AN IMPROVED FOG HORN
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph William Collins of Trafalgar Square, Chelsea in
the County of Middlesex, Assistant United States Fish Commissioner for an
Invention of "AN IMPROVED FOG HORN"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph William Collins
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th September
1883.
JOSEPH WILLIAM COLLINS of Trafalgar Square, Chelsea in the County of
Middlesex Assistant United States, Fish Commissioner, "AN IMPROVED FOG
HORN."
This invention relates mainly to that class of Fog Horns which are designed for
use on Shipboard or at small light house stations; the object being to increase the
intensity of the sound produced by the instrument and thereby to render it more
efficient than heretofore as a signal to approaching vessels.
The fog horn may be described as a cylindrical frame secured by its base to any
fixed point and containing an accordion bellows the vertical rods of which frame
form guides for the moving boards or heads of the bellows. The upper head of
the bellows carries a truncated hollow cone the upper end of which is threaded
internally to receive a fog horn of the usual or any approved construction. This
truncated cone is fitted with a lining which may be described as a cylindrical tube
having a conical base. An opening is made in the upper head of the bellows to
admit air into this lining. The free reed of the fog horn is suspended in the
upper end of the tubular lining which is closed by the screwing of the horn into the
truncated cone. As the air is forced upwards it will strike against the closed end
of the horn and enter the horn past the free reed as usual but inasmuch as the
air space around the free reed is contracted by the lining, the horn will be caused
to sound more powerfully than heretofore without any increase in the pressure of
the air delivered by the bellows. The bellows may be operated either by the
lifting of its lower head or by the depression of its upper head. In the former
case I provide a cranked lever carrying an antifriction bowle for bearing against

page_text: the underside of the lower head. By the rocking of the cranked lever the head
will be forced up and air will thereby be delivered to the fog horn. In this case
the upper head of the bellows is made a fixture. When however the bellows is put
in operation by the depression of the upper head I fix the bottom head in place
and I attach to the upper head a pair of standards and I connect therewith by a
pair of links a rocking looped lever which embraces the frame carrying the
bellows. As a fulcrum for this lever I provide an adjustable pin which enters
holes in a fixed post and may be shifted higher or lower as found convenient.
The free end of this rock lever I form with a soeket to receive a hand spike for
working it and I work, the cranked lever before mentioned preferably by the same
means. The looped rock lever when depressed will draw down the head of the
bellows and with it the sounding apparatus, attached thereto thereby compressing
the bellows and forcing the air to ascend to act upon the free reed of the
fog horn.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph William Collins in the Patent Office on the 19th March
1884.
JOSEPH WILLIAM COLLINS of Trafalgar Square Chelsea in the County of
Middlesex, Assistant United States Fish Commissioner "AN IMPROVED FOG
HORN"
The need of a reliable and loud-sounding fog-horn has long been felt by those
interested in maritime affairs, and many valuable lives, and a large amount of
property are annually sacrificed because vessels are not provided with such an
apparatus.
Now the object of this Invention which relates mainly to the class of fog horns
used on ship board, or at small light-house stations is to provide a simple means
for increasing the intensity of the sound produced by the instrument, and thereby
to render it more efficient than heretofore as a signal to approaching vessels.
In the accompanying drawing fig: 1 is a side elevation of the Fog Horn and
apparatus for working the same and Fig: 2 is a plan view shewing more clearly
one of the operating levers the Fog Horn proper being removed and fig: 3 is a
detached sectional view of the means used for concentrating the air which is
supplied to the fog horn.
The apparatus may be described as a cylindrical frame A. A. secured by its base
to any fixed point say the deck of a ship and containing an accordion bellows B.
The vertical rods of this frame form guides for the moving boards or heads of the
bellows b. 6. The upper head b. of the bellows carries a truncated hollow cone C
the upper end of which is threaded internally to receive a fog horn D of the usual
or any approved construction. This truncated cone C is fitted with a lining E
(ahewn at Fig 3) which may be described as a cylindrical tube having a conical
base. An opening is made in the upper head b. of the bellows B to admit air into
this lining. The free reed of the Fog horn D is suspended in the upper end of
the tubular lining which is closed by the screwing of the horn into the truncated
cone C.
As the air is forced upwards it will strike against the closed end of the horn D
and enter the horn past the free reed as usual, but inasmuch as the air space
around the free reed is contracted by the lining, the horn will be caused to sound
more powerfully than heretofore without any increase in the pressure of the air
delivered by the bellows B.
The bellows may be operated either by the lifting of its lower head or by the
depression of its upper head. In the former case I provide a cranked lever F
fulcrumed at f. and carrying an antifriction bowl f¹. for bearing against the
underside of the lower head b. The axle of the bowl is extended to enter a pair of
slotted lugs carried by the board for the purpose of maintaining a connection
between the board and the cranked lever.-By rocking the cranked lever the
head will be forced up, and air will thereby be delivered to the fog-horn. In this
case the upper head of the bellows is made a fixture. When however the bellows
is put in operation by the depression of the upper head. I fix the bottom head
by lashing it to the deck and I attach to the upper head a pair of standards b².
and I connect therewith by a pair of links b³, a rocking looped lever G which
embraces the frame A carrying the bellows.
As a support for the fulcrum pin of this lever I provide an adjustable or fork
headed screw g. (see Fig 1) which enters a tapped hole in the end of a vertical
link g'. the opposite end of the link being similarly tapped to receive a screw g².

page_text: standing up vertically from the deck the looped lever G being mounted in the
forked head g. its fulcrum may be raised or lowered at pleasure by simply turning
the link which will draw down the screw g. or raise it according to the direction
in which the link is turned.-The free end of the rock lever G I form with a
socket to receive a hand spike for working it.
This lever when depressed will draw down the head of the bellows and with
it the sounding apparatus attached thereto, thereby compressing the bellows and
forcing the air to ascend to act upon the free reed of the fog horn.-The cranked
lever F may also be worked by means of a hand spike.
When this crank lever is used the bellows head b. is made fast by passing
pins through holes in the guide rods of the frame A both above and below the
board.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improved Fog horn".
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim.
The adaptation to Fog Horns of the means above described for concentrating
the action of the air of the Bellows upon the free reed of the Horn for the
purpose above set forth.
t
In witness. whereof I the said Joseph William Collins have hereunto set my
hand and seal the 1st day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
JOSEPH WILLIAM COLLINS (L.S.)