Improvements in or connected with Electric Mast-head and Side Lights for Ships.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 31st Aug.. 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Mast-head and Side
Lights for Ships.
We, WILLIAM CRAMMOND MARTIN, and JOHN HUNTER, of 137, West Regent
Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Electrical Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:
Our said invention has for its object to make provision in an improved manner
against delay, inconvenience, and danger, when electric lights are employed for
ships' mast-head and side lights, in the event of any of the electric lights becoming
extinguished.
In carrying out our invention the wires supplying current to the several lanterns
are connected to an indicating and alarm box placed on the bridge or in any
suitable position fully in view of the officer or officers in charge of the ship; and in
each lantern two or more electric lamps are provided so that in the event of any
one failing another one may be at once lit up. The several electric lamps are.
arranged in parallel or are supplied by separate wires so as to be completely
independent of each other.
In the indicating and alarm box there is a separate compartment for each of the
three ships lights; and in each compartment there is a small incandescence indicator
lamp which becomes lit up, on any mast-head or side light failing, but is otherwise
dark. The lighting of an indicator lamp and the ringing of an electric alarm bell
which takes place at the same time are effected automatically. As long as the
circuit supplying the first electric lamp of a lantern is closed an electro magnet in
the corresponding compartment actuated by coils of the same wire holds a spring
contact piece open; but on that circuit becoming broken the spring contact piece
being no longer held open touches another contact piece and thereby closes a second
circuit which supplies the spare electric lamp in the lantern and lights up the
indicator lamp and causes the ringing of the alarm bell. The current which rings
the bell passes through a switch which the officer can shift to stop the bell on his
attending to it. The alarm bell may be placed wherever thought desirable or the
current may be arranged to ring two or more bells in different places.
The automatic lighting up of a second spare lamp on the first spare one failing
may be arranged for in a similar manner.
With the improved arrangements herein before described the extinction of a lamp
will occasion only a momentary darkness; and it will be unnecessary to replace or
do any thing with the defective lamp until the following morning.
Dated this Thirtieth day of November 1891
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Mast-head and Side
Lights for Ships.
We, WILLIAM CRAMMOND MARTIN, and JOHN HUNTER, of 137 West Regent
Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Electrical Engineers, do
ereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
e performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
tatement, that is to say :-
Our said invention has for its object to make provision in an improved manner

page_text: against delay, inconvenience and danger, when electric lights are employed for
ships' mast-head and side lights, in the event of any of the electric lights becoming
extinguished.
In carrying out our invention we connect the wires, supplying current to the
several lanterns, to an indicating and alarm box placed on the bridge, or in the
chart room, or in any other suitable place fully in view of the officer or officers in
charge of the ship. In each signal lantern two or more electric lamps are provided,
and it is arranged that on the failure of any one of them another will be at once lit
up. At the same time a small incandescence indicator lamp lights up and an alarm
bell rings. The several electric lamps are arranged in parallel, being supplied by
separate wires so as to be completely independent of each other:
And in order that our said invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood we; hereunto append two sheets of explanatory drawings
showing examples of our improvements in or connected with electric masthead and
side lights for ships.
Figure, 1, on Sheet, 1, of the accompanying drawings is a front elevation, and
Figure, 2 an enlarged transverse vertical section of the indicating and alarm-box.
Figure, 3, on Sheet, 2, is an enlarged front elevation of the saine with its top or
cover removed.
.
In these drawings the same; reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In the indicating and alarm box, A, there are separate compartments, A.1,
A 2, A 3, to contain the mechanism required for controlling each of the three ships'
lights, and as the mechanism is the same in every case the description, hereinafter
given, applies equally to each set of the mechanism. In compartments; A 1,
and A 3, parts of the mechanism are shown in the relative positions they occupy
prior to the failure of any lamp or its connections, but in compartment, A2, they
are shown in their relative positions after failure has taken place. A slab,, B,.of
slate or other suitable non-conducting material is fixed inside the box, A', to form a
base on which to fix the mechanism of the three compartments, A. 1, A2, A 3.
and a
A positive main: wire, C, leading from a dynamo or other source of electric.
energy; conveys current to the apparatus, and for each compartment a branch, C 1,
is connected to the coils of an-electro magnet, D, carried on a bracket,, DI, fixed:
to the base,, B. The current excites the electro magnet, D, so as to attract the
armature, D2, away from the spring contact piece, D4. The current passes from
the magnet, D, by the wire, C2, to a fusible safety connector'at, E, and thence by
the wire, C 3, to one of the electric lamps in the signal lantern-(not shown). The
current, returns, from the lantern by a wire, F, through a hand switch, F 1,
branch wire, F 2, joined to the main negative wire, F3, leading back to the.
dynamo. Should one of the electric lamps or any of its connections fail the current
through the wires, C 1,, C.2, ceases, and the armature, D 2, leaves. the magnet, D;,
and as shown in compartment,, A 2,, is, by, the spring, which carries it, made to,
touch the contact piece, D4, thereby completing a separate circuit by means of the
wire, G, which is as separate branch from the main wire, C,-through a fusible
safety connector at,. El, to the signal lantern. A branch wire, G 1, from the
wire, G, at the same time conveys current to a small incandescence indicator
lamp, H, fixed inside the alarm and indicator box, A, and lights it up. In the
cover, J, as shown in Figure,, I, there! is for each compartment, A 1, A2, A3, an
aperturerover which there is fixed a piece of glass, J 1,, of a color corresponding to
the particular lantern with which it is in connection, and through it the light of
the indicator lamp, H, is seen when lit up. The indicator lamp, H, is thus useful
in showing two things, firstly, by becoming lit up, that one of the electric lamps or
some part of its connections has failed, secondly, by the light it is giving out,
whether or not the spare electric lamp now in use in the lantern, and its connections
are in proper working order.
At the same time that the indicator lamp, H, lights up a wire, K, in continuation
from it conveys the current through a lever switch, K 1, contact piece; K.2, and

page_text: wire K 3, to an alarm bell, L, fixed outside the box, A, and causes it to ring, the
return current from the bell passing by a branch wire to the main negative
wire, F3. The switch lever, K1, is arranged so that an officer can stop the
bell, L, by pushing in a button, M, fixed to a rod, M 1, which acts on the
lever, K1, and shifts it from the position shown in compartments, A 1, A 3, to that
shown in compartment, A 2, making it then touch a contact piece, K4, from which
a wire, K 5, is led to join the main negative or return wire, F 3, thus disconnecting
the bell without disconnecting the indicator lamp, H. When the defective lamp
has been repaired or renewed and the current again passes through the wires C1, C2,
the switch lever, K 1, in connection with the alarm bell, L, is made to touch the
contact piece, K 2, by a spring, N 1, the armature D2 in closing against the electro
magnet, D, causing a lever catch, N, to release a pin, N 2, fixed in the switch lever.
A spring, N 3, is provided to make the lever catch, N, engage with the pin, N 2,
fixed in the switch lever, K1, when that lever is shifted by means of the
button, M.
The alarm bell, L, may be placed in any other position than that indicated if
desired, and the current may be arranged to ring two or more bells in different
places.
The automatic lighting up of a second spare lamp on the first spare one failing
may be arranged for in a similar manner.
With the improved arrangements hereinbefore described the extinction of a lamp
will occasion only a momentary darkness; and it will be unnecessary to replace or
to do anything with the defective lamp or its connections until the following
morning.
In cases in which an electrical accumulator is available in the event of the
current from a dynamo failing from any cause such accumulator may be auto-
matically thrown into circuit to continue the supply to the ship's lights by mechanism
like that herein before described for putting a spare electric lamp in circuit on the
failure of a primary lamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we déclare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. Improved apparatus comprising electric mast-head and side lights for ships,
combined with automatic mechanism by which on the failure of a first lamp or
primary circuit an incandescence indicator lamp, previously unlit, is lit up, an alarm
bell is rung and a spare lamp is put into circuit, the said mechanisin being arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. An improved indicator and alarm box containing electrical mechanism for the
mast-head light and two side lights of a ship, with a single alarm bell for the three
lights, which bell is rung by a current lighting up any one of three incandescence
indicator lamps, and can be disconnected by a hand-actuated switch without putting
the lit indicator lamp out of circuit the mechanism being arranged and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Thirtieth dex of August 1899
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.