IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR "HELIOGRAPHIC" SIGNALLING BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1885

page_text: Electricity.
I, ERIC STUART BRUCE of Exeter College in the City of Oxford Gentleman do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR "HELIOGRAPHIC" SIGNALLING BY ELECTRICITY to be as follows:-
"
My Invention relates to improved electrical apparatus for "heliographic"
signalling by night for military operations in the field, and the invention consists
in the combination with a captive balloon constructed of translucent or semi-
translucent material inflated with hydrogen gas in the usual way, of one or more
incandescent electric lamps placed within the balloon, a metallic circuit forming
or combined with the rope by which the balloon is held captive, a battery, and
a suitable circuit closer for producing flashes of light in accordance with any
prearranged code of signalling.
The lamp or lamps being suspended about centrally within the balloon, the light
is distributed and multiplied over the whole area of its translucent surface.
By this means of elevating the lamps and of increasing the area of illuminated
surface, signalling may be carried on at greater distances than would otherwise be
possible.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for
Hellographic
Signaning by
Electricity.
I ERIC STUART BRUCE of Exeter College in the City of Oxford, Gentleman do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to electrical apparatus for "heliographic" signalling by
night, and the invention consists in the combination with a balloon constructed of
translucent or semi-translucent material and inflated with hydrogen gas or coal gas
in the usual way, of one or more incandescence electric lamps placed within the
balloon, a metallic circuit (which may or may not be combined with the rope by
which the balloon would generally be held captive) a battery or other source of
electricity and a suitable circuit closer for producing flashes of light in accordance
with the Morse or any other code of signalling.
The lamp or lamps are suspended about centrally within the balloon so that the
light is uniformly distributed over the whole area of its translucent surface. By
this means of elevating the lamps, and of increasing the area of illuminated surface,
signalling may be carried on at greater distances than would otherwise be possible.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein figure 1
shows the mode of hanging the lamps within the balloon which is held captive by
a rope, and figure 2 shows the lamps and their supporting frame separately.
Figure 3 shows the switch board and figure 4 is an elevation on a larger scale of
the Morse key used for signalling.
I use about six lamps of ten candle-power and I work them to, say, double their
power, lightness of plant being of greater importance than durability. They are
supported on any suitable frame a, suspended within the balloon by a cord b passed
over a sheave at top, this frame being preferably of a narrow ladder like form, to
permit of its easy introduction through the neck of the balloon after the latter is
inflated; the lamps being attached the one above the other to the several cross
bars of the frame. The lamps are arranged in multiple arc and the main leads to
which they are connected are led through an eye at the bottom of the frame a
whence they pass down through the neck of the balloon and are respectively
attached to the two binding screws c c¹ on the switch board.
The latter comprises switches S, S¹, S³, a Morse key K or equivalent circuit
closer, a fusible cut-out fand an Ampère meter A, all except the Morse key being
of the usual construction. The connections between these various instruments are
clearly shown and it will be sufficient to state the purpose of the several switches.
The switch S is for regulating the strength of the current by throwing a greater or
less number of cells into the circuit. The switch S¹ is for putting the Morse key
into or out of circuit according as it is desired to illuminate the balloon by flashes
or continuously. The switch S3 is for putting the Ampère meter in and out of
circuit as may be required.
The Morse key shown in figure 4 differs from that used in telegraphy inasmuch
as it has a rubbing contact of platinum to enable it to withstand the current used.

page_text: The upper contact % is pivoted at its upper end to the key lever and bevelled at
its lower end and is drawn by springs against a guide . The lower contact ³
is bevelled and the pivoted piece k is guided by a so as to rub against this
bevelled surface when the key is pressed down or released, thus closing and
breaking the circuit gradually. When the key is pressed quite down, the bevelled
lower end of k wedges between the correspondingly bevelled faces of the contact k³
thus making good contact therewith.
The main leads are made as light as possible consistently with the current they
are required to convey in order to bring the weight to be lifted within the buoyant
power of a balloon of comparatively small dimensions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The herein described apparatus for " heliographic" signalling by electricity,
consisting in the combination with a balloon of one or more electric incandescence
lamps placed within the balloon, an electric connection with a battery or other
source of electricity, and a make and break for closing the circuit intermittently,
as and for the purpose hereinbefore specified.