A New or Improved Method of and Apparatus for Signalling at Sea or on Land.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 19th June, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of and Apparatus for Signalling at Sea
or on Land.
I, WILLIAM BRYCE CHALMERS of 37 Mincing Lane in the City and County of
London, Tea Broker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention refers to a new or improved method of and apparatus therefor
whereby signalling may be accomplished at sea or on land by means of musical
notes or tones as hereafter described.
In all civilised nations of the world musical notes or tones are primarily divided
into eight parts or notes viz. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do, and consequently the sounds
of these respective notes are universally known and for the purposes of my invention
I utilize this fact.
According to my invention I provide an apparatus capable of sounding or
producing any or either of the tones or notes in the musical scale or any combination
of them from Do to Do or from C to C. The apparatus is composed of whistles or
pipes each being tuned to the notes of the musical scale as aforesaid such whistles
or pipes or their equivalents being caused to act through the agency or action of
steam, compressed air or the like. These whistles or pipes are operated from say a
key board or other convenient appliances arranged in some convenient position, say
on the bridge of a steamer and the power whether that be steam, compressed air or
equivalent may be utilized or applied by means of electricity, mechanically or other-
wise so as to sound the required notes or combination of notes from the whistles or
pipes. These notes or tones should, or may be used in combination with the so-called
international maritime code as applied to ships but which as applied to war ships
may be varied so as to make a private code known only to the parties interested.
By my invention a complete system of signalling is produced available at all
times at sea or on land whether it be dark or light or during foggy weather, and on
land when the parties to communicate are not visible to one another.
At sea for example the musical sounds or notes or a particular combination
thereof would indicate or could be made to do so from one ship to another the
direction in which each was proceeding and the liability of collisions during foggy
weather materially lessened thereby, and communications between them could be
carried on uninterruptedly (as is now attempted to be done by flags or semaphores
or lights all of which latter are practically invisible at night or during foggy
weather) while at the same time the communications could by my invention be
made much more rapidly than heretofore.
Dated this 20th day of September 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
0 A New or Improved Method of and Apparatus for Signalling at Sea
or on Land.
I, WILLIAM BRYCE CHALMERS of 37 Mincing Lane in the City of London,
Tea Broker, 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
5 by the following statement :-
My invention refers to a new or improved method of and apparatus therefor

page_text: whereby signalling may be accomplished at sea or on land by means of musical
notes or tones as hereafter described.
In all civilised nations of the world musical notes or tones are primarily divided
into eight parts or notes riz. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do, and consequently the sounds
of these respective notes are universally known and recognised by their names or
initials, and for the purposes of my invention I utilize this fact.
a
According to my invention I provide an apparatus capable of sounding or
producing-any or either of the tones or notes in the musical scale or any combination
of them from Do to Do or from C to C. The apparatus is composed of say 10 whistles
or pipes each being tuned to the notes of the musical scale as aforesaid such whistles
or pipes or their equivalents being caused to act through the agency or action of
steam, compressed air or the like. These whistles or pipes are operated from say
keyboard or other convenient appliances arranged say on the bridge of a steamer
and the power, whether that be steam, compressed air or equivalent may be utilized
or applied by means of electricity, mechanically or otherwise so as to sound the
required notes or combination of notes from the whistles or pipes. These notes or
tones should or may be used in combination with the so called international maritime
code as applied to ships but which as applied to war ships may be varied so as to
make a private code known only to the parties interested.
By my invention a complete system of signalling is produced available at all
times at sea or on land whether it be dark or light or during foggy weather and on
land when the parties to communicate are not visible to one another.
At sea for example the musical sounds or notes or a particular combination
thereof would indicate or could be made to do so from one ship to another the
direction in which each was proceeding, and the liability of collisions during foggy
weather materially lessened thereby, and communications between them could be
carried on uninterruptedly (as is now attempted to be done by flags or semaphores
or lights, all of which latter are practically invisible at night or during foggy
weather) while at the same time the communications could, by my invention, be
made much more rapidly than heretofore.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will now further describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Figure 1, 14, shows in vertical section an arrangement of apparatus constructed
according to one modification of my invention;
Figure 2 is a vertical section according to another modification and
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are views of different parts in detail, and hereafter
referred to separately, in this Specification.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The tone sounding apparatus or tubes are mounted in or on suitable frame-
work such as that shown by the letters A. A. BB are the tone sounding pipes
the number of them being regulated according to the number of the different
notes or tones required to be produced. A detached view of these tone sounding
tubes with the stand in which they are fixed is shown, on a smaller scale than
Figures 1 and 2, at Figure 3. The lower parts B' of the tubes are composed
of a metal casting say of gun metal or brass, they are coned at their ends as
shown and fit into apertures formed in the upper part or top of the wind
chest A on the frame A, to which they are secured by bolts or in any other
convenient way. This lower part 1 is shown on a larger scale in vertical
section at Figure 4, and the upper part on a still larger scale is shown inverted
by a perspective view at Figure 5. Into the lower casting B₁ the cap B² is
screwed, which carries a tube B³, and a tongue B, together forming a reed.
The tube B is screwed through the top B² for the sake of its easy and accurate
adjustment during the manufacture; when adjusted the tube B³ and the tongue B*
are fixed in position by the wedge B. The note is tuned by properly con-
trolling the vibrations of the tongue B, and this is accomplished by means of
a finger B6, the latter pressing against the tongue B and being mounted on a

page_text: screw B', passing through the cap B2; the finger B is thus capable of being
vertically adjusted when required from the outside, the only tool necessary being
a screw-driver. BB is a set screw for fixing the screw B' when adjusted.
By traversing the tongue downwards the number of vibrations of the tongue is
increased and consequently the note is raised in pitch and vice versa. The tone
sounding pipes proper B, are screwed on to the top B2 at B³, and are or may
be formed with bell mouths as shown at Figure 3, the length and size of the
tubes being varied according to the notes to be produced. C_Figure 3 is a
hood for covering and protecting the tubes from the weather. D D are valves
in the wind chest A' for controlling the air entrance to the sounding tubes;
these valves are held up to their seats by springs and the lower ends of the
valve spindles are each fixed to a separate and distinct diaphragm, one of
which is shown at Figure 1; the passage F under the diaphragm com-
municates with two other apertures, one leading to the wind chest A', and
the other or lower one, to the atmosphere, the two latter apertures being
controlled by a valve G, so that when one valve is shut the other is open ;
the spindle of the valve G acts, or is acted on, by a diaphragm H, working
against a ball or abutment on the valve spindle. This diaphragm H covers
a passage formed in a chamber J, which passage leads to, and is supplied
with air pressure through a pipe K, leading to the keyboard portion of the
instrument. For each sounding tube there should be a series of parts just
described and marked D, E, F, G, H, J, K. The air pressure is supplied to
the air chest A¹, by the pipe A2, from any convenient source of supply whether
that be a bellows, air pump, compressor or other means. In the arrangement
just described the air pressure in the pipe K and air chest A' are about equal,
but if the air or equivalent pressure in the chest A¹ is to be much greater
than what I may call the actuating pressure supplied by the pipe K, then a
modification of the arrangement just described is required, and such as is shown
with reference to Figure 2 I have found to answer the purpose. DD are the
valves in the wind chest A¹ controlling the admission of pressure to the sounding
tubes B, here however instead of the diaphragm E there is a piston E, the
underside of the piston being in communication with the passage F the two
entrances to which, as before, are controlled by the valve G. The spindle of
this valve G carries a piston H in a cylinder H', the lower part of the latter
cylinder is formed with a port communicating with a chamber H², having two
apertures, one at top and one at bottom, the upper communicating with the
pressure chest A', and the lower with the atmosphere. These apertures are
controlled by a double beat valve G', the spindle of which carries at its lower
end a boss resting on the diaphragm, corresponding with the diaphragm H
Figure 1, the latter diaphragm being acted on by pressure from the pipes K:
These tone sounding tubes and the mechanism connected therewith, are operated
by the keyboard apparatus or instrument and which for the sake of clearness
of description I may call key verifying, and testing mechanism, as well as for
operating the sounding mechanism. These key verifiers or actuating and testing
mechanism and the sounding mechanism, may be placed at any suitable distance
from one another and in the examples dealt with are connected by tubes K
which may be of any length and suitable material, through which air pressure
conveys the impulses from one instrument to the other, that is from the keyboard
and verifying instrument to the sounding instrument.
The keyboard and verifying apparatus is enclosed in a case L and contains
an air chest M in which a pressure is maintained by suitable means, the said
pressure being introduced through the pipe M' (the pressure not being necessarily
great). N is a double beat valve the spindle N¹ of which is connected to one
arm of a lever O, of the first order, the other arm being pivotted to a depending
arm P; P is a guide bracket for the arm; P' is an aperture in the arm P
in which the finger of the operator may be inserted for operating the lever O ;
P³ is an aperture which when the rod P is depressed may be passed on to or

page_text: slipped over a pin, and the lever O will be retained in its depressed position;
Qis a spring for holding and retaining in position the valve N. There is a
similar valve and actuating mechanism for every note that is to be governed
and actuated. RS are stops consisting of slides in which there are apertures,
the slide R when in one position closes the outlets to the tubes K which are
the supply tubes to the sounding apparatus, and when the slide R is in its other
position the supply tubes K are open.
The slide S is arranged with a double series of apertures as shown in the
horizontal section Figure 6, and when in the position shown by the drawings
the valve N when opened will admit pressure through the passage R¹, slide S,
passage R2, back through the slide S and upwards through passage R³ in the
vertical side of the air chest. Figure 7 is a partial back elevation wherein the
passages R³ are shown by dotted lines and they lead to the verifying tubes T,
the number of which correspond in number and pitch with the sounding tubes B.
U U are hand levers for operating the slides or stops RS. The signal sounding
apparatus may be fitted to and niounted on, a suitable turntable for directing
the sounding pipes in any desired direction.
The action of the apparatus is as follows: Supposing that any one note is
to be sounded on the sounding tubes and it is desired also that the corresponding
verifying tube should also speak, the stops R S would be in the positions shown
in the Figures 1, 6 and 7. The operator then depresses that one of the rods P,
which corresponds to the note it is required should sound. This action causes
the valve spindle N¹ to be raised, and pressure to pass from the pressure chest M
through the passages R¹ R2 R3 and into the pipe T, while simultaneously
pressure passes through stop R by the tube K thus raising the diaphragm H
and valve G, the latter closing the upper aperture into the wind chest A' and
opening the passage F to the atmosphere; The diaphragm E being acted upon
by internal pressure is driven downwards and opens the valve D allowing the
pressure to pass through the tone sounding tube B, and to produce the signal
note. If it is desired that the verifying notes T should not speak it is only
necessary to move the slide S Figure 6, towards the right hand, by the lever Ú
when the tubes B will act alone. Supposing the officer heard a note sounded
from say an approaching vessel and was doubtful what note it was, he then
closes the stop R and leaves the stop S open, when he can test the note on
the verifier, by operating the various fingers P until he obtains the note on the
tubes T which exactly corresponds with that sounded by the said vessel; the
tubes of the verifier only sound sufficiently loud to be conveniently heard within
a reasonable distance, by persons on board the vessel, on which the instrument
is situated or other place.
The
The action of the arrangement shown at Figure 2 varies somewhat from the
previous arrangement by reason of the pressure in the chest A being greater
than the pressure at M, thus, pressure by the pipe K raises the valve G¹ and
allows pressure from A' to act on the underside of piston H, raises valve G
which closes the upper port and opens the passage F to the atmosphere.
pressure in A' acting on the upper area of the piston E opens the valve D and
the tube B sounds. In the drawing the valves and tubes are shown duplicated,
that is, there are two tubes shown, which would sound at once, but this duplicate
arrangement is not one I usually employ, a single set of valves and a single
tube being generally found sufficient.
I am aware that it has been proposed to employ as a signalling instrument,
a whistle by which several notes may be produced, and I am also aware that
it is not new to employ musical notes for signalling purposes, as all bugle calls
consist of such.
In apparatus constructed according to my invention I employ a separate pipe
for each note required, as for my invention, it is essential that the instruments
employed by the various signalling partics, should coincide, that is, should be
tuned to the same note, say the note vibrating say 540 per second and the

page_text: other tones should be in conjunction or accord therewith, and this result I attain
in what I have found to be a successful manner and as herein described, whereas
by the employment of a whistle producing say several notes the said notes
produced would depend on the original tone of the whistle, which latter tone is
not in practice determinable with certainty during the manufacture; and again
with my apparatus I gain a distinct advantage over single sounding instruments
in that there is a great saving of time as I am enabled to sound or change a
note as readily as upon an organ or piano.
I prefer 10 notes, because by using the B below C with the C or Do, I can call
attention, and by using or sounding the Dabove the octave I can cut off communica-
tion, without interfering with the use of the whole of the 8 notes in the octave. By
using an indicator I can signify that communication will be made by the numeral
code, when I require the 10 notes to represent Figures 1 to 0, and by another
indicator I can signify that the "Morse" code, of dots and dashes is to be
employed.
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. In signalling apparatus the new or improved method and the construction
and employment of a device consisting essentially of several sounding tubes of
different notes or tones all tuned to one and the same note and recognised by
its name common to all nations, each tube being provided with a valve, governing
communication with a pressure chest common to all the tubes, the several valves
being under control from a distance by pneumatic or other pressure or force,
substantially as set forth.
2. In signalling apparatus, the verifying and actuating instrument composed
of keys for actuating valves for the controlling and admission of pressure from
an air chest by passages leading to note speaking tubes or verifiers, as well as
by passages to the valve mechanism of the signal sounding apparatus, the
admission of pressure to either the verifying or signal tubes being controlled by
stops, all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
3. In signalling apparatus, the actuating and verifying instrument as claimed
under Claim 2, in combination with the signal tone sounding instrument as
claimed under Claim 1, and substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. In signalling apparatus, the actuating and verifying instrument as claimed
under Claim 2, in combination with the signal tone high pressure sounding
instrument composed of signal tubes B, valves D, piston E, passage F, double
beat valve G, piston H, double beat valve G¹ actuated through diaphragm or
equivalent, by pneumatic or other pressure, and substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
5. In signalling apparatus the mode and means described and shown with
reference to Figures 4 and 5 for regulating and adjusting the position of the
vibrating reed for tuning the signal notes, and substantially as set forth.
6. The general arrangement and combination of parts of mechanism for
signalling, substantially as described and shown with reference to the accom-
panying drawings together with any mere modification thereof.
Dated this 19th day of June 1891.