US192592A - Improvement in iron posts for wire fences - Google Patents

Description

C. H. MORGAN & J'. F. LANIDERS.

IRON POSTS FOR WIRE FENcEs- Patented July 3,1877.

J u w 2/? CHARLES H. MoEeAN, or WORCESTER, AND JOHN 'L'AND 'as, or A RN;

SAID LANDERS AssIeNoR 'ro WASHBURN & MoEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSAGHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN IRON Pos'rs FOR WIRE-FENCES.

Specificationforming part of Letters Patent No. {92,592, dated 'July 3, 18 77; applic'ationfiled March 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we,'OHARLEs H. MORGAN, of the city'andcounty of Worcester and 00mmonwealth of Massachusetts, and JOHN F. LANDERS, of Auburn, in said county and Commonwealth, have invented certain new and 'useful Improvements in Fence-Posts for Wire Fences; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of one length of a wire fence'the posts of which are made according to our present invention, the middle portions of four of the strands of the wire fencing being represented broken away. Fig. Zrepresents, on lineA B, Fig. 1, a side view of the top of one of the iron posts, looking in the direction of arrow 1. Fig. 3 represents, on line B C, Fig. 1, a side view of the top part of the other post, looking in the direction of arrow 2; and Fig. 4 represents a section on line C D, Fig. 1, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to which our invention belongs to make and use the same, we will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, the parts marked A and B represent two iron posts, provided on their edges with a series of slots, a, to receive the wire fencing G, which may be made with barbs b. The inner part of the slot at is enlarged or rounded out, as shown at 0, Figs. 2 and 3. The upper ends of the posts A and B may be made with a notch, D, or pointed, as shown at E. We prefer to make the posts with a notch, D, for use in those localities where barbed fence has not been used or introduced very much, and, consequently, there is some prejudice against its introduction, since, when the posts are so made, the farmers can dispense with the upper barb-wire when the fence is first put up, and in lieu thereof place a board rail in the notches l) of the posts, securing the same by means of bolts or nails passing through cleats on the ends oftheboard rail, and through the upper slots in the fence posts. Byusing the board rail the prejudices of the farmer's-are overcome, since the rail can be seen by the stock-readily, and, therefore, the objection of the farmers that the stock would be liable to run "against the fence inconsequence of not seeing it is answered,'as well as the 'objectiom'made by those who have not used barbed fences, that the stock would be liable to thro'w'the'irhe'ad's over the upper strand of barbed fence-wire,

and beinjured thereby. The construction 'is such, it will be seen, that the top rail may be taken off at any time, and the upper barbed strand substituted. p

The lower part'of the post is bent into curve form, as indicated in Fig. 4, and may be slightly tapered toward the lower end, as indicated in dotted lines in same figure. This form makes the lower end which enters the ground quite strong and stiff, while, at the same time, forming a shoulder at the point d on each edge of the post, which can be made of wrought metal, and fabricated very quickly, and at moderate expense.

The posts may be secured in the ground in various ways. For instance, the lower end of the post may have a hole to receive a key or wedge, 6, below the blocks F and G, through which the post passes, the blocks F and G crossing each other, as represented in Fig. 4:, so as to brace the posts after the blocks have been buried in the ground H. Another blockpiece, I, may also be used, the post passing through the block, with its shoulders d, one on each edge, resting upon the top of the block. It may be a good plan to arrange a metal washer upon the post between the shoulders d and block L. If preferred, the block G may extend up to and support the block I, or even made so as to receive the shoulders 01, in which case the block I could be omitted, although it would be well to employ the metal washer between the shoulders at and the block G.

If preferred, a stone anchor, J, may be used, a hole being drilled therein, and the lower end of the post fastened therein by means of keys'or sulphur run in to lock and seal the post in place.

In whichever form or manner the post is anchored the anchors are to be buried in the ground, to give stiffness and rigidity to the fence, and, when desired for greater strength, the posts may be braced above ground.

In practice, we recommend that the posts be made from bar-iron two inches wide and one fourth inch thick, and in forming the lower curved end, that operation may be performed very expeditiously and accurately by means of male and female dies of the desired shape, the lower end of the post being first brought to a suitable heat, when it is placed upon the male die, after which the female die is brought down upon the heated end of the bar by means of the drop process or otherwise, thereby forging or swaging the lower end of the post into the desired form, which may be of regular form or tapering toward its lower end J.

After theposts have been properly anchored in the ground, the barbed fencing G is secured at one end to a stretching-post, after which it is unreeled, and strung along upon the slot ted sides of the intermediate posts A and B, and secured at its other end to another stretching-post, and this operation may be repeated until all the separate strands of fencing have been strung from stretching-post to stretching-post, after which the operator commences and stretches one strand after another sufficiently taut, and then secures the fencing to the stretching-post, after which he proceeds to place the diflerent strands into their respective slots a in the posts A or B, as the case may be, where they are secured by means of metal wedges or nails f.

Our improved fence-posts are a greatconvenience in putting up barbed-wire fencing, since the farmer is enabled to stretch the barbed fencing outside of the posts, and then swing or place the fencing into the slots a of the posts, where it is afterward keyed in posit-ion, as above explained, and should the fencing ever become slack the farmer has only to remove the keys f, when the strands can be stretched taut again.

Those accustomed to keep fences in repair in localities where such fences are exposed to frequent fires will readily appreciate the great practical advantage of our present invention, since it enables the farmer to build a fence which is practically fire-proof.

Having described our improvements in barbed-wire-fence posts, what we claim therein as new and of our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- A metallic fence-post, A, provided with a series of slots, a, upon one edge, and a notch, D, at its upper end, and witha curved anchorpoint, J, at its lower end, substantially as shown and described.

CHAS. H. MORGAN. JOHN F. LANDERS.

Witnesses THOS. H. DODGE, E. E. MOORE.

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