Contact Apparatus for Night and Sound Signalling and Telegraphing.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Contact Apparatus for Night and Sound Signalling and
Telegraphing.
I, CORNELIS VREEDE of No. 29 Avenue Concordia, Rotterdam, in the
Kingdom of Holland, Commander Royal Dutch Navy, retired, 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:-
The International Code up to date failed in semaphoric, night and sound
signalling, the first being very seldom, the last never used for the reason I venture
to say that it lacks a basis or code common to all upon which such signalling may
easily, say automatically be performed. Upon my proposals the Dutch Government
has for some years adopted a system of semaphore and semaphoric-arm signalling
for the army and naval forces and I intend its basis or code to be as well that of
night- and sound signalling.
In order to explain this code for arm night- and sound signalling I will proceed
to describe in the first place how it is used for the arm signalling and next proceed
to describe its use for night and sound signalling aud telegraphing.
and
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a key to the code or basis.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of a semaphore employed for day-signalling.
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the arm signalling bereinafter referred to.
Fig. 4 is a plan, and
Fig. 5 a vertical section of the signalling-apparatus according to my invention,
Fig. 6 is a view of a detail of Figs. 4 and 5, drawn to a larger scale than that of
the two latter figures.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
With reference first to the key represented in Fig. 1 of the annexed drawing,
the different letters of the alphabet are placed in five horizontal rows. Any
letter will be signalled by the signal at the beginning of the horizontal low, upon
which the said letter is placed, and to which will be added that at the top of the
vertical line of the same letter. I think this will explain sufficiently why for
instance the letter J will be signalled by the semaphore as is shown in Fig. 2 of
the drawing.
.
This semaphore A has, at both ends of a horizontal frame B, equilibrated arms a
and b, one of which is provided with a disc plate c, while at the foot a board C
with two handles d and d¹, one for each arm a and b, is provided.
The semaphore A with the board C may be made to turn towards the
observer.
The different letters are inscribed on the board C. The arms of the semaphore
are worked by endless chains or in any other suitable way, signalling being
performed immediately by bringing the handles d and d in the positions of the
desired letter marked on the board C.
A code for arm-signalling identical to the semaphoric signalling is shown in full
in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawing and needs no special explanation.
At night the different letters are signalled by means of long and short flashes of
one white brilliant light, and by sound by means of long and short or of high and
low tuned blasts of the steam whistle.

page_text: In Fig. 1 flashes 'and blasts are represented by long and short dots, the long dots
being arranged on the left band side and the short ones above the code.
So the letter "J" will be signalled thus "
"
"
(long dots) of
the horizontal, and ".
(short dots) of the vertical line on which this
letter is placed, making altogether four flashes or blasts, thus ;—“
"
"
The letter "X will be signalled by a combination of the letters K and S;
whereas the vowels at night and by sound will be signalled by 1, 2, 3 or 4 short
flashes or blasts, preceded by a pair of three shorter ones. This as will be seen
differs from the day vowel signalling.
Numerals if required may be represented by signs as well.
The Washington Conference set forth after close examination, that night
signalling should be based on the principle of long and short flashes of one white
light, and, I believe my apparatus will be found to suit their intention; whereas
I believe by experience this code is to be got much easier at one's fingers ends
than ever Morse's.
Having now set forth it to be my intention to give the International Code or
any other, a basis upon which signalling may be performed as well at day, by
night, or by sound, which basis is common to all, I will now proceed to describe
the contact apparatus for night or sound signalling and telegraphing.
In a box D a non-conducting ring E is mounted in a groove k of the lid K.
The ring E is toothed at the underside and may be rotated by means of a bevel
wheel mounted on a horizontal axle G a handle H being provided outside the box
for rotating the axle G. The ring E should be revolved regularly and can be
rotated automatically by means of clockwork.
Upon the said ring E sectors S may be readily put in place, and after use readily
removed. These sectors are inlaid with radial conducting strips h¹ of two
different breadths (say as 3:1) to correspond to the "longs" and "shorts" of the
alphabetic scheme (Fig. 1) and to the flashes representing the vowels if desired.
The parts m between the strips h being non-conducting represent the eclipses.
All the sectors will be inscribed with the letter which they represent, one sector
being devoted to one letter. Other sectors representing the attention signal and
the stop- and answering signal etc. will be provided for.
The letter "J" consisting of two long strips (flashes) hh and two short strips h² h¹
is represented in Fig. 4 just touching the contacts P and N; the scope of the
sector is indicated by a dotted "brace."
The sectors S bear pins rat the bottom which fit in holes o of the ring E and in
this way the sectors can be readily inserted in place and firmly held on the ring E
and are to be removed with the same ease.
Although pins are indicated to enter the holes in the ring E, such joint does not
make part of my invention and I accordingly reserve the right to make use of any
other suitable means for fixing the sectors S to the ring E so as to be able to place
them on the ring or to take them off again in the shortest possible time.
Fig. 6 represents in plan one of the sectors on the revolving ring, which I use
to signal electrically the different long and short flashes.
The box D is placed in an electric circuit as shown in Fig. 5 which includes
a battery or dynamo at M and a signal lamp i, or when on shore includes the
receiving station R.
.
The dots or dashes shown by the signal lamp i will enable a man to open during
the same time by hand the steam whistle or the screen of search-light; this is
preferred to the use of a magnetic device for performing the same operation.
At the box D the electric current from the dynamo M is cut off at the con-
tacts N and P by the non-conducting revolving ring E or its non-conducting
sectors, suitable brushes m and p or equivalent contacts being provided, which
bear upon the conducting strips when they pass by.
As the sectors revolve with the ring E when the hand or clockwork or other
anotor is at work the electric current, which was cut off at N and P will be allowed

page_text: or not to pass through to the signal lamp or to the receiving station, the
conducting strips h and re-establishing for a longer or shorter period the-
circuit.
By placing the wished for lettered sectors in due succession on the ring E.
(in Fig. 4 the sectors for the letters B J and R are in place) and controlling the
letters or the word to be telegraphed before starting, anybody can signal at first.
sight without any
difficulty better than a telegraphist can do.
The "longs" and "shorts" will be reproduced at the receiving station just.
as is done now, while the observer at sea may be provided with an apparatus
by means of which the long and shorts are traced by pushing a pencil on a paper
strip, moved automatically.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said:
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I.
claim is ;-
1. The combination in an electric signalling and telegraphing apparatus of a.
toothed ring or carrier to be revolved regularly of non-conducting sectors which.
will be placed for a time upon and afterwards removed from the said ring and
which are radially inlaid with separated conducting strips and of an electric
circuit which will be intermittently completed by the conducting strips of the
sectors revolving with the ring in order to produce the dots and dashes of signalling--
codes substantially as and for the purpose herein before described.
2. In apparatus of the kind claimed in Claim 1 the combination with a ring or
carrier such as E of a handle gear or clockwork motor to impart rotation thereto
for the purpose described.
3. In apparatus of the kind claimed in Claim 1 a device for intermittently
applying an electric current substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore-
described and illustrated in Figures 4 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of December 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant..