IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF INEXTINGUISHABLE SIGNAL LIGHTS FOR MARINE AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nathaniel John Holmes, of 9, Primrose Hill
Road, London, Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF INEXTINGUISHABLE SIGNAL LIGHTS FOR MARINE
AND OTHER PURPOSES."-Partly a communication from abroad by
Ferdinand Silas, of the Imperial French Embassy, Vienna.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nathaniel John Holmes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd February 1870.
I, NATHANIEL JOHN HOLMES, of 9, Primrose Hill Road, London,
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS, IN THE APPLICATION OF INEXTINGUISHABLE SIGNAL LIGHTS
FOR MARINE AND OTHER PURPOSES," the same is the result partly of a
communication made to me from abroad by Ferdinand Silas, of the
Imperial French Embassy, Vienna, and partly of Invention and discovery
made by me, to be as follows:—

page_text: taneous signal lights to be used in connection with or form a part of
the life preserving apparatus and danger signals to be used both at sea
and on land, such as life buoys, rocket apparatus, portfires, floating
lights, railway danger signals, and all other cases where a powerful self-
igniting inextinguishable signal light is required not affected either
by wind or moisture.
The first improvement consists in the mode of applying the phosphuret
of calcium or other phosphuretted hydrogen light to the preservation of
life at sea in connection with life buoys and other similar apparatus
in such a manner that the production of the light shall be automatic
and instantaneous upon the falling of such life buoy and other apparatus
into the water. For this purpose an open metal or other tube of suitable
length and diameter is passed through the air-tight chamber containing
the phosphuret. Two stop-cocks or plugs, one above and one below
the chamber, either open or close the tube simultaneously by means of
an external connecting lever and any ordinary check parallel motion
action. The upper end of this lever is attached to a small cord, so that
upon the pulling of the cord the stop-cocks or plugs which were before
shut will become open. This apparatus, suitably prepared for the pro-
duction and emisson of the gas when the same is required to be generated,
is attached to the centre of the life buoy forming an integral part of
the same.
Upon cutting away the life buoy at sea the weight of the
falling buoy causes a strain and breakage of the cord attached to the
connecting arm working the two stop-cocks or plugs, the end of the
cord being made fast, and as the buoy falls into the water every adjust-
ment has been automatically prepared to produce the signal light at the
moment it touches the water, the same entering by the bottom of the
tube now open into the chamber containing the phosphuret, and the
gas being generated escapes by means of perforations in the portion of
the tube within the chamber and through the upper opened stop-cock
or plug and suitable orifices into the air, causing a brilliant signal light
to appear instantaneously of sufficient intensity as to bo visible two or
three miles, and capable of burning for one or more hours according to
the capacity of the chamber containing the phosphuret and dimensions
of the burner. By this means the position of the life buoy is marked
during darkness and storm, to the protection of life. A similar principle
of construction may be applied to other forms of apparatus.

page_text: The second improvement consists in the necessary modification of
parts to adapt this automatic principle as an attachment to the line and
rocket used in cases of shipwreck. In these arrangements the firing
the rocket may cither so affect the parts of the apparatus as to imme-
diately produce a light marking the direction taken by the line and-rocket
on a dark night and its position when fällen into the water, or it may
have so prepared the several parts of the apparatus that the signal light
shall only burst forth when the line has fallen in the water, serving
as a beacon to show the vessel in distress the position of the line, a
matter of moment in tempestuous weather. In the former arrangement
the chamber containing the phosphuret is connected by a tube with
a vessel containing water, and the necessary communications for the
generation and emission of the gas are automatically opened by the
firing of the rocket apparatus to which it may be attached, and also by
hand before firing if necessary. In the other arrangement the interior
communications are so prepared as to allow the emission of the gas
and signal the moment the apparatus and line touches the water, thus
forming a signal of sufficient duration to enable the position of the line
to be determined in the sca.
The third improvement consists of a portable floating distress light
to be burned at sea, and which may be attached to the life belt or to
the person in cases of danger, and which can be immediately and similarly
brought into requisition by the pulling of the string or opening of the
external cock or plug. These floating inextinguishable lights may be
used at sea during shipwreck & storm to illuminate the operations
of rescue. For the purposes of producing the phosphuret of calcium
for the inextinguishable storm signal lights above named I propose to
adopt a new method of preparation, which differs from the present
incans employed by a second calcination after the phosphuret has been
produced by any one of the ordinary methods.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Nathaniel John Holmes in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NATHANIEL
› JOHN HOLMES, of 9, Primrose Hill Road, London, Middlesex, Gentleman,
send erecting

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Nathaniel John Holmes, Her special
licence that I, the said Nathaniel John Holmes, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Nathaniel John Holmes,
my executors, administrators, 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, usc, cxcrcise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE APPLICATION OF INEXTINGUISHABLE SIGNAL LIGHTS FOR MARINE AND OTHER
PURPOSES," partly a communication to him from abroad by Ferdinand
Silas, of the Imperial French Embassy, Vienna, and is partly his own
Invention, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Nathaniel John Holmes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, 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 mouths
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nathaniel John Holmes, do hercby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
'
These Inventions consist in an improved method of construction in
applying the spontaneous combustible properties of phosphuretted
hydrogen gas or phosphuret of calcium to the production of instantaneous
signal lights to be used in connection with or form a part of the life
preserving apparatus and danger signals to be used both at sea and
on land, such as life buoys, rocket apparatus, portfires, floating lights,
railway danger signals, and all other cases where a powerful self-igniting
inextinguishable signal light is required not affected either by wind or
moisture.
The first improvement consists in the mode of applying the phosphuret
of calcium or other phosphuretted hydrogen light to the preservation
of life at sea in connection with life buoys and other similar apparatus

page_text: .
in such a manner that the production of the light shall be automatic
and instantaneous upon the falling of such life buoy or other apparatus
into the water. For this purpose an open metal or other tube of
suitable length and diameter is passed through the air-tight chamber
containing the phosphuret. Two stop-cocks or plugs, one above. and
one below the chamber, either open or close the tube simultaneously
by means of an external connecting lever and any ordinary check
parallel motion action. The upper end of this lever is attached to a
small cord, so that upon the pulling of the cord the stop-cocks or plugs
which were before shut will become open. This apparatus, suitably
prepared for the production and emission of the gas when the same is
required to be generated, is attached to the centre of the life buoy,
forming an integral part of the same. Upon cutting away the life
buoy at sca the weight of the falling buoy causes a strain and
breakage of the cord attached to the connecting arm working the two
stop-cocks or plugs, the end of the cord being made fast, and as the
buoy falls into the water every adjustment has been automatically
prepared to produce the signal light at the moment it touches the
water, the same entering by the bottom of the tube now open into the
chamber containing the phosphuret, and the gas being generated escapes
by means of perforations in the portion of the tube within the chamber
and through the upper opened stop-cock or plug and suitable orifice
into the air, causing a brilliant signal light to appear instantaneously
of sufficient intensity as to be visible two or three miles and capable of
5 burning for one or more hours, according to the capacity of the chamber
containing the phosphuret and dimensions of the burner. By this
means the position of the life buoy is marked during darkness and storm,
to the protection of life. A similar principle of construction may be
applied to other forms of apparatus.
D The second improvement consists in the necessary modification of
parts to adapt this automatic principle as an attachment to the line
and rocket used in cases of shipwreck. In these arrangements the
firing the rocket may either so affect the parts of the apparatus as to
immediately produce a light, marking the direction taken by the line
5 and rocket on a dark night and its position when fallen into the water,
or it may have so prepared the several parts of the apparatus that the
signal light shall only burst forth when the line has fallen into the
water, serving as a beacon to show the vessel in distress, the position of

page_text: the line, a matter of moment in tempestuous weather. In the former
arrangement the chamber containing the phosphuret is connected by a
tube with a vessel containing water, and the necessary communications
for the generation and emission of the gas are automatically opened by
the firing of the rocket apparatus to which it may be attached, and
also by land before firing if necessary. In the other arrangement
the interior communications are so prepared as to allow the emission
of the gas and signal to appear the moment the apparatus and line
touches the water, thus forming a signal of sufficient duration to enable
the position of the line to be determined in the sea.
The third improvement consists of a portable floating distress light
to be burned at sea, and which may be attached to the life belt or to
the person in cases of danger, and which can be immediately and
similarly brought into requisition by the pulling of the string or opening
of the external cock or plug: These floating inextinguishable lights
may be used at sea during shipwreck and storm to illuminate the
operations of rescue. For the purposes of producing the phosphuret
of calcium for the inextinguishable storm signal lights above named
I propose to adopt a new method of preparation, which differs from the
present means employed by a second calcination after the phosphuret 2
has been produced by any one of the ordinary methods.
•
In witness whereof, I, the said Nathaniel John Holmes have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this the Eighth day of July One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
1
Witness to the above signature,
W. TURNER,
London,
8 July 1870.
· NATH³. J. HOLMES. (L.S.)