Improvements in or connected with Electric Lamps for Submarine Work.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Lamps for Submarine
Work.
:-
I, JOHN HARRISON TURNER, of 34 Belleville Road, Bolingbroke Grove,
Wandsworth London S. W. Civil and Mechanical Engineer being in possession of
an invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC LAMPS FOR
SUBMARINE WORK do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with electric lamps for
submarine work, or apparatus for supplying artificial light to divers during submarine
work & it is done by means of the electric light.
In order to make clearly known my invention it may be briefly described as
follows: The whole apparatus consists substantially of an electric generator
attached to or combined with the apparatus for supplying air to the diver, con-
necting wires for conveying the electricity from the generator to the lamp below
the water, a coupling for connecting the wires to the lamp switches for giving the
diver & signalman control over the electric current & an incandescent or electric
glow lamp.
The
The electric generator may consist of primary & secondary batteries, or of a
dynamo driven from the crank shaft of the air pump used for supplying air to the
diver & an accummulator, provided with a switch for cutting off the current.
wires for connecting the electricity to the lamp below the water are made of copper
or other suitable metal enveloped in a watertight insulating material, & they are
so arranged as to form the core of the life line attached to the waist of the diver;
at a point
on the life line near to where it is attached to the diver is affixed a
metal coupling. The coupling is bolted onto the life line in such a manner as to
insulate a portion of the life line & an internal chamber formed in the coupling
from the water. The wires & insulating material forming the core of the life line
as described above are brought into this chamber, the end of each wire being
prepared for connecting to the end of the companion wire leading to the lamp.
The chamber surrounding the wires is covered with a screwed cap which insulates
the chamber & connection of the wires from the water. In the top of the cap is an
opening for the egress of the wires leading to the lamp.
The lamp consists of an incandescent or electric glow lamp of suitable form &
construction attached to the back of a metal chamber, in which is formed round the
lamp a silvered reflector. The front of the chamber is covered with a stout glass
provided with guard wires & insulating from the water the interior of the chamber
& the lamp.
The glass cover is removable being inserted into a stuffing box which is fitted
with a screwed gland the whole forming a watertight joint. At the back of the
metal case or chamber is formed an opening provided with a watertight cover; this
opening is used for connecting up the lamp.
At the sides of the metal case containing the lamp are formed two lugs which
slide into & are attached by means of pegs to two U shaped pieces of metal which
are fixed onto the front of the metal corset of the diving dress, thus providing an
easy means of attaching to & removing the lamp from the divers dress, so that the
light is always projected in front of the diver & onto his work he can also if
necessary detach the lamp when under water & use it as a hand lamp, where the
connecting wires to the lamp enter the metal case described above there is attached
a switch arrangement by means of which the diver can turn the current on or off
so giving him control of the light.
Dated this Third day of December 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Lamps for Submarine
Work.
I, JOHN HARRISON TURNER, of 34 Belleville Road, Bolingbroke Grove,
Wandsworth, London S.W. Civil and Mechanical Engineer, 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 improvements in submarine electric lamps, or apparatus
for supplying the electric light to divers during submarine work.
In applying my invention for the use of a diver in submarine work, the apparatus
employed consists substantially of the following arrangement. An electric generator
or source of electricity, wires for conveying the current from the generator, or
source of electricity to the lamp below water, a coupling for connecting the wires
to the lamp, switches for giving the diver and signalman control over the current,
and an incandescent, or electric glow lamp.
The generator, or source of electricity, may consist of primary, or secondary
batteries, or of a dynamo. If a dynamo is used, it may be driven from the crank-
shaft of the air-pump used for supplying air to the diver, or it may be driven
independently. The current from the generator may be passed through an accumu-
lator, provided with a switch for turning on and off the said current.
The wires for conducting the current to the lamp below the water are made of
copper, or other suitable metal, enveloped in watertight insulating material, and
they are preferably so arranged as to form the core of the life line attached to the
waist of the diver. At a point on the life line, near to where it is attached to the
diver, I affix a metal coupling device. This device is bolted on, or otherwise
securely attached to the life lin, in such manner as to insulate a portion of the said
life line, while at the same time a chamber is formed within the device, to which
the water cannot gain access.
The wires and insulating material forming the core of the life line, as described
above, are brought into this chamber, the ends of the wires being prepared for con-
necting to the companion wires leading to the lamp.
The form of incandescent, or electric glow lamp, which I employ, with the casing
containing it, the mode of attaching the lamp to the divers dress and the connection
of the wires to the lamp and lifeline, are shewn in the accompanying two sheets of
drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a fullsized front elevation of the lamp in its casing.
Fig. 2 is a section of the casing shewing back of reflector, springs for holding
lamp, and insulating block and terminals for the conducting wires.
Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional side elevation of lamp and casing through the
line X X in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a plan of same with the upper part of casing broken away.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation to a reduced scale of a diver's helmet and corset,
shewing the electric lamp attached thereto.
Fig. 6 is a fullsized front view of the socket attached to the corset for holding the
lamp.
Fig. 7 is a fullsized external end elevation of the device fixed on the life line
for connecting the wires to the lamp.
Fig. 8 is a sectional view, and
Fig. 9 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 10 is a plan through the line Y Y in Fig. 8.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the drawings.
A is a circular metal chamber or casing, provided with a stout glass front,
preferably formed as a plano-convex, lens B. This lens is secured in a ring C, by

page_text: means of the screwed ring D, which forces the lens against the flange C³, a
washer C3 being interposed to make a tight joint.
The ring C screws into the mouth of the chamber A against a washer A', thus
hermetically sealing the said chamber.
Guard wires may if desired be provided in front of the glass, or lens B.
E is a silvered concave circular metal reflector. It is supported within the
chamber A by means of three bent spring strips of metal F, soldered or otherwise
affixed at one end to the back of the reflector, the other ends being held against
the shoulder in the mouth of the casing by the ring C. To each such strip is
affixed a spring clip F' to hold the bulb H of the incandescent electric lamp, which,
as shewn, is preferably of a flattened circular form.
When the ring C, containing the lens B is removed, the reflector with the lamp
can be lifted from the casing, and the lamp can be taken out of or inserted into the
spring clips F. The said clips form an elastic and at the same time secure attach-
ment for the lamp.
On the back of the reflector, a boss J, formed of any suitable insulating material
is fixed to carry the terminals K K. Wires L L are led from these terminals to
the platinum loops on the lamp connected to the filament. The ends of the
wires M M, are also connected to these terminals, their other ends being connected
to the wires in the life line. As it is necessary that the orifice through which the
insulating sheath M', containing the wires M M enters the casing A should be water-
tight, I form a stuffing-box on the said casing, as shewn clearly in Fig. 3, N is a
recess having a gland N' screwing therein and compressing a suitable packing P
around the sheath M¹.
A recess Q, forming part of a hemisphere is provided in the back of the
chamber A, and a piece R corresponding in form at one end with the said recess, is
secured therein by the bolt S and washer S¹.
A flange R' of U form, is provided on the back of the piece R to drop into
a Ushaped clip T, fixed on the divers corset. A space R2 is left around the bolt S
in the piece R, and the bolt is so adjusted that the lamp can be readily turned into
any required position, (as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5) while the friction
of the parts will retain it in such position.
The clip T and piece R form a convenient means of attaching the lamp to the
divers dress with the advantage that the light is always projected in front of the
man and on to his work, while he can, when necessary immediately detach the lamp
when under water and use it as a hand lamp.
If a more powerful light be desired than can be obtained with a single incan-
descent lamp, I may place two or more lamps in the casing supported in a similar
manner to that shewn and described for the single lamp.
The connection of the wires M M to the life line, as shewn in Figs. 7 to 10, is as
follows. U is the life line, the core being composed of wires V, V, in an insulating
sheath V, W is a coupling bolted on to the life line with a suitable insulating
material Y, such as india rubber, interposed to insulate a portion of the life line
and the ends of the wires V, V. The ends of the wires M M are enclosed in
vulcanite, or other suitable insulating material Z, in a thimble or sheath a which is
affixed to a projection W' on the coupling W by means of the screwed union b.
The wires V, V, terminate in hooks, as shewn in the plan Fig. 10, and the ends of
the wires M, M, are so fashioned as to engage therewith. The vulcanite, or other
insulating material Z is forced down on the edge of the projection W' by the gland b,
thus securing a watertight and perfectly insulated joint. A projection a¹ is formed
on the thimble a, which enters a recess W2 in the projection W₁ to prevent rotation
of the thimble when the gland is screwed up. The space within the projection W¹
and the thimble a forms, as will be seen, an insulating chamber for the connection
of the wires.
I wish it to be understood that in carrying my invention into practice, I do not
confine myself to the exact details of construction above described, as they may be
varied without departing from the essential principles of the said invention.

page_text: 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,
1. The combination with the front of the metal corset of a diver's dress of an
incandescent electric lamp.
2. The device for attaching an incandescent electric lump to a divers dress,
substantially as set forth with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6.
3. The means for supporting an incandescent electric lamp in a casing, consisting
of a reflector E, held by spring strips F, and carrying the lamp by means of spring
clips F', substantially as set forth with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.
4. The combination of a boss J, carrying terminals K K, with a reflector E, held
within a casing by spring strips F, and carrying an incandescent electric lamp by
means of spring clips F', substantially as set forth, with reference to Figs. 1. 2. 3.
and 4.
Dated this 18th day of June 1891.
AMBROSE MYALL,
21, Cockspur Street, London, S.W., Agent for the Applicant.