IMPROVEMENTS IN Apparatus FOR COILING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES OR ROPES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Buchanan, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, Rope-
and Sail Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN Apparatus
FOR COILING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES OR ROPES."
Sealed the 22nd December 1869, and dated the 21st October 1869...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Buchanan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st October 1869.
I, JAMES BUCHANAN, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, Rope and Sail Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR COILING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES OR ROPES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for coiling
electric telegraph cables or ropes. For this purpose I employ a frame
capable of revolving about an upright axis or post in the centre of the
coil, and having an arm capable of sliding in and out to and from the

page_text: centre. The cable or rope to be coiled passes down a tube in the
centre of the frame, and is led to a roller at the outer end of the arm.
The frame is caused to revolve by manual labour or by power, and the
roller at its end as it travels round lays the cable or rope in a close
spiral from the centre of the coil to the circumference, and then back
in a second layer from the circumference to the centre, and so on. The
arm receives its in-and-out motion by means of pegs or teeth upon it
gearing with a pinion which works as in a mangle motion, first along
one side and then along the other side of the row of pegs or tecth, thus
reversing the motion of the arm each time that the end of the row of
pegs or teeth comes up to the pinion. The pinion is driven by a wheel
upon its axis gearing with a wheel on the central axis or post, which
remains stationary whilst the frame revolves. The frame is supported
on three or other number of conical rollers which rest on the coil, and
consequently the frame with the gearing and parts in connection there-
with rises as the coil accumulates, whilst at the same time the weight on
the rollers serves to render the coil compact, and to prevent any of its
convolutions rising after they have been laid.
The method of actuating the arm may be varied; for example, a
double-threaded screw may be substituted for the mangle motion, but
the latter has this advantage that the travel of the arm can very readily
be altered as the circumstances of each case may require by reducing or
increasing the number of pegs or teeth. In either case the frame
revolving around a central axis or post, and supported by rollers resting
on the top of the coil, and the arm moving in and out to and from the
centre are employed. In some cases I make the frame reversible on the
central axis or post in order that the apparatus may work with less
headway than would otherwise be requisite. This allows the gear, which
is necessarily above the coiling surface when the operation commences,
to be inverted and to work in the eye of the coil as soon as the height
of the coil admits. The same apparatus may be used in uncoiling or
paying out the cable or rope. The cable or rope as it rises then gives
motion to the arm and frame in the direction opposite to that of coiling,
and the apparatus will effectually prevent two convolutions of the coil
from rising together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Buchanan in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BUCHANAN, of Gateshead-on-Tyne, Rope and Sail Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Buchanan, Her special licence that
I, the said James Buchanan, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Buchanan, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 APPARATUS
FOR COILING ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES OR ROPES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Buchanan, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Buchanan, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for coiling
electric telegraph cables or ropes. For this purpose I employ a frame
capable of revolving about an upright axis or post in the centre of the
coil, and having an arm capable of sliding in and out to and from the
centre. The cable or rope to be coiled passes down a tube in the centre
of the frame, and is led to a roller at the outer end of the arm. The
frame is caused to revolve by manual labour or by power, and the roller

page_text: at its end as it travels round lays the cable or rope in a close spiral
from the centre of the coil to the circumference, and then back again
in a second layer from the circumference to the centre, and so on. The
arm receives its in-and-out motion by means of pegs or teeth upon it
gearing with a pinion which works as in a mangle motion, first along
one side and then along the other side of the row of pegs or teeth, thus
reversing the motion of the arm cach time that the end of the row of
pegs or teeth comes up to the pinion. The pinion is driven by a wheel
upon its axis gearing with a wheel on the central axis or post, which
remains stationary whilst the frame revolves. The frame is supported
on three or other number of conical rollers which rest on the coil, and
consequently the frame with the gearing and parts in connection there-
with rises as the coil accumulates, whilst at the same time the weight
on the rollers serves to render the coil compact, and to prevent any of its
convolutions rising after they have been laid.
The method of actuating the arm may be varied; for example, a
double-threaded screw may be substituted for the mangle motion, but
the latter has this advantage that the travel of the arm can very readily
be altered as the circumstances of each case may require. In either case
the frame revolving around a central axis or post, and supported by
rollers resting on the top of the coil, and the arm moving in and out to
and from the centre are employed. In some cases I make the frame
reversible on the central axis or post in order that the apparatus may
work with less headway than would otherwise be requisite. This allows
the gear, which is necessarily above the coiling surface when the
operation commences, to be inverted and to work in the eye of the coil as
soon as the height of the coil admits. The same apparatus may be used
in uncoiling or paying out the cable or rope. The cable or rope as it
rises then gives motion to the arm and frame in the direction opposite
to that of coiling, and the apparatus will effectually prevent two con-
volutions of the coil from rising together.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto

page_text: In these Figures a is a circular flooring or bed on which a rope or
electric telegraph cable is to be coiled. This bed has rising up from it
two uprights 6 connected together at the top by a cross bar c. Through
the centre of this bar passes a hollow vertical axis d, which can be
driven by the pulley d on its upper end. The lower end of the hollow
axis has a flange, which is attached to the top of an upright e¹; this
upright forms part of a frame e, which is capable of revolving around a
fixed post that stands up from the centre of the flooring a, and is
therefore concentric with the vertical axis d. Around the post f is a
tube which can slide up and down, but is restrained from turning on
it. On the top of this tube is a pinion g; just below the pinion is a
bracket e standing out from the upright e', so that when the frame e
rises the pinion moves up with it. A similar bracket e standing out
from the lower end of the upright e' embraces the fixed post f to keep
the frame e concentric with it. The lower end of the frame e is com-
posed of a circular metal plate, to which are attached five radial axes
carrying the conical rollers h, and the frame rests upon these rollers.
The upright e' of the frame e also carries a vertical axis k, on the top
of which is a toothed wheel k³, and this toothed wheel is by change
wheels put into gear with the pinion g, which as before stated is kept
from turning. By this means when the frame e is caused to revolve a
slow revolving motion is given to the axis k, and the speed at which this
axis is driven can readily be varied by altering the change wheels 2.
On the lower end of the axis k is a pinion, which gears with a row of
pegs m first on one side of them and then on the other, as in an ordinary
mangle motion, and as is well understood. This row of pegs is carried by
a sliding arm n, which works in horizontal guides in the frame e, so that
when the axis is caused to revolve the sliding arm n is moved in and
out from the centre of the frame. On the outer end of the arm n are
guide rollers o. The rope or electric telegraph cable to be coiled is led
down through the hollow axis, and passes out therefrom near its lower
end, a guide pulley being placed at this point to prevent any rubbing of
the rope or cable. The cable or rope then passes to the guide rollers o,
and as the frame e is revolved it is by them laid into coils, as already
explained, and as the coiled layers of rope or cable accumulate one over
the other the frame e and gearing carried by it are raised up by the
conical rollers which rest on the top of the coils.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,

page_text: the general combination or arrangement of apparatus for coiling electric
telegraph cables or ropes, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Buchanan, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JAMES BUCHANAN. (L.S.)