AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC LIGHT BUOY
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
ELECTRIC LIGHT BUOY." A communication from abroad by Peter E. Smith,
Shepard R. Spruill, and William R. Wood, all of Scotland Neck, in the County
of Halifax, and State of North Carolina, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th November 1876.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County. of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC LIGHT BUOY."
The object of this Invention is to enable the mouths of rivers and harbours to be
entered, shoals to be avoided, and other dangerous places to be navigated at night as
well as by day.
The Invention consists in the combination of a tube, a glass globe, and an electric
cable, with a buoy provided with two anchor ropes or chains to form a floating
electric gas carbon light, as herein-after fully described.
The buoy may be made of any desired size, and formed to rise more or less out of
the water as may be desired, though in general I prefer to have them low, or close
to the surface of the water. A tube passes vertically through the centre of the
buoy, the connection being made water-tight, and a glass globe is secured air-tight
to the upper end of the tube.
The buoy is anchored by means of ropes or chains, two of which are used to
prevent the buoy from being turned around by the ebb and flow of the tide and
twisting or injuring the submarine cable, which passes up the central tube.
Gas carbon is placed in the glass globe, and charged with electricity through the
submarine cable which leads to the shore, a light-house, or other convenient place.
The cable must be insulated from and must have a water-tight connection with the
central tube. The tube projects above the buoy to support the glass globe, and
below the said buoy to serve as ballast to the device. The anchor, ropes, or chains
must be of such a length to allow the buoy to rise and fall with the tide, and the
cable must have sufficient slack to allow the said buoy to swing with the tide
D....

page_text: without straining the said cable. In this way buoys may be lighted up at night so
that vessels may enter the mouths of rivers and harbours at night as well as by
day, and even in foggy weather, as the light produced in this way is more intense
and penetrating than ordinary lights.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
May 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED ELECTRIC LIGHT BUOY." A communication from
abroad by Peter E. Smith, Shepard R. Spruill, and William R. Wood, all of Scotland
Neck, in the County of Halifax, and State of North Carolina, United States of
America.
The object of this Invention is to provide a waterway night signal for harbours,
shoals, and other dangerous places in navigable waters where night signals are
required, which may be lighted from the shore by means of an electrical current
transmitted through one or more insulated wires.
In carrying out this Invention a glass globe containing an electrical light apparatus
of any suitable construction is mounted upon a suitable buoy or waterway signal
post, which is properly anchored or placed in the waterway wherever the light is to
be displayed.
Waterway signals sometimes consist of a floating post anchored so that the upper
end projects above water, but where the tide or current is not great the post is fixed
as well as anchored, so that in case the post is torn up by a storm it will float and
be retained near the spot by the anchor, and it will be obvious that the Invention
is also applicable to such waterway signals when distant from land or otherwise
inaccessible.
Referring to the Drawing, which is a vertical section of one form of light buoy
embodying this Invention, A is a buoy secured to a tube B, which passes through it
centrally, and extends downward, and upon which near its lower end a weight C is
secured by the set screw a for the purpose of ballasting the buoy. Upon the upper
end of the tube B a glass globe D is mounted, in which a suitable electrical light
apparatus is arranged, electricity being applied thereto by the wires b, c, which pass
through tube B, and are connected with an electrical battery or electrical machine
on the shore.
Instead of leading both insulated wires to the shore one of them may be shortened
and connected with some external metallic portion of the buoy, so as to form through
the water a ground connection, thus completing the electric circuit.
The buoy is provided with chains E, by which it is anchored, so as to retain itin
its proper position, and also to prevent it from breaking the electrical wires by
turning.
Both the construction of the buoy or signal and the arrangement of the electrical
light apparatus may be varied without departing from the Invention, which is
therefore not limited or confined to the special construction and arrangement of parts
here shown.
The present method of lighting floating buoys and waterway signals consists in
attaching lamps and lanterns thereto, each of which must be daily visited and
separately lighted by lamp men in boats. This is in many cases, especially in stormy
weather, a difficult and dangerous labor, which is obviated by the use of this
Invention.
In the operation of this Invention all that is necessary to light the buoy or signal
post is to press or set an ordinary electrical key so as to transmit a current of
electricity from the land to the buoy or signal post, and so long as the electrical

page_text: current is thus caused to flow the light continues to be displayed, and is instantly
extinguished whenever the current is stopped.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination with a floating buoy or
waterway signal of an electrical light apparatus that communicates with the shore,
substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.