US573777A - Fence-post or columnar pillar - Google Patents

Description

'(No ModeL\ S. D. PRY &; W. H; JOHNSON. FENGE POST AND OOLUMNAR PILLAR.

No. 573,'77'7. Patente'd Dec. 22, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

STEPHEN D. FRY, OF ATTICA, AND XVILLIAH H. J OHNSON, OF VEEDERS- BURG, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO ALFRED F. JOHNSON,

OF VEEDERSBURG, INDIANA.

FENCE-POST OR COLUMNAR PlLLAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,'777, clated December 22, 1896.

Application filed March 4,1896.

To alluhom it ?way concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHEN D. FRY, residing at Attica, and WILLIAM I-I. J OHNSON, residing at Veedersburg, in the county of Fountain and State of Indiana, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts or Columnar Pillars 5 and we 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.

Our invention relates to fence-posts; and it consists in such a post comprising in its construction a metal standard and molded tubular blocks formed of artificial stone or elay or other suitable material, as will be hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

The object of this invention is to avoid the cracking or destruction of fence-posts by the action of frost, fire, or sudden changes in the temperature of the weather.

In the Construction of combination iron and U stone fence-posts it is important that the metal portion of such posts shall be of light structural form, and in order to attain this object provision must be made for staying and guiding these light standard-posts at a point or points above the anchor-blocks by means of blocks of stone, clay, or other suitable material, and this provi sion we have made, as will hereinafter appear, in the construction of our posts with firmly and rigidly connected anchor-blocks and sliding, guiding, and staying blocks of stone or a suitable argillaceous material, such blocks being of a diameter much greater than the metal standard and those which slide being remotely located in the earth with respect to the anchor-blocks and above said anchor-blocks, so as to be nearer the surface of the ground than the anchor-blocks, where they are liable to be subjected to the influence of frost and freezing action, but onaccount of their freedom to slide they relieve the standard from any strainin g action from the effects oi' such frost or changes of temperature of the weather, while at the same time they form a perfect stay and 'guide to the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Fgure l is a vertical section of one of ourimproved posts Serial No. 581,'79& (No model) l as set up for use, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same in the line x x of Fig. 1.

A in the drawings is a central standard of about seven feet in length or height and made of metal or other suitable strong material in either the form of a gas-pipe tube, an angular wrought-metal bar, a solid cylindrical bar, or other known suitable form. The lower end of this standard may be slightly enlarged by flaring the lower end of the tube or bending the angle-iron outward with a fiare, so as to form a stop-shoulder a at the bottom of the standard. To the lower end of the standard a circular or polygonal horizontal block B, of stone or a suitable argillaceous material, is suitably applied and connected firmly and rigidly, so that the standard shall not be allowed to move up or down independently of it. Above this firmly and rigidly connected block B one, two, or more hollow block-sections C, of stone or a suitable argillaceous material, are applied around the standard, being loosely fitted in position, so as to be free to slide up or down on the standard.

It is preferable to construct the movable portion O of the posts in blocks of uniform size, as illustrated in the drawings, and to have them set apart, but the relative sizes of the blocks is not material.

In applying our improved posts in setting up a fence we dig holes in the ground, say, two and one-half or three feet deep, and put into these holes the metal standards provided with the firmly and rigidly connected bottom blocks B, said blocks restin g on the shoulders a. We then cover the said blocks with dirt, making the dirt solid and firm by tamping. lVe then slip over the standards one, two, or more blocks C for forning guides and stays for the standards. All of the guide and stay blocks are molded with their central holes large enough to insure that the blocks shall be free to slip up and down on the standard without binding thereon,while the firnly and rigidly connected bottom or anchor blocks have central .holes through them which are of snaller diameter than the fiared portions a of the tubular standards. From the drawings it will be seen that the anchor-blocks bear on solid ground, which is generally low enough down below the surface to not be subjeoted IOO to ordinary frost or freezing weather. It will be evident that by locating the guiding and staying bloeks near the surface of the ground and above the blocks B they Will be liable to be affected by the frost, and as they are free to slide up and down no injury will be experienced by the standards.

lVith our Construction of post there is no danger of their being destroyed by fire, changes of temperature, or by frostor freezing of the ground, for in case of freezing and thawing of the ground above the firnly and rigidly connected anchor-blocks B the loose block or blocks C will rise and fall in the ground without disturbing the metal standard and their stone or clay block at the bottom of the same, on account of said standards an'd blocks being firnly held in the ground,which,-as heretofore stated, is packed firmly upon the rgid anchor-blocks. p

The blocks B and C may be made of stone, clay, or any substance of adequate strength, and, if desired, the uppermost novable blocks may extend up a short distance above the grouncl.

The posts will, of course, be provided With the usual means for connecting wire or other fencing material between them, but such con- 'nections form nopart of ,the invention here claimed. g

lVhat We claim is- I A post or column formed of a central standard, preferably metal, and having on its lower nected thereto by means of the flaring enlargement at the lowerend of the post, so that the standards cannot slide up or down, and of one or more blocks of stone, or a suitable argillaceous material, and of about the same diameter as the firnly and ri gidly connected anchorblock and fitted on the standard above the anchor-block so as to be capable of rising or falling thereon While the standard and anchorblock remain firm in the earth firmly and rigidly connected together during frost, or freezing or thawing actions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN D. FRY. XVILLIAM H. JOHNSON. lVitnesses A. J. BAILEY, \V. C. BAILEY.

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