US824020A - Track-torpedo. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

W. D. JAGKSON. TRACK TDRPEDQ. urucx'rzos mmm 3.21. 1905.

man: I! sum am mvu-wmmsnmmow o c WILTON D. JACKSON,

FRANK BUTCHER, OF VERSAILLES, PENNSYLVANIA.

THAOK'TORPEDO.

Specification oi Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1906.

Application filed April 21, 1895. Serial llo. 258,718.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, WILTON D. J senses, a citizen of the United States, residing in Phila delphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Track-Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to torpedoes designed to be placed upon railway or trolley tracks to serve as signals for approaching trains or cars.

The objectof my invention is to provide an efficient-torpedo made of fibrous or other nonmetallic material and one that will act under all conditions and will be absolutely harmless when exploding.

A further ob'ect of my invention is to provide a tor eclo of non-metallic material, whether inc osed in a casing or not, but having a Water roof coating or covering, with means who 1y independent of the torpedo itself for securing it to the head of a rail and means Wholly exterior of the torpedo for confining said securing means thereto. The confining means embrace or encircle the torpedo, binding the securing-strap thereto, and such confining means are preferabl fibrous and are either in the shape of a cor or string or a strip or strips of paper, fabric, or vegetable fiber, which may be temporarily secured in place by (glue, and in the final treatment of the torpe o held against displacement by the waterproof coating or covering of the same.

My invention is fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an inverted perspective View showing in full size my improved torpedo {not prior to completion. Fig. 2 is an enarged cross-sectional view of the same, taken on the line a a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 1) b, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an inverted perspective view of the finished torpedo, the outer surface having been coated with a waterproofing material. Fig. 5 is a view of the torpedo in position upon a rail, the latter being shown in section; and Fi s. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are views illustrating mo ifications of my invention.

The essential object of my invention is to provide a track-torpedo a signal in railroading harmless. As heretofore constructed tracktor edoes have usually been made of metal, an accidents have frequently happened due desi nod to serve as that will be absolutely to the flight of portions of the metal forming the torpedo during or succeeding the explosion of the same.

The torpedo made in accordance with my invention consists of a suitable receptacle which may be a round box-like structure 1, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,"aiid oomprises telescoping members 2 and 3, which when placed together inclose the explosive or detonating material 4. These sections 2 and 3 may he of paper, fabric, papier-mach, wood, or other similar substance suitably prepared for use and when finished rendered Waterproof by any suitable means before or after the detonatin material is placed within the structure. Ot er shapes may he employed-such as the square box shown in Fig. 6, the envelop shown in Fig. 7, the convex structure shown in Fig. 8, or a tubular device with crushed ends shown in Fig. 9. Torpedoes of this general character re uire some means for holding them to the rai and such means usually consist of a strip of flexible material, preferably lead, which is indicated at 5 in the acoompanyin drawings. This strip of lead may be hel to the torpedo in a number of ways; but I prefer to pass it under the structure formin the torpedo and secure it by means, refers ly a string or thread 6, passing aroun or over the torpedo, thereby confining such lead stri thereto. In the structures shown herewit this confining means, consisting of thread, string, or similar material, is Wrapped or passed several times around the box, crossing, preferably in both directions, the strip of lead, and the ends of the string are retained temporarily in position by glue or other similar material. This string or other material serves to retain the lead strip in place, and when the torpedo is dipped in a waterproofin composition of any suitable character it Wi l inclose the retaining-string and the portion of the lead strip lying against the terpedo and will secure the latter firmly to the torpedo, at the same time fully covering and protecting the material of which the torpedo is composed and, while rendering it damp and w aterproof not affecting its explosive properties.

7 My improved torpedo is of fibrous or other non-metallic material, and when it is exploded there will be no den or from the flying fragments, as they will ave little or no OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO force. To obviate the ,danger of causing the securing-strap to be blown about by the force of the explosion, such strap, which is of metal, lead being preferred, lies wholly under the tor )edo when the latter is secured to the head of a rail, and the explosion tending to elevate the cover or casing inclosing the detonating material there will be no danger of portions of the retaining-strip flying around promiscuously. Another reason for locating the securing strip and its retaining means wholly exterior of the torpedo is to insure that the envelop or cover of the lat ter will not be pierced by the retaining means or injured by the displacement of the latter when ,packed forshipment, stored in the caboose or other car, orcarried in the pocket of the brakemen.

In the torpedo shown in Fig. 6 the secur ing-strap isheld in place by a band of paper or fabric 7, and in that shown in Fig. 7 a string or,cord is simply :passed around both ends of the lead strip at 8 and then back across the top of the torpedo, and held by glue until the waterproof material is added.

In the substantially flat forms ,of ,the torpedo which I have shown I prefer to secure the lead strip in place bysome such retaining vmeans, but ,in the tubular form shown in Fig. 9 I hold theleadstri in place'bymeans of string wrappedaroun the tube or by independent bandsor strips 9 of paper, fabric, material, very much in the prior appli- In Fig. 10 I show a form of torpedo 10 made of the detonatingmaterial compressed ,passed across its under sideand .con

into shape and having a securin -stra p 'ned in place-withawrappingof string which passes entirely around ,the torpedo. This structure is then dipped in :the waterproofing composition. To make sure of a-,waterproof covering, it may also be dipped before the strap is securedin place.

Esme ting Fig. 4, all of the torpedoes shown erewith are without the waterproof coating orcovering, although ,it will be understoodzthat all forms are to base finished. The waterproofing. com osition is preferably ofsuch character, as to fiilly coattheexterior of the torpedo and. confine the lead strap as Well as the securing strin orcord and the loose ends of=thes met0t e torpedo-casing. Having thus described my invention, I

claim ,and desire ,to secure by Letters ,Pat-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a track-,torpe o comprising .a .casing of paper having a filing of detonating material ex- ,for securing torpedo and ,and disposed 2. As a new article of manufacture, a nonmetallic track-torpedo having a filling of detonating material, means for securing said torpedo to the head of a rail, ,means passing around the body of said torpedo for retaining the securing means thereto, and a coating of plastic material for confining the securing means and the retainer for the latter.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a nonmetallic track-torpedo having a filling of detonating material, means for securing said torpedo to the head of ,a rail, means passing around the bodyof said ,tQP-PQdfllfQI' retaining the securing means thereto, and acoating of waterproof material for ,confinin the securing means and ,the retainer for t e latter to the torpedo.

4, As a new articleof manufacture, a nonmetallic track-torpedo havinga fillingof ,det- .onating material, means for securing said torpedo to the head of a rail, and a plastic coating for the body of said .torpedo for retaining said securing means thereto.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a tracletorpedo comprising .a ,casing of paper having a filling of detonati-ng material exploding under pressure, means for securing said torpedo :to the head of a rail, ,a cord passing around the bodyof said torpedoand serving to hold the securing means thereto, and means for holding .said cord againstdisplacement.

6. Asanew article of manufactures nonmetallic track-torpedo ,comprising .a ,circular several-part case .made of ifibrous material,

and fibrous means passing diametricall aroundthe case-to gllQld the parts of,thesame together.

,7. As a new article of manufacture, ,a track-torpedo comprising a fibrous case composed of circular vtelescoping members, and retaining means passing diametrically around the same and serving to held ,them together.

8. As a new article of ,man facture, a track-torpedo comprising in combination, a fibrous casecomposed of circulartelescopin members, a strap forsecuring it to|the head of a rail, and retaining means, assingdiametrically around ;the,parts of t estructure .and serving to ,hold ,them together.

9. As a new article of ,manufacture, ,a track-torpedo comprisingacircular casing, a rail-engagingstrap passed across the casing on one face ,only ,of the .same, an mean omp y r mmd ngch .qa diame ca y an m acingth raitenge in member.

11 testimony whereof I have signed .my ,name to this .specificatien .in ,the 1 presence of .two subscribing witnesses.

WILT D-.JAQKQN- Witnesses:

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