IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CONTROL AND OPERATION OF TORPEDO BOATS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CONTROL AND
OPERATION OF TORPEDO BOATS."
Louis Lay, of Paris, France.
A communication from abroad by John
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th May 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents'
Southampton Buildings, London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING
THE CONTROL AND OPERATION OF TORPEDO BOATS." [A communication from abroad
by John Louis Lay, of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to torpedo-boats or travelling torpedoes of the class
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated February 22nd,
A.D. 1878, No. 747, and is designed to facilitate the controlling of the same by the
operator or operators at the shore or other station, also to increase the effect of the
gas used as motive power in such boats.
The said Invention comprises improved guide-rod-apparatus for indicating to
the operator at the station the position of the boat or torpedo when the same
is travelling through the water, as in attacking an iron clad vessel or other
object.
It also comprises improved means for heating carbonic acid gas to be used in the
engines for driving or propelling the said torpedo-boat, as more fully hereinafter
described.
In carrying the first part of my Invention into practice I employ the following
devices, that is to say I employ two guide-rods which are raised and lowered by
turning on horizontal shafts or pivots. Upon a suitable bed plate or support
within the hull or body of the torpedo boat I arrange two cylinders provided with
suitable pistons which are connected by their piston-rods to an oscillating lever
or beam; upon the centre or pivot of the latter I secure one of the two guide-rods
employed to denote the position of the boat to the operators. This guide-rod is
connected by a rod or bar to the other guide-rod, which is pivotted at its lower end
Driss S1

page_text: to the boat.
gas
The piston of one of the said cylinders is acted upon by the carbonic
acid or other gas from the reservoir in the torpedo-boat; the admission of the
to the said cylinder is controlled by a slide-valve operated through a series of
levers by an electro magnet included in the circuit of the cable or conductor, and
controlled by currents sent through the latter from the shore or other station.
The other cylinder serves as a cushioning cylinder to prevent the sudden elevation
or depression of the guide-rods, and is filled with any suitable liquid which in the
movement of the piston passes from one side to the other side of the latter, or from
one end to the other of the said cylinder through a passage or channel. The flow
of this liquid through the said passage is controlled by a regulating screw which
can be turned to close the passage more or less as required.
By means of this screw, or other suitable device, I can regulate the velocity or
speed with which the guide-rods are raised or lowered.
To enable the position of the torpedo-boat to be ascertained at any moment by
the operator at the station, and to facilitate the manipulation or guiding of the
same when making a night attack, I employ a lamp or lantern upon the said
guide-rods. These guide-rods in this case have secured to them a hood, within
which the said lamp is arranged to swing freely on pintles. This hood is preferably
spherical in form, and has an opening through which the light appears when the
rod is elevated. The lamp is provided with suitable studs or stops, which when
the guide rod is elevated come in contact with the same and prevent the said lamp
from assuming any other than a vertical position. When, however, the guide-rod
is lowered the lamp will swing upon its pintles, and the hood will assume such a
position as to cover and conceal the light. By the employment of a hood, as above
described, the light is in all cases visible to the operator on the shore or other
station, but is effectually concealed by the hood from those on board the ship or
other object being attacked, whether the guide rods are raised or lowered.
point to which the guide-rods can be lowered is preferably regulated by screw-
stops in the cylinder or cylinders for operating the same.
The
I will now proceed to describe my improved means for heating carbonic acid
gas, that is to say, within the hull of the torpedo-boat I arrange an air-vessel and
a gas expanding or heating chamber whose lower portion is surrounded by a tank.
In this tank and surrounding the gas-chamber I place a perforated plate, the space
below which is filled with sponge saturated with alcohol. The air-vessel and the
lower end of the tank are connected by a pipe which is provided with a throttle-
valve whose stem is connected to a piston within a small cylinder. This piston is
forced in the direction to close the valve by a spiral spring, and in the other
direction by carbonic acid gas admitted to the cylinder when the boat-propelling
engines are started. A suitable reducing valve is also arranged in the said pipe to
regulate the supply of air to the alcohol or combustion chamber. Above the afore-
said perforated plate I place a perforated box or case containing a vial of sulphuric
acid surrounded with a mixture of chlorate of potash and white sugar, or other
suitable substance. In connection with this box I arrange a small cylinder the
end of whose piston rod nearly touches the vial, but is held out of contact with
the same by a spiral spring within the said cylinder. To one end of this cylinder
is connected a pipe, through which, when gas is admitted to the supply-pipe which
conducts the gas to the engines, the gas also flows and exerts pressure upon the
piston, which is then projected forward and breaks the vial of acid, thereby
lighting the surrounding material. This material in turn ignites the fumes of the
alcohol, thereby producing heat and expanding the gas, and increasing its effect as
it passes through the aforesaid expanding chamber on its way to the boat-propelling
engines. At the same time that the piston is projected forward to break the acid
vial the piston in the aforesaid throttle-valve-cylinder is also acted upon by the
gas, and opens the throttle valve to adinit air to the combustion-chamber to facilitate
the burning of the alcohol in the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
November 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING
THE CONTROL AND OPERATION OF TORPEDO BOATS." A communication from abroad
by John Louis Lay, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to torpedo boats or travelling torpedos of the class
described in the Specification of former Letters Patent dated February 22nd,
A.D. 1878, No. 747, and is designed to facilitate the controlling of the same by the
operator or operators at the shore or other station, and also to increase the effect of
the gas used as motive-power in such boats.
The said Invention comprises improved apparatus for indicating to the operator
at the shore or other station the position of the boat or torpedo when the same
is travelling through the water, as in attacking an iron-clad-vessel or other
object.
It also comprises improved means for heating carbonic acid-gas to be used in
the engines for driving or propelling the said torpedo-boats, as more fully herein-
after described.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a torpedo-boat illustrating my
improved method of elevating and depressing the guide rods, and
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, and
Figure 4 a rear elevation of an improved swinging lamp or lantern provided
with a hood or cover, and designed to be attached to the guide rods to facilitate
the manipulation of a torpedo boat in making a night attack, the parts being shewn
in the position they occupy when the guide rod is raised.
Figure 5 represents a portion of one of the guide rods provided with the said
lamp and hood, and shews the position of the latter when the guide rod is
lowered.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a torpedo boat illustrating my
improved method of heating the carbonic acid gas employed for propelling the
same, as hereinafter described.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
I will first proceed to describe my improved devices whereby the guide rods are
depressed and elevated to indicate the position of the boat to the operator or
operators at the shore or other station when making an attack.
For this purpose
I employ, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, two guide-rods a, a*, which are capable
of being raised and lowered, and turn on horizontal shafts or pivots.
Upon a suitable bed plate or support within the hull or body of the torpedo
boat I arrange two. cylinders b, b', provided with suitable pistons which are con-
nected by their rods to an oscillating lever or bean c; upon the journal or pivot cl.
of the latter I secure the guide-rod a. This guide rod is connected by a rod or
bar a¹ to the other guide-rod a*, which is pivoted at its lower end to a bracket
secured to the hull of the boat, as shewn. The piston of the cylinder b is acted
upon by the carbonic acid or other gas from the reservoir in the torpedo-boat; the
admission of this gas to the said cylinder is controlled by a slide-valve b* operated
through a series of levers by the electro-magnet d, which is included in the circuit
of the cable or conductor, and is controlled by currents sent through the latter
from the shore or other station. The cylinder 6¹ serves as a cushioning cylinder
to prevent any too violent or sudden movement in the elevation or depression of

page_text: the guide rods; it is filled with any suitable liquid, which in the movement of the
piston passes from one side to the other side of the latter, or from one end to the
The flow of this
other of the said cylinder, through a passage or channel 6º.
liquid through the said passage is controlled by a regulating screw 63, which can
be turned to close the passage more or less as required. By means of this screw
or other suitable device I can regulate the velocity or speed with which the guide-
rods are raised or lowered.
To provide for ascertaining the position of the torpedo boat at any moment by
the operator at the station, and to facilitate the manipulation or guiding of the boat
when making a night attack, I employ a lamp or lantern e upon the said guide rods,
as represented in Figures 3, 4, and 5. Each of the said guide rods in this case has
secured to it a hood e', within which the said lamp or lantern is arranged to swing
freely on pintles c³. This hood is preferably spherical in form, and has an opening
at e through which the light appears when the rod is elevated, as shewn in
Figures 3 and 4.
The lamp is so balanced on its pintles as to tend alway to
assume a vertical position, and is provided with suitable studs or stops e³, which
when the guide rod is elevated come in contact with the same, as shewn' in
Figure 3, and prevent the lamp from assuming any other position. When, however,
the guide rod is lowered the lamp and hood will occupy the relative positions
shewn in Figure 5, that is to say, the light from the said lamp will then be con-
cealed or obscured by the hood. By the employment of the hood e¹, as above
described, the light is in all cases visible only to the operator on the shore or other
station, and is effectually concealed by the hood from those on board the ship or
other object being attacked, whether the guide-rods are raised or lowered. The
position to which the guide-rods can be lowered is preferably regulated by screw
stops in the cylinder or cylinders for operating the same.
I will now proceed to describe my improved means, as illustrated in Figure 6 of
the Drawing, for heating the carbonic acid gas to be used as the motive power for
propelling or driving torpedo boats. For this purpose I arrange within the hull of
the torpedo boat an air vessel fand a gas expanding or heating chamber g whose
lower portion is surrounded by a tank or vessel h. In this tank and surrounding
the gas chamber I place a perforated plate h¹, the space below which is filled with
sponge, as shewn at h³, saturated with alcohol. The air vessel fand the lower end
of the tank are connected by a pipe f¹, which is provided with a throttle valve f²,
whose stem is connected to a piston within a small cylinder f³. This piston is
forced in one direction to close the said valve by a spiral spring, and in the other
direction to open the valve by carbonic acid gas admitted to the cylinders when the
boat propelling engines are started; f* represents a reducing valve arranged in the
pipe f to regulate the supply of air to the alcohol or combustion chamber sur-
rounding the chamber g. Above the perforated plate h' and at one side of the
tank I place a perforated box or case * containing a vial of sulphuric acid
surrounded by a mixture of chlorate of potash and white sugar, or other suitable
substance. In connection with this box I arrange a small cylinder i, the end of
whose piston rod nearly touches the vial, but is held out of contact with the same
by a spiral spring arranged within the said cylinder, as shewn. To one end of the
cylinder is connected a pipe j¹, through which when gas is admitted to the pipe
which conducts the gas to the engine the gas also flows and exerts pressure upon
the said piston, which is then projected forward and breaks the vial of acid, thereby
lighting the surrounding material. This material in turn ignites the fumes of the
alcohol, thereby producing heat and expanding the gas entering the chamber
the aperture k, and increasing its effect as it passes through the said expanding
chamber g and out at l on its way to the boat propelling engines. At the same
time that the piston in the cylinder i is projected forward to break the acid vial
the piston in the throttle valve cylinder fs is also acted upon by the gas and opens
the throttle valve fs to admit air to the combustion chamber to facilitate the burning
of the alcohol in the same.
at
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my

page_text: foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim in a torpedo boat,-
First. The improvements relating to the apparatus for elevating and depressing
the guide-rods, and consisting of the parts shewn in the Drawings, or substantially
similar parts, combined and operating as above set forth.
Second. The improvements relating to the lamp or lantern and its hood or cover,
in combination with the guide-rod, as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Third. The improvements relating to the heating of the carbonic acid-gas by
means of the apparatus shewn in the Drawings, or substantially similar apparatus,
as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WM. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)