US286182A - Fence - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. H. CUNNINGHAM & N. M. DIOKERSZON.

FENCE.

Patented Oct. '9, 1883.

, o fence to fall in one direction or the other.

NIED STATES JAMES H. CUNNINGHAM AND NOBVEL M. DIGKERSON, OF CROSS TIMBERS,

MISSOURI.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,182, dated October 9, 1883,,

Application filed April 25, 1883. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J AMES H. CUNNING- HAM and N ORVEL M. DIOKERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Cross Timbers, 5 in the county of Hickory and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences, of which the follow ingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide a fence of such construction that it can be rapidly set up, and at the same time shall be of such nature that when great pressure is brought to bear against it by water, wind, or otherwise, the fence shall yield sufficiently to prevent any serious destruction of the parts of which it is composed.

Figurel is a side elevation of a fence embodying our invention, the panel portions being of wire. Fig. 2 is a view of one of the posts. Fig. 3 is a view of the base-plate of one of the posts. Fig. 4 is a View of a portion of a fence in which the panels are eo1nposed of wire and boards.

I11 the drawings, A represents the ground portion of one of the posts and A A the part which is above ground. The part A, that is inserted into the ground, may be generally I of any preferred character, if at the top it be provided with a bed-plate adapted to receive the other parts.

In the drawings we have shown a plate, a, adapted for the purposes. at which we aim. Preferably it has a smooth top surface, and

upon this rests the bottom plate, A, of the upper part of the post. joined together in such manner that if pressure be exerted against the post the plates can separate, so as to allow the upper part of the form a series of apertures near the periphery of the base-plate A, and provide the bottom plate, a, with connecting devices.

5 necting devices upon one side are of a hinge 4 5 character, being formed, by means of an eye, 13, 1

of wire or suitable material, which is passed through an eye, a, in the lower plate, and an eye, a, in the upper. On the other side of the post there is a staple, 1), shown as project ing upwardly, and adapted to pass through one of the apertures of the series in the plate A. Preferably this staple is situated dia- Said two plates are 1 The conmetrically opposite to the hinge at B, and after said staple is passed upward through the corresponding aperture in the plate A a wooden pin, If, is passed through the staple. This pin is of such size and strength that it will hold the fence against all ordinary pressure and keep the post firmly in an upright position; but at the same time it is not so strong but that when an extraordinary pressure is brought to bear against the post upon the side on which said wooden pin is situated it can break and allow the post to fall over toward the opposite side. Casting the parts A A of the post with enlarged plates not only prevents it from sinking into the earth where the fence passes over marshy or boggy places, but also, affords an opportunity for easily and cheaply hinging the two parts together, while by having the perforations at different points around the plates we can so hinge the parts that the post shall fall in the direction of the current of water, even should the fence cross the water-course at other 7 5 than a right angle. Therefore when a body of water, as in a flood or freshet, presses against the fence, the posts at which a great pressure is exerted can fall over and allow the water to pass, and also the floating wood and debris, which, as is well known, is carried in large quantities by such bodies of water. As there are several apertures in the base-plate A, the ground-plate a can be set in such position as to have the staple 1) correspond with any of the apertures, and therefore the wood en pin which holds the post up can be set up on the side at which the extraordinary pressure will be probably brought to bear.

The upper part, A A", of the post can be 0 made in any suitable way. We prefer to construct it of metal.

It will be seen that our invention is applica ble to fences constructed of wire, to those made of wood, and those partly of wire and partly of wood.

The panels E of the fence may consist of a series of boards, slats, bars, or wires, attached to the post in any preferred way; butwe prcfer the mode of attachment shown, the panels rec in Fig. 1 consisting of wires and those in Fig. 4 of wires and boards, they being attached to the posts in the following manner:

The alternate posts A", Figs. 1 and 4, are

' longitudinally.

@ semen provided with slots 0, in which the wire is loosely supported, the others having apertures D, through which the wire is passed Access is had to the slot 0 thrOugh angular or inclined slots 0, that extend from the side ofthe post inward until they communicate with said slot 0. The slots are so arranged as that a downwardly-projecting spur, c, and an upwardly-projecting spur, c, overlap each other and prevent the wire from escaping horizontally from the slots 0.

The wire can be introduced very easily into the slots 0, as it is only necessary to bend it a little relatively to the horizon and slip it in from the edge of the post. The ends of the wire are also provided with fastening devices f )1 connecting them to the posts, which permit an automatical detachment of the wires therefrom. The wires have loops or eyes (1 formed thereon, which, when the fence is up. lie immediately adjacent to the sides of the posts. Throughthese. wooden pins (1 are passed ,whi ch bear against the post and receive the strain. \Vhen the strain upon the wire becomes very great, the pins will break and allow the ends of the wire to escape from the post, and as soon as the wires have thus been released from the post the pressure will be so decreased as not to endanger the parts which are left stand.

ing.

Under some circumstances we prefer to have the alternateposts A" (those provided with the slots, 0 and G) permanently secured in a vertical position, or, at least, so fastened that they cannot be thrown down without its being done purposely, for if the adjacent posts are allow to yield and fall the posts that are per-. nianently held will be freed from disastrous pressure, as above described.

In Fig. 4 we have shown a fence constructed with our improvement, in which the horizontal parts thereof consist of boards E. These latter may befastene'd to the posts by a wire, 0, and wooden pin at one end and a wire, 0, at the other, said parts being so arranged that the wooden pin can break to allow the bar or rail to move away from the line of the fence to relieve it of pressure. This construction possesses certain advantages not incident to that shown in the other figures. In this case there is no liability that the wire or panels shall, after parting from the posts, be carried by the water away from the central or supporting post, A, the boards preventing the wire from being drawn through the slot 0, should oneend be caught by the passing dbris.

From the above description it will be seen that the panels are arranged in sets of two, havingtheir adjacent endssecurely but flexibly connected to a post, while their opposite ends are connected to the posts so as to yield to undue strain without fracture of the pan-' els, and allow the whole panel portion to be held by the central post.

, \Ve are aware that a post for flood-fences,

having a lower part inserted in the ground, and an upper portion, to which the panels are attached, hinged to said lower part, these two portions being of substantially the same size throughout, has been known; but our post possesses advantages over such construction, the plates at A preventing the post from sinking too far into the earth where the fence crosses wet or boggy ground, where such fences are most frequently used, while by perforating the plates at different places we are enabled easily to hinge the two parts together and to change the point of hinging, and hence the direction in which the post shall fall, should this be necessary, which cannot be done with any other post of which we have knowledge.

\Vhat we claim is- I 1. A fence-post consisting of the upper and lower parts, A and A, they being provided, respectively, with enlarged perforated plates A and a, which prevent the post from sinking into the earth, and means passing through the perforations, which detachably secure said parts together, and permit them to be fastened at different points around said plates, substantially as set forth.

2. A fence-post composed of the upper portion, A provided at its lower end with an enlarged perforated plate, A, a lower portion, A, provided at its upper end with an enlarged plate, a, upon which rests the plate A, and having a staple, 7), adapted to pass through one of the apertures in plate A, an eye of wire, B, forming a hinge between parts A A", and a-pin adapted to pass through said sta ple, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fence, the combination, with the posts, of the panels attached to the posts by wires looped at their ends, and pins passing through the loops, which pins, when under extraordinary pressure, break and free the ends of the panels, Without fracture of the same, substantially as set forth.

4. In a flood-fence, the combination, with the posts, of the panels permanently but flexibly attached to the post A, and attached to posts A by means of wires looped at their ends, and pins passing through the loops in the Wires, which pins break under extraordinary pressure of water and allow the panels to swing around with the current and be held only by post A, substantially as set forth.

ICO

5. In a flood-fence, the combination, with JAMES H. GUNNINGHAllh N ORVEL M. DIGKERSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN 0. BROWN, A. F. DOAK.

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