IMPROVEMENTS IN LAYING AND SUSTAINING IN POSITION TELEGRAPH CABLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Banks Wright, of Shelton, in the County of
Nottingham, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAYING
AND SUSTAINING IN POSITION TELEGRAPH CABLES."
Sealed the 15th February 1867, and dated the 21st August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said .Henry Banks Wright at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st August 1866.
I, HENRY BANKS WRIGHT, of Shelton, in the County of Nottingham, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAYING AND SUSTAINING IN POSITION TELEGRAPH CABLES," to be as follows:-
I use a hollow air-tight buoy or float, constructed of metal or other suitable
material, of an eliptical or approximately elliptical form, and this I allow to
float on the surface of the water. To the central portion of this buoy I affix
a swivel, to which a chain is attached, so that the buoy may rotate in any
direction. The effect of this form of buoy or float and swivel rotative arrange-
ment being that the buoy or float will, like the fisherman's float, tend to clear
itself of seaweed and "right" itself in case of storms and currents. At a given
depth (say thirty fathoms for example) I attach to the aforesaid chain a weight
constructed in a cup-like or hollow curved form, so that the water may enter
the hollow part thereof, and by offering greater opposition to the direction of
the strain occasioned by storms, currents, or otherwise, upon the chain the said
weight will be retained in its normal position, or nearly so. Attached to the

page_text: said chain, and at a greater depth (say fifty fathoms for example) may be
attached a second weight similar to the one above described, and, if desirable,
the chain may extend to the bottom of the sea, and have a weight or an anchor
at its end. The weight or weights, if more than one be used, must be
sufficiently heavy to submerge the buoyant cable or cables to the required
depth. One or more buoyant cables are attached to the said chain, and can
be placed either above or below the first-mentioned weight, but I prefer
placing the same between the first and second weights. The arrangement of
buoys or floats, chains, and weights is repeated at intervals across the ocean,
according to the depth at which the buoyant cable or cables are sunk, and so
that the buoyant cable or cables if broken in any place one or both ends of
the same will rise to the surface.
If desirable the specific gravity of the cable or cables may be such as to
dispense with the buoy or float and to sustain the weight of such length of
chain as may be between it and the bottom of the oceani, and in such a case
the use of weights might be dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Banks Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BANKS WRIGHT, of Shelton, in the County of Nottingham, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Banks Wright, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Banks Wright,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Banks Wright, 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 LAYING
AND SUSTAINING IN POSITION TELEGRAPH CABLES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Banks Wright, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Banks Wright, 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 :—
The object and purpose of my Invention being to lay and sustain in position
telegraph cables of the buoyant class or character, so that the same may be
effected with great economy, and in such manner that the cable if broken in
any place one or both ends of the same will immediately rise to the surface,
and the cable may be easily repaired and reinstated in good working condition.
I therefore adopt the following arrangements upon paying out the buoyant
cable from the ship or vessel, viz., I attach to the cable, as hereafter described,
a hollow air-tight buoy or float, constructed of copper or other metal or suitable
material, in elliptical or approximately elliptical form, and this I allow to float
on the surface of the water. To the central portion of the buoy or float
I affix a swivel, to which is attached a chain (or buoyant or partially buoyant
rope, a method of constructing which is hereafter described), such swivel being
so attached that the buoy or float may rotate freely, and the ends thereof rise
and fall. The effect of this form of buoy or float and swivel rotative arrange-
ment being that the buoy or float will, like the common fisherman's float or
trimmer, tend to clear itself of seaweed and "right" itself in case of storms and
currents. At a given depth (say thirty fathoms for example) although this
depth may be varied as circumstances require, I attach to the aforesaid chain
or rope a weight constructed in a cup-like or hollowed from, so that the water
may enter the hollow part thereof, and by offering greater opposition to the
direction of the strain occasioned by storms, currents, or otherwise upon the
said chain or rope, the said weight will be retained in its normal position, or
nearly so. And the said weight may be in the form of two cups, one inverte:1
beneath the other. To the said chain or rope, and at a greater depth (say
fifty fathoms for example, although this depth may be varied as circumstances
may require,) may be attached a second weight similar to the one above
described (and if desirable other weights may at intervals be attached to the
chain or rope, which may extend to the bottom of the sea and have an anchor
at its end). The weight or weights, if more than one be used, must be
sufficiently heavy to submerge the buoyant cable or cables to the required
depth. One or more buoyant cables are attached to the said chain, and cau

page_text: which swivel is provided with a sbank D or eye bolt, in which is an eye
for securing two links E and F (although more than two links may be
used if thought desirable). From the link F the chain is continued,
or, as I prefer, a buoyant or partially buoyant rope G is connected, as
shewn by the Drawing. This buoyant rope may be composed of a thin
hempen rope covered with gutta percha, with a double twisted wire sur-
rounding the gutta percha and continued throughout its whole length, the
whole being covered with anti-corrosive composition. In constructing this
buoyant rope care must be taken that the hempen rope and twisted wire
together be strong enough to sustain the weight and probable strain when
connected with the buoy and the weights aforesaid, and that the gutta
percha shall be sufficient in quantity or flotation power to render the same
buoyant or partially buoyant. To the chain or the buoyant rope aforesaid the
upper oval cup weight His attached by means of the eye h screwed on and
secured to the top of loose bolt I, which passes through a collar K at the
bottom of the cup weight, which bolt protrudes to some distance from the
oval cup weight, the whole length of the bolt being, say, two-thirds the long
diameter of the oval cup weight. This loose bolt is free to turn on the said
socket, and is enlarged just below the collar, being intended to act as a lever,
as hereafter mentioned. At the lower end of this bolt (I) is another eye L,
to which one link of a buoyant or partially buoyant rope, such as before.
described, is attached; to this the lower and larger or second oval cup weight M
is attached, which, like the first-mentioned cup weight, has a collar N and
loose bolt O with eye O* screwed on and secured on said loose bolt. The
loose end of this bolt O has at P a semispherical enlargement. Q (see
Figure 8, side view; 9, top view; 10, end view and section of cable) denotes
the clamps that grip the cable and secure it, by means of chains or buoyant
ropes to the weights and buoy or float; this clamp is made in two parts
secured together at the flanged parts by bolts or screws, as shewn by the
Drawings, and the said clamps have eyes by which the chain or buoy and
rope may be connected. Although the buoyant cable may be of any know
buoyant construction, yet I would prefer to make them with electric conductors
and insulation, the same as heavy cables, but with india-rubber, surrounding the
same with gutta percha outside thereof, strengthened and protected by silk.
Figures 4 and 5 shew this arrangement, in which R denotes the conductors
duly insulated; S, S, the india-rubber surrounding the same; T, the gutta
percha. Figure 5 shews the same arrangement with one conductor duly
insulated. In laying the cable, as the same is payed out from the vessel the
buoys or floats and chains or buoyant ropes are secured thereto by. the clamps

page_text: berein-before described, and the whole assumes the form shewn in the
Drawing at Figure 1, and in the said Drawing the effect of a buoy or float
aforesaid being submerged by contact with an iceberg is illustrated. And it
should be observed it is only forcibly and temporarily submerged, and its
floating power not being destroyed, the buoy will rise after the obstacle has
passed out of the way. The same effect would ensue upon a ship or vessel or
other heavy body coming in contact with the buoy or float. And in any case the
cables and arrangements in connection therewith are not materially deranged.
In laying this arrangement of cables it might be found desirable to have at
suitable distances apart, say from one hundred to five hundred miles, as may be
found advantageous, floating towers or vessels anchored down by means of
chains, buoyant, or partially buoyant ropes. Instead of using the buoys or floats
aforesaid I could, if thought desirable, make the buoyant cable or cables of
such specific gravity as to sustain the weight of such length of chain or buoyant
or partially buoyant rope as may be between the cable or cables and the
bottom of the ocean, which can be effected by constructing the buoyant cable
in the manner already described with reference to Figures 4 and 5, and the
buoyant ropes in manner herein-before described with regard to the connection
between the buoys or floats and the weights.
Having now particularly described the nature of the said Invention, and
ascertained in what manner the same is to be performed, I now declare
that I claim the Invention the nature and character whereof is set forth in
these Presents at the outset hereof in the words preceding the words " Having
thus described the nature of my said Invention."
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Banks Wright, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred sixty-seven.
Witness,
SARAH H. HASLEHURST,
Shelton Lodge,
Shelton.
HENRY BANKS WRIGHT. (L.S.)