Indicating Lights.
Year: 1885

page_text: Indicating Lights.
I, JOHN SMITH COMRIE Managing Director of Holmes' Marine Life Protection
Association Limited, 8 Great Winchester Street, London, E.C. do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AUTOMATIC RE-OPENING OF
TORPEDO INDICATING LIGHTS, to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the use of Torpedo Indicating Lights, and consists in an
improved arrangement for re-opening automatically the water or flame holes
of such.
The construction of my improvement is as follows:-
At a convenient point on the cone I solder a piece of metal to form a socket of
about one inch long and one half inch broad, capable of holding a flat strap of
metal about th inch in thickness-The Re-opener itself consists of a piece of brass
or other th inch metal, about three inches long by half inch broad, having
attached at one end and standing at right angles a piece of tin plate or other ineta!
of any convenient or desired area.
This Re-opener having its plain or forward end inserted in socket or holder,
covers with its other or rear end, the flame hole of Indicator which has been
previously opened or unsealed & scraped clean of adherent solder; Underneath
this rear end of Re-opener I place on flame or water hole a felt pad having an
india rubber skin which pad, being of somewhat larger area completely covers
flame or water hole and is kept in its place, by the elasticity of said brass strap of
Re-opener, with sufficient pressure to hermetically seal orifice and exclude water.
severe
The Re-opener having been placed in position is ready for use, the indicating
light having been placed on Torpedo; On Torpedo being projected, a
backward pressure is exerted on the upright plate which forms the rear part of
Re-opener; this almost instantly withdraws the forward end from socket, and the
Re-opener falls clear of Torpedo, the pad being washed off and orifice left exposed
for the entry of water,

page_text: Indicating Lights.
I JOHN SMITH COMRIE Managing Director, Holmes' Marine Life Protection
Association (Limited) 8 Great Winchester Street London E.C. do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE AUTOMATIC REOPENING OF
TORPEDO INDICATING LIGHTS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The construction and method of use I here below finally detail and describe.
At a convenient point on nozzle of Indicator or Indicating Light I solder a piece
of Tinplate or other metal to form a socket for flat piece of metal which constitutes
the tail or stem of improved Re-opener. The Re-opener consist of this stem and
has soldered, at right-angles to its length, a thin metal disc of convenient area.
The Re-opener having plain or forward end of stem inserted in socket covers with
its rear end of said stem the flame and water hole of Indicator which has first been
bared of its solder seal and scraped clean and smooth from adherent matter. On
said flame hole I place preferentially a small ball of vulcanised India Rubber and
same, being imposed between stem of Re-opener and said hole, is pressed and kept
in place by it.
The action of Re-opener is as follows.
The Indicator having been placed on Torpedo, and the Re-opener with its rubber
ball having been adjusted as described is ready for use; its pressure on flame hole
keeps chemical contents of Indicator hermetically sealed. At the moment of firing
the disc of Re-opener, which stands at a rectangle to course of weapon, is subjected
to a severe backward pressure of water which withdraws stem from socket, on
which the Re-opener falls clear and rubber ball is released baring flame hole, as is
at that moment desired.
.
With this I furnish drawings showing Indicating Light; the light in this case
being for Submerged Tube fired, though it equally applies to those fired from deck
if desired.
A. is the opener B. India Rubber ball or plug, C position of flame hole under
same and covered by it & D socket for tail of Re-opener. Below is an end and
side elevation of Re-opener.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The Re-opening of Torpedo Indicators or Indicating Lights in the simple manner
above described, in contradistinction to the more complicated and costly lever
action now in use.