IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DETACHING GEAR OF LIFE BUOYS & RESCUE LIGHTS USUALLY ATTACHED THEREUNTO
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN SMITH COMRIE of 175 St. Vincent St. Glasgow, Scotland Civil
Engineer & Architect do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DETACHING GEAR OF LIFE BUOYS & RESCUE LIGHTS
USUALLY ATTACHED THEREUNTO to be as follows:-
As stated in title, this invention relates to apparatus for life rescue at sea,
generally speaking, in darkness or in fog, and is used in connection with any of the
Lights of Holmes' Marine Life Protection Association (Limited), patents for which
may have lapsed or, by arrangement with said Association, with any of its existing
patents, or it may be used with an improved form of lapsed patent which improve-
ment may be made the subject of a patent; also with any new or existing form of
Life Buoy having, or receiving the approval of the Board of Trade.
This one invention naturally divides itself, or has two phases, the first, or more
complicated form, being a mechanical arrangement of lever & pin (or bolt) and
springs, whereby the buoy can be detached from ship and fall overboard with or
without accompanying Light, according to period of day: this phase or form is
adapted and designed more especially for first class passenger steamers.
The second form of detachment is of a simple and inexpensive nature and as
such is more suited to the requirements of sailing vessels, cargo and coasting
steamers carrying a limited number of hands.
In carrying out the invention, in the first form, I propose to use in first place
a folding lever fitted into Bridge or Spar Deck Rail, taffrail or other suitable part
of vessel.
This lever is connected with a pin or bolt passing through case of Light, and is
manufactured with same, having in its head a female screw for purpose of attachment
to lever or connecting rod of same; the pin or bolt closing top and bottom orifice of
Light case and being slightly soldered to same to be easily withdrawn by action of
lever when Light falls overboard.
The afore mentioned lever is also connected with a spring clutch which retains
buoy in its position and is relieved or lifted when pin or bolt is actuated by lever,
a spring, which presses outward against buoy, then pushing same overboard.

page_text: The spring clutch is actuated by lever, which cannot be moved without such
actuation, but the reverse is not the case, from an arrangement of mechanism, it is
therefore possible, by means of a finger piece on said spring clutch, to disengage it
should it be desired to use the buoy without Light, in which case the former falls
over board and, in so doing, breaks by its weight a lanyard of light stuff which
connects it with Light or, to save jar of breaking, the disconnection may be other-
wise made; it being in the Peninsular & Oriental S.S. Co's service, customary to
attach lanyard in dog watch and detach same with daylight.
The second form or phase of my invention consists in the bolt or pin of Light
being attached to an elongation of same pin fitted into under surface of rail and
connecting with afore mentioned female screw, and the Light case being strengthened
by a band of iron. passing under bottom and down sides of same, this band
terminating in two projecting ears, in which holes are cut to admit the ends of
stout lanyards, or forked lanyard, which are, or is, attached to buoy at other ends
or end.
The buoy, in this case, is lashed to rail, outside preferred, and, on lashing of
beckets being cut, it falls or is thrown overboard, tearing away by its weight Light,
which has been screwed to under side of rail, leaving its pin or bolt in statuo quo
i.e. fixed in under side of rail. The light thus falls into sea with orifices open for
admission of water and emission of flame.
In this phase also, the buoy can be used without the Light, the lanyard of same
being cut at same time as becket lashing. Another form of this latter phase is
that Light orifices may be covered with strips of tin, having rings attached
thereunto, these rings are, or may be, secured to under side of rail and the weight
of buoy falling may tear away Light from same, the Light casing being suitably
strengthened by an arrangement of iron, which may be either soldered to, or fitted
for removal from same, and in the matter of strengthening afore or first mentioned
i.e. (with bar or pin through Light case) I also reserve the right of making it
soldered or fitted and regard this strengthening as properly a portion of detaching
gear, seeing it is no way necessary to the Light, but rather is detrimental to its
buoyancy by somewhat lessening same.
In witness to this writing I have put my signature this 15th day of February
1884.

page_text: I, JOHN SMITH COMRIE, Civil Engineer, of 175 St Vincent St. Glasgow,
Scotland do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DETACHING GEAR OF LIFE BUOYS AND RESCUE LIGHTS USUALLY ATTACHED
THEREUNTO and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Construction of my improvements I here below detail.
The Buoy is hung outside of ship or in any suitable recess in rail of same, or
under taffrail, or on end of Bridge or elsewhere. The main securements of Buoy is
an iron or other rod passing vertically through its axis or diameter by means of
holes bored in the cork and suitably strengthened. This rod also passes through
case of light, being made in three pieces, the centre one of which is manufactured
with the light and has a female screw recessed in both ends or other means to allow
of its being screwed or fixed in relative position. This centre piece is of taper
form and forms the seal of the light, being soldered at each end to top and bottom
of case of same, and may be called the lights bolt, while the other parts may be
described as its continuations. The upper continuation is connected with an
actuating lever, which may be moved by hand or by foot by means of a stirrup and
appliances, and the said lover, which is provided with a fulcrum pin, may be for the
sake of compactness when not in use, hinged or provided with telescopic jointing.
The lower continuation of light bolt is plain, and after passing through material
of buoy enters a socket which may vary in construction according to situation of
buoy. In addition to this securement of buoy I provide two others, which are pins
or hooks or eye bolts embedded in surface or side of buoy next to ship, these may
either fit into eyes or sockets or fit over pins or hooks, as the case may be. A
proper seat is provided for light within circumference of buoy, and the light is
additionally attached to same by a lanyard. The buoy may have a spring placed
behind it and between tangent part of ship and it, to produce an outward cant
when lever is actuated, and it may also have a spring or springs giving it a
downward pressure on pins or eyebolts securing it to ship. The action of the
apparatus is as follows; on lever being actuated the buoy is slightly raised relieving
it from side pins or hooks, further action lifts bottom continuation of light bolt
from socket and disrupts solder, the buoy then, by gravity and complete detachment
from ship, falls overboard as does also the light, the latter sliding down bolt, taper
of which facilitates same. I may here remark that I may use lever or pin to
disengage buoy alone. With this I provide drawings representing the apparatus
A. is the buoy B. the light C. C. the side securements D. the light bolt E. is the
lever and F. the stirrup for foot action phase.
Having now described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is performed, I declare that what I claim is 1st The application of lever arranged to
withdraw soldered pin of light and release buoy 2d The preparation of light so that
it can be conveniently fixed and becomes an integral part of apparatus, particularly
the use of tapered pin or bolt with screws or other means of continuing same at
both ends.