IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING LIGHTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING
LIGHTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME." A communication from abroad
by Julius Pintsch, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia.
Sealed the 12th January 1877, and dated the 21st November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st November 1876.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING LIGHTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."
This Invention relates to improved means and apparatus whereby buoys moved
off the sea coast or in other waterways may be rendered available as floating lights,
for indicating their position at night or in dark weather. It consists mainly in
utilizing such buoys as recipients for illuminating gas under pressure with which
they are charged at intervals, and which is allowed to pass at ordinary pressure
from the interior of the buoy to one or more gas jets in a lantern attached thereto.
For this purpose the buoy is constructed as a strong gas-tight metal vessel of any
suitable form capable of withstanding the pressure of gas under considerabie com-
pression, and of sufficient buoyancy to maintain a lantern at a certain height above
the water level. To the upper end of the buoy is connected a strong stayed tube
projecting to some height above the water, serving as conduit for the gas, and
carrying at its upper end a closed casing above which is a lantern with a gas burner.
The tube communicates with this burner by a small pipe, a regulator of any suitable
known construction but by preference of the construction described in the Specifi-
cation to Mewburn's Patent, No. 3101, of 1873, being interposed at any convenient
point of the said pipe within the casing in order to reduce the pressure of the gas
on its passage from the interior of the buoy to the ordinary pressure of illuminating
gas before issuing from the burner. At the upper end of the tube within the casing
is a side nozzle closed by a stop-cock or valve, to which nozzle can be temporarily
connected a flexible hose leading from a reservoir of gas under pressure on board a
boat for the purpose of charging the buoy with compressed gas when required.
For readily attaching the flexible pipe to the nozzle the former has a tubular
conical plug at its end, which is forced into a coned recess in the nozzle by a

page_text: screw carried by a bridge piece connected to the plug and embracing a collar on
the nozzle.
For charging the buoy a sliding door in the casing is opened and the hose is first
connected, as described, after which the stop valve is opened so as to allow the gas
to flow in from the reservoir, and when the requisite pressure is obtained in the
buoy, which is indicated by a pressure gauge on the tube, the stop valve is closed
and the hose is disconnected.
The lantern consists of two concentric glass cylinders fitting with their upper
and lower ends against india-rubber packing in grooved metal rings, of which the
lower one is fixed to the before-mentioned casing while the upper one is tied to
the lower one by tic bolts. The top of the lantern is closed by a hinged cover
fitting air-tight on to a coned seating on the upper ring, and having passages com-
municating with the outer air and protected by a wind guard through which the
nir required to support the flame of the lamp enters, and after passing down through
the annular space between the two glasses enters the interior of the lantern
through a number of holes formed in a conical reflector below the gas burner.
Above the latter is a chinney of oval transverse section leading into the main
chimney formed on the lantern cover, and protected at top by a wind guard and
also by a horizontally projecting rim against the ingress of water spray.
The pipe from the gas regulator to the burner has a cock which projects through
the before-mentioned casing so as to regulate the flame from the outside. If the
description of regulator above referred to is employed, its action is rendered inde-
pendent of the vertical position of the lamp by means of a spring so connected to
the admission valve and the regulating lever that when the lamp is in an inclined
or horizontal position, in which the valve will not drop open by gravity, the spring
will draw it open.
It will be evident that the above-described arrangement of a reservoir for com-
pressed illuminating gas, in combination with a regulator and lantern, may also be
used on board light-ships.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th May
1877.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FLOATING LIGHTS AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME." A
communication from abroad by Julius Pintsch, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia.
This Invention relates to improved means and apparatus whereby buoys moored
off the sea coast, or in other waterways, may be rendered available as floating lights
for indicating their position at night or in dark weather. It consists mainly in
utilising such buoys as recipients for illuminating gas under pressure with which
they are charged at intervals, and which is allowed to pass at ordinary pressure
from the interior of the buoy to one or more gas jets in a lantern attached thereto.
For this purpose the buoy is constructed as a strong gas-tight metal vessel of any
suitable form capable of withstanding the pressure of gas under considerable com-
pression, and of sufficient buoyancy to maintain a lantern at a certain height above
the water level. To the upper end of the buoy is connected a strong stayed tube
projecting to some height above the water, serving as conduit for the gas, and
carrying at its upper end a closed casing above which is a lantern with a gas
burner. The tube communicates with this burner by a small pipe, a regulator of
any suitable known construction, but by preference of the construction described in
the Specification to Mewburn's Patent, No. 3101, of 1873, being interposed at any
convenient point of the said pipe within the casing in order to reduce the pressure
of the gas on its passage from the interior of the buoy to the ordinary pressure of

page_text: illuminating gas before issuing from the burner. At the upper end of the tube
within the casing is a side nozzle closed by a stop-cock or valve, to which nozzle
can be temporarily connected a flexible hose leading from a reservoir of gas under
pressure on board a boat, for the purpose of charging the buoy with compressed gas
when required.
For readily attaching the flexible pipe to the nozzle the former has a tubular
conical plug at its end, which is forced into a coned recess in the nozzle by a
screw carried by a bridge piece connected to the plug and embracing a collar on the
nozzle.
For charging the buoy a sliding door in the casing is opened and the hose is first
connected, as described, after which the stop valve is opened so as to allow the gas
to flow in from the reservoir, and when the requisite pressure is attained in the
buoy, which is indicated by a pressure gauge on the tube, the stop valve is closed
and the hose is disconnected.
The lantern may be of any suitable known construction, but, by preference, it
consists of two concentric glass cylinders fitting with their upper and lower ends
against india-rubber packing in grooved metal rings, of which the lower one is fixed
to the before-mentioned casing while the upper one is tied to the lower one by tio
bolts. The top of the lantern is closed by a hinged cover fitting air-tight on to &
coned seating on the upper ring, and having passages communicating with the outer
air, and protected by a wind guard through which the air required to support the
flame of the lamp enters, and after passing down through the annular space between
the two glasses enters the interior of the lantern through a number of holes formed
in a conical reflector below the gas burner. Above the latter is a chimney of oval
transverse section leading into the main chimney formed on the lantern cover, and
protected at top by a wind guard and also by a horizontally projecting rim against
the ingress of water spray.
The pipe from the gas regulator to the burner has a cock which projects through
the before-mentioned casing, so as to regulate the flame from the outside. If the
description of regulator above referred to is employed its action is rendered
independent of the vertical position of the lamp by means of a spring so connected
to the admission valve and the regulating lever that when the lamp is in an inclined
or horizontal position in which the valve will not drop open by gravity, the spring
will draw it open.
It will be evident that the above-described arrangement of a reservoir for com-
pressed illuminating gas in combination with a regulator and lantern may also be
used on board light-ships. The lighting and extinguishing of the gas jets may if
desired be effected by an electric current passed through a wire or cable from the
shore. The lamp may be provided with coloured lenses to display different coloured
lights.
The construction and the arrangement of apparatus which it is preferred to
employ for the purposes of this Invention is shewn on the accompanying Drawings,
in which,
Fig. 1 shows an elevation of the buoy and lantern.
Fig. 2 shews an enlarged vertical section of the lantern and casing below.
Figs. 3 to 5 shew cross sections taken respectively on lines g-h, a-b, and c-d,
Fig. 2.
Fig. 6 shews a device for connecting the charging hose to the inlet pipe of the
buoy for filling the latter with gas, and Fig. 7 shews a cross section of the part Ve
The recipient or buoy B (Fig. 1) is constructed of strong sheet metal of cylindrical
or other suitable form capable of withstanding considerable internal pressure. It is
secured at its lower end to any suitable moorings in the usual manner, and has fixed
on its upper end a tube D strengthened by stays and carrying at its upper end a
casing A surmounted by a lantern C. The tube D serves both to convey the supply
of gas under pressure from the charging reservoir into the buoy and to conduct the
gas from the buoy to the burner m in the lantern. For the first-named purpose.

page_text: the tube has at its upper end within the casing A a side branch f, the communication
between which and the tube is closed by a screw valve F. The branch ƒ has a coned
recess at its end, as shewn, for receiving the coned end of the nozzle V, Fig. 6,
the branch of which is attached to a flexible pipe leading to the charging
reservoir.
2
For charging the buoy the boat with the reservoir for compressed gas is brought
close alongside, and a sliding door A¹ in the casing being opened the end of the
nozzle is placed inside the socket of the branch f, and is forced gas-tight therein
by means of a screw carried by a sleeve Ve connected to the nozzle and having a
claw embracing a collar on the branch f, as shewn at the section, Fig. 7. The
nozzle having been securely fixed the screw valve F is opened and the compressed
gas is allowed to flow from the reservoir into the buoy until the pressure gauge M
fixed on another branch pipe findicates that the gas in the buoy has attained the
required degree of compression; the valve F is then again closed and the supply
hose detached. The compressed gas now passes from the buoy through the passage f
and pipe m into the regulator R, which is by preference of the same construction
as that described in the Specification to Patent No. 3101, of 1873, in which the gas
flowing from the pipe m passes through the dust collector and valve into the
chamber R, in which is a lever 75 connected to the valve, and also to an
impermeable flexible diaphragm 2 by a rod 2, so that the pressure of the gas
entering the chamber tends to raise the diaphragm, and so to close the inlet valve
more or less. A spring is connected to and acts upon the lever 75 in such a
manner as to hold the valve open in the exact position for admitting sufficient gas
to maintain the required pressure in the regulator. A second spring is also
connected to the lever and to the stem of the valve, so that when the lantern is
made to assume an inclined or nearly horizontal position by the action of the waves,
this spring will replace the action of gravity in pulling the valve open after it has
been closed through excess of pressure.
From the regulator the gas passes through the passage 10 and cock to the
pipe m, whence it passes to the burner m². The cock 711 can be turned from
outside the casing to adjust the flame of the burner. The lantern consists of two
concentric glass cylinders I, J, fitting with their upper and lower ends air-tight
against caoutchouc packing k, l, in undercut grooves formed in metal rings G, H, of
which His fixed to the casing A, while G is tied down to H by means of tie
bolts X. The top of the lantern is closed by a cover T hinged to the ring G at j
and fitting with bevilled rims t in an air-tight manner against corresponding rims
on G and secured by a catch t¹. The cover has, firstly, a chimney S into which the
products of combustion from the burner are led through the chimney y, which is by
preference of oval transverse section, as shewn at Fig. 3, and is supported by the
upper reflector y¹. The chimney S is closed by a cap s at top, the gases being
made to escape through the conical piece s¹ and holes o protected by the wind-
guard 82, 83, and also by a projecting rim st, against the action of the wind, and also.
against the ingress of water spray.
The air for supporting combustion enters through the windguard 12, and passing
through holes Z into the annular space between the two glass cylinders I, J, descends
therein and issues through holes Z' in the ring H into the space below the reflector K,
whence it passes through a number of small holes in the reflector into the interior
of the lantern. Any water spray that may possibly find its way through the wind-
guard will flow off through the holes Z, Z, and through other holes Z2 in the bottom
of the casing A without interfering with the action of the lamp.
It will be readily understood that the above-described arrangement of a reservoir
for compressed illuminating gas in combination with the regulator and lantern may
also be used with advantage on board light-ships.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
T

page_text: First. The method, subtantially as herein described of utilizing buoys as recipients
for compressed illuminating gas, with which they are charged from time to time to
supply burners in lamps carried thereby.
Second. The use for floating lights of a recipient for compressed illuminating gas
operating in combination with a lamp, and a regulating apparatus for reducing the
pressure of the gas on its passage from the buoy to the burner of the lamp, sub-
stantially as herein described.
Third. The construction of lanterns for floating lights with two concentric glass
cylinders, between which the air required for combustion is caused to pass in a
downward direction, and whence it passes to the interior of the lamp through
numerous holes formed in a conical reflector below the burner, substantially as
herein described.
Fourth. In lanterns for floating lights securing the concentric cylinders J, J, in an
air-tight manner by means of packing in rings G, H, having holes Z, Z, for the
passage of air and a coned seating for making a water-tight joint with the hinged
cover T, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 and
Drawings.
of the
Fifth. In floating lights the arrangement of the pipe D communicating with the
floating recipient B and serving as support for the casing A, within which it is
provided with a branch f for supplying the recipient with gas closed by a valve F,
and with a second branch through which the gas passes to the burner m², sub-
stantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 of the Drawings.
Sixth. The use for charging the floating recipient with gas of the charging
nozzle, constructed as herein described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 of the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CHA³. D. ABEL. (L.S.)