IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PAYING OUT OR PICKING UP SUBMARINE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1885

page_text: 137
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
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31., J
We, WALTER CLAUDE JOHNSON and SAMUEL EDMUND PHILLIPS, both of No 14
Union Court, 'Old Broad Street in the City of London, Telegraph Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PAYING OUT OR PICKING UP SUBMARINE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH CABLES" and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
.. 1
:
In paying out or picking up machinery for electric telegraph cables as at
present constructed, the cable is led over a large drum carried on a high
framing entirely above the upper deck of the ship, and the steam engines for
driving the drum are also arranged above the deck. By thus making the heavy
structure of the drum and framing project to a considerable distance above
the deck, the ship is rendered top heavy and unseaworthy, and moreover, the
cable passing from or to the paying-out or picking-up drum to or from the
guide pulley at the bows is at such a considerable height as to be out of the
reach of the attendants, and can consequently not be efficiently watched and
manipulated.
According to our present invention we obviate these inconveniences by con-
structing and arranging the said machinery in the following manner
We arrange the bearings for the axis of the drum or drums upon a suitable
framing on the upper deck, so that the drum only projects to less than half its
diameter above the deck.
The driving engines, with the speed reducing gear, can by this arrangement be
placed on the lower deck of the ship, the framing thereof being connected to that
on the upper deck and thus the centre of gravity of the entire machine is brought
very considerably lower down while the framing, in being thus made to constitute
a part of the ship, adds inaterially to its strength as a structure, instead of forming
an element of weakness thereto on account of its great weight. Also, by this
arrangement, the greater portion of the machine is protected by being between
decks, in addition to which the advantage is gained of having the cable passing
from the drum so low down as to be well within the reach of the attendants.
Furthermore, where two such paying out or hauling in drums are employed side
by side, as is usually the case, instead of arranging them at a considerable distance

page_text: apart, as was necessary with the existing construction, whereby the cable was
caused to pass at a very inconvenient angle from the drums to the bows, we are, by
our improved construction, enabled to place them close together on each side of
the centre line of the ship, so that the cable forms only a very slight angle
therewith.
Instead of working the break gear of the drums by hand as at present, we work
it by steam power, by connecting the brake lever to the piston rod of a steam
cylinder, the slide of which is worked by hand. By this means, the motion of the
drum can be much more rapidly and effectually controlled than by the hand brake
gear.
Instead of arranging the drawing off gear of the hauling in drums in the same
framing with the latter and driving it from the same engine, as at present, we
arrange the same upon an entirely independent framing and drive it by independent
engines whereby we are enabled to exercise a perfect control over the cable, and
can, by reversing the engine, run the cable back to any extent when occasion may
require.
The independent drawing off gear may then also be made available for other
purposes, such as for overhauling the cable, and transferring the same from one
tank to another,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said:
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1, Arranging the paying out or picking up drum on a framing so constructed
that the drum only projects partially above the deck, the said framing being
connected to a second framing on the lower deck carrying the driving engines and
other gear, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
2, Arranging the drawing off gear upon a separate framing and driving the same
by independent engines, substantially as described.
3, Constructing machinery for paying out or picking up submarine cables,
combined and operating as herein described.
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