Year: 1889

page_text: I JOSEPH WARREN COULSTON of 400 Chesnut Street in the City of Philadelphia
State of Pennsylvania United States of America Attorney and Councellor at Law
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:
The object of this Invention is to provide a vessel with signal lights so arranged as
to afford a more efficient and effective means of warning and directing an approaching
vessel than can be done with the signal lights now in use.
This object is attained according to this Invention by the use of a supplementary
white light or lights visible only from dead astern and from a limited range to port
or starboard of dead astern in combination with the coloured port or starboard lights
as hereinafter explained.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating one means for
carrying out the invention and the Figures 2, 3 and 4 are diagrams of signal lanterns
illustrating modifications according to the invention.
The ordinary port and starboard lights of a vessel consist of a red port light visible
through a range extending from a point dead ahead to two points abaft the port beam
and a green starboard light visible through a range extending from a point dead
ahead to two points abaft the starboard beam.
These signal lights indicate the presence of the vessel carrying them to another
vessel approaching it from any point of the compass of two points abaft the beam
but give no indication of the course of the vessel carrying them, except when
viewed from dead ahead for from any other point the port or starboard light only
is visible depending upon the quarter from which a vessel is approaching and this
single light presents precisely the same appearance whether viewed from but a
point or two off the bow, or from a point as far aft as two points abaft the beain,
while to a vessel approaching in any direction from aft this latter point the
ordinary side lights fail to indicate even the presence of the vessel carrying them.
It has been proposed to overcome the first of these objections by using in
connection with the ordinary coloured port and starboard lights of the vessel,

page_text: supplementary port, and starboard lights, coloured respectively red and green, these
supplementary side lights being screened from observation from dead ahead and
from a point or more on either the port or starboard bow and the stern range of
the supplementary side lights being generally the same as that of the ordinary side
lights, that is to say to a point or two abaft the beam so that the relation of the
supplementary coloured port or starboard side light to the usual coloured port or
starboard light indicated the course of the vessel carrying the same to another vessel
approaching it from a point anywhere within the range of the lights.
These supplémentary side lights however do not cure the second defect of the
ordinary lights, that is to say, they have no value as a means of warning or directing
a vessel approaching from dead astern or from either port or starboard of dead asteri
up to one or two points abaft the beam.
With the view of overcoming this defect of both the ordinary and supplementary
side lights therefore I provide one or more white warning or object lights which will
serve to cover those points of the compass not hitherto lighted, for instance, the white
warning light or lights may be visible from dead astern and from a number of points
to either port or starboard of dead astern the forward range of the said white warning
or object lights extending to, or nearly to, the aft range of the coloured side lights, so
that the set of lights will serve to warn or direct a vessel approaching from any point
of the compass.
The improved warning or object lights may be used in connection with the
ordinary port and starboard lights alone if desired, but for convenience I have in
Figure 1 shown them as used on a vessel provided with both the ordinary and
supplementary side lights, P and S being the ordinary coloured port and starboard
lights P and S¹ the supplementary coloured port and starboard lights and P² and S²
white warning or object lights arranged on the port and starboard quarters.
To a vessel approaching from dead ahead therefore the usual coloured port and
starboard lights will be visible and to a vessel approaching from port or starboard in
a range anywhere from a point or two from dead ahead to a point or two abaft the
beam, the usual coloured side light and the supplementary coloured side light will be
visible the course of the vessel carrying the lights being thus indicated to such
approaching vessel and the course of the latter being governed accordingly while to a
vessel approaching from dead astern or from anywhere aft of the range of the coloured
side lights the white warning or object light will be visible and the necessary change
in the course of the approaching vessel will open up the coloured side lights, and thus
inform such approaching vessel of the position and course of the vessel ahead.
In the diagram Figure 1 I have shown the ordinary coloured port and starboard
lights P and S in the forward rigging the supplementary coloured side lights P¹ S
in the main rigging and the white object or warning lights P2 S² in the mizzen
rigging but in order to dispense with the extra lanterns and lantern boxes which this
necessitates I prefer, in applying my invention to the supplementary side light
system, to provide one lantern box with both the coloured supplementary side light
and the white warning or object light, as shown, for instance, in Figure 2 which
represents a supplementary side light so that one lantern will serve for both the
lantern casing being provided with screens for restricting the range of the two lights
for it is advisable that the forward range of the. white warning or object lights PS²
shall not extend quite as far as the aft range of the coloured side lights Pi S¹ other-
wise there will be likelihood of these two lights blending to view from a vessel
approaching from say two points abaft the beam.
It may be preferable in some cases, to use adjustable screens a and b so that the aft
range of the coloured side light and the forward range of the white stern light
may be regulated and changed as desired.
When the white warning or object lights are used in connection with the
ordinary coloured side lights (that is if the use of the supplementary coloured side
lights be not considered necessary) the compound lantern and lantern box may be
constructed as shown in Figure 3 which represents the starboard box, and if desired
a single white warning or object light at the stern may be used instead of having one

page_text: on each side the said single light being properly shielded as shown in Figure for
instance, so that its forward range restricted and will not cause blending or confusion
of the white warning or object light with the coloured side lights.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
1. The combination, in signal lights for vessels, of coloured port and starboard
lights with a white warning or object light visible from dead astern and from a number
of points to port or starboard of dead astern but shielded from view from points
within the range of the said coloured port and starboard lights.
2. The combination in signal lights for vessels, of coloured port and starboard lights
with white warning or object lights situated at port and starboard and visible from
dead astern and from a number of points to port or starboard of dead astern but
shielded from view from points within the range of the coloured port and starboard
lights.
3. The combination, in signal lights for vessels of the usual coloured port and
starboard lights supplementary coloured side lights visible through a range including
a number of points to port or starboard respectively and one or more white
warning or object lights visible from dead astern and through a range including a
number of points to port and starboard of dead astern, but shielded from view from
points within the range of the coloured side lights.
4. The hereinbefore described compound side light consisting of a single lantern
box having a coloured side light visible from a number of points to port or starboard
and a white warning or object light visible from dead astern and from a number of
points to port or starboard of dead, astern.
5. The combination of the single lantern box having a coloured side light visible
from a number of points to port or starboard and a white warning or object light,
visible from dead astern and from a number of points to port or starboard of dead
astern with a shield or shields for restricting the aft range of the coloured side light
and the forward range of the white warning or object light.
Dated this 8th day of Jamiary 1889.