short distance at the
sides so as to prevent stones entering above the platform. The sloping
top of the box serves to guide the cable to the entrance of the slots F,
the shutter being so pivoted as to be oscillated, as shown in red,
Figure 2, under the pressure of the cable upon that part of the shutter
which covers the entrance to the slots.
Figure 7 shows a front elevation, and Figures 8 and 9, end elevations
of a modified arrangement of grapnel in which the two pairs of eccentric
jaws are carried on one platform G extending across the frame, as
shown, instead of two separate platforms, as in the first arrangement.
The same reference letters indicate same parts as in the other Figures
whenever they recur. The platform G is fitted to work upon a hori-
zontal pivot M at one end, and carries the pairs of eccentric jaws H,
similar to those before described.
The cutters for severing the cable consist of a pair of shear blades N
turned up at a right angle to their handles, which work on a pivot
at O, and are operated by the descent of the platform by means of
inclined slots or guides P, P, in a frame fixed to the under side of
the platform at its free end, in which slots or guides the ends of the
shear handles N¹ work. Spring catches, such as before described, are
provided for supporting the platform.
When the weight of the cable comes on the platform its spring
catches yield and the platform is oscillated, as shown in red lines,
thereby causing the shear blades to be closed together and sever the
cable.

page_text: FRANCIS LAMBERT. (L.S.)