Improvements in Ships' Side Lamps and Mast-head Lamps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Applica ion, 20th July, 1391
Complete Specification Left. 19th Apr.. 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ships' Side Lamps and Mast-head Lamps.
I, ELI HENRY GRIFFITHS of 102 Bradford Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Lamp Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
Ships' side lamps, and also ships' mast-head lamps, as now constructed, do not
admit of full and powerful lights being employed, in consequence of the intense
heat involved therefrom, and which is transmitted or partially transmitted to the
lenses or front glazings of the lamps.
This said heating of the lens and front glazing parts, is sure to cause the
same to be broken, consequent upon sea water when in use, being dashed upon it,
hence the cracking of the said lenses or glazings, by sudden and unequal
contraction.
In consequence of the said breaking of the lens or glazing, a small or a subdued
light has to be obtained, so that the full effect otherwise obtainable from the lamp,
cannot be employed.
The object of my invention, is to obviate this defect, or these defects in manner
following:
I employ a large and powerful light, and double lenses or double glazings, with
an interposed air space, between the said inner and outer lenses or glazings, and by
which means, the outer lens or glazing, which is an attachable and detachable
jacket lens or glazing, is kept perfectly cool, and remains thereby unaffected by sen
water being splashed or dashed upon it.
In carrying out one form of my invention, in connection with a ship's side lamp,
I take an ordinary triangular shaped body part, with hurricane head, and with the
front fitted with an inwardly and upwardly sloping bezel and with the inner frame
of the said bezel, fitted with a convex plain water-tight glazing.
Hinged to one side of the bezel, of the said plain glazed front, is a secondary
frame, fitted with a compound lens, or dioptric system of lenses, of a like contour
to the inner glazing which when closed, its inside surface comes within a short
distance of the surface of the first named or primary glazing, and with a space left
between them, sufficient for the passage of a current of air, so as to keep the outer
and supplementary lens or glazing perfectly cool.
The opposite or fastening side of the frame of the outer glazing is made with
a divided hollow beading, part of it fixed to the lamp frame, and part of it fixed
to the lens frame, and down which, a securing rod passes.
The inside surface of the outer and supplementary lens, may follow the entire
contour of the outer surface of the inside glazing, or the former may have a less
radius than the latter, so that the ends or sides of the lenses nearly approach each
other, while the front parts are separated from each other by a considerable air
space.
To prevent the possibility of sea water reaching the inner glazing, the joints or
the top and bottom of the outer glazing, may be protected by a guard, or the
framing of the outer lens, may be made to fit watertight within a fixed framing of
the lamp, and with the interposed space between the said inner and outer lens,
supplied with air through channels, common to the flame supply.
Or an inlet may be arranged through the bottom of the lamp covered by a guard
and an outlet through the head, also covered by a guard or the air supplying com-
bustion, may be made to be drawn in a circuitous manner through the lens interposed
space to the lamp.
Instead of the added lens being carried by a solid frame, it may be carried by a

page_text: skeleton one, so that an air space is left all round the boundary edges of the
lens.
Instead of being hinged, the added lens may be secured in position by snap or
other fastening means.
Dated this 18th day of July 1891.
ELI HENRY GRIFFITHS.
Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ships' Side Lamps and Mast-head Lamps.
1, ELI HENRY GRIFFITHS of 102 Bradford Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Lamp Manufacturer, 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 :-
If powerful lights be employed in ships side and mast-head lamps, as now con-
structed, the glazings or the lenses of them are broken, by the splashings of sea or
rain water over them.
The intense beat evolved from such powerful lights, so heat the said glazings
or lenses, that the sudden contraction, on water coming in contact with them,
is certain to break the said glasses or lenses, hence the extinction of the lights, and
danger to the vessel.
In consequence of this breaking of the lenses, such lamps have only small or
subdued lights, consequently only very limited light power is obtained.
My invention has for its object, the employment of large and powerful lights, and
which is accomplished, or allowed for, by means as hereinafter described.
Thus, according to my invention I take an ordinary ships lamp, and provide or
fit the same with an interspaced double glazed front, or an interspaced double lens,
or an interspaced plain glazing and lens, that is to say, I take an inner glazing,
and surround or hood the same by a removable lens or jacket glazing, with an
intervening space between them, open at top and bottom, or open all round, to the
atmosphere or outside of the lamp."
The outer glazing or jacket may be hinged, or may be attached or detached if
desired.
The interspacings of the glazings forms, as it were, an air shaft, up which cool
air is supplied, and heated air, heated by contact and radiation rises.
The supplementary or jacket glazing or lens is carried by a frame, and fits
within a bezel, sloping inwardly.
This said bezel has at its inner boundary edge, a fixed watertight frame, wherein
the inner glazing fits, hence a fixed inner plain glazing, and an outer hinged glazing
or lens.
The outer and hinged, or attachable and detachable glazing or supplementary
lens, with the interspace open to the outside of the lamp, is made to follow the
contour of the inner and fixed glazing, which is air and water-tight.
If necessary the openings of the interspace or interspaces may be protected by
guards, but this I find in practice unnecessary, as by my arrangement, the glazed
or lens surfaces are kept so cool, even with powerful lights, that water is unhurtful
to the said glazings, even when passed through the interspace.
Instead of the added lens being carried by a hinged frame, it may be dropped
into position by engaging with flanges or rests, or secured by a snap fastening, but
in every case the interspace is open to outside of the lamp, either at top and bottom
or nearly all-round.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents in front elevation, a ships
side lamp, having a glazed front constructed arranged and provided according to
my invention.

page_text: The said glazed front, or glazed part, is made up of two glazings, viz., an outer
jacket lens, and an inner plain glazing, with an intervening all-through air space
between them, and with the said air space open clear to the outside.
Figure 2 represents partly in side elevation, and partly in cross section, the said
lamp, showing the interspaced double glazed front, also the frames encompassing
the said glazings, and the dispositions of the parts composing the front of the lamp.
Figure 3 represents a horizontal section of the said lamp Figure 2, upon the
dotted lines A. B.
The said view also shows in dotted lines, the position of the jacket or lens
glazing, when turned outwards from the inner glazing, and also shows the air space,
between the said double glazing, by means of which the glasses or the said glazings
are kept cool, as the said interspace forms as it were, an air shaft, open to the
outside of the lamp, and up which a current of cool air is constantly drawn, by the
ascending air, heated by conduction from the lens, hence a constant air circulation
through the interspaces.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 3.
a is the triangular shaped body part, surmounted by head b, and cap or hood c,
whilst is the front of the lamp, fitted with an inwardly sloping bezel e, inwardly
terminated by an encompassing frame e, wherein the inner plain surfaced and
convexed watertight fixed glazing is fitted.
Hinged to one side of the bezel e, at g², is a secondary frame 4, carrying or fitted
with a removable outer jacket glazing, made in the form of a compound lens, or
dioptric system of lenses, having a back contour of a like, or of a less, or of a
greater radius than the outside surface of the inner glazing.
i is an interspace, between the double glazings, and open to the outside of the
lamp, and through which, air vertically ascends, for the keeping of the said double
glazings cool.
Thus, by placing the added lens or added glazing at a short distance from the
primary or inner glazing, an intervening air space is formed, which keeps the said
glazings cool, so that powerful lights admit of being employed, which is not
attainable in single or other glazings as heretofore employed, as the heat imparted
to it or them is so considerable, that fracture is inherent, on sea or other water,
splashing upon it.
The interspace i is open to the atmosphere, or to the outside of the lamp at top
and bottom at,, whilst the suspended or skeleton framing 9, is secured in its
acting position by rod fasteners j, whose stems take into sockets.
In Figure 2, the jacket lens is shown (in dotted lines) thrown back to admit of
the inner glazings being cleaned, as occasions require.
Instead of employing a dioptric outer lens, and an inner plain glazing, double
plain glazings may if necessary, be employed, or if desired, both glazings may be in
the form of lenses.
As a further form of my invention, I may employ three or four glazings or lenses,
with intervening spaces between them, so that two, three or more air-circulating
interspaces are thus obtained.
The application of my invention to head and other ships' lamps, differs in no
essential respect from its application to a side lamp as described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First-In ships lamps, providing, fitting or mounting within the same. inter-
spaced double glazings, or double glazed fronts, with the said interspace open to
the outside of the lamp or to the atmosphere.
Secondly-In ships' lamps, providing or fitting in front of an ordinary glazing,
a jacket or lens glazing, with an open topped and bottomed air space communicating
only with the outside atmosphere, and intervening between the said glazings, as
set forth.

page_text: Thirdly-In ships' lamps, interspacing the double, treble, or quadruple glazings
with open or semi-open all-round or nearly all-round parts open to the outside of
the lamp, or to the atmosphere as described and set forth.
Fourthly-In ships' lamps, the construction and arrangement of the glazings and
fittings of the same as set forth.
1
1 1000
ELI HENRY GRIFFITHS,
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
ELI HENRY GRIFFITHS,
By Henry Skerrett,
Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.