IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SYSTEM OF AND APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, APPLICABLE FOR USE AT SEA AND ON LAND
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY BERNOULLI BARLOW, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, of
17 St. Ann's Square, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declaro
the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SYSTEM OF AND
APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING, APPLICABLE FOR USE AT SEA AND ON LAND 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 simple and efficient system of
signalling both at night and by day.
To effect this, when signalling at night, I employ three lamps with white lights
each of which is provided with three slides preferably, one green, one red and one
dark; these lamps are connected together by ropes or otherwise so that they may
be hoisted at any convenient place. The slides are connected by cords or other-
wise to a set of levers or keys arranged in an operating box, which is placed on
deck, when the apparatus is used on board ship, and may be fitted with wheels so
that it can easily be moved to any part of the vessel. Each key is marked with
a letter of the alphabet, a number, or other sign, and so by manipulating the keys
the slides are actuated so as to show the desired colour or colours and thus give the
required signal.
When signalling by day instead of three lamps and three slides to each lamp,
three sets of flags are employed, stretched in frames so that they can be, turned
to any position and seen from any point of the compass irrespective of the direction
in which the wind may be blowing.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference
being had to the Figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a diagram of the code of signals illustrating the various combinations
of the slides which may be effected. Figure 2 represents the three lamps suspended
ready for signalling, the operating box being shown at foot. Fig. 3 is a sectional

page_text: elevation of the operating box. Fig. a front view and Fig. 5 a plan of the
same. Fig. 6 illustrates the use of flags instead of lamps according to this
improved system and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of a lighthouse to which the
Invention is applied.
The three lamps are marked T L, M L, L L, respectively and the three slides of
each lamp are connected to and raised by cords which pass through guides C G to
keep them separate and under a bar or roller on the operating box through eyes on
the levers or keys to the other end of the box where they are secured (see Fig. 5.)
The cords for the dark slides are marked 1, for the green 2, and for the red 3. The
three cords marked T L operate the slides in the top lamp, the cords marked M L
operate the slides in the middle lamp, and those marked L L operate the slides in
the lower lamp.
.
The keys are pivoted at one end and are supported or held in their normal
position by springs as shown on Fig. 3 and between each key is fitted a rod (see
Figs. 4 and 5): these rods support the cord or cords when operated by depressing
one of the keys. There are thirty nine keys corresponding in number with and
distinguished from one another by the same colours, letters, or numbers, as the
combinations or changes of the slides illustrated by the diagram Fig. 1 except that
the key at the extreme left is marked " dark," the object of which will be
subsequently explained.
When signalling the operator presses down the key marked with the letter
number or sign he wishes to communicate, and by so doing pulls down the cord or
cords passing through the eye or eyes on the said key, and moves the slides thus
showing the combination of colours desired: for example, if the key lettered b is
depressed, the cord 1 of the lamp L L is pulled down, the dark slide of the lowest
lamp raised and the light covered, leaving the two upper lamps white, thus
signalling the letter b, as seen on reference to the diagram Fig. 1; again if the key
marked is depressed the slides will be moved and the middle lamp M L will
appear red, the bottom lamp L L green, and the top lamp T L remain white, and
on referring to the diagram it will be seen that the letter is signalled; in this
manner the various letters, numbers or signs may be communicated.
Figure 1 shows that when the three white lights are hoisted, the signal is given
"I wish to communicate with you." If the vessel with which it is desired to
communicate then shows three green lights, it will be seen from the diagram to
mean "I understand you-go on." Any farther communication by signal may then
be made, and so long as the spoken vessel shows three green lights there is no
reason for delay and signals may be given rapidly. If however the key marked
red be depressed and three red lights appear it means "I do not understand you-
repeat." After each signal the key on the extreme left marked dark is depressed,
and the three lamps will be covered by the dark slides; for instance in signalling,
"send a boat" the letters J, B, T, are employed; the operator therefore signals the
three letters in the manner already described, and then covers the three white
lights with the the dark slides by pressing down the key marked "dark."
Only eighteen letters are used in the International code of signals, but it will be
seen from Fig. 1 that by the use of this Invention thirty nine different signals may
be displayed, viz., three special signals, all the letters of the alphabet, and all the
figures, and thus any sentence may be spelled out in full, in addition to making all
the signals in the International code.
Any convenient and well known form of lamp and slides may be employed, and
the slides weighted so that they will fall down clear of the light when not in use,
and instead of employing cords to move the slides they may be moved by means
of electricity.
When signalling by day three sets of flags as illustrated by Fig. 6 are used
instead of the three lamps and slides: these flags are preferably stretched on
franes so that they can be turned in any direction irrespective of the direction in
which the wind is blowing: the three sets of Hags are operated in a similar
manner to the slides of the three lamps.

page_text: By the use of this improved system of signalling the repeated hoisting from the
deck of lamps or flags is avoided, and the signals given with far greater facility
and rapidity than heretofore, and when the improved flag signals are employed the
signals may be seen when there is not sufficient wind to float an ordinary signal
flag and without necessitating a change of course for either vessel.
I have hitherto only referred to this system of signalling as employed on board
ship, it is obvious however that the Invention is applicable for army signalling or
for signalling to or from lighthouses or for other purposes.
Another feature of the Invention is that by applying this improved system of
signalling to lighthouses, every lighthouse can be made to indicate its own name,
as illustrated in Fig. 7 which shows the circumference of the lighthouse divided
into twenty four equal parts, each alternate part being an opening through which
the light is shown: surrounding the light is a revolving coloured glass cylinder or
shell having coloured portions corresponding with the openings in the lantern, the
first six parts of which are dark and the remaining eighteen are alternately
coloured and lark sections, beginning with a coloured light and ending with a
dark part. After the long pause, that is to say, after the seven dark parts have
passed any one opening the three following colours will represent one letter, the
next three another letter and the last three colours the third letter.
Suppose for example the Holyhead lighthouse to be denoted by the letters G, S, X,
as in Fig. 7, then the lamp would revolve and the letters be signalled in the
following order.
G =seven dark, one white, one dark, one green, one dark, one white.
S = one dark, one green, one dark, one white, one dark, one red.
✗
= one dark, one green, one dark, one red, one dark, one red.
Then come the seven dark parts and repeat as above.
The letters indicated by the colours may be read by referring to the diagram
Fig. 1 and the name of the lighthouse determined.
By using the eighteen letters of the International code, and three letters for each
lighthouse it would be possible to indicate in this manner the names of five
thousand, eight hundred, and thirty two lighthouses. The object of having so
many openings in the wall or head of the lighthouse is to enable the light to be
seen readily from any position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it
understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details herein described and
shown as they may be varied or modified without departing from the nature of
this Invention. It is obvious that lamps, flags, and operating boxes of modified
forms and placed in different positions may be used in place of those herein before
described, so long as they enable signals such as are provided for in this arrange-
ment to be given without the repeated hoisting and lowering of lamps or flags.
And I declare that what I claim is
The improved system of signalling and the apparatus for effecting the same,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1984

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