Wire Field Gates. 



195 



To remedy this, and also overcome the chance of the gate catch- 

 ing, two latches are here employed, one at the top and one at 

 the bottom of the gate. This fastens the gate at once at both 

 extremities. They are coupled together by a wire, so as to lift 

 stimultaneously on pressure at the handle above. This gate 

 weighs about 80 lb., and can be made and put up for about 

 1/. 8s., a price considerably under that which is ordinarily charged 

 for common wooden gates. 



Fig. 36. is a fan wire gate. Its skeleton is exactly the same in 

 every way with that q( Jig. 35., only that the horizontal rail m n 



is omitted as superfluous. The wires which constitute the fan 

 are fastened at their outer extremities by being driven up like 

 nail heads : at the point of their convergence they are screwed 

 tight up by a nut. They at once improve the appearance of the 

 gate, and make it so close as to be nearly game proof, while 

 every single ray acts as a sustainer to some part of the bar. The 

 curved segment into which they terminate, is a strong bar similar 

 to that out of which the upper and lower rails are fashioned. A 

 gate of this form was made to swing for some time to and fro, with 

 a weight of 860 lb. at its extremity, and not the slightest alteration 

 in its shape could be perceived : its weight is from 85 to 95 lb., 

 and it costs from 1/. \5s. to 21. The only person, the excellence 

 of whose workmanship the inventor undertakes to warrant in fol- 

 lowing out the principles on which the wire gate is constructed, 

 is Mr. John Douglas, blacksmith, Cupar, Fifeshire; although 

 there is nothing in their form or structure which may not be exe- 

 cuted by any ordinary blacksmith, so soon as he comes fully to 

 appreciate the principle. Mr. Douglas is named as having been 

 trained by the inventor. The same principle is equally appli- 

 cable to toll bars as to park gates ; and, indeed, is the more im- 

 portant in its uses the more extended is the span of the gate. 

 Fig. 37. is a park gate with wickets on this plan. The span of 

 the gate is 12 ft. ; the wickets are 2^ ft. wide, and 6 ft. high. The 

 supporters may be made of open iron castings. The wickets 

 could be made for about 18s. apiece, the gate itself for 4/. or 

 51. 105. in all. A very small fraction indeed of the price com- 

 monly paid for park gates of similar appearance and show. It 

 is not yet ten months since the first of these gates was put up ; 



