Improvements in Bell Buoys.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 12th Oct., 1895
UOMI LEIE DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bell Buoys.
I, JOHN ALBERT FAIRBANKS, of 87 Norfolk Street, Cambridge in the County
of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in bell buoys anchored at sea to designate
shoals, sunken rocks, reefs or other obstructions in a channel or waterway, and it
has for its object to cause a bell or other instrument or apparatus located on the
buoy, to be sounded at proper intervals, by an electric device attached to such buoy
and connected by means of wires to a battery or other electric current generator,
and to a circuit breaker located on shore, at a light-house station, a light ship or
other suitable place in the vicinity of the bell buoy.
Ordinary bell buoys when rocked by the waves cause their bells to be sounded,
but remain silent in a quiet sea, and for this reason are unreliable in foggy or dark
weather in case the sea should be calm enough to prevent the sounding of the bell
on the buoy.
To obviate this difficulty is the object of my invention, and it is carried out as
follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, where :-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the improved bell buoy, and its electrical
connection; and Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same.
Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts
of the drawings.
A represents an ordinary bell buoy of any well known form or construction, the
same being anchored at sea as is common in devices of this kind.
On the buoy is mounted a suitable bell supporting frame B, to which the bell or
other sounding instrument C is secured as shown.
Cis the clapper loosely hung within the bell as usual.
To the frame B, preferably above the bell C, I locate a suitable electric striking
apparatus and I have for this purpose shown in the drawing an electro-magnet D
from the spool of which lead the wires d and d to the battery or current generator
located on shore or on a light ship or other place in the vicinity of the bell buoy as
shown in the drawings.
Said wires may be enclosed in a cable and conducted along the sea bottom to the
shore or light ship as may be most practical according to the locality in the vicinity
of which the bell buoy is anchored.
E represents a pivoted armature lever, hung at one end of the electro-magnet D
and provided at its free end, with a hammer e, as shown.
Said armature lever is attracted towards the electro-magnet causing the hammer
to strike the bell, whenever the circuit is closed through the electro-magnet and
said armature lever is automatically returned to its norinal position preferably by
the influence of a spring, when the circuit is broken as shown in Fig. 1.
G represents the battery station, shore or light ship on which is located a battery
or electric current generator H, having one of its poles connected to the electro-
magnet D, by means of the wire d¹ as shown.
From the other pole of the battery H leads a wire d to the rotary circuit
closer I, which is set in a rotary motion preferably from a motor shaft K geared to
the shaft of the rotary circuit closer I, as shown in Fig. 2.
The shaft K may be actuated from any suitable motor L, and as a source of
power may be used steam or water pressure, springs, weights, electricity or other

page_text: means as may be most convenient according to circumstances without departing
from the essence of my invention.
M is a brush or sweeper which is connected to the electro-magnet spool D, by
means of the wire d as shown.
On the circumference of the rotary circuit closer I, are a series of pegs or pro-
jections i, i, i, in electrical connection with the battery wire d" and as oue of such
pegs conies in metallic contact with the sweeper M, the circuit is closed through
the electro-magnet D, causing the hammer e to strike against the bell C.
It is the practise to mark buoys with numbers. to identify their position on the
chart, and therefore prefer to locate the pegs i, on the drum I in groups
corresponding to the number of the bell buoy for which the circuit closer is used.
Thus for instance if the bell buoy is marked 12, I arrange the pegs i, in groups
of 3, with a little larger space between the first and second peg as compared with
the space between the second and third peg.
Thus when the drum I is rotated it will cause the bell C to be struck one blow,
after which there will be a pause followed by two blows in quick succession
thereby notifying the mariner in a foggy or dark and calm day or night that he is
in the vicinity of buoy No. 12.
The circuit closing drum I, may be used for a number of bell buoys if so desired,
it being only necessary to make additional rows. of pegs i thereon as shown in
Fig. 2 and arrange sweepers in connection therewith and make wire connections. to
the additional bell buoys from the battery like the one as above stated.
The motor may be provided with a suitable starting and stopping device of any
well known form or construction which is under the control of the operator at the
battery station.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bell buoy anchored at sea and having a bell or other sounding instrument
arranged thereon, in combination with an electrically operating striking or sounding
device arranged on said buoy, wires leading from said sounding device to a battery
or electric current generator located at a distance from such buoy and an automatic
circuit closer and breaker adapted to close and break the circuit to produce sounds
corresponding with the chart number of the buoy, substantially as described.
2. A bell buoy anchored at sea and having a bell or other sounding instrument
arranged thereon provided with a hammer or sounding device adapted to be
sounded by the motion of the sea, combined with a positive electric device located
at a station in the vicinity of or away from the bell buoy and electrically
connected to a striking mechanism on said bell buoy, for the purpose of causing the
bell on the buoy to be positively sounded at any and all times when the sea is so
calm as to prevent the rocking of the buoy to sound the bell thereon, as herein
specified.
3. A bell buoy anchored at sea and having a bell or other sounding instrument
arranged thereon, and having a number corresponding to its chart location
combined with an electrically operated striking or sounding device arranged on
said bell buoy and electrically connected to a battery or electric current generator
and a circuit closer located at a station in the vicinity of or away from said bell buoy,
said circuit closer being arranged to intermittently close and open the circuit and
produce sounds on the bell buoy sounding device corresponding to the chart number
of the buoy substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of August 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.