A New or Improved Method of Night Signalling at Sea.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Night Signalling at Sea.
I, WALTER ROBSON of 33 Victoria Avenue Upton Park in the County of
Essex, Master Mariner, 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 :-
My invention relates to a new or improved method of night signalling at sea and
consists in exhibiting on a revolving mast or standard a superposed number of
lights of different colour, the different combination of colours indicating the various
positions of the ship or vessel thus equipped or events occurring on board the same,
or supplying various information, asking for help, provisions, and the like in
accordance with the commercial code in general use or with any suitable code
specially prepared for this purpose.
In carrying my invention into practice I mount in any convenient part of a ship
or vessel a mast or standard the end of which is free to turn in a socket, being
rotated by means of a horizontal bevil wheel mounted thereon and gearing with a
similar vertical wheel fixed to the end of a crank handle supported in the said
socket-this mast carries a number of superposed oil lamps composed of an outer
casing surmounted by a shade and finished with a lens in front and of an inner
casing furnished with a number of coloured glasses arranged at equal distance
around its periphery, this inner casing is caused to rotate being furnished at the top
with a horizontal pulley over which passes an endless chain wound around a vertical
pulley fixed behind the lamp to the mast along which it extends as far as the lower
part thereof where it passes around a sprocket wheel fixed to a disc furnished with
a handle. There are as many discs as there are coloured lamps and they are
mounted on a common axis on which is fixed in front a wheel beyond the periphery
of which various disc handles project, the front surface of this wheel being divided
by radii into various sectors there being one sector of a colour corresponding to the
coloured glasses aforesaid while one sector is marked "shut " "stop" and
another "space.'
"
or
The lamp is placed inside the inner casing which has besides the coloured glasses
above mentioned one white glass which is made to intervene as a stop or pause
between two successive signals. The lamps are provided with a hinged lid at the
bottom.
For sailing ships, or ships where a mast or standard cannot be conveniently fixed
I use detached signal lamps of various colours which are slung
up by a rope to a
suitable yard these lamps being held at equal distances by means of a double safety
hook of suitable construction.
I may also apply my invention to boats the occupants of which would hold in
their hands lamps of different colours.
In the accompanying two sheets of drawings
Figure 1 is a view of a mast furnished with my improvements.
Figure 2 is à view at right angles to Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is an external view of the signal lamp. Figure 4 a central vertical
section of the same. Figure 5 a horizontal section on line x x of Figure 4 and
Figure 6 a view of the lamp proper.
Figure 7 is a view of a modification of my invention and Figure 8 shews a special
construction of hook.
Figure 9 represents an addition to the commercial code shewn in Figure 10.
which is an application to night signalling of the commercial code now used in the
day time.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

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2
According to my invention I mount on a mast M in any convenient part of the
vessel in such a manner that its lower extremity is allowed to turn freely in a
socket S-(instead of providing a special mast I may in some cases convert the
compass mast to such use). On the lower end of this mast M Figs. 1 and 2 is
mounted a horizontal bevil wheel w gearing with a vertical bevil wheel to' fixed to the
end of a crank handle carried by the socket S. I further attach to this mast by
means of straps s three superposed lamps provided with a lens in front and a
chimney b, these lamps (Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6) which are fixed at equal intervals
consist of an outer casing an inner casing g and the lamp proper k provided with
a reflector at the back (Fig. 6). The inner casing is furnished with two coloured
glasses a red and a green glass and with an ordinary transparent glass not shewn
in the drawings-these glasses being arranged at equal intervals one from the other.
The inner casing which is free to turn is provided at the top with a horizontal
pulley p over which is wound a chain c c¹ and c³ respectively which passes over
vertical pulleys p¹ p³ and p³ respectively and extends down along the mast M
(Figs. 1 and 2) in order to be wound upon one of the sprocket wheels formed
integrally with or attached to the discs d, d' and furnished with handles e e¹ es,
these discs being mounted on a horizontal axis passing in front through the fixed
disc divided by a radii into five sectors, the sector being coloured red the sector w
q
green and the sector z white, while the sector a is provided with the inscription
stop" and the sector y with the word "space." On turning the handle of any of
the discs d d or d² in order to bring it in the centre of one of the sectors
instance the corresponding lamp will flash a red light, green and white lights being
flashed in a similar manner.
0
9 for
For ships which cannot be provided with a special mast three lamps of the
colours above mentioned and provided with rings or staples at both extremities may
be suspended from the yard Y of a ship (Fig. 7) and separated in the manner.
shewn by a number of safety hooks H (Fig. 8) which consists of a wire bent.at both
extremities as shewn so as to form hooks which are closed by the projections or
barbs n after the lamps have been suspended in position.
Fig. 10 shews the manner of replacing the flags used for day light signalling
according to the commercial code well known to mariners by coloured lights flashed
in the manner above set forth each coloured light corresponding in colour and
position to the flags in order to convey the same meaning or information, as before
mentioned q represents red white and u green. I have shewn in Figure 9 a few
additional combinations which are not in the commercial code yet and are very
urgently needed. In Figure 9 combination 1 means "I am porting" combination 2
"I am star boarding" combination 3. "I am not under command" combination 4
I am going astern combination 5 I am stopped, combination 6 is to be flashed
before answering and after each completed signal, combination 7 annuls the previous
signal flashed.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The new cr improved method of signalling at night by means of lamps of a
colour corresponding to that of the flags used for signalling in the day according to
the commercial code of mariners substantially as herein described and shewn.
2. The mechanical means for carrying the above claimed method into practice in
ships of every kind arranged and operating substantially as herein described and
shewn.
F. G. CASSELL,
Of Cassell & Co., Patent Agents,
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, Agent for the Applicant.