IMPROVEMENTS IN BELL AND OTHER BUOYS
Year: 1885

page_text: We SAMUEL BENJAMIN GOSLIN of The Crescent Foundry Cripplegate in the
City of London Engineer and RICHARD ABRAM STOKER of The Foundry Works
Walton on the Naze in the County of Essex Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BELL AND OTHER BUOYS" to
be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in bell and other buoys.
Buoys for sounding bells and for carrying beacons have hitherto been of such
forms that they have not had a lively motion and they have been liable to list on
one side in a strong running tide and sometimes to capsize and remain bottom
upwards until righted by manual operations; under such circumstances they become
useless for the purposes for which they are intended.
In the buoy which we will proceed to describe these defects are avoided. We
form the buoy preferably of wrought iron. The general form of its under structure
is conical the apex downwards and the base somewhat above the water line; the
sides are not straight but somewhat convex.
Stability is obtained by means of a stem projecting downwards from the apex
and carrying weights at its lower end; these weights are so arranged that they can
readily be removed or additional weights added to adjust the trim of the buoy.
At a short distance from the apex perforations are formed which admit water to
the interior to serve as ballast. The water is confined to a central compartment
conical in form and tapering upwards and terminating some distance below the
water line. When the buoy is floating air is retained in the upper part of this
compartment and it serves as a cushion giving elasticity to the movements of the
buoy. An air pipe passes from the top of this compartment upwards through a
small central cylindrical chamber and it terminates in a tap which can be opened
to adjust the quantity of air imprisoned beneath the buoy. The remaining space
in the under structure is entirely closed, it remains constantly full of air and serves
to give the requisite power of flotation. This space is subdivided in order that the
buoy if injured by collision may still float. Supported upon this under structure
there is a hollow platform or double deck overhanging the base all around; within
this also air is confined; its large area above the water gives leverage to the waves
to impart the requisite movement whilst at the same time it prevents undue
listing.

page_text: For the purpose of mooring the buoy a bridle chain is employed its lower end is
made fast near the apex or point at the lower end of the under structure and its
upper end is secured to a ring beneath the platform or deck and at or near the
water line. The mooring chain is shackled on to this bridle in the position in
which the buoy is found to ride best either higher up or lower down so that the
pressure of the tide against the buoy may not bear it down.
•
The platform of the buoy supports the bell or sounding apparatus. We prefer
to employ that known as Harrison's bell apparatus which forms the subject of a
Patent No 3532 in the year 1884.
Above the sounding apparatus we provide a standard.supporting a glass cylinder
of large dimensions painted on the inside with luminous paint and hermetically
closed so that water may not have access to the paint. The standard also carries
over this luminous cylinder a staff which supports a signal disc or beacon at its
upper end which may be on any desired pattern.
In positions in which the water is frequently so smooth that the motion of the
waves cannot always be depended upon to ring the bell we apply for this purpose
a screw or fan actuated by the tidal current. We arrange this within a cylinder
or case with perforated conical ends excluding floating bodies but allowing the
tidal water to flow through with sufficient freedom. This cylinder or case is carried
below the surface of the water by two other floating cylinders and the structure is
moored by the fore end of the case containing the screw or fan, in such manner as
to keep it head to stream. Upon the axis of the screw or fan which is horizontal
there is a worm driving a worm wheel on a transverse horizontal axis also carrying
a cam or wiper.
As the cam or wiper passes round it displaces a weighted lever suspended from a
fulcrum above and then it liberates the lever and permits it to fall back. When
the return takes place a striker connected with the lever comes into contact with
the bell and causes it to sound.

page_text: We SAMUEL BENJAMIN GOSLIN of The Crescent Foundry Cripplegate in the
City of London Engineer and RICHARD ABRAM STOKER of the Foundry Works
Walton on the Naze in the County of Essex Engineer 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:—
This invention has for its object improvements in bell and other buoys.
Buoys for sounding bells and for carrying beacons have hitherto been of such
forms that they have not had a lively motion and they have been liable to list on
one side in a strong running tide and sometimes to capsize and remain bottom
upwards until righted by manual operations under such circumstances they become
useless for the purposes for which they are intended.
:
In the buoy which we will proceed to describe these defects are avoided. We
form the buoy preferably of wrought iron. The general form of its under structure
is conical the apex downwards and the base somewhat above the water line the
sides are not straight but somewhat convex.
Stability is obtained by means of a stem projecting downwards from the
apex and carrying weights at its lower end, these weights are so arranged that
they can readily be removed or additional weights added to adjust the trim of
the buoy.
}
At a short distance from the apex perforations are formed which admit water to
the interior to serve as ballast. The water is confined to a central compartment
conical in form and tapering upwards and terminating some distance below the
water line. When the buoy is floating air is retained in the upper part of the
compartment and it serves as a cushion giving elasticity to the movements of
the buoy. An air pipe passes from the top of this compartment upwards through
a small central cylindrical chamber and it terminates in a tap which can be opened:
to adjust the quantity of air imprisoned beneath the buoy. The remaining space
in the under structure is entirely closed it remains constantly full of air and serves
to give the requisite power of floatation. This space is subdivided in order that the.
buoy if injured by collision may still float. Supported upon this under structure
there is a hollow platform or double deck overhanging the base all around, within
this also air is confined, its large area above the water gives leverage to the waves.
to impart the requisite movement whilst at the same time it prevents undue
listing.
For the purpose of mooring the buoy a bridle chain is employed its lower end
is made fast near the apex or point at the lower end of the under structure and its
upper end is secured to a ring beneath the platform or deck and at or near the
water line. The mooring chain is shackled on to this bridle in the position in
which the buoy, is found to ride best either higher up or lower down so that the
pressure of the tide against the buoy may not bear it down.
The platform of the buoy supports the bell or sounding apparatus. We prefer
to employ that known as Harrisons Bell apparatus which forms the subject of a
patent No 3532 in the year 1884.
"

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a bent vuvy
accordance with our invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the upper structure
of the same buoy:
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a bell buoy constructed according to our Invention
and intended for tidal water.
Figure 4 is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 5 is a plan with the superstructure removed and Figure 6 is a vertical
transverse section.
Figure 7 shews a portion of the gearing.
When it is intended that the wave movement shall actuate the bell mechanism
we make the submerged body of the buoy in form like the end of a sugar loaf
with the apex downwards We provide partitions within the interior of the body
dividing it into a sufficient number of air tight compartments to ensure its
remaining afloat even when much injured by collision. We also provide within it
a water ballast and air chamber A. A' A' are holes by which water can freely
enter this chamber. In the upper part of the chamber above the holes A¹ A¹ more
or less air is retained and the quantity can be regulated. A is a pipe communi-
cating with the chamber A it is furnished with a cock which is opened for a
moment when it is desired to reduce the quantity of air and cause the buoy to float
lower in the water. B is a stem projecting downwards from the apex of the buoy
it carries weights B¹.
C is a bridle chain attached to the top and bottom of the buoy, the mooring
chain D is shackled on to the bridle chain higher up or lower down to adjust the
position and behaviour of the buoy in riding.
E is a large overhanging hollow deck its interior is divided into chambers in
which air is confined.
On the deck E. is carried the Harrison bell apparatus F. a central deflector for
the ball to strike or cushion upon under the bell is also provided as the drawing
indicates or other bell apparatus may be employed. G is a standard supporting
the glass cylinder H. This cylinder is painted on the inside with luminous paint.
The cylinder is closed to protect the paint from the water-I. is a staff on the top
of the standard G and this supports a disc or beacon K, of any desired distinctive
form.
In figures 3 and 4. L L are two cylindrical pontoons (or more than two may
be employed if preferred) they are divided into compartments and firmly braced

page_text: together and to a cylinder M. which they carry beneath them. The cylinder M. has
gratings at its ends and it is contracted at M¹ where the fan is located.
N. is a cross bar within the cylinder M. supporting one of the bearings for the
axis 0.-the other bearing is similarly carried near the other end of the cylinder.
O is the fly mounted vertically on the axes O O2 is a worm on the axis O it
engages with a worm wheel P on an axis P¹ which also has its bearings fixed within
the cylinder, P2 is a cam or wiper on the axis P¹ and as the axis is slowly revolved
by the action of the current passing through the cylinder the cam or wiper displaces
the lower end of the lever Q This lever has its fulcrum at Q1 it carries a
weight Q and its lower end enters the cylinder M by an elongated hole provided
for the purpose Q³ is a hammer head at the upper end of the lever Q. The cam
or wiper P removes the hammer head from the Bell R of the bell apparatus and
then when it releases the lever the latter swings back by the action of gravity and
the bell is struck. The Bell is also by preference arranged to be rung by wave
action when the sea surface is sufficiently agitated S is the mooring shackle The
buoy may as the drawing indicates carry a cylinder and beacon as already
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. Buoys with a central air cavity open on the underside and with appliances
for adjusting the quantity of air retained in each air cavity.
2. Buoys of tapering form with the apex downwards and with a large over-
hanging hollow deck immediately above the water line.
3. Buoys having side moorings and stems projecting downwards and carrying
weights.
4. The combination with buoys of closed glass cylinders internally lined with
luminous paint.
5. The combination with buoys of vertical fan wheels and gearing by which the
wheel actuates a hammer striking on a bell.
6. Buoys formed of two or more pontoons braced together and provided with
bell apparatus substantially as described.
7. Buoys with beacons of cylindrical or other shapes carried upon two or more
pontoons braced together substantially as described.
8. The construction of buoys substantially as herein described and represented
by the annexed drawings.