The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-11-12
ELECTRIC SEARCH LIGHTS.
Some Of the Uses to Which They Are
Applied on Board Ship.


Few pretentious ships built within
the last live or six years whether men
of-war or ocean steamers are to-day
unproyidcd with the electric light. and
the electric light is of inestimable ben
eft. both below deck and above 10
those who 90 down 10 the sea in ships,
says Electricity. Very great strides
have been made of late Years in the
Improvement and use of projectors. or
search lights. one or more of which
should certainly be carried by every
steamer engaged in ocean traffic.
OF course it goes without saving
that projectors have become practical
-ly Indispensable in the equipment of a
modern warship. Not only are the
powerful beams of light whicl they
furnish of great assistance in signalin.
and Ill entering dIllicnit harbors ut
night, but they constitute very val
liable element of defense against tor
Isedo attacks and even against large
vessels. A British naval officer, in "A
paper on tac subject OF harbor defense.
or ships versu, forts. recently give cx-
presSion To The opinion that less ex-
penditure on big guns and lite
more on large search lights would be
distinctly advantageous. lie in stancea
what would be the utter bewildcrment
of a captain OF an iron-clad cndcavor-
ing TO force Il narrow passage at night
time in the glare of Il haif-doZcn we'll
handled projectors. An accidental
but very valuable testimony TO the
value of the search light as Il means of
defense was given oulv Il month or two
ago by he loss in Cherbourg liarbor
of the Frenca torpedo boat Edmund
Fontaine. which WAS run down bv "A
cruiser. whose captain was dazzlcd by
the rays of a search light.
1t is not the intention here however
to expatiate particularly on the search
light as an instrument of war on land
or at sea. but more particularly to
refer to its value in times Of peace,
When by lis use fearful catastrophes
might be prevented or their effects les
sened. The terrible loss of life which
occurred quite recently in Gibraltar
bay, when the emigraut ship Utopia
was lost, would undoubtedly have
been far greater had it not been for
the fact that all the vessels of the Brit
ish squadron were wtN- provided with
search lights. The powerful rays of
light were concentrated on the spot
where the ill fated steamer sank, and
the work of rescuing the struggling
unfortunates, who were battling for
life with the angry waters, was carried
on rs if by daylight. If there had
beeu no electric light many of those
saved would certainly have been
passed by and the death-rol would
have numbered many more victims
than it did.
There is no doubt that If every large
passenger steamer was provided with
several search lights many dangers
would be avoided and the yearly loss
of life at sea- would be greatly lesscned.
It's statement applies especially to
emigrant steamers IN which SO many
lives are in jeopardy in time of dan
ger. 1t has been recommended that
the equipment OF such vessels with
search lights should be made compu-
sorry by the governments of the coun-
tries under whose flags they sail and
at whose ports they touch.
In foggy weather the search light
forms a far more reliable indication of
Il ships whereabouts than the gruff
tones of the fog-horn or whistle.
Thrown up toward the sky the beam is
discernible at Il considerable distance.
and by the angle WHICH it forms with
the surface of the water the direction
in which the ship is steaming is made
plain.
Within recent years great improve
ments have been effected in the con-
~ ali nf npAioatpr- J'hni,. ,4H
cheney has been increased so that "A
more powerful light is obtained with a
given c"''rent. AMI the mechanical
part of lie lamp has been so much im-
proved that the greatest simplicity in
working is obtained.
Formerly it was necessary to regu-
!aic protector by hand. the lamp
needing continual attention 10 main
tain good light and project it In the
desired direction. Now all this is
effected automatically. and a whole
battery of search lights can be manip-
ulated by the captain of the vessel
from the bridge or coming tower by
simply pressing key or turning
switch.
As an instance Of the simplicity OF a
search light outfit and the advanta-
geouS use to which it can be put it is
only necessary to look to the naviga-
tion of the Suez canal. Vessels unpro-
vded with the electric light can hire a
complete plant when entering the
canal either ut Suez or Port Said.
The whole arrangement can be set up
in an hour or two. and the steamer
can then go through the canal ut
night. Formerly every ship in the
canal had to tie up to the banks at
night. aud the passage often occupied
fifty or sixty hours. Now it is gener-
ally made in eighteen or twenty hours.
and Oh some occasions even quicker
time has been made