US209902A - Improvement in fences - Google Patents

Description

P. LANE.

No. 209,902. Patented Nov. 12,1878

NTOR

I fnmssm I UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

PETER LANE, or ELWOOD, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT lN FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 209.902, dated November 1'2, 1878; application filed October 16, 1878. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER LANE, of Elwood, in the county of Madison and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part'of this specification.

My invention relates more especially to devices for locking the joining-rails of railfence sections together, so as'to strengthen the fence, and also prevent the rails from becoming accidentally disconnected or otherwise displaced from position.

Heretofore a wire loop has been fastened about the ends of theconnecting-rails of two.

adjacent rail-sections of a fence, and then a wedge has been driven in between two of said rails in order to fasten the wire loop tightly about the rails which are inclosed thereby.

The disadvantages of such a construction are, first, that, since the wedges arein a separate piece from the rails, there is necessarily more difficulty attendant upon the first formation of the fence than if one of the rails were adapted in itself to perform the'function of tightening the wire loop. A heavy drivinginstrument is required in order to force the wedge into place, and, since the latter is driven while in a horizontal position, it is evident that the operation must be tedious and heavy on account of the position of the fence-rails relative to said wedge. Again, when any section of a fence is to be pulled down and again replaced to permit of passage, as is frequently the case with farm-fences, it is almost impossible to properly drive out and again drive in the wedge, unless some suitable driving-instrument is at hand.

My invention is designed to provide such a lockin g device for fences of this character, that the wire loop may be readily tightened so as to maintain the several joining-rails in firm position, and also that the fence may be easily taken down and replaced in locked position.

The invention consists in the combination, with a rail fence, of a band of wire or other flexible material passed about the projecting ends of joining-rails as the latter extend 'out beyond their joint-connection, together with a lever-fastening rail, one end of which engages with the upper portion of the band when the fastening-rail is placed at right angles to the general line of the fence, said rail being adapted, by having its free end carried toward the fence, to twist the band, and when in position on the fence to maintain said twisted band in secure engagement as a look about the rails.

in the drawings, Figure 1 represents the position of the parts of a rail-fence section as the same are located in the first step of lockin g a fence according to my invention. Fig. 2 represents the form of the band A when twisted and the lever-fastening rail B in position on the fence, thus completing the lock.

To form this device, a band, A, made of wire or other suitable flexible connection, is first passed about the projecting ends of the joining-rails G D as the latter extend out beyond such joint-connection. The ends of the band are twisted or otherwise secured together, the lever-fastening rail B being at right angles to the general line of the fence, substantially as represented in Fig. l'of the drawings. By carrying the free extremity of this fastening-rail toward the fence, the band is twisted so as to bind about all the rails O D with-a strong tension. The length of this top rail Bis such as to enable the operator to readily twist the loop A during this process of placing the rail in place on the fence, since the long arm of the lever is so strongly in his favor, and the weight of the rail so largely aids him.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The rails C D of a worm-fence, having their intersecting ends bound together by the looped wire A, twisted and tightened by the upper rail, 13, as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of October, 1878.

PETER LANE.

Witnesses OHARLEs NArroN, G. T. SAMUELs.

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