Untitled record

Application filed January 21,1896. Serial Ko. 576,355, (No model.)

To all, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Phelps Johnson, of the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Canada, have 5 invented certain new and useful Improvements in Columns; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates more particularly to io metal columns for supporting “trolley-wires ” or the wires of telephone, telegraph, electric lights, electric power, or other like systems, although it is equally applicable wherever tapered columns are required.

The object of the invention is to provide columns for the purposes indicated, built up of cheap and easily-obtained sections of rolled metal at small expense for labor and manufacture, that will readily permit the attach20 ment of cross-arms, brackets, and other connections for wires, that will be pleasing in appearance, and so proportioned and shaped that the strength or resistance of the column against bending will increase from top to bot25 tom or to the point of support against horizontal stresses, (usually at the ground-level,) as it is desirable to resist the strains caused by wind stresses, unbalanced stresses from the wires supported, and other horizontal 30 stresses to which the column may be subjected at or near the top.

The desired results of pleasing appearance and varying strength of the column can best be obtained by making the columns tapered, 35 increasing in both or all lateral dimensions from the top toward the bottom, and of such construction that the area of metal available for resisting bending strains increases from the top toward the bottom of the column.

My invention may be said, briefly, to consist in combining into the form of a tapered column four angles having one or both legs tapered or of varying width and a tapered web, which may be a plate-web, throughout 45 the length of the column, or a lattice-web throughout the length of the column, or any combination of plate and lattice webs or crossbars and tie-plates, so long as the four tapered angles are firmly united by the web 5 ο member or members and are kept in proper position, the smaller ends of the tapered angles being always at the top of the column and the uneven legs of the angles being placed perpendicular to the web of the column. The tapered angles may be made either by bend- 55 ing tapered plates into angular form or by shearing off a portion of the legs of ordinary rolled angles, or in any other way; but it is . my preference to obtain the tapered angles by cutting ordinary rolled channels longitu- 60 dinally and slightly diagonally along the web, each channel thus making two angles, having one leg of varying width and two channels cutting without waste into the four angles required for a column, and the construction 65 described readily admits of the attachment of cross-arms, brackets, side pins, and all other necessary supports for insulators and wires.

For full comprehension, however, of the 70 invention reference must be .had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like symbols indicate the same parts, and wherein—

Figure 1 represents in plan view a section 75 of channel - iron divided according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a complete coin mn constructed according to my invention. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 80 4 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken on line 4 4, Fig. 2.. Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 4, but taken on line 5 5, Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a similar view to Figs. 4 and 5, but taken on lineG G, Fig. 1; Fig. 7, a view simi- 85 lartoFig. 4, but enlarged and illustrating the application of reinforcing-sections thereto.

I prefer to construct a column by dividing an ordinary section of channel-iron 7 diagonally, as shown by line 10 in Fig. 1, thus 90 forming tapered lengths of angle-irons 8 and 9. These lengths of angle-iron are then connected together at their wider ends, preferably by a solid tapered web-section 11, extending about one-third of the length thereof, 95 and to the edges of which the flanges 8^a and 9^a of the lengths 8 and 9 are riveted. The balance of the length of these angle-irons may be connected together at intervals either by transverse bars 13, or, as I prefer, by lattice- 100 work formed of diagonal bars 12, connected at their ends between the flanges 8^a 9^a of the lengths of angle-iron. When a column thus formed is to be used for supporting trolley573,151 . wires, the transverse bars 13 would preferably be extended at one end to project laterally in the direction of such trolley-wire and perforated, as at 13^a, to allow the usual 5 hanger-wires 14 to be connected therewith, or a bracket-piece could be riveted to the side of the column.

In a case where cross-arms would be required, as in telephone or telegraph poles, io any preferable form of cross-arm may be secured near the upper end of the column and suitably braced, either as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 or otherwise.

For columns of unusual height or requir15 ing to be of unusual strength the construction described above may be readily reinforced either by riveting to the outside of the adjacent angle-irons 8 and 9 tapered reinforcing-plates 17, of such length as may be 20 necessary, or by riveting to the inside of the legs of such angle-iron rolled bars 18 or angle-irons 19, or be reinforced in any other desirable way.

It is not essential that the column be ta25 pered full length, and it will sometimes be economical and not unsightly to make the portion in the ground and just above the ground surface of uniform width in one or both dimensions; but for strength and. for 30 appearance it is essential that the columns be tapered for the greater portion of visible length.

It will be obvious that any of the modifications mentioned and illustrated of the means 35 for supporting wires may be used and other changes in tlie construction made, such as making the coin inn of one even width throughout, and the invention adapted to various uses other than for supporting telephone, tele40 graph, and. trolley wires without departing from the spirit of my invention.