US328120A - Fence - Google Patents

Description

J. N. HUDSON.

FENCE.

No. 328,120. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH NEWTON HUDSON, OF BOONESBOROUGH, MISSOURI.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,120, dated October 13, 1885.

Application filed May 23, 1885. Serial No. 166,528.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH NEWTON HUD- sON, a citizen of the United States', residing at Boonesborough, in the county of Howard and State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Zigzag 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 appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to zigzag felices; and it consists, chieiiy, of improvements in the means whereby the panels of such fences are conveniently and firmly secured together, and whereby the connections can be tightened after they have become loose by reason of the natural shrinkage of the fence or from any other cause. I dispense with the posts or poles usually employed for joining the panels of fences of this class, and use instead a wire, which I tighten by means of a lever in a manner to be hereinafter described. This greatly reduces the cost of such fences and makes it practicable to construct fences with shorter panels, thereby reducing the amount of waste land in the corners of the fences and effectinga saving in the amount of fence material. Whereas the ordinary lengths of fence-panels are about five feet, I propose to make my panels about two feet and a half in length.

In order to enable others to understand clearly the nature of my invention, I will now describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved fence in position. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same in process of construction, the bindinglevers not yet having been drawn into place; and Fig. 3 is a view of the binding-wire.

The same letters refer to the same parts in all the drawings.

A A are the rails of an ordinary zigzag fence. One end of the lowest rail in each panel rests on the ground, and the other rests on the end of thelowest rail in the next panel. The panels are built up in such a manner that every rail except the top one lies at each end both on and under a rail of the adjoining panel, the panels being joined together at any convenient angle. A loop of wire,as W, is wound around the two upper rails of each panel in the man- (No model.)

ner shown, and the wire is then led down on the outside of the panel under the lowest rail of the adjoining panel, and up on the outside nearly to the top of the fence,where it is joined to the lever B. It is evident that by pulling down the outer end of the lever B the wire W will be drawn tight around the ends of the rails AA, securing them firmlyin place. The wire W should be made short enough to require considerable exertion to bring the lever B down into place.

It is intended that the levers B B shall be operated successively, and that the outer end of each shall be held under the end of the uppermost rail in the preceding panel, or under the inner end of the lever last operated. The first lever in the series will be securely fixed in place by any suitable means. The remaining levers are held in place by the hooks S S on the wires W W, in connection with the eyes T T on the ends of the levers. The hooksS S are made adjustable on the wires W W, so that in case it becomes necessary, on account of the shrinkage of t-he fence, or for any other reason, to put the end of the levers B B under those of the second or third rails in the several panels, or in any of them, there may still be means of holding them in position.

It will be seen that my means for joining the successive panels are very simple and inexpensive. It is not necessary that the levers B B should be of heavy material, as any ordinary pole will serve the purpose equally well. There will be no need of special supports for the fence, as the panels are so firmly joined as to make the whole fence a firm structure,having a base as wide as the angular distance between the extreme end of a joiut on one side and the extreme end of the next succeeding joint on the other side. For the same reason the fence will stand well on sidling ground, and the usual worm or crook of the fence can be shortened.

Owing to the simplicity of my lock and the ease with which it is manipulated, it will be easy, according to need, to tighten any joints that may have become loose or to loosen the connections entirely,and so leave the fence in a condition to be taken apart and carried off to be set up in another place.

I am aware that fences have been constructed or proposed for construction in which the IOO top rail of each panel, when lifted into( place, serves to tighten the Wire around the ends of adjoining panels; butin such constructions no provision has been made for counteracting the effect of shrinkage, or, if any, the means employed have been substantially diff'erent from mine. The binding or tightening effect in my fence is produced by depressing the tightening-lever, and not by lifting a rail into position.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The oombination,with the panels of a zigzag fence, of a Wire adapted to pass around the interlacing ends of the said panels, a lever for tightening the Wire around the ends of the panels,oneend of the said wire being attached to the said lever, and the latter being long enough to pass under the end of any one ofthe rails of the next preceding panel, and a hook adjustable on the Wire of the adjoining panel for holding thelever'in position under the end of any rail, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the rails A A, the Wire V, and the lever B, having eye T, With the Wire at the other end of the panel, and the adjustable hook S, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH NEWTON HUDSON.

WV it n esses J AMES FENELON MOORE, RAW. TAN. CALLOWAY.

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