IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE DANGER SIGNALS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Major Dane Porter of Boston Suffolk County Massachusetts
United States of America but a Subject of Great Britain for an Invention of
LETTERS PATENT to Major Dane Porter of Boston Suffolk County Massachusetts
United States of America but a Subject of Great Britain for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE DANGER SIGNALS
2
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Major Dane Porter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd July 1883.
MAJOR DANE PORTER, of Boston, Suffolk County Massachusetts, United States
of America but a Subject of Great Britain "IMPROVEMENTS IN MARINE DANGER
SIGNALS"
This invention relates to a device or machine for producing signals by currents
of steam, air, or other fluid driven through a whistle, fog siren, or other object
capable of emitting audible sounds, and consists in certain details of mechanical
construction as hereinafter explained.
The drawings accompanying this specification represent in Figure 1. a plan, in
Figures 2. a side elevation, in Figures 3. a vertical section, and in Figure 4. a
horizontal section of a device embodying my invention. Figure 5. is a view of the
piston plug. Figure 6. is a.section of the steam supply valve.
In the above named drawings A represents a vertical steam, cylinder supported
at bottom upon the top of vertical columns B B¹ B2 B3 erected upon a suitable bed
plate or foundation C-this cylinder A having supply ports CC, exhaust ports C,
piston D, and piston rod E, valve chamber F, valve G, and valve, rod, after the
manner of steam engines in general, the steam supply pipe of the valve chamber
being shown at A¹.
To operate the valve G, I employ a horizontal oscillating pallet or lever H,
pivoted at about its center to one side of the cylinder A, the front end of this
lever being pivoted in any suitable manner to the valve rod, the opposite or rear
end of said lever being pivoted to a vertical bar I supported by and playing in
guides in the frame of the machine said frame consisting in the present instance
of the base plate and columns before named, and a top head plate J surmounting
such columns.
1
K in the drawings represents a steam supply pipe which connects directly, with

page_text: a steam whistle, fog siren or other signal device capable of being operated by a
current or blast of steam, air, or other elastic fluid; the said pipe being provided
with a valve L by which the admission of fluid to the signal device is governed.
The office of the steam cylinder is mainly to operate the actuator which controls
the valve L while such valve lets on steam at the beginning of the complete
sounding of the signal code, and. shuts off such steam when such sounding is
finished, preparatory to a second sounding.
To actuate the lever H as occasion may demand, I employ a vertical corrugated
cylinder M formed with annular ledges a a etc., of equal diameter and equidistant
from each other, this corrugated cylinder being supported by, and capable of sliding
upon a vertical shaft B5 journaled in the plates C J, and being raised and lowered
upon such shaft by a cross-head O which has a horizontal arm P that straddles the
lower end of said cylinder which is peripherally grooved to to receive said arm.
The cross-head O is supported by, and slides vertically upon parallel upright ways
or slides Q Q formed upon opposite sides of the columns B B¹ before named, and is
secured to, and carried by the lower outer end of the piston rod E.
At the close of each complete sounding of the code, whatever the length of such
sounding may be, the cylinder must return to its starting or initial point of action,
and to effect this I secure to the periphery of more or less of the ledges of the
cylinder lateral spurs bb etc., these spurs being distributed in manner as is
requisite to carry out any given order of notes of the signal.
To actuate the valve L of the whistle supply pipe, I employ a three armed lever
or pallet R, which is capable of compound motion; that is a rocking motion on
its pivot, and a bodily swinging motion from its upper end as a pivot. To enable
this to be done, I pivot the lever or pallet R at its corner to the outer end of
the stem c of the valve L by a gimbal joint as shown at d; and I insert the upper
end of the upper vertical arm e of said lever in a horizontal lateral slot f formed
in a bracket g secured to the upper part of the case of the valve L.
The free end of the horizontal arm h of the lever R operates with a stud i
secured to the upper part of the vertical bar I before named, while the lower end
of the lower vertical arm j'of said lever operates with the ledges of the actuator or
cylinder M as the latter descends in the act of sounding the various individual
notes of the code.
After the completion of the sounding of the entire code, an interval of time of
comparatively considerable length should elapse before the beginning of another
sounding, and in my present' machine I take advantage of this lapse of time in
which to return the actuator M to its initial, that is, its highest point; and during
this time the pallet H must be idle, that is, out of engagement with the cylinder
or actuator M.
This is accomplished by a spur k on the bar I, which spur, as the actuator reaches
the lowest point in its descent after sounding the last note of the code, is struck by
the flange on the top of the actuator, the result being that the upper arm'e of
the pallet H is lowered, and its lower arm j thrown out of engagement with the
ledges of the actuator M.
At the same time that the actuator or cylinder M completes its descent and
thrusts the lever or pallet R to one side, as stated, the action of the bar I strikes
against and lowers the rear end of the oscillating lever H and raises the front of
such lever; thereby lifting the valve rod I and shifting the valve G and changing
the direction of the stroke of the cross-head O.
To prevent rotary motion of the actuator M upon its supporting shaft B' and' yet
permit it to slide vertically upon such shaft, I employ a spline and groove
connection between the two, as shown in the drawings: The ledges of the
actuator M are to be mutilated, that is, cut away in places, according to the order
in which the notes of the signal are to be sounded-that is to say, according to the
number of such notes; and the length of the pause between them; some of these
mutilations being shown at m m etc.
:
A suitable dial plate, containing. the code which is to govern the machine, is

page_text: secured to a suitable standard, and to adjust the actuator M in accordance with this
code dial I secure to the top of the shaft B4 a plate or head T; and to the top of
this head T I secure a horizontal beveled gear U which is engaged by a second.
beveled gear. V secured to one end of a horizontal shaft W, the inner end of such
shaft being journaled in a hanger X depending from the head plate J before named
while the outer end of such shaft W carries a beveled gear X¹ which engages
beveled gear X² secured to the lower end of a vertical shaft Y, the upper end of
this latter shaft carrying a hand wheel Z by which the position of the shaft B* and
actuator M are determined or adjusted axially.
If my machine is adapted to navigable vessels to give danger signals, the
actuator M and the mechanism connected with it will be located in the engine
room of such vessel, while the hand wheel and the dial plate before mentioned are
situated upon the deck or bridge of the vessel. It is necessary or very desirable
that after the sounding of the code has begun no interruption of such sounding
shall or can take place until the code of sounds is completed; and to effect this result
I form in the periphery of the head before named a series of notches a¹ a¹ etc.,
while operating with these notches I employ a dog or latch b¹ pivoted at one end
to the top of the head plate J before named, the nose c¹ of this latch taking into
the notches of the head and being impelled toward such head, and into engagement
with said notches by a spring d¹.
The machine, in the present instance, is adapted to operate with a mariner's
compass card engraved upon the dial plate before named; this compass card
containing, in addition to the normal points of the compass, three additional points
designating that the vessel is "hove to," "reversed engines," and "prolonged blast,"
the latter denoting that the vessel is about leaving port.
The dog or latch b¹ locks the head T and actuator M in position by means of
the notches a¹ a¹ etc. in the head, hence the number of these notches must coincide.
with the number of points upon the compass card, which, as before stated, are in
this instance eleven-viz., N-N E-E―S E-S-S W-W-N W-hove to-
reversed engine-prolonged blast.
To throw the latch 61 out of engagement with the notched periphery of the
head T, or rather to unlock such latch, and permit the head to be rotated, and slip
over the latch when the complete sounding of the code has ceased, thereby
permitting the position of the actuator to be changed to vary the order of the
notes of the whistle, I compel the rod I before named to perform another function,
which is this as the actuator is descending and actuating the lever or pallet R to
open and close the valve L, and sound the various notes of said whistle, the said
rod I is at its highest point and its upper end remains behind the latch b¹ and
compels the latter to engage the teeth of the head T and prevent turning of the
latter. As the actuator reaches its lowest point, and the sounding of the code has
been completed, the rod I is lowered by the flange 6 of the actuator striking against
the spur of said rod, thereby freeing the head or wheel T and permitting it to
slip over the dog b¹ and be set to the desired point.
I desire to add to my machine a governor, to regulate the length of time,
between the various notes of the code, in order that the intervals of time
demanded by such code may be carried out. I accomplish this in the present
instance, by embodying twin cylinders C¹ C₁ disposed upon opposite sides of the
steam cylinder A. before named, and parallel therewith, and in each of these
cylinders I place a piston D¹ the rod E¹ of which connects with one end of the
cross-head O before named. The cylinders C'C' are filled with oil, or other fluid
of considerable density, and an opening e¹ is made through each piston, through
which the oil must flow as the pistons traverse the cylinders. The opening"
may be combined with a cock to increase or diminish its size, and thereby
accelerate or retard the speed of the piston. I prefer, however, as a simple way
of effecting the desired result, to screw through each piston a plug f¹ and cut in
one side of this plug a longitudinous tapering channel g¹ through which the oil
must pass. By screwing the plug f' in one direction the size of the opening
el
.

page_text: through the piston is enlarged, the resistance to the oil in the cylinder lessened,
and the speed with which the two pistons and consequently the actuator M, move?
are, accelerated, and vice versa.
1
The operation of my machine, as above constructed, is as follows: supposing
the code to which it is adapted to require that the SE point of the compass, for
instance, shall be denoted by the following blasts of the whistle-that is, two
blasts in succession, with an interval say of two seconds, then an interval of time
of six seconds, and finally one blast followed by a long pause of fifteen seconds,
which indicates that one complete sounding of the code has taken place-aud
these sounds and intervals to be repeated so long as the actuator M is not changed
in position axially upon its shaft-and supposing also that the actuator is at its
highest or initial point of action. In this case the points of the ledges of the
actuator which are in line with the lower arm j of the pallet or lever R are intact
except one, which has a mutilation or notch h¹ to permit this flange or ledge to
pass over without actuating said lever arm; therefore as the actuator descends, the
first two ledges operate successively upon the lever or pallet R, and this pallet in
turn operates the valve L to produce the two blasts of the whistle with the
required interval of two seconds.
The notch or mutilation h¹ now passes by the pallet R without actuating the
latter, or sounding the signal, and the actuator travels till its next succeeding
flange strikes the pallet and sounds the last note required, with a lapse of time of
six seconds.
The flange of the actuator M now abuts against the spur k on the rod or bar I
and the latter is lowered, thereby tilting the oscillating lever or latch H, and in so
doing raising the valve rod G¹ and steam valve G, and changing the direction of
the stroke of the cross-head O and of the actuator; at the same time the descent
of the rod or bar I lowers the horizontal arm h of the pallet R and throws the
lower arm j of such pallet out of the path of movement of the ledges of the
actuator. The cylinder or actuator M now rises without effect upon the pallet R,
or sounding the whistle, until it returns to its initial point, from which we started ;*
the period of time occupied by the ascent of the actuator, determining the extent
of the pause between the completion of one sounding of the signal, and a repetition
of such sounding.
As the actuator reaches its highest or initial point, as explained, the flange 7 of
such actuator abuts against the stud i upon the rod or bar I and lifts such rod,
thereby tilting the lever H in a direction opposite to that last explained, and
shifting the engine valve G and reversing the direction of the cross-head O, and
the longitudinal stroke of the actuator M; at the same time lifting the arm h of
the pallet R, and throwing the lower arm of such pallet into engagement with the
ledges of the actuator.
During the interval of time, occupied by the traverse of the actuator in its ascent,
the position of such actuator axially upon its shaft may be changed, to permit of a
change in the order of the notes of the signal, when the course of a vessel, for
instance, is changed, as the head T is unlocked and free to rotate.
I do not restrict myself to the precise details of mechanism as herein explained,
as these may be departed from to a considerable extent without involving patentable
novelty.
Owing to the absence of a balance wheel, and to the want of momentum to
reverse the valve of the steam cylinder, such valve is liable to stop at the point of
reversing. To prevent this I employ a second valve chest a³ containing live steam'
ports b³ ³ and exhaust c³ connecting with the main valve chamber F, valve d³,
valve rod e³, and I pivot the outer end of the lever H to this rod e³. The valve G
under this arrangement extends laterally across its chamber F as shown at f³, and'
the valve in conjunction with the ports b³ ³ and c³ operates to drive the valve G
in manner as will be readily understood, hence it is impossible for such valve G to
stop at any point. To produce the single prolonged note which denotes that the

page_text: vessel is leaving port, the ledges a of the actuator are omitted in a vertical line at
the point requisite to carry out such prolonged note-that is the full diameter of
the actuator is preserved on such line.
In order that the attendant may know when the proper time at which he can
change the position of the actuator axially if necessary, arrives, that is, at the end
of a complete sounding of the code, I connect to the top of the shipper rod or bar I
a wire or cord which connects with a gong or other alarm. As the rod I reaches
the lowest point in its descent after such complete sounding of the signal, and falls
away from and releases the dog b₁ the gong is sounded.
1st. In mechanism for sounding a code of signals by a currant of steam or
analagous fluid induced through a whistle or other device capable of emitting the
proper sound or note, the combination with such whistle or device and a valve
regulating the supply of fluid thereto, of a steam engine and intermediate mechanism,
substantially as and for purposes stated.
2nd. In mechanism for sounding a code of signals by a current of steam or
analagous fluid induced through a whistle or other device capable of emitting the
proper sound or note, the combination with such whistle or device. and a valve
regulating the supply of fluid thereto, and a steam engine and intermediate
mechanism for regulating such valve in accordance with the order of such notes, of
a governor of suitable construction for regulating the duration of time of said
notes, substantially as explained.
3rd. In mechanism for sounding a code of signals by a current of steam or
analagous fluid induced through a whistle or other device capable of emitting the
proper sound or note the combination with such whistle or device and a valve
regulating the supply of fluid thereto, and a steam engine with intermediate
mechanism for regulating, such valve, of one or more cylinders filled with oil or
analagous liquid, such cylinders having pistons the rods of which are secured to and
move with the piston of the engine cylinder.
4th. The combination with the steam engine, the whistle or other device and the
valve governing admission of fluid to such whistle or device; of the lever H, rod
or bar I, and pallet R, one end of said lever being pivoted to the valve rod of the
steam engine, and the other end to the bar, while the pallet is swiveled to the
stem of the fluid supply valve and pivoted at its upper end to a proper support,
substantially as explained.
5th. The combination with the steam engine, the whistle or other device and the
valve governing admission of fluid to such whistle or device, of the lever H, rod or
bar I, and pallet R, one end of said lever being pivoted to the valve rod of the
steam engine, and the other end to the bar, while the pallet is swiveled to the stem
of the fluid supply valve and pivoted at its upper end to a proper support, and the
corrugated actuator M. connected with the steam engine piston and actuating the
pallet R, substantially as explained.
6th. The actuator with its ledges a a, flange l, spurs b b, the fluid supply pipe K.
and valve L, the pallet R, the rod or bar I with its stops or spurs ik and the steam
engine connected with and operating the actuator, substantially as explained.
7th. In combination with the piston of each oil cylinder of a device for regulating
the amount of liquid allowed to pass through such piston.
8th. The plug f¹ with its channel g¹ in combination with the piston of each oil
cylinder.
9th. In combination with the signal device, the fluid supply pipe of the same,
the valve L and the pallet R of the actuator M and its shaft B₁, the ratchet wheel
secured to the top of such shaft, a mariners' compass card, and a hand wheel or
handle and pointer adapted to operate with such compass card, and intervening

page_text: mechanism, substantially as explained, whereby the hand wheel or its equivalent
is adapted to set the actuator to produce the notes of the whistle in consonance
with the prescribed code of signals, substantially as explained.
'In witness whereof I the said Major Dane Porter have hereunto set my hand and
seal this 20th day of June 1883.
MAJOR. DANE. PORTER. (L.S.)