AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING,, APPLICABLE TO 132 9: ༢༨, ༢. USE IN SHIPS OR ON LAND
Year: 1871

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LETTERS PATENT to George Read, of Deal, in, the County of Kent,
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Chief Officer in the Coast Guard Service, and John James-Nickoll,
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of South Hill House, Gravesend, Gentleman, for the Invention of
AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING,, APPLICABLE TO
132 9: ༢༨, ༢.
USE IN SHIPS OR ON LAND."
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Read and John>
James Nickoll at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with
their Petition, on the 4th December 1871
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We, GEORGE READ, of Deal, in the County of Kent, Chief Officer in
the Coast Guard Service, and JOHN JAMES NICKOLL, of South Hill
House, Gravesend, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING,
APPLICABLE TO USE IN SHIPS OR ON LAND," to be as follows:
Our improvements so far as they particularly relate to signalling on
board ship consist of a peculiar arrangement and adaptation of apparatus

page_text: whereby the position of a signalling ship and the direction in which she
may be steering are indicated at a distance by means of lights operated
automatically by machinery in connection with the steering wheel, tiller,
or rudder of that ship, in such manner that if the said ship is going
ahead, say, a white light, is visible, preferably at an elevated point
thereof; if the helm is put over to port, say, a red light; and if to
starboard, say, a green light is exhibited. We effect-this-end by--means.
of a cylinder which may be hoisted to the masthead, and there secured
or fixed in any convenient and suitable position on. the vessel. This
cylinder is perforated, and white or coloured lenses fixed in such
perforations, which are usually three in number, and situated by
preference one above the other. A lamp of any suitable form is placed
inside the said cylinder, and being brought opposite to one of the
openings therein will exhibit a light corresponding in colour to that of
the particular lens. behind which it may be placed. This sliding lamp is
operated by means of wire rope and leading pullies, rods, and cranked
levers, or any other suitable tackle or mechanism connected with and
receiving its motion from some part of the steering apparatus.
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The above described apparatus, is suitable for use at night. During
the day we employ a semaphore, yard-arm, or other indicating medium,
placed in some conspicuous part of the ship and operated by the same
. means as the lamp; the various positions of this semaphore or yard-arm
being in accordance with those of the rudder will indicate whether the
ship is steering a-port, right-ahead, or a starboard course.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Read and John James Nickoll, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th June 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
READ, of-Deal, in the County of Kent, Chief Officer in the Coast Guard
Service, and JOHN JAMES NICKOLL, of South Hill House, Gravesend,!.
Gentleman, send greeting...
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WHEREAS Her most, Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent; bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said George Read and, John, James Nickoll,
Her special licence that we, the said George Read and John James
Nickoll; our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said George. Read and John James Nickoll, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make; use, exercise, and end,
within the, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, APPLICABLE. TO USE IN SHIPS OR ON LAND,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Read
and John James Nickoll, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of 'the said'
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office,, within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
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NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Read and John James
Nickoll, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and. by the following statement :-
1.
Our improvements so far as they particularly relate to signalling on
board ship consist of a peculiar arrangement and adaptation, of apparatus

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whereby the position of a signalling ship and the direction in which she
may be steering are indicated at a distance by means of lights operated
automatically by machinery in connection with the steering wheel, tiller,
or rudder of that ship in such manner that if the said ship is going
ahead, say, a white light is visible, preferably at an elevated point
thereof; if the helm is put over to port, say, a red light; and if to
starboard, say, a green light is so exhibited. We effect this end by
means of a cylinder which may be hoisted to the masthead, and there
secured or fixed in any convenient and suitable position on the vessel.
This cylinder is perforated, and white or coloured lenses fixed in such
perforations, which are usually three in number and situated by prefer-
ence one above the other: A lamp of any suitable form is placed inside
the said cylinder, and being brought opposite to one of the openings
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will exhibit a light corresponding in color to that of the
particular lens behind which it may be placed. This sliding lamp is
operated by means of wire rope and leading pullies, rods, and cranked
levers; or any other suitable tackle or mechanism connected with and
receiving its motion from some part of the steering apparatus.
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The above-described apparatus is a suitable for use at night, during
the day we employ a semaphore, yard-arm, or other indicating medium
placed in some conspicuous part of. the ship and operated by the same
means as the lamp the various positions of this semaphore or yard-arm
being in accordance with those of the rudder will indicate whether the
ship is steering a-port, right-ahead, or a starboard course: ..
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Instead of causing the lamp, to be elevated, and depressed in the 2
cylinder, the latter may be made to move and the lamp held,stationary.
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Our said method of signalling is also applicable to the purpose
of transmitting messages from ship to ship or from one place to another,
whether on land or sea, by means of a system of notation and a. corre-
-sponding code or vocabulary.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings here-
unto annexed
Figure 1 represents a side, elevation of the apparatus as placed in
position on the foremast of the ship; Figures 2 and 3 respectively 3
afront elevation and plan-of-the-same. Figures-4-5-6-and-7

page_text: respectively, a front elevation, plan, vertical and horizontal sections of
the same to a larger scale. Like letters refer to similar parts in each
of these Figures:
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A, the signalling cylinder shown suspended to the stay B and within
5 which cylinder the lamp C is caused to slide up and down in unison with
the motion of the rudder in the manner to be, hereafter described; D, D,
guide lines fixed at top to a cross piece E, and at bottom to the deck or
other convenient point of attachment. On these guide lines the cylinder
is, steadied and supported by the eyes F, F, which in the ordinary,
position of the cylinder rest on the thimbles G, G, or other suitable
supports fixed to the guide lines. The cylinder is hoisted into position
and the guide lines tightened by means of. a line H, one end of which is
attached to the cross piece E, and the other rove through the pulley
blocks J, K, being then carried down to the foot of the mast where it is
made.fast. The block J-is provided with a ring which allows it to be
raised or lowered on the stay B at pleasure. In openings in the front.
part of the cylinder are inserted the lenses L, M, N; the upper one L
being, say, red; the middle one M, white; and the lower one N, green;
the said lenses are of the usual segmental form, as shewn in the
sectional plan, Figure 7, in order to allow the rays of light emanating
from the lamp to be visible over the requisite arc, or if preferred they
may be made circular so as to shew a light all round.
The lamp C is constructed as an ordinary, ship's lamp, by preference,
circular in plan and provided, with reflectors suited to the arc of the
lenses. A guide groove O formed in it receives a tongue or fillet P:
fixed in the cylinder prevent the lamp turning therein; the holes for the
admission of air into the cylinder to support combustion in the lamp.
may be conveniently formed in this fillet (which is shewn hollow), other
holes being cut in the back of the cylinder to admit air into the hollow
fillet by these means draughts of air in the cylinder or lamp may be
avoided. The lamp is attached to a lanyard Q, which passes up through
the cover R of the cylinder over the pulley block S fastened to the cross
piece E, and down the mast to near the deck where it is attached to a
line connected with some convenient and suitable moving part: of the
steering apparatus. This line connected with the steering apparatus;
may be a single line such as T, attached at one end to, say, the tiller, as
shewn, and being led by guide pullies, preferably beneath the deck; into
a suitable position, has at its other end a-balance weight U.
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The motion of the steering apparatus in moving the rudder to one side
will thus impart to the line T a movement in one direction raising the
weight U, and when the rudder is moved to the opposite side the weight
will draw the line in the opposite direction. The lamp lanyard Q being
attached to the said line or to the weight as shewn will receive a corre-
-sponding movement; a weight V may also be applied to the other side of
the tiller to counterbalance the weight U. "It will now be understood.
that the lines Q and T being connected together in such manner that
when the helm is amidships the lamp C in the cylinder is suspended
opposite to the white lens; any movement of the helm to the starboard or
port side will depress or elevate the lamp so as to bring it opposite to
the green or red lens, and thus indicate at a distance from the ship
whether she is steering a starboard, right-ahead, or port course, and
when desired the position of the lamp in the cylinder may be indicated
to the officer of the watch through holes 1, 1, in the back of the
cylinder provided with coloured glasses corresponding to the lenses.
The line P should be attached to that part of the steering gear that will
move the lamp from the white lens to one of the coloured ones before
the rudder shall have altered the course of the ship to any material
extent (or if preferred it may be so regulated as to show the light only
at the last turn of the steering wheel either way): -
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The relative positions of the lamp and lenses are not altered by the
further movement of the rudder in the same direction by reason in the
one case of 'the lamp coming in contact with the cover R and raising
the said cylinder thereby, and in the other case by the lamp resting on
the spring W or on the bottom of the cylinder, the lamp lanyard.Q
becoming-slack; by these means the lamp can never be moved beyond
Instead of-the-single.line.or rope T and balance weight U an endless
-line and leading pullies such as X, shewn in dotted lines in Figure 3,
carried round the ship beneath the deck-in any convenient manner and
pósition, or rods and cranked levers or other suitable mechanism, may
be employed to impart motion to the lamp; and it will be seen that
if preferred the lamp may be made to remain stationary and motion only
given to the cylinder by similar means to those described-for-moving

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the lamp. If it is desired not to exhibit a white light when the helm is
amidships the white lens may be omitted. and the cylinder left solid
between the red and green lenses..
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Figures 1 and 2 also show a semaphore or yard-arm arranged and
operated so as to indicate in the daytime the movements of the rudder;
A is the semaphore arm centred on a pin and placed in some con-
spicuous position in the fore part of the ship, as on the mast; Q1, Q²,
lanyards attached one to each side of the centre thereof; these lanyards
are led down and connected to the endless line or to the weighted
lines before described, in such manner that the motion of the rudder
shall elevate as shewn that arm of the semaphore which corresponds to
the side of the ship towards which the helm is put over, and thus indicate
the direction she is taking or is about to take.
Instead of applying the before-described apparatus at the masthead
one such may, be applied to each side of the ship, and being connected
with the steering gear will indicate in a more efficient manner than the
present regulation lights the position a ship's helm may be in at any
moment by so arranging the lenses that the colour visible shall be that
which accords with the side to which the helm is put over, and when so
applying the apparatus we prefer to use a masthead or position light
the front of which shews white; and the starboard and port sides green
and red respectively, for the purpose of indicating the general direction a
ship may be taking.
The apparatus is also applicable to ships riding at anchor wherein the
helm is sometimes lashed, say, to port, the cable being at sheer-on-port-
bow, thus giving to another ship a chance of anchoring in a clear berth
on the starboard side.
It will be readily understood that this apparatus is applicable to a
variety of purposes where signalling is required, as for example in
harbours to indicate to a ship about to enter the course she should
follow, by simply moving the lamp in the cylinder opposite to the
coloured lens, indicating the direction to which the ship's helm should
be put over.
Also by employing a suitable notation and code corresponding to the
colours and positions of the lenses in the cylinder any required messages
or signals may be transmitted, whether on sea or land; and for this
purpose several cylinders and lamps may be employed with the lenses

page_text: arranged and combined in any suitable manner, the lamp being moved
in-the cylinder by hand or by mechanical means as may be preferred.
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Having now described the nature of our said Invention; and the
manner in which the same is to or, may be performed; we would have it
understood that what we claim as our Invention is,―
Firstly. The apparatus for indicating at night the position of the
rudder or the direction in which a ship may be steering, consisting of a
signalling cylinder with a sliding lamp constructed, arranged, and
operated substantially as described and shewn.
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Secondly. The application and use of a semaphore or yard-arm for
indicating during the day, the position of the rudder or the direction in
which a ship may be steering, adapted, arranged, and operated sub-
stantially as described and shewn.
Thirdly. The use of a signalling cylinder having a lamp sliding
therein, whether operated by self-acting means or by hand for the
purposes of signalling or indicating at sea or on land, constructed and
arranged; substantially as described and shewn.
In,, witness whereof, we, the said George Read and John James-
Nickoll, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day
of June One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two...
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