SAFETY ALARUM AND SIGNAL APPARATUS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Pugh, of Chartham, in the County of Kent,
for the Invention of "SAFETY ALARUM AND SIGNAL APPARATUS."
Sealed the 25th March 1856, and dated the 26th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Pugh, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
October 1855.
I, EDWIN PUGH, of Chartham, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "SAFETY ALARUM AND SIGNAL APPARATUS"
to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists of an air pump fixed in the guard's
van of a railway train, which is made to charge a resevoir, or an air vessel
with compressed air, under proper regulation. This air vessel is connected
to a suitable reed, valve, whistle, or similar signal placed outside of the
carriage, the pump being worked by the motion of the train, but capable of
disconnection.
The second part relates to a means by which passengers can attract the
attention of the guards by night or by day. For this purpose I fit a rod along
the length of each carriage, with a handle or means of working it in each com-
partment. This acts upon a disc, semaphore, or lamp signal; which is fixed
outside in the most suitable position.
The third part relates to the conversion and use of the roof lights of
carriages, as also the outside or other lamps of a railway train,' into signal

page_text: And this I effect by fitting roof lights or
lamps, when necessary or desirable.
lanterns glazed with colored glass, instead of the iron guard cases and covers
at present used, to contain the roof lamps; and when a passenger desires to
call the attention of the guard or guards, he raises the lamp into the proper
position, and causes the proper colored glass to exhibit a suitable light up or
down, or both, or on either sides of the line. In the same way I enable the
passengers to alter the color of the light, or the position and color of the
side or other lamps, by a lever handle or pull placed inside the carriage.
I have described the application of my Invention to railway trains, but I do
not confine myself to railway trains alone, as the several parts of my Invention
may be used on board of ships, or in other situatious where danger is likely to
arise to human life and property, and where the timely use of such signals and
safety apparatus may prevent such losses or damage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Pugh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1
26th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, EDWIN PUGH,
of Chartham, in the County of Kent, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edwin Pugh, Her special licence that I, the said Edwin Pugh, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin
Pugh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "SAPETY ALARUM AND
SIGNAL APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edwin Pugh, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner. the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the. Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin Pugh, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The desirableness of an efficient means of enabling the guard or guards of
a railway train to communicate with the engine driver is now universally
admitted, and many have been the attempts to give to the public such
additional safety.
To give the guards or other officers belonging to the railway companies and
in charge of trains a means of communicating with the engine driver before
them is not objected to by the railway companies, if it be certain in its action,
simple in construction, not likely to become deteriorated either by constant
use, or by disuse for a time, easily called into instantaneous action under
every circumstance when required, and finally inexpensive as to the cost of
its application and maintenance. When these conditions are complied with,
railway companies are willing to yield to public opinion and adopt such an
apparatus, and whilst they are willing to adopt such means for communicating
between the guard or guards and the engine driver of a train, the use of
such an apparatus must be solely by the guard, and not admitting of the
engine driver responding through it to each signal transmitted to him, as
this has been found to be practically objectionable, and still more so would
be any controul or power of working such an apparatus by the passengers.
But that passengers should have a means of communicating with the guard
in front or in rear of the carriage in which the alarmed passenger is
situated, or of the carriage wherein or whereto some accident has occurred,
is admitted as desirable, and would be acceded to by the railway companies;
but such arrangement must not involve any alteration in the construction of
the carriages, nor any material alteration of the fittings and furnishings of the
carriages; moreover, the additional cost per carriage must be but trifling.
Having these several points in view as data, I propose by my Invention to
supply both of the desiderata referred to, and give, 1st, the guards a simple
and cheap means of signalling the engine driver; and, 2nd, the passengers a
simple and efficient means of calling the attention of the guard or guards to
the particular carriage or compartment of a carriage from which the signal has
been exhibited by night or by day.
I now proceed to describe generally the nature of my Invention and the
manner of applying it.
The first part of my Invention relates to the use of a reed, valve, or whistle,
or such like signal, in conjunction with an air vessel, into which air is charged

page_text: or compressed by the travelling of the brake van or other carriage to which
such apparatus is applied, however such apparatus may be placed, fixed, o
worked, the compressed air from such air vessel being permitted to pass
through the stop-cock upon its being opened, and along the whistle tube
causing the whistle to sound an alarum, cither by producing a continuous sound
or a series of.distinct sounds, according to any pre-arranged method of signalling
The air vessel is charged by means of a suitable pump affixed to the guard's
van, and worked by means of a cam, eccentric, or other mechanical contrivance,
for causing the piston of the pump to move backward and forward within the
barrel; and the connection between the pump and the air vessel contains a
suitable valve, by which the air is retained under pressure ready for use.
The second part relates to a means by which passengers can attract the
attention of the guards by night or by day. For this purpose I fix a rod along
the length of each carriage, with a handle or means of working it in each
compartment. This acts upon a disc, semaphore, or lamp signal, which is
fixed outside in the most suitable position.
The third part relates to the conversion and use of the roof lights of
carriages, as also the outside or other lamps of a railway train, into signal lamps,
when necessary or desirable. And this I effect by fitting roof lights or lanterns
glazed with colored glass, instead of the iron guard cases and covers at present
used, to contain the roof lamps; and when a passenger desires to call the
attention of the guard or guards, he raises the lanip into the proper position,
and causes the proper colored glass to exhibit a suitable light up or down on
either side of the line. In the same way I enable the passengers to alter the
color of the light, or the position and color of the side or other lamp, by lever
handles or pulls placed inside the carriages.
I have described the application of my Invention to railway trains, but I
would here remark that I do not confine myself to railway trains alone, as the
several parts of my Invention may be used on board of ships, or in other
situations where danger is likely to arise to human life and property, and
where the timely, use of such signals and safety apparatus may prevent such
losses or damage..
"
k
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
In the Drawing hereunto annexed, Fig. 1 is a sectional end view of a guard's
van with part of the boxing broken away to exhibits portions of the apparatus
relating to the first part of my Invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the
Fig.1, and has part of the side of the guard's box removed to enable the
particular arrangement shewn to be the better seen.

page_text: In these Figures the letters of reference upon the several parts of the
apparatus, correspond with the like parts in each Figure, and I would here
remark that I have purposely drawn the pump of such a size as the better to
exhibit the mode of working rather than correctly to define the relative pro-
portions of the pump and the air vessel, or its fittings.
Fig. 3 is an end view of a passenger carriage; and Fig. 4 is a side view of
Fig. 3, but with part of the side and roof removed to exhibit the fittings of the.
apparatus made according to the second and third parts of my Invention; the
letters of reference used upon the several parts of Figs. 3 and 4 correspond
with like parts in each Figure.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the roof light cap and hood, which, unlike the
ordinary hood, is glazed on opposite sides.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 5, as also of the roof lamp, and
its colored glass shade or lantern.
I have shown at Figs. 1 and 2 an arrangement of apparatus according to the
first part of my Invention; a being a cam or eccentric, fixed upon the axle,
and revolving with it; b, the forked end of the plunger or piston rod., This
fork works on and is raised by the eccentric., c, the piston or plunger, shewn
fitted with fly valves; d, the cylinder; c, the pipe communicating with the
air vessel; f, the air vessel; g, a foot valve to the air vessel, and between
it and the pump barrel; h, the pipe from top of air vessel, communicating
with the whistle or horn, having a stop-cock i; k, the whistle; and 1, the
horn; each having an independant stop-cock, by which the sounds can be
produced from each separately or combined, as may be required. I make the
horn or trumpet mouth to turn either way, and it has a reed or whistle in its
throat. m is a foot lever or treadle, with a lever n and o arranged for throwing
the pump into or, out of gear. The end of the lever may be suitably balanced
to overcome the friction, and keep it in contact with the cam.
I do not confine myself to a single-acting pump, but may use instead thereof
a double-acting pump, which receives, the air at both ends, and ultimately.
forces it from each end; and in which case I propose to use an eccentric and
strap, instead of the cam and fork with the counterweight, and the pump may
be fixed horizontally with the air vessel in any convenient position. I apply
a safety valve to the air vessel and loaded to a suitable pressure. Instead
of fitting the cam or eccentric in the middle of the axle, it may be fitted on to
one of the bosses of the carriage wheel.
I have shewn in Figs. 3.and 4 the method I adopt of enabling passengers
to signal the guard or guards. In Fig. 3 is shewn a box a, containing a spiral
spring b. surrounding a rod c, upon the top of which is shewn a metal disc d.
.
I..

page_text: The disc has a hole through it, into which the end of the horizontal rod e passes,
and retains it in the position shewn, by which it is concealed from the view of
the guards; but when any passenger in either of the compartments of the
carriage wishes to call the attention of the guards, he reaches the handle fat
the roof of the carriage, and turning it down, withdraws the point of the rod
from out of the hole, where the disc immediately rises into the position shewn
in Fig. 4.
The horizontal rod e may have a spiral spring surrounding it, and pressing
it outward, so as to keep it in its place in the hole in the disc, and also
enable the disc, upon being put down or back into its place, to be held by
the end of the rod e passing into the hole, thus being self-acting and easily
re-set.
By the same arrangement I can likewise act upon a lamp concealed in the
same way, and also cause the colored glass of a side lamp to be changed, and
so call attention to the carriage to which it is attached. I have shewn a
circular or disc sigual, but a semaphore or other form of signal is equally
applicable.
Figs. 3 and 4 also show that part of my Invention relating to the conversion
of the roof lights into signal lamps for the use of passengers in cases of danger.
h is the iron or other hood affixed to the roof of the carriage; i is the glazed
division on one side of the hood, there being a corresponding glazed opening
on the opposite side; kis the roof lamp, somewhat similar to the ordinary roof
lamp, and which rests upon the bottom plate or flanch of the hood; and I is a
revolving and freely vertically-travelling metal frame, circular or octagonal,
and glazed with two sets of red, white, and green glass, and two blanks,
and with two red, two green, and two whites; and which circular or other
frame may be turned round by a passenger within the carriage, and is also
capable of being raised with or without the lamp within it; and when the
lamp has been raised out of its place, two bolts m, m, spring forward, and
prevent the lamp from being easily replaced, that acting as a check upon its
improper use by passengers; and although I have only shewn one form or
arrangement for carrying into effect this part of my Invention, and therein the
ordinary kind of lamp in use, as shewn, I prefer to use a lamp whereof
the reflector is placed sufficiently high at all times to be exhibited, of which-
ever color may be desired, upon turning the colored glass frame round into
position..
Having described the several parts of my Invention, I wish it to be
understood that I do not claim the use of compressed air as a means of
sounding a whistle, whether for a railway alarum or other signals. But

page_text: I claim the use of a reed or such like construction of whistle, alone or in con-
junction with a trumpet, horn, or bell-mouthed instrument, having a reed or
other pipe valve sounded by air discharged at will from an air vessel into which
the air has been charged under pressure by the travelling of the carriage to
which it is attached, the trumpet or bell-mouth part whereof is capable of
being turned to suit the direction in which the carriage is travelling, and by
the alternate individual or combined use of which sounding apparatus a code
of signals can be arranged. And whether,
Secondly, I claim the compressed air apparatus with a reed whistle and
trumpet signal for a fog alarum, or otherwise signalling on board of ship,
and in other situations where danger is likely to arise to human life or
property.
Third, I claim the arrangements described under the second part of my
Invention, by which passengers may signal the guards in charge of a train,
whether applied to a disc, semaphere, or lamp signal.
purpose of
Fourth, I claim the conversion and use of roof lights for the
enabling passengers to signal the guards in charge of a train, when such object
is effected by the introduction of colored glasses or other colored medium for
transmitting the light of the roof lamps up or down, or up and down, across
the line of railway.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Pugh, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
WILLIAM SMITH, C.E.,
10, Salisbury St., Adelphi.
EDWIN PUGH. (L.S.)