(Wo Model.) A. D. SPEAR. LIGHTNING ARRESTER. No. 426,338. Patented Apr. 22, 1890. mit s se] Laf6 WS Shh Jee15 3° 35 40 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. ARTHUR D. SPEAR, OF GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA. LIGHTNING- ARRESTER. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 426,338, dated April 22, 1890. Appleton ed Tuanary 10,2890, o alt. whom i€ may concern: ‘Ho it known that f, An@HUR D. SPEAR, citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenville, in the eownty of Greenville and tate of Sonth Caroling, have invented cer in new and useful Improvements in Light | hing-Arresters for Electrie Light. and Power | Circuits; and Ido hereby declare that the fo | lowing is a full, clear, and exnct description | of the invention, which will enable others | Skilled in the art to which it appertains to | | ‘fy invention relates to improvements in Jightuing-arrestors for asein connection with electric light aud. power eireults whereby, should the line be struck by lightning or be: come overcharged by induction or otherwise ‘with’ atmospheric eleetritts, the same will Boswitehed off to ground ani all lability of anger to. persons or damage fo instruments avoided Tels Woll known that clectsie currents gen- exated by a dynamo-machine are not of su lent. power to jump the distance betmean tno seated conde ar plates ese Aided insome way,or unless a passage fstmade for them by some means or ether,” Nataral | or atmospheric eleetrlelty, however, possesses | very high potontial ahd Te xb to Jump | aistastces that i woud be Smmpossible for & dynamo-cursent to traverse {ats efor to each ground T have taken advantage of the above facts to constenet a lightning-asrester for an cle: {iio light or power elreuit which. will bo in Speration when the Une Ss in Sts normal con. ition—that isto say, when only charged with theeurrents generated by adynamo; but when the line is overcharged with indueed atmos: Dheric currents or is stuck by lightning they Will be switched off by condueting-plates to zround, ts obviating any danger from sul Gvereharging, In dolog this, However, the @ynamocurront {seared off with the aimos- pherle easrents, thus shortcteniting the dy- Damo-cusrent and. rendering it useless. also provide means for breaking this aiort tireutf 50 that the dynamo-current is re fumed to main line aulomatially. "The invention consists in tho several novel features of eoustruetion and Mew combina- cial Mo, 198490, email | tions of parts, hereinafter fully deseribed, and then deduitely poiated out i the claims Tn tho accompanying drewings Figure Lis a plan view of a Lghtaing-aresting devi Gotstructed acoarding tomy tnvontion, Fi. Tiga end view of the saute; and Pig. SIs. side elevation Tn thesaid drawings, the refereneo-numexal 1 designates thebase of te insteunsout, which isreotangalar in form, and may bo. mae of any suitable material sueh as wood, lass, 6. “Motnted upon one end of Unse 1 ave a series of treo reetungrtlar blocks 2, 5, and 4. ‘These blocks should be madaot wood or other hon-eondieting, material. Seenred to these Dlocks by seraws of bolts 5 are the metalife condueting-plates8,7,8,and. ‘These plates avo arranged. in pales—that is to say, plates and 8 are scaued to blooks 2nd, while the plates 7'and 8 are. seenred to biock 3. ‘ho Adjacent edges of the plates of each pair ave serrated, a8 seen in Fig. ‘he nme 10 and 1 designate cr ninals of elreit one positive and the other negative, and a branch 12 from cach is con nected to plates Gand 9 by means of clumps 13. These clamps ave composed of angular pleoos of metal seotted tothe conducting: Plates and in eleetrie eonneetion therewith, may enmy at thelr tree ends screw-threaded metal bolts 14, which support the branch wires 12 from the main line by means of the up- tumned ends15. The plates 7nd Sato ground: Plates and. are contected to giound-wire 16 Byelamps 1717, connecting-wites 18 18, solon- alds 1918, and wires 20 30. "The solenotds 10 ave composed, as usual, of the instlated coils 21-21, the connecting stationary arm {tr022,and the movable cores 2323, conmectod by eross-pieee 24. ‘The cores 28 ntv capable of frvely sliding within the coils 21. ‘The numeral 25 designates n metallic bent lever of sem. IU is pivoted oF fuleruied. at Its Tower enlarged end in the bracket or sup: port 36, soured to base 1 by menus ofthe al Jastable beating-serews 27, ‘This lever ex- tends apwardly-a short distaneo and is then curved and extended horizontally to about the eenterot the solenoid, where itis provided with a brass clamp 28, To this clamp 28 aro Zeoured the copper oF other metallic prongs 60 9° 952 29 29, which are curved! outwardly and then extended horizontally till they li above the conneeting-plates 6 anil 8, Secured centrally to the connecting-picce 24 of tho solonoids is a lug 30, whieh is piy- ofed to tho said lever 25 jist above where it is fulerumed,so that as the eores of the solon- oid are moved in or out the prongs 29 are moved down into or out of contact with the plates 6 and 9. Secured to the Ing 30 is one end of a coiled spring 31, the outer end being seenred to the end of a set-serew 82, having thumb-nut 33, by which the tension of the spring can be regulated. ‘This serew is ‘mounted in the brackets 34, secured to baso 1. ‘Tho operation of the deviee is as follows: ‘The drawings show the instramentin its nor- mal position. Should tho line be struek by lightning or overcharged with induced eur renls, the charge will jump from the serrated edges of plato 6 to plite7 and from plate 9 to plaie 8, camying with it the dynamo-current Forming ares between plates’ 6, 7, 8 and 9. ‘Tho ehargo of lightning passes otf'to' ground. from plates 7 and $ through wires 9020, solen- ids 19 19, wires 18 18,clamps 17 17,and wire 16; bat the dynamo-eurrent (vory little of whieh passes to ground untess the Iiue is grounded, whieh should never be allowed) males itseir cuit from the ares formed throngh wires 2020 and solenoids 18 19. Whenever this is done the solenoids beeome magnetic and the cores 23 23 ave drawn into tho coils 21 21, pulling the lever 25 down until its extensions or prongs 20 29 touch the plates Gand 9. ‘The frst cireuit through the ares, &e., having a greater resistance than the one just formed through prongs 29 29, pieeo 28, and plates 6 and 9, the current takes the latter course which’ shorbeiveuits both pairs of conduct ing-plates and breaks the ares of each as the current. no Tonger passes through the solen- oids, ‘The cores 23 23 are released and tho tension of the spring 31 draws all tho parts eonnecied with It Iviek to their normal posi- tions, whieh, it will he obvioas, separates the prongs 29 29 from contaet with plates 6 and 4, thus breaking thesceond short eirenit. and compelling the dynamo-eurrent to take its 50 proper eotse. Having thus desoribed my invention, what, Telaim is— 1, The combination, with the conducting 35 30 35 40 45 426,398, lator 6 and 9, connected with a tino-cseute tio eonductingeplates 7 and 8 adjacent there: 55 | fo, choconnoctingzwires 2020, solencids 1919, | cohmocting-vis'18 18, and gromdwiro 18 Ot the plvoted lever 25, actuated by the cores of the solenois and having the pronum 29 29, Which make eontuet with the plates 0 nud 9. ‘when actuated by the solenoids, substantially as desertbod 2! 'The combination, with plates 6 and 9 conagetod with alineciven the plates and Srnajacout thereto, the eanaectingewives 20 65 2) solenois 1, connestingewives 18.18, and groand-vire 16, of the lover 25, pivoted oF Fitertmed in &, bracket on the base ty and hhaving prongs 29 29, adapted to make eloo trical contact with plates 6 and 9, and means, sibistantially as described, coneated. Said lover, whereby iti eas to resus ora ition, a and fr the Prose ae ort 5. The combination, with the eondaeting- 75 panies and 9, connectad with a ine-lretiG tie plates 7 and Sadjacont thereto, the solen- tds 19 12, eonsisting of cols 21-22 asied by statlounry armature 22, the cores 23 33, std ing in snid eolls and connected by cross piece Bir he wites 20 20, conneeting te solohoils and plates 7-8, and. the wires 1815 and 1, connecting tho soleholds to. gronnd, of the pivoted lever 26,hawing Uke prongs orexteem- {ies 29 29, and eonmected with the coves 2923, so as to nove sherowith, and tho spring 31” eonneeted with tho lever aud provided with thumbarue 3, substantiate ns loser Tho combination, with pintes connected vith a lineirent-plates 7 ‘jacent thereto, stationary atinalure’3, cols 2121, cores 29 2, cross poo 24, comnosting. wires 20 20 15 18, and ground-wie 10, of the trim 25, having prongs 2020 is forer end be sng pivoted in Drnekets 25, by means of ho ‘Adjustable sotsurows 27, the lug 60, secured to eross-plece 24 and pivotal to lever 2, the tele sing 31, set-erow 92, and haben 55, sfostantialy- ns desorbed ia testimony that T ein tie oregoing as my own Thave hereunto affixed my’ signature Jn presence of tivo witnesses. “ARIUUR D, bo re 0 85 9s PEAR. Witnesses: JA. MeDaxmn, TM, McBee.