Jail Cells. Page: 3 of 4
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOHN S. THOMAS, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR TO ELLEN C. THOMAS,
OF SAME PLACE.
IMPROVEMENT IN JAIL-CELLS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 199,879, dated January 29, 1878; application filed
May 18, 1877.To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, JOHN S. THOMAs, of
Fort Worth, Tarrant county, Texas, have in-
vented-certain new and useful Improvements
in Construction of Jail-Cells, of which the fol-
lowing is a specification:
My improvement consists in constructing the
cell and corridor walls of sections of chilled
cast-iron, each section being formed with a re-
cess on the outer side, with transverse tubu-
lar ribs extending from side to side of the re-
cess, and traversed by horizontal wrought-iron
rods, by which the sections are connected to-
gether.
The sections are shown a small distance
apart, and each section on one side has a tubu-
lar projection or distance-stud fitting in a re-
cess of the next section, which stud may be
separate, but fitting in between the vertical
pieces, with recess in each to receive stud, and
through which passes the rod by which the
sections are connected together.
The tubular ribs and studs completely hide
theconnecting-rods. At thecorners are wooden
posts,through which the connecting-rods pass,
as shown, so as to attach the walls together,
the iron covering completely the wood at the
inside of the cell.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a horizontal
section, showing a cell, corridor, and vestibule
at one corner of a jail. Fig. 2 is an outside
elevation of a doorway. Fig. 3 is a horizontal
section through one edge of the door and
frame. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through
one corner of a cell. Fig. 5 is an inside eleva-
tion of parts of one of the cast sections enter-
ing into the construction of the walls, part in
section. Fig. 6 is an edge view of parts shown
in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a
part of the lower end of one of the door-posts.
A A are the outer walls of the jail, faced
upon the inner side with a sheeting, a, of sheet-
iron. Attached around the embrasure or
openings are chilled castings B, forming a lin-
ingthereto. Cisa cell. Dis corridor,usually
communicating with a number of cells. E is
a vestibule between the corridor and the hall F.
The cell-walls are formed of a number of up-
right cast-iron sections, G, standing side by
side, and attached together and to the corner-posts H by horizontal bolts I, extending
through the sections and corner-posts or door-
frames, as the case may be. Each section con-
sists of a face-plate, g, side flanges or ribs g',
and hollow castings GI at bottom and G at
top. The lower and upper ends G and G are
attached to the sills J and head beams K by
boltsj and k, whose heads are in the hollows,
as shown. The foot and head castings are cast
in one piece with the upright portion G3, form-
ing with it one section, G, presenting a fiat
surface, g, to the interior of the cell and a re-
cess upon the outside, as shown at g2.
It will be seen that the head GI and base G'
are open upon one side, so that access can be
had for the insertion of the bolt; and this open-
ing is closed by the next section as it is added
to the wall, as shown in Fig. 5, where said
hollow or recess is shown in section. It will
be seen that the tops fit together with a rab-
bet-joint at j.
The cast sections are made with transverse
ribs i extending across the recess gp, and in
line with the rib i is a stud, i, extending from
section to section. The stud it and rib i are
centrally bored for the passage of the rod 1.
The stud i' may be cast solid with one sec-
tion, and fit in a recess, i2, of the next section,
as shown, or it may be made in the form of a
detached collar for the bolt I, and fit in recesses
ji in both sections.
Thus it will be seen thatno part of the hori-
zontal bolt I is exposed.
The floor and ceiling of the cell are made up
in the same manner as the sides, except that
the sections may be in close contact through-
out their length. They are attached, respect-
ively, to the sills and head timbers, in such a
way as to hide said timbers from view, so that
the prisoner cannot work upon them. In any
of the walls the sections may in like manner
be put in close contact, or the spaces between
them be wider or narrower.
In making the door-frames I first erect an-
gle-posts L at the sides, and through them pass
the bolts I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, said
bolts securing them to the walls. Thenagainst
the posts L, I erect the door-frame M hi 1 M2,
of which M IM are the uprights, 1' the thresh-
old, and Mi the lintel. This frame is cast in
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Thomas, John S. Jail Cells., patent, January 29, 1878; [Washington D.C.]. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth169698/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.