IMPROVEMENTS IN TOR- PEDOES.
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Ambrose McEvoy, of 18, Adam Strect, Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TOR-
PEDOES.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Ambrose McEvoy at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th October 1878.
CHARLES AMBROSE MºEvoy, of 18, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TORPEDOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in torpedoes.
In floating torpedoes, such as are connected by a telegraph wire with the shore or
other distant place, I employ a contact maker actuated by a weight, which on the
torpedo being struck by a passing ship is displaced. The weight when displaced
moves the contact maker and completes the electric circuit, causing an electric bell
at the other end of the wire to sound or otherwise indicate that the torpedo has
been struck.
Arrangements of this nature are at present sometimes employed, but according to
my present Invention, in order to prevent the circuit being opened when the weight
falls back to its first position immediately after the shock, I apply in connection
with the contact maker an electro-magnet, which instantly when the circuit is
completed becomes magnetised. The magnet then attracts and retains its arma-
ture, which serves again as the contact maker, so that the current continues to
pass.
Thus the indication is maintained until an attendant on shore or at the other end
of the line wire momentarily breaks the contact, when the armature is drawn away
from the magnet by a spring and the circuit is opened within the torpedo, and
remains open until the torpedo experiences another shock; or when an indication is
given the operator can at pleasure explode the torpedo by connecting in the
circuit a battery sufficiently powerful to fire the electric fuse which the torpedo
contains.

page_text: Or in place of allowing the circuit to be completely broken when the armature
falls away from the magnet I sometimes arrange that it shall be closed through a
high resistance sufficient to prevent the sounding of the bell, and I arrange within
the torpedo a telephone of peculiar construction, which so long as the torpedo is
floating and in proper electric communication with the shore transmits sounds
which can be heard in another telephone by an observer on shore. The telephone
within the torpedo consists of a small box, on the bottom of which lies a horse-shoe
or bent magnet. From the upper side of the magnet near its ends iron studs
serving as pole pieces project, and these are surrounded by bobbins of covered wire
forming part of the circuit. Immediately over these bobbins is a cover of thin
sheet iron, and over which I place small bells. By the movement of the torpedo in
the water these are caused to sound, and the sound is transmitted to the observer
on shore. If however the torpedo should sink, or if the telegraph wire should be
injured, the sound is lost, and the operator thus knows that the torpedo has ceased
to be in working order.
The telephone bobbins serve also to furnish the resistance required in the
circuit.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Ambrose McEvoy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th April 1879.
CHARLES AMBROSE McEvoy, of 18, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TORPEDOES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in torpedoes.
In floating torpedoes, such as are connected by a telegraph wire with the shore or
other distant place, I employ a contact maker actuated by a weight, which on the
torpedo being struck by a passing ship is displaced. The weight when displaced
moves the contact maker and completes the electric circuit, causing an electric bell
at the other end of the wire to sound or otherwise indicating that the torpedo has
been struck.
Arrangements of this nature are at present sometimes employed, but according
to my present Invention, in order to prevent the circuit being opened when the
-weight falls back to its first position immediately after the shock, I apply in con-
nection with the contact maker an electro-magnet, which instantly when the
circuit is completed becomes magnetized. The magnet then attracts and retains its
armature, which serves again as the contact maker, so that the current continues to
pass.
Thus the indication is maintained until an attendant on shore or at the other end
of the line wire momentarily breaks the contact, when the armature is drawn away
from the magnet by a spring, and the circuit is opened within the torpedo and
remains open until the torpedo experiences another shock. Or when an indication

page_text: is given the operator can at pleasure explode the torpedo by connecting in the
circuit a battery sufficiently powerful to fire the electric fuse which the torpedo
contains.
Or in place of allowing the circuit to be completely broken when the armature
falls away from the magnet, I sometimes arrange that it shall be closed through a
high resistance sufficient to provent the sounding of the bell, and I arrange within
the torpedo a telephone of peculiar construction, which so long as the torpedo is
floating and in proper electric communication with the shore transmits sounds,
which can be heard in another telephone by an observer on shore. The telephone
within the torpedo consists of a small box on the bottom of which lies a horse-shoe
or beut magnet. From the upper side of the magnet near its ends iron studs
serving as pole pieces project, and these are surrounded by bobbins of covered wire
forming part of the circuit. Immediately over these bobbins is a cover of thin
sheet iron, and over which I place small bells. By the movement of the torpedo in .
the water these are caused to sound, and the sound is transmitted to the observer on
shore. If however the torpedo should sink, or if the telegraph wire should be injured,
the sound is lost, and the operator thus knows that the torpedo has ceased to be in
working order.
The telephone bobbins serve also to furnish the resistance required in the
circuit.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily carried-
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 2 is a side elevation, both partly in
section, of a torpedo indicator and firing apparatus arranged according to my In-
vention; Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 1, 1. a is a plug inserted
into the bottom of the torpedo case; b is a cable by which an insulated wire is led
from the shore or other place to the torpedo through the plug a and into the
instrument case c. Around the case c the main charge of the torpedo, consisting
usually of moist gun cotton, is arranged. The plug a forms the foot, as the
Drawings show, of a frame supporting the electro-magnet d, the contact making
weight e, the telephonic sounder f, and the fuses g, g. The weight e is seated upon
the metal platform forming part of the frame in such a manner that although not
subject to be displaced by the roll of the sea, the weight will be upset by the shock
of a vessel coming into collision with the torpedo. An universal joint connects the
base of the weight e with the armature of the magnet d in such manner that
the displacement of the weight raises the armature up to the magnet, but when
the weight returns to its seat the armature is not moved back; nevertheless it will
fall back of itself unless a current passing in the coils of the magnet causes it to
be attracted. The armature carries a metallic finger d*, which when the armature
is raised makes contact with the two springs i, ¹, which are otherwise not in
electrical connection, being separately fixed to a vulcanite slab forming part of the
frame.
The construction of the telephonic sounder fis as already stated. It differs from
an ordinary speaking telephone principally in that there is no mouth-piece, its case
being completely closed; and also in that this case encloses above the thin iron
diaphragm a very small bell (such as is sometimes attached to the collar of a lap
dog), and it may be also a few small shot. These articles by rolling about upon the
diaphragm with the movement of the sea produce easily recognisable sounds, which
are repeated in a receiving telephone at the other end of the cable b.
The fuses 9, 9, are of well-known construction. They contain wires which become
highly heated when an electric current of sufficient power is passed through them.
They fire discs of compressed gun cotton, and these in turn by their detoriation
cause the main charge to explode.
The electrical connections are as follows:-When the parts are in the positions in
which they are shown in the Drawing the current of a feeble testing battery on

page_text: shore passes by the conductor of the cable 6 to the contact screw k, thence to the
contact screw, and by the connection m to the telephonic sounder f, the coils of
which are of high resistance. The connections n, n, then lead the current through
the fuse g, g, to the screw o in the frame, which is an earth connection having a
direct metallic communication with the external water. Under these circumstances
the observer at the distant station will if all be right be able to hear in the
receiving telephone the sound resulting from the movement of the articles enclosed
within the telephonic sounder, but the current of the feeble testing battery will be
incompetant to cause the electric bell at the observer's station to sound. When
however the armature d¹ is raised an easier course is opened to the current than
through the high resistance of the coils of the telephonic sounder, and the course of
the current then is mainly as follows:-From k to the screw p which clamps one
extremity of the wire coiled around the electro-magnet d, thence through one of
⚫the magnet coils to the spring i, through d* to ¹, through the second coils of the
electro-magnet d to the screw q, from q to the screw 7, thence by the connections 8
and n to the fuses, and after traversing these to o the earth connection.
This course offers comparatively small resistance to the current, and the electric
bell at the place of observation on shore or elsewhere commencing to sound gives
the indication desired. The operator can then, if he so pleases, fire the charge by
putting a powerful battery in circuit; or he may cause the armature d¹ to fall away
from the magnet, and bring the telephonic sounder again into circuit by a momentary
interruption of the current from the testing battery.
In the arrangement shown the charge is in the same buoy or float with the
indicator, but this is not essential, for the charge and fuses may in some instances
be arranged in a separate case resting on the bottom, and in some instances, where
the indication given by the collision of the vessel with the torpedo may be all that
it is required, the charge may be omitted; or again other independant arrangements
may be made for firing the charge when the indication is received.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The arrangement, substantially as described, in the circuit closer of a torpedo
by which the contact resulting from collision is maintained and brought under the
control of the observer.
Second. The combination with the circuit closer of a torpedo of a telephonic
sounder, substantially as described, in such manner that the shock of collision
relieves the circuit of the resistance of the coils of the telephonic sounder.
Third. The apparatus, substantially as herein described, and illustrated by the
annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Ambrose McEvoy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.