US1194974A - Railway signal-torpedo - Google Patents

Description

F. BUTCHER.

RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDO.

APPLICATION man OCT- 8. 1915.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

FRANK DUTCHER, OF VERSAILLES, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T CENTRAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAILWAY SIGNAL-TORPEDO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed October 8, 1915. Serial No. 54,876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK DUTCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Versailles, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway SignaLTorpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in railway signal torpedoes and it pertains particularly to that type of torpedo which comprises a case made in tubular form by rolling a sheet of paper.

The primary object of this invention is to make a simple, cheap and effective torpedo of the type referred to, in which the ends of the tube are effectively closed, and in which the strap is easily applied and effectively held, both results being obtained without the use of any clip, metal or otherwise.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a torpedo comprising my present improvement. Fig. 2 is an inverted perspective View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 8-3, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a cross sectional view on the line l1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a fibrous tube partially formed out of which the improved torpedo case is constructed.

In carrying out my present invention the paper or fiber tubular case 1 is rolled on a mandrel from a sheet of paper in a manner well known to and understood by those skilled in this art. Placed within the casing is an explosive compound 2 which is preferably of plastic or tablet form, and then the ends 3 of the case are flattened together, and in this instance the flattened ends are united by sewing them together as at at.

I do not make any claim broadly herein for the closing or holding the parts of the case together by sewing or stitching, for this is made the subject matter of a copending application of mine bearing Serial No. 790,258 and filed September 17, 1913, in which application this novel way of closing the parts of a torpedo paper case is generically claimed.

The outer layer 1 is provided at the underside of the torpedo case with notches 5 which extend from points 6 located inside of the stitching 1 to the ends of the case, the stitching extending continuously across the ends of the case and therefore across the notches 5 and holding all of the endsof the layers of the case together. However, by reason of the notches 6 beginning at points inside of the stitching, the'outer layer 1 can be separated from the adjacent layer by a suitableflat pointed implement a width equal to the width of the notches, and the rail-engaging strap 7 is readily and easily passed through the opening or separated portion of the outer layer 1. It is understood, of course, that in the form of this case by the wrapping of the sheet, the wrapping is cemented to form a tube in the usual Way, and hence the sewing or stitching 4 extends across the cut out portions or notches 5, and therefore entirely across the ends of the case, (as particularly shown in Fig. 1) and will prevent the two outer layers 1 from opening up beyond the width of the slots 5. After the separation is started by suitable implement, the rail-engaging strap 7 can be pushed through be tween the two outer layers 1 and the adjacent layer of the case. In order to give the desired strength to hold the rail-engaging strap in position, preferably the two outer layers of the tube are notched.

In making this improved torpedo the sheet 8 out of which the tube is rolled has cut in one end thereof the openings 9 and notches 10, and these are so located in the sheet that they will register when the sheet is formed into a tube, and they are spaced a distance apart so that when the tube is cut into sections on the cutting line, Fig. 5, the sections will be of the proper length for the torpedo case, and the notches will be in each end of the two outer layers of the tube as will be clearly understood. The tube, of course, when rolled. is preferably round in cross section, and is cut into sections while ona suitable round mandrel. The sections are then sufficiently flattened to receive the explosive tablet or plastic tube after which the tube is preferably further pressed in a suitable shaping machine (not shown) which is well understood by those skilled'in making this tvne of torpedo. The flattened ends of the case are then sewed as previously explained, and the rail-engaging strap applied thereto as also heretofore explained.

By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that a torpedo of this construction has its ends closed, and provision made for effi- 1.10

ciently uniting the rail-engaging strap thereto, both results being accomplished without the use of any metal or other form of clip. Having thus fully described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising a tubular case composed of layers of fibrous material, an explosive 'compound within the case, the ends of the case flattened and sewed together, the outer layer of the case having openings, and a rail-engaging member passing through the openings and under the outer layer of the case.

2. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising a tubular case composed of a plurality of layers of fibrous material cemented together, an explosive compound within the case, the ends of the case flattened and sewed together at points beyond the explosive, the outer layer of the tube having notches or openings extending to the ends of the case, and a rail-engaging strap passing through the said openings and under the outer layer of the case.

3. An improved railway signal torpedo comprising a tubular case composed of several layers of fibrous material, an explosive compound within the case, one or more of the outer layers of the case having notches starting at points located between the ends and the center of the case and extending to the ends of the case, the ends of the case flattened, and stitching extending across the flattened ends at points between the inner ends of the notches and the ends of the case, and uniting the flattened ends of the case from side to side of the torpedo.

4. The method of making a fibrous tube for torpedoes with notches in one or more of the outer layers of the tube which extend from the ends of the case to points between the ends and center of the case, which consists in providing a sheet of paper and forming therein openings adjacent one edge, rolling and cementing the sheet into a tube and severing the tube transversely at points extending approximately through the center of the said openings.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK DUT CHER.

lVitnesses R. W. JUNKER, A. MACDONALD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C.

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