Improved Means or Apparatus for Carrying Life Lines or the like, or Effecting Communication, between the Shore and a Ship or between Two Ships.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Oct., 1895-Accepted. 4'h Jan.,
1896
ROYDOTONA DI MUITIVATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Carrying Life Lines or the like,
or Effecting Communication, between the Shore and a Ship or
between Two Ships.
I, HENRY WEYBRIDGE FERRIS of 10 Lorne Gardens, Regent's Park in the
County of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
:-
My invention has reference to means or apparatus for carrying life lines or the
like, or effecting communication, between the shore and a ship or between two
ships.
My improved means or apparatus for this purpose consists of what may
appropriately be called a traveller or messenger which is a device in the form of a
buoyant structure, preferably somewhat in the form of a covered boat or of the
shell of a torpedo. It carries two or other number of electro motors and is
provided with propelling devices or with propelling and steering devices worked by
the said electro motors. The electro motors are connected to one end of and
operated by means of an electric cable which is coiled upon a reel or drum on
shore or on board ship as the case may be the other end of the cable being
capable of being connected up with a dynamo electric machine or other source of
electricity.
In carrying out my invention I prefer to provide the traveller with twin
propellers and with two electro motors for working the two propellers respectively
and to have in the cable two electric conductors one for each motor with means of
switching on or off either or both conductors as required.
If it be required for example to send a life line or effect communication say
between the shore and a ship in distress, one of my travellers or messengers on
shore has its cable connected up with the dynamo electric machine and is directed
towards the ship; the electro motors then drive the propellers so that the traveller
is propelled towards the ship, drawing out the cable from the drum as it proceeds.
The person in charge watches the course of the traveller which may carry a staff
with a flag or at night with a lamp and guides the same as required by temporarily
breaking the circuit of one or other of the conductors if he sees that the traveller
is going to the one side or other of the course required. When the traveller
reaches the ship the cable constitutes a life line or may serve as the means for
drawing a life line from the shore.
The same means or apparatus will serve for effecting communication by conveying
despatches, food or other objects from the shore to a ship or vice versú or from one
ship to another and the traveller may if desired be large enough to carry one or
more persons.
Sometimes I provide the cable with a third electric conductor to convey a
current to an electric lamp or lamps placed on the messenger when used at night.
Dated this 5th day of January 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.

page_text: Improved Means or Apparatus for Carrying Life Lines or the like,.
or Effecting Communication, between the Shore and a Ship or
between Two Ships.
I, HENRY WEYBRIDGE FERRIS of 10 Lorne Gardens, Regent's Park in the
County of London, Gentleman, 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 has reference to means or apparatus for carrying life lines or
the like; or effecting communication, between the shore and a ship or between
two ships.
My improved means or apparatus for this purpose consists of what may
appropriately be called a traveller or messenger which is a device in the form of a
buoyant structure preferably somewhat in the form of a covered boat or of the
shell of a torpedo. It carries two or other number of electro motors and is
provided with propelling devices or with propelling and steering devices worked
by the said electro motors. The electro motors are connected to one end of and
operated by means of an electric cable which is coiled upon a reel or drum on
shore or on board ship as the case may be, the other end of the cable being
capable of being connected up with a dynamo electric machine or other source of
electricity.
In carrying out my invention I prefer to provide the traveller with twin
propellers and with two electro motors for working the two propellers respectively.
and to have in the cable two electric conductors one for each motor with means of
switching on or off either or both conductors as required.
If it be required for example to send a life line or effect communication say
between the shore and a ship in distress, one of my travellers or messengers on
shore has its cable connected up with the dynamo electric machine and is directed
towards the ship; the electro motors then drive the propellers so that the traveller
is propelled towards the ship drawing out the cable from the drum as it proceeds
and also preferably drawing out a line from a reel on shore. The person in charge
watches the course of the traveller which may carry a staff with a flag or at night
a lamp and guides the same as required by temporarily breaking the circuit of one
or other of the conductors if he sees that the traveller is going to the one side or
other of the course required. When the traveller reaches the ship the line can be
detached from the traveller by some person on board the ship and then used like
the well known rocket line for sending a hawser and other tackle suited for the
purposes of rescue.
The same means or apparatus will serve for effecting communication by
conveying despatches, food or other objects from the shore to a ship or vice versa
or from one ship to another and the traveller may if desired be large enough to
carry one or more persons.
Sometimes I provide the cable with a third electric conductor to convey a
current to an electric lamp or lamps placed on the messenger when used at
night.
The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate how my invention may be
carried into effect. Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, Figure 2 a rear
elevation and Figure 3 a plan.
.a a are hollow air-tight twin cylinders rigidly connected with each other by the
tubes cc and with a third hollow air-tight cylinder 6 by the tubes dd the cylinder b
being situated between and above the cylinders aa and the whole constitutes a
buoyant structure. In each of the cylinders a a is an electro motor one of these

page_text: being indicated diagrammatically at e Figure 3. Each electro motor is adapted:
to drive a shaft which carries a screw propeller at the rear of the cylinder...
The fore end of each cylinder a is tapered in order to lessen the resistance of the
water and is furnished with a buffer or fender to reduce concussion in case it
should strike against any object; i is a strong tube fixed between the propellers.
This tube receives and protects the end of an electric cable which is coiled upon.
a reel or drum lou shore. Beneath this tube and the rear ends of the cylinders a a
is a strong plate m to protect the propellers from injury. by coming against shingle-
or other bodies while being launched; this plate is secured in place by means of
the tubes nn.
The cable contains at least two conductors each consisting of a...
pair of wires so as to complete an electric circuit; two of the pairs of wires
branch off respectively from the tube i through the tubes pp to the two electro
motors; a third pair of wires (not shown) when the cable contains more than two
pairs may branch off to an electric lamp 9 on the traveller when used at night.
The shore end of the cable is connected with a dynamo electric machine (not
shown) and the circuit through either pair of conductors can be broken and again.
completed as required by means of a key or other suitable device. When both
the electro motors e are working the circuit of each is complete; when on the
other hand it is desired to stop either of the propellers for the purpose of steering
to the right or left the corresponding circuit is temporarily broken. This can be
effected in various ways; I may for example have a commutator r on the the axle:
of the drum and lead the inner end of each of the wires of the cable k separately
to the commutator. One wire of each pair is connected through the commutator
with the positive pole of the dynamo while the negative pole of the dynamo is
connected with a switch or key box s with which the other wire of each pair is
connected through the commutator. By manipulating the corresponding switch or
key the circuit of either of the electro motors e can be broken or completed as
required in the manner well understood.
The electric lamp q is carried by forked stays or supports t t from the
v is a ring also
cylinders a a and these stays also serve to carry a flag staff u.
carried by the stays t; it is intended to have attached to it the end of a line
which is coiled on a reel on shore; this line as the traveller or messenger proceeds.
from the shore to the ship is paid out from the reel at the same time as the electric
cable k and when the ship is reached, the end of the line is to be detached from
the traveller by a person on board and secured on board; the traveller can then be
withdrawn independently of the line by winding in the electric cable; while the
line can be utilized like a "rocket line." As an alternative arrangement a reel
having a line coiled on it can be carried by the traveller as for instance in the
box w which may also contain despatches &c.; when the traveller reaches the ship
the end of the line is secured on board and the traveller being then withdrawn to
the shore by winding up the cable the line unwinds itself from the reel so that
communication is established with the shore as soon as the traveller has returned.
x is a shoe or socket to receive the end of a bar for pushing off the traveller from.
the shore.
Instead of driving the electro motors e by a dynamo on shore, they may be
driven by one or more secondary batteries placed in the traveller or messenger
itself the same as in boats the electro motors and propellers of which are driven
by secondary batteries. In this case the cable k is used for transmitting two com-
paratively weak currents, such as can be produced by an ordinary primary battery,
for the purpose of steering, one current in connection with each electro motor.
Then when it is desired to temporarily stop one of the propellers the current is
made to pass through the wires of the cable that correspond with that propeller
and to thereby cause an electro magnet to attract an armature attached to a cut off
or switch; the supply of the power current from the secondary battery to the
corresponding electro motor is thus stopped, as will be readily understood. When
one or more electric lamps are carried by the traveller the current for same can be
obtained from the secondary batteries.

page_text: Having now particularly 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
in respect of means or apparatus for carrying life lines or the like or effecting
communication between the shore and a ship or between two ships is :-
1. A buoyant traveller, messenger or structure such as set forth carrying electro
motors and propelling devices worked by these motors the said motors being
controlled, or driven and controlled, by means of an electric cable coiled upon
a reel or drum on shore or on board ship as the case may be, whereby the traveller
or messenger can be caused to pass from the shore to a ship or from a ship to the
shore or from one ship to another substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
2. Means or apparatus substantially as herein before described with reference
to the accompanying drawings for carrying life lines or the like or effecting
communication between the shore and a ship or between two ships.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.